ROSH HASHANNAH! (Kosher or Pagan???

ROSH HASHANNAH!

Do those who preach against the Pagan feasts of Christianity, themselves keep pagan festivals?

The traditional “feast” known throughout the world as Rosh Hashanah, means which literally means "Head of the Year," and it is observed as the start of what the Jewish people call their civil year (in contrast with the religious or sacred year which starts with Pesach - Passover) on the Jewish calendar.
Modern day Rosh Hashanah (Ezek 40:1) is traditionally traced back to the Feast of Trumpets literally - t(Lev 23:24; Num 29:1).

My question is simply this: Why is The Rabbinic Day (Rosh Hashannah) linked with Ezek 40:1? What does the prophet say here that gives credence to the Rabbinic idea for the commencement of a New year?

Ezek 40:1 - “In the 25^th year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the 10^th of the month, in the 14^th year after the city was taken, on that same day, the hand of the Lord was upon me and brought me there.”

The writer, (either Ezekiel , or one of his contemporary disciples) is in the habit of meticulously dating the times and days of the operations of his Sovereign Lord upon him and toward him. See for instance Ezek 32:1 or Ezek 33:21, or from the very beginning of the visions of God to this prophet of the exile, Ezek 1:3

Thus, it was on the 10^th day of the month in the 25^th year of the exile that the events depicted in Ezek 40 began to unfold or that the revelation of the meaning of these things began to be disclosed to him.

But what does the prophet mean by this phrase “at the beginning of the year,” - Does he really mean, as the Rabbi`s and Scribes insist, that on this day (presumably Rosh Kodesh Tishri) which in the 25<sup>th</sup> year of the exile occurred on the 10<sup>th</sup> day of the month --- OR - does Ezekiel refer to the counting of the Babylonian year and it`s new beginning on that day? Is there any evidence or pointer in Torah which endorses this view of the Rabbi`s that the new moon of the 7^th month shall constitute the beginning of a new “civic” year? We might immediately ask; why should there be a civic year at all in contrast to or as alternative to the sacred year which is specifically given and commanded thus endorsed to Israel by Yahweh

By closer examination we discover that Rosh Hashanah marks the start of a only “one” of the “four” legal new year observances in the Hebrew calendar which are Rabbinically endorsed by the wisdom of the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud

The Mishnah sets this day aside as the new year for “calculating calendar years and sabbatical (shmita) and Jubilee (vovel) years.

Most Jewish people believe Rosh Hashanah represents either figuratively or literally the creation of the World, (Universe) But according to the view of Rabbi Eleazar as recorded in Talmud, “the day” marks the creation of man, on the 6^th day of creation. By this view the 25^th day of Elul would therefore become the first day of the creation.

The Mishnah, or is considered the core text and commentary of Judaism's oral Torah and contains the first known reference to Rosh Hashanah as the "day of judgment."

In the Talmud (tractate on Rosh Hashanna) three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of an intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The intermediate class are given a ten day period of respite for reflection and preparation (for Tishuvah) until Yom Kippur, and through repentance become “righteous” and the wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living forever."

In Jewish liturgy Rosh Hashanah is described as "the day of judgment" (Yom ha-Din) and also as "the day of remembrance" (or memorial) (Yom ha-Zikkaron).

In some midrashic writings Yahweh is depctied as sitting upon a throne while the “books” containing the deeds of all humanity are opened; each person passing before Him is evaluated by the light of the “book” of his/her works.

The Talmud provides three central ideas behind the day:

"The Holy One said, 'on Rosh Hashanah recite before Me [verses of] (malchuyot, zichronot, shofrot):Sovereignty, Remembrance, and Shofar blasts Sovereignty so that you should make Me your King; Remembrance so that your remembrance should rise up before Me. And through what? Through the Shofar.' (Rosh Hashanah 16a, 34b)"

This is reflected in the prayers composed by the classical rabbinic sages for Rosh Hashanah found in all  “machzorim” where the theme of the prayers is the "coronation" of God as King of the universe in preparation for the acceptance of judgments that will follow on that day, as "written" into a Divine book of judgments, that hang in the balance for ten days waiting for all to repent, that all may be "sealed" on the great day, Yom Kippur. The assumption is that all are sealed for life and therefore the next festival is Sukkoth (Tabernacles) to which the scripture refers by the phrase “the time of our joy" (z'man simchateinu).

