New Moon - Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur

The message of the New Moon, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is compelling and significant during the time we’re living in. It came to me in an unexpected way.

Learning about the cosmos and space related themes has long been a personal interest. I can still remember watching the first man on the moon as a very little child and from that point on, I was hooked. For quite some time now, I’ve been reading about the Biblical perspective of the universe and its meaning. This led me to an interesting book, The Biblical New Moon: A guide for Celebrating by Kisha Gallagher. The Jewish calendar and feast days are set according to the moon cycles, and our Gregorian calendar is set according to the sun. There is so much more to learn, especially about the moon phases and meaning. As usual, I am happily recording my findings in my new space research journal.

The Hebrew New Moon & the Astronomical New Moon

The Hebrew New Moon is defined a bit differently than the Astronomical New Moon. In astronomy, the new moon is when the the moon is directly between the earth and the sun, blocking the sun’s light to earth. The Hebrew word meaning new moon is Chodesh, and comes from the root word Chadash, meaning to renew, rebuild, and repair. The Hebrew new moon is when the first sliver of light shows after complete darkness, giving the message of hope for more light to come. I love that!

The annual Jewish feasts are timed according to a particular phase of the moon. Each festival reveals a message of Light & Life, a message of the Gospel. The Feast of Trumpets also called Rosh Hashanah, is the only one that begins at the New Moon, and marks the beginning of the civil year. ‘Rosh Hashanah’ means ‘head of the year’ and refers to when the Jewish people believe God created the heavens and the earth. I think this is so beautiful because in Genesis 1:2-3 it talks about the darkness:

“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”

The darkness came before the light. If there is ever a year that we need light to follow darkness it is this year, 2020. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on September 18-19, 2020.

Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur - High Holy Days

Rosh Hashanah celebrations include a day of rest, no labor, sacrifices or offerings, and the blowing of the trumpet. This Feast of Trumpets invites the beginning of 10 Days of Awe - 10 days of introspection, repentance, restitution, and seeking forgiveness. The Days of Awe end at Yom Kippur, also called the Day of Atonement. Traditionally, the Day of Atonement is believed to be the day of God’s judgment, when God judges a person, and is usually observed with a fast and religious service. This year, 2020, Yom Kippur falls on September 28, 2020.

The First Yom Kippur

In the Bible, the first Yom Kippur is recorded in Leviticus 16, where God instructs the people to fast, rest from work, and be cleansed from their sins. It is the day the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies to call on the name of YHVH to intercede on behalf of the people’s sins.

This holy day is a remembrance of when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, where God gave him the Ten Commandments, to find his people worshipping a golden calf. They were given a second chance and when the Israelites atoned for their idolatry, God forgave their sins and Moses was given a second set of commandment tablets.

Call to Prayer

This message of hope, repentance, and forgiveness is extremely relevant to all of us now. It is a call to seek God, fast, repent, forgive, pray and obey. In 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 God says:

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,
or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray
and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

During this time I am committing to self-examination, repentance, and forgiveness. I am desperate for God’s presence and power in my life. My prayer is that all who follow God will do the same, personally praying for ourselves, those around us, our nation and the world.

My hope is that out of this spiritual darkness,
a sliver of light will begin to reflect the Son and grow to fullness,
like the new moon grows in its reflection of the sun
shining brightly in the darkness.