Spiritual Significance
Rosh Hashanah begins the Ten Days of Awe, the 10 days leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These are days of introspection, repentance, and making amends with others and with G-d. Jewish tradition says that one’s fate for the next year is decided on Yom Kippur. Those who have their names inscribed in G-d’s Book of Life will live for another year. A traditional greeting is “Tika te-vu,” which means “May your name be inscribed.”
Bread crumbs are thrown into a moving body of water, such as a stream or ocean, during an afternoon ceremony called Tashlich. It is a symbolic act of casting off sin and iniquity, according to Micah 7:19, which says “He will again have compassion on us, he will subdue our iniquities. You will throw all their sins into the depths of the sea (Complete Jewish Bible).”
White clothing is often worn on Rosh Hashanah in gratitude of G-d’s forgiveness, as Isaiah 1:18 says “...even if your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow (CJB).”
During Biblical times, the shofar was sounded as a warning of danger or impending war. Those who have accepted Yeshua’s atonement for sin and iniquity have won the war against Satan. However, as we seek to walk in G-d’s ways, this enemy tries to thwart us. Sometimes we don’t realize it or we get distracted by other things so we don’t see it. The shofar blasts warns us, calling us back to attention in the fight against our spiritual enemy.
More about Rosh Hashanah