HomeVisionStatement Of FaithArticlesPhoto GalleryEditor's NoteLinksContact

The First Rosh Hashanah


The Jews believe that Tishri 1 is the birthday of the world because the Hebraic words "in the beginning" in Genesis 1:1, when changes around, reads "on the first of Tishri." Therefore the Feast of Trumpets heralds the birthday of the world.

The first Rosh Hashanah is the earth’s physical birthday; or more correctly, the day of creation of the first human beings. On the 25th day of Elul (the first day of creation) the world came into being. On the first of Tishri (the sixth day of creation), Adam, the First Man, and Eve, the First Woman, were created. Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection and self-evaluation.

Just close your eyes and let your imagination flow back to the day when the world was created. This was the day when God began creating the heavens and the earth. There was nothing but total darkness and emptiness. Then the glorious rays of God’s everlasting love shone forth and there was light! Time invaded into eternity and began clocking its initial seconds. Night and day were set in motion. A wide smile from the face of God. Pleased.

Psalm 27 will be recited twice this day. In which, the psalmist declared that "the LORD is my light" (in Rosh Hashanah) and "my salvation" (in Yom Kippur), and that he "may dwell in the house of the LORD" (in Feast of Tabernacles). God is our everlasting light. Even before the sun and stars were created on the fourth day of creation, the light of His love shone forth brightly into the darkness on the first day! His Shekinah Light that cannot be destroyed or contaminated. Pure, fresh and glorious! Rosh Hashanah is a time for us to plug into the original Light of Creation - God our everlasting light (Isaiah 60:19-20). On this day of Rosh Hashanah, we can start afresh. Sinless and faultless.

Imagine for a moment that you can have a new beginning. You are moving to a place where nobody knows you and everything is perfect. The people there do not have any records of who you are, or any references from your friends or relatives. You are given the golden opportunity to start life anew. You can look in the mirror of your soul and ask yourself: "Is there some areas of my life that I would like to change?" You can have the chance to start doing things for yourself and others that you always wanted to do. You can change the way you are, the way you dress, the way you speak, the way you eat, the way you behave - without worrying what others will think of you. Nobody is going to say anything negative. Nobody is going to tell you that you are weird and funny in your new outlook. In this brand new place, there is no reason for inhibition. No more peer pressure, addiction, drinking or smoking or badmouthing. No more criticizing or insulting others. No more losing our temper. Everybody else is having a new beginning. They are undergoing through similar changes as you are. Transformations from ugly sinners into beautiful saints. Just let God be God and let go of all the dung in our lives!

Welcome to Rosh Hashanah. Today the world is created. A new world and a new beginning. Today we can start afresh. Our hearts and souls can be renewed. Our relationships with people can restart. We can begin a new book. Even our environment can change. This day, we can be rejuvenated with exuberance and enthusiasm as God did on the first day of creation. The world does not have to be at war. We can have the Shabbat (rest) and Shalom (peace) of God. Today the world is created afresh.

On Rosh Hashanah, God created man – perfect, holy, pure, untainted, healthy and unpolluted. The face of man shines, radiating from the goodness of his unadulterated soul within. His tongue is holy because he has never told a lie. His heart can only love because he has not learned how to hate. It was like those days back in the Garden of Eden where man walked with God, without sin, breathing in the air of His Holy presence with purest delight.

This is the day to get unstuck, to start anew and to grow. A new page begins in the book of our life to pen again the stories of grace, mercy and love of our journey with God.