Themes of Rosh Hashanah:
1) Acceptance of G-D's kingdom
2) Return to Torah
Rosh Hashanah 16 a R' Judah says:
' Man is judged on New Year and his doom is sealed
on the Day of Atonement ' R' Jose says: ' Man is judged every day, as it says in Job7: 18, And thou dost visit him every morning.
Rosh Hashanah 16 b R' Kruspedai said in the name of R' Johanan:
' Three books are opened on New Year,
one for the thoroughly wicked, one for the thoroughly righteous,
and one for the intermediate.
The thoroughly righteous are forthwith inscribed definitively
in the book of life ;
the thoroughly wicked are forthwith inscribed in the book of death ; the doom of the intermediate is suspended
from New Year till the Day of Atonement ;
if they deserve well, they are inscribed in the book of life; If they do not deserve well, they are inscribed in the book of death. '
Rosh Hashanah 16 a R' Abbahu said:
'Why do we blow on a ram's horn?' The holy One, blessed be HE: said ' Sound before ME a ram's horn so that
I may remember on your behalf the binding of Isaac,
the son of Abraham,
and account it to you as if you had bound yourselves before ME. '
Rosh Hashanah not only celebrates Creation itself,
it also highlights the dual aspects of man's relationship to G-D. G-D is our King, but G-D was not king until he created man, f
or to be a king, one must have subjects who accept him as king. We can understand our relationship to G-D our King.
Joseph Acbo 15th century theologian states:
The elements of repentance by which a person may be cleansed of his iniquities and purified of his sin before G-D are corrections of thought, speech and act. Correction of thought means that he should feel regret on account of his sins.
Correction of speech signifies that he should confess his transgressions; while correction of act denotes that he should take it upon himself never again to return to his folly, but should do instead acts as would indicate that the former were done in error and unintentionally….
The things hindering and preventing repentance are three: ignorance of having committed a sin, excusing oneself, and the love of money and glory. It is clear that every one of these hinders repentance. If a man does not recognize or know that he has sinned, he will never regret doing the thing he does, nor repent, as a sick man can not be cured as long as he does not feel or know that he is sick, for he will never seek a cure. So if one does not know that he has sinned, he will never repent ….It is also clear from the thing itself that self-excuse prevents repentance. For if a man thinks that excusing himself for his sin will avail him, he will never regret the doing of it, nor confess his sin. Such a one is called a man ' Who covers his transgressions '
As Solomon says in Proverbs 28:13 ' He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper.' Covering one's sin means to make something else responsible for one's sin…
Love of money and glory prevents repentance.
For if a person repents in order to get some financial benefit or honor, his act is not repentance at all. One must undertake not to turn again to folly for the love of G-D and not for any other motive….
According to Rosh Hashanah 166 The resurrection of the dead will take place on Rosh Hashanah.
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Three Festivals are represented by specific shofar blasts :
The first trump = Shavuot
The last trump = Rosh Hashanah
Great trump = Yom Kippur
According to the rabbis,the blowing of the horns and trumpets ordained by the Lord and observed in the Temple in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Israel had a threefold purpose.
1.)Sounded a call to repentance. It was a call to the dead to arise and live again,to awaken from sin to regeneration through repentance
2.)It reminded the L-RD that he was in a covenant relationship was His people Israel and must deal gently with them,not according to their merits but according to His gracious promises made to Abraham and the patriarchs of old.
3.) To confound and to confuse Satan,the rabbis thought,had a special predilection of accusing Israel on New Years Day,bringing before the Lord all their shortcomings and sins. The horn used on the solemn occasion of New Years Day was a Ram's horn.(Shofar) bringing to memory Abraham's sacrifice of his son Isaac at the L-RD's command. This sacrifice was considered as if accomplished because of Abraham's absolute faith and willingness to do the L-RD's bidding,but which G-D, in his mercy,refrained from exacting,substituting a ram in the place of Isaac.
In the world to come there is no eating nor drinking nor propagation nor business nor jealousy nor hatred nor competition,but the righteous sit with their crowns on their heads feasting on the brightness of the Shekinah. (Berakhot17a) Compare to Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Our sages explain that God said,“Sound the shofar before Me so that I will remember that Isaac was bound on the altar. Sound the horn of the ram so I will remember the ram that was substituted for Isaac.”-Me'am Lo'ez
1) Acceptance of G-D's kingdom
2) Return to Torah
Rosh Hashanah 16 a R' Judah says:
' Man is judged on New Year and his doom is sealed
on the Day of Atonement ' R' Jose says: ' Man is judged every day, as it says in Job7: 18, And thou dost visit him every morning.