Rabbinic Differentials

What has any of this to do with TRUTH? Absolutely nothing/ it is mere speculation given authority be Rabbinic decree. As Jeremiah said, “the priests rule at their own initiative Jer 5:30-31 (or by their own authority)”

What IS the truth? Simply this - that the “term” or “designation” given to Rosh Chodesh Tishri – ie "Rosh Hashanah" does not appear in the Torah. But what us actually written there – in Lev 23:24 - refers to the blowing of trumpets on the first day of the 7^th month as an observance of a New Moon. ("Zicaron Terua") ("a memorial with the blowing of horns").

In Ezek 40:1 the reference within this text is considered a significant vindication for the time of the beginning of the CIVIL year to the Hebrews. Yet immediately we encounter a contrary school of Rabbinic thought which argues that The Ezekiel text speaks in relation to the time of Yom Kippur as the "beginning of the year",and NOT specifically to the interpretation of the term “ Rosh Hashanah.)”

A third argument holds that the ”New Year” in question in Ezek 40:1 is in fact the Babylonian new year, which begins in the 7^th month of their own calendar – the month called Shamash.

The Babylonian Calendar divided the year into two half years and the Pagan feast of Shamash (the 7^th month) signalled the beginning of the 2^nd half year of the Babylonian calendar - the Babylonian month of Shamash and the Hebrew month of Tishri running concurrently.

Until the 5th century BC (thus during the 70 years of Judah`s captivity in Babylon) this calendar was fully observed. Not until 499 BCE (by which time Babylon was under the governance of the Medo/Persian Empire) was the calendar revised and thereafter regulated a lunisolar cycle of 235 months (19 years) Usually known as the Metonic Cycle – this revision of the times and conting of the year was probably learned or borrowed or derived from the pattern of the Babylonians or perhaps more correctly the Persians.

By 380 BCE the months of the calendar were regulated by this cycle without exception. In this cycle of 19 years, the month Adaru 2 was intercalated, except in the year that was number 17 in the cycle, when the month Ululu 2 was inserted. During this period, the first day of each month (beginning at sunset) continued to be the day when a new crescent moon was first sighted—the calendar never used a specified number of days in any month.

The Testimony of Scholarship

Objective Analysis and Appraisal

The way I have been taught to approach Theology is objectively and never subjectively.

And so, for me, the first thing to be said of course is that the term Rosh Hashannah does not mean “New Year” but “Head of the month” This alone vindicates the observance of Rosh Chodesh Tishri but not as the beginning of a New Year – Civic or otherwise.

My objective question would be – why would Israel require the Divine endorsement and provision of a New Civic year? Does Yahweh purpose them into existence to serve as His Servant and witness in the earth as a secular nation governed by Kings and Presidents as in the case of the nations-or as a separated nation, a holy nation – a Priesthood nation?

My contention,for the sake of the purity of the faith delivered once for all to the set apart ones (Beginning with the Patriarchs) would be set forth in this way: Since He has by His own mouth given to them the month of Nisan as the beginning of the new year, why would Yahweh now, by the influence of pagan Babylon, establish to them a second new year, albeit presenting a different aspect of daily life?

It is a fact that the Jews who returned from Babylon began to observe this Rosh Hasannah of the 7^th month as the beginning of a Civil Year whilst retaining the revised 1^st day of Nisan as the Rosh Hashannah of the New Year.

Whilst it may be argued that there is Torah based evidence to support the observance of what has been called “The Cultic year” in the 7^th month – Lev 23:24ff - Lev 25:9 and Num 29:7 – (* - no relational importance should be attached to the fact that it is the 10^th day of the month which is mentioned as this refers to the date of the Divine revelation to the prophet- and in any case the 10^th day of the month – whether Nisan or Tishri was never going to counted as the beginning of any month or YEAR) it must be reasoned that in light of the evidence already established concerning the actual contextual evidence of the Levitcus text, it was only with the passing of time, and successive generations of the Jews that the observance of Rosh Hashannah as a New Civic Year became more of a traditional observance. The children kept it because their fathers had kept it etc.

We therefore suggest to you that in this regard, there really is no vital difference at all between the Jew (or the wanna B Jew of Messianic Judaism) who by their “tradition” observe Rosh Hashannah as a “New Year beginning” and the Gentile who celebrates Christ- mass as the day of Messiah`s birth.

My thesis is simple: If Christ-mass can be tied to Saturnilia and castigated as of Pagan origin, so too can Rosh Hashannah be linked to the feasts of the Babylonian New Year and likewise branded pagan.

