Rosh Hashanah
September 23, 2025
Rosh Hashanah, which literally means “Head of the Year,” or New Year, is one of the appointed feasts of the LORD commanded to Israel in the Hebrew Bible.
Reference to Rosh Hashanah can be found in In Leviticus 23:23-25, it states: “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with the blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the LORD.’”
Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Day of Trumpets, is celebrated by blowing the shofar, or ram’s horn, in synagogues worldwide. It occurs on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, which falls on September 23, 2025. It also marks the seventh new moon of the Jewish year. After the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70, this day started to be called Rosh Hashanah and became the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar.
Rosh Hashanah marks the start of ten days of celebration that conclude with Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year, also known as the Day of Atonement. The sound of the shofar (trumpets) on Rosh Hashanah mainly calls for repentance, serving as a reminder that the Day of Atonement is approaching. It encourages individuals to turn to the Lord and seek forgiveness for sinful thoughts, words, and deeds committed over the past year.
A common greeting during Rosh Hashanah is “May your name be inscribed,” which refers to having your name written in the Book of Life. During this ten-day holiday, people enjoy treats made with apples, honey, raisins, figs, and pomegranates. Eating sweet foods symbolizes the hope for a “sweet” new year and reflects the joy of repentance. For example, when eating pomegranates, some celebrants wish that their good deeds will be as numerous as the seeds of the pomegranate.
According to rabbinic tradition, on Rosh Hashanah, the destinies of the righteous and the wicked are sealed. The righteous are inscribed in the Book of Life, while the wicked are inscribed in the Book of Death. However, most people are not written into either book right away. They are given ten days until Yom Kippur to reflect seriously on their actions before their fate is sealed. On the Day of Atonement, everyone’s name is inscribed into one of the two books.
Like all of the LORD’s appointed days in the Hebrew Bible, Rosh Hashanah points Christians to a greater reality. Those who have placed their faith in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, understand the true meaning of this call to repentance and turning our hearts toward God. The God of the Bible indeed has a Book of Life and a Book of Death. The Bible clearly warns that on the Day of Judgment, which is yet to come, anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life will reside in the lake of fire for eternity (Revelation 20:15).
For those who trust in the atoning work of Jesus through His life, death, burial, and resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:21), their names are already written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. As believers in Jesus, we listen for that trumpet call: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
A happy Rosh Hashanah to you and your family. May all your names be inscribed in the Book of Life.
(I have gathered much of the material for this blog from “Got Questions,” one of my favorite sources.
In His Great Name (Psalm 72:17)
Dr. Robert Bryant