Our Time of New Beginnings | Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is far more than the start of a calendar year—it is a divinely appointed time (moed) designed to open new opportunities, restore our covenant walk with God, and prepare our hearts for all that lies ahead. 

Aligning with Biblical Covenant

Covenant is central to understanding God’s character and the story of humanity’s redemption.  In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve broke their covenant with God, choosing the world’s way over the perfection they were standing in. This grieved God deeply but did not surprise Him. He had a plan of redemption, and it started with His unconditional covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – reaffirmed with King David (Genesis 17, Psalm 105:8-11; 2 Samuel 7; Jeremiah 31:35-36).

The Abrahamic and Davidic covenants God made with Israel were the pathway to the coming of Jesus the Messiah–the second Adam, the only begotten Son slain in Isaac’s place, the eternal King who will sit on David’s throne in Israel when all is made new. 

This is the story Believers of all backgrounds are grafted into. This is the security of joining a family with a Father who will never forsake His people, who is faithful even in our unfaithfulness. 

God’s appointed times are declarations of His covenant and opportunities for us to rededicate our hearts, minds, and homes to Him–acknowledging our redemption found in Him and the covenant family we’ve been joined to.

Rosh Hashanah, Our Time of New Beginnings

Rosh Hashanah is more than the Jewish New Year– it is the awakening trumpet blast in the spirit– our call to awaken from spiritual complacency and hear the roar of the Lion of Judah, to align our voice with His.

It is because of this focus that Rosh Hashanah is sometimes referred to as the ‘Head of the Year.’ The head is where the mind, eyes, ears, and mouth are located, and decisions are made. It also reflects what we are yoked to. 

Rosh Hashanah is a fresh reminder to examine any yokes of bondage in our lives, break them, and choose the easy and light yoke offered by Jesus in Matthew 11.

“For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” —Matthew 11:30

If we put on the yoke of Jesus at Rosh Hashanah—the start of the season—our heads can only be led into those places God desires. The yoke turns the head, directing where our feet go and what we see. 

Our Trumpet Blast

Biblically based holidays, such as Rosh Hashanah, typically include symbols—modern and ancient—full of meaning. For Rosh Hashanah, these include:

• Honey—telling of the desire for a sweet year
• Apples—reminding us of God’s healing, as well as the desire for a sweet year
• Pomegranates—with a short season coinciding with Rosh Hashanah, pomegranates are a symbol of newness; the large number of seeds also represents abundance
• Challah—crafted in a circle, it symbolizes the circularity of God’s calendar year; raisins are often added to further symbolize the desire for a sweet year
• Shofars—used to announce the new year, shofars tie the day to God, because God told man to use them in many significant moments; it also joins to God because of the sound itself, and the innocent blood shed to create it
• Torah—God’s Word is an important symbol in biblical holidays because it reminds us of God and His commands

Of all these biblical and traditional symbols, the most prominent and spiritually significant is the shofar–an awakening blast in the spirit. 

But is the shofar still important today? Especially for Gentile Believers?

It is! Throughout biblical times, we see in God’s Word that the shofar acted as a signal. Sometimes announcing war, but perhaps more often, as with Rosh Hashanah, heralding in God’s presence and joy. 

It is traditionally believed that the moment God breathed life into man, the soul was brought into being. It is also believed that when the breath of man sounds the shofar, the cry of the moment of mankind’s creation is returned to God, serving as a reminder of God’s breath and presence within us, as well as the joy of creation! 

Another traditional belief is that through the sound of the shofar, the Word of the Yahovah God is decreed into the atmosphere. It is also tied to the shedding of innocent blood required to craft the shofar, pointing to the sacrifice of Jesus.

This cry from the shofar still resonates in the souls of both Jewish and non-Jewish people who hear it. It can feel as if the heart is echoing, ringing out the song of creation–ringing out praises to our God through His breath in us!

What the Bible Says about the Shofar  

• “‘And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.’” —Joshua 6:4-5 

God commanded the shofar to be blown on many occasions and for many purposes. He used them as a battle cry and a call to ring in Sabbath rest– to herald certain spiritually important seasons and moments, and awaken hearts out of spiritual slumber. The shofar is tied to God forever, to innocence, and even to our creation. 

The shofar is a tool for heralding in God’s Spirit, announcing war against the enemy, remembering God and His gift of creation, and even repentance. No matter the context, the sound penetrates the soul and turns our hearts back to God.

• “The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and the trumpets shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations.” —Numbers 10:8 (AMP)

The sounding of the shofar to announce Rosh Hashanah—and other High Holy Days or Sabbaths— is a holy sound of man crying out to God. It is the sound of heaven that comes at a cost. It requires the life of an innocent ram—like the ram God gave Abraham in place of Isaac. A sacrifice of innocent blood to bring redemption and holiness–a picture of Jesus. 

This is the core reason the appointed times and their symbols still have rich meaning– they all point to Yeshua–His first coming as the Lamb and His second coming as the Lion. They reveal where we’ve come from and where we’re going. They are an invitation into your spiritual heritage, grounding you in the One True God amid the world’s confusion and uncertainty.  

Embracing Your New Beginning

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, let us embrace it not merely as a date on a calendar, but as a divine invitation to align our lives with God’s covenant. This is your moment to break off the old, set aside the yokes of the world, and step into the fullness of the plans God has prepared for you.

By blowing the shofar in your own life—through prayer, repentance, and a renewed commitment to His Word—you are signaling to heaven that you are ready. You are awakening your soul to His presence, ready to receive the joy of creation and the promise of a sweet, prosperous season ahead.

Will you answer the call? This season is your moed, your appointed time with the Father. Step forward in faith, fully grafted into His promise, and walk boldly into your new beginning.