Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day. -Genesis 1:26-31
In Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah is considered the anniversary of the Creation of the Universe by God. However, the actual day of Rosh Hashanah is considered to commemorate the sixth day of God’s creative act; the creation of man and woman, as chronicled in the quote above. Why is the Head of the Year celebrated on the sixth day, when God breathed life into the earth and created the first man, and not the first day of Creation?
For this is what the LORD says -
he who created the heavens,
he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited -
he says:
“I am the LORD,
and there is no other.”
-Isaiah 45:18
The prophet Isaiah seems to be saying that God never intended for Creation to be empty, but rather formed it to be inhabited. Of course, this doesn’t presuppose that it had to be inhabited by humanity, yet there is other evidence of why the sixth day is of special importance.
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of a man;
the LORD delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.
-Psalm 147:10-11
From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
-Psalm 8:2-5
It seems clear from the Psalms, that God specifically delights in people, and that our place in His Kingdom and His Creation is unique among all the living earthly and heavenly beings. Further, it is our proper relationship to Him, that seems to be the focus of why Creation exists at all. “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise…” and “…the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love”, are excellent indicators of the purpose of the universe and our purpose within it. While the Bible doesn’t specifically state that Rosh Hashanah literally is the anniversary of the sixth day of Creation, I can see a great deal of benefit to humanity for considering it to be so.
When I read the Bible, part of what I see is a partnership between God and man. A relationship designed to bring about His special will upon the earth and everyone living. When you look at the lives of men like Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, you don’t just see people who worshipped God, but men who performed His will in a way that made a difference, not only to those around them, but to the rest of us, across the expanse of history. What if Abraham hadn’t been faithful to God in the matter of the binding of Issac? What if Issac hadn’t given his blessing to Jacob? What if Jacob had not fathered the twelve tribes and taught them to honor the God of his fathers? What would that mean, not only for them, but for us?
On the secular New Year we celebrate each January 1st, it’s common for people to make resolutions. Usually, those resolutions have to do with making improvements in our lives. Memberships to gyms skyrocket just after the beginning of the year, as we take stock of our health and waistlines, and become determined to improve upon the body we’ve neglected.
Rosh Hashanah is also an opportunity for a new beginning. Usually, we don’t take stock so much of our physical appearance, as our spirit’s appearance before God. How have we conducted ourselves during the past year? Did we always take every opportunity to serve God faithfully? Were there times when we chose not to listen to His voice? Did a habitual sin creep into our lives and we pretended not to notice?
I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that the Shofar is sounded one hundred times each day of Rosh Hashanah. Most of us have alarm clocks that sound off, to let us know when it’s time to wake up and get ready for work. As children, when we were lost or had been away from home too long, one or both of our parents would loudly call out our names, beckoning us to return to the safety of our mother and father. The sounding of the shofar can be considered the “voice” of our Father in Heaven, calling us to return to His safety and His home.
At the end of Rosh Hashanah, there is a ten day period of preparation for Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. Those ten days are called the Ten Days of Teshuvah or Return. As Rosh Hashanah approaches, if the High Holidays have been firmly set in our awareness, we probably experience some anticipation of what’s to come. This time of renewal brings both joy and perhaps a bit of dread, because, while it’s a time of renewal, it’s also a time of brutal self-examination. If you’re human, and you are honest with yourself, you know you’ve fallen short of God’s expectations of a holy life.
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… -Romans 3:22-23
When Rosh Hashanah arrives, we experience the sweetness of a new year in the presence of God (literally, when we eat apples dipped in honey, as is tradition), yet with the passing of Rosh Hashanah, our introspection begins in earnest as we prepare to face the Throne of God, turn from our sins, ask for His mercy, and dedicate ourselves to better serve the King.
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” -Luke 18:9-14
Reading the observation of Yeshua to his talidim (disciples), we see a perfect example of the attitude a person must have when approaching Yom Kippur during the Teshuvah period. But while the idea of confessing our deepest failures to God can be very painful, we must remember that this is also a wonderful opportunity to wipe the slate clean.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
-Psalm 103:11-12
We know that, through the blood of the Messiah, all our sins were washed clean, and our spirits are “white as snow”, yet we do not live lives in perfect obedience to our Master. We have the right to call ourselves the sons and daughters of the Most High, yet we do not always behave as proper children to the King of the Universe. While we (ideally) confess our sins daily, repenting and receiving forgiveness, we sometimes hold back on unreserved confession and total repentance.
Part of God’s instituting Rosh Hashanah, at least in my opinion, is to give us a special time to draw closer to Him. All of the commandments and customs are in place to draw us to His will, to compel us to examine our behaviors and attitudes, and to bring us humbly before Him in confession and repentance. Rosh Hashanah then becomes the perfect time to also celebrate the creation of the first man, and the establishment of man’s and woman’s true relationship with God. We are reminded of the purpose for which God created, not only humanity in general, but you and me specifically. Just as all mankind has a purpose in God’s plan, we each, as individuals, have a purpose as well. Rosh Hashanah links our individual existences with that universal, Heavenly purpose for us living on earth.
On Rosh Hashanah, listen for the sound of the shofar. It’s our wake up call, to cast off those things that distance us from God, to get up, and to start a new year fresh and renewed.