The fact that Rosh Hashannah is mentioned in Tenach whilst the day of Messiah`s birth is not is really irrelevant terms of vindication of one to the rejection of another – since the term Rosh Hashannah, as we have established, does not mean NEW YEAR but Head – or Beginning of the month”

Old Testament scholar Walther Eichrod reinforces this understanding when he observes, (in his excellent critical and scholarly commentary on the prophetic book of Ezekiel) that the “dating” of the time of the occurance of the temple Vision to the prophet is recorded in a “most unusual” way.

Here, I quote him at length on this subject.

“When in {Ezek 8:1} Ezekiel was transported to Jerusalem in order to see in a vision the destruction of the temple (The first temple) the happening was given a “date” ----- The curious way in which the month is stated is not found elsewhere - and is open to various interpretations. Only here in the Old Testament do we find the beginning of the year termed “ros-hassana”,literally “the head of the year.”

Opinions differ as to whether this means “the beginning” of the cultic year in the seventh month (Tishri) ( see Lev 23:24ff Lev 25:9 Num 29:7) or whether it is more likely to refer to the beginning of the civil year in the first month. No importance should be attached to the inclusion of the detail that this occurred on the “10^th day of the ,month” since no Jewish new year ever started on the 10^th day of any month. (Eichrod also notes that “the terminology of the Mishnah on this subject is better ignored in the interpretation of the Ezekiel text.”) (However) the dating recorded in Ex12:3, Lev 23:7 Lev 25:9 Num 29:7 (certainly) seems to have been the usual date of the priestly terminology. Since the tenth day of the month was never observed as the beginning of a Jewish New Year, it is impossible to translate “ros-hassana” as “New Year`s Day” This expression can only (rightly) be taken as referring to the month – which evidently the first month of the year (which would rightly be the first month of Nisan) This also corresponds to the way in which the year is given according to the civil calendar used throughout the book of Ezekiel.

It is however striking that in Ezek 29:7 and Ezek 30:20 this month is denoted by the customarily ordinary ordinal number “in the first month” Consequently it is hardly possible to adduce any convincing reason for the choice of a different expression here.”

(EZEKIEL – by Walther Eichrod – published by Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, Gottingen)

Pg 540-541 “The Vision of the Temple”)

Having heard the conflicting testimonies of the Rabbi's, (those in favour of Rosh Hashannah Tishri citing Mishnah and Talmud as their interpretive authority) and discounting as neither here nor there the historic record of tradition, is their any proof at all to vindicate or otherwise the observance of Rosh Hashannah Tishri as a Tenach authorise New Year to Israel?

What is the testimony of the scholars? For one thing, is it even possible to credibly interpret the term ros hass` anna to mean as the expression can only rightly be taken in connection with the month. Indeed, you will find,that it is by the authority of the terminology of the Mishnah that the \rabbi`s argue and insist for the new Year by this phrase ros ass anna and it is well known by now (at least to many of us if not to all) how these Rabbi`s and learned men believing more highly of themselves than they ought, have penchant for adding to and taking away from what is written in their efforts to preserve their preferred perspectives and shed “light” on obscurity of passages of Law. The term refers then to the month which is self evidently the first month of the year but for BABYLON not for ISRAEL.

For Israel already have their NEW YEAR given to them by Yahweh through Moses.

And this plainly, categorically not with ambiguity but with Divine authority; as it is written in Torah

Ex.12:1-2 - Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying; “This month (Nisan) shall be your beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the YEAR to you.” (NKJV)

Beloved friends: there is altogether far too juch rubbish cluttering up the Tabernacles in which we claim to worship the Lord our God in Spirit and in Truth. Too much junk,paganism, religion, unreality superstition and darkness masquerading as Judaistic knowledge.

For all of these reasons – we stand apart from them all; we expose them allas the darkness they truly are. We will not walk in the way of this people: we will not remain partial to any who walk in error and worse, teach in error. We belong to God and are of God. Our faith is the emmunah of Avraham, the faith once for all delivered to the set apart ones.”- a faith of the same kind as the apostles of Messiah who went before us.

It is our sincere desire according to the commission we have received, as emissaries of Messiah Yeshua, that all who are called according the the tru knowledge of God, to walk in that common faith, should be refined in understanding and separate themselves from all that is of man and spirit of anti-messiah and contrary to the simplicity and purity of the undiluted Spirit revealed truth of the Scriptures.

For the sake of separating the GRAIN that is providentially poured forth into the storehouse to feed the many in time of famine, and for the preservation of the purity of the Jude 3 faith we have written these things to you, without fear or favour.

I no longer celebrate or acknowledge Rosh Hashannah as the beginning of a New Year – but denounce it as pagan, man devised and utterly barren of any credibility in connection to the True Knowledge of the Holy One.

Let him who has an ear to hear HEAR!

Amen.

SHALOM