Rosh Hashanah 16 b R' Kruspedai said in the name of R' Johanan:
' Three books are opened on New Year,
one for the thoroughly wicked, one for the thoroughly righteous,
and one for the intermediate.
The thoroughly righteous are forthwith inscribed definitively
in the book of life ;
the thoroughly wicked are forthwith inscribed in the book of death ; the doom of the intermediate is suspended
from New Year till the Day of Atonement ;
if they deserve well, they are inscribed in the book of life; If they do not deserve well, they are inscribed in the book of death. '
Rosh Hashanah 16 a R' Abbahu said:
'Why do we blow on a ram's horn?' The holy One, blessed be HE: said ' Sound before ME a ram's horn so that
I may remember on your behalf the binding of Isaac,
the son of Abraham,
and account it to you as if you had bound yourselves before ME. '
Rosh Hashanah not only celebrates Creation itself,
it also highlights the dual aspects of man's relationship to G-D. G-D is our King, but G-D was not king until he created man, f
or to be a king, one must have subjects who accept him as king. We can understand our relationship to G-D our King.
Joseph Acbo 15th century theologian states:
The elements of repentance by which a person may be cleansed of his iniquities and purified of his sin before G-D are corrections of thought, speech and act. Correction of thought means that he should feel regret on account of his sins.
Correction of speech signifies that he should confess his transgressions; while correction of act denotes that he should take it upon himself never again to return to his folly, but should do instead acts as would indicate that the former were done in error and unintentionally….
The things hindering and preventing repentance are three: ignorance of having committed a sin, excusing oneself, and the love of money and glory. It is clear that every one of these hinders repentance. If a man does not recognize or know that he has sinned, he will never regret doing the thing he does, nor repent, as a sick man can not be cured as long as he does not feel or know that he is sick, for he will never seek a cure. So if one does not know that he has sinned, he will never repent ….It is also clear from the thing itself that self-excuse prevents repentance. For if a man thinks that excusing himself for his sin will avail him, he will never regret the doing of it, nor confess his sin. Such a one is called a man ' Who covers his transgressions '
As Solomon says in Proverbs 28:13 ' He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper.' Covering one's sin means to make something else responsible for one's sin…
Love of money and glory prevents repentance.
For if a person repents in order to get some financial benefit or honor, his act is not repentance at all. One must undertake not to turn again to folly for the love of G-D and not for any other motive….
According to Rosh Hashanah 166 The resurrection of the dead will take place on Rosh Hashanah.
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Three Festivals are represented by specific shofar blasts :
The first trump = Shavuot
The last trump = Rosh Hashanah
Great trump = Yom Kippur
According to the rabbis,the blowing of the horns and trumpets ordained by the Lord and observed in the Temple in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Israel had a threefold purpose.
1.)Sounded a call to repentance. It was a call to the dead to arise and live again,to awaken from sin to regeneration through repentance
2.)It reminded the L-RD that he was in a covenant relationship was His people Israel and must deal gently with them,not according to their merits but according to His gracious promises made to Abraham and the patriarchs of old.
3.) To confound and to confuse Satan,the rabbis thought,had a special predilection of accusing Israel on New Years Day,bringing before the Lord all their shortcomings and sins. The horn used on the solemn occasion of New Years Day was a Ram's horn.(Shofar) bringing to memory Abraham's sacrifice of his son Isaac at the L-RD's command. This sacrifice was considered as if accomplished because of Abraham's absolute faith and willingness to do the L-RD's bidding,but which G-D, in his mercy,refrained from exacting,substituting a ram in the place of Isaac.
In the world to come there is no eating nor drinking nor propagation nor business nor jealousy nor hatred nor competition,but the righteous sit with their crowns on their heads feasting on the brightness of the Shekinah. (Berakhot17a) Compare to Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Our sages explain that God said,“Sound the shofar before Me so that I will remember that Isaac was bound on the altar. Sound the horn of the ram so I will remember the ram that was substituted for Isaac.”-Me'am Lo'ez
