Rosh Hashanah - History & Meaning Fact Sheet - A Biblical Feast of Remembrance, Reflection & Renewal

Rosh Hashanah (ראש השנה) means “Head of the Year.” It is the Jewish New Year and marks the beginning of the Jewish civil year.

Biblically, however, the day is called Yom Teruah (יוֹם תְּרוּעָה), meaning “Day of Shouting,” “Day of Trumpet Blasts,” or “Day of the Sounding.”

The biblical foundation for Rosh Hashanah is found primarily in:

Leviticus 23:23–25
Numbers 29:1–6

The day is a sacred appointed time marked by the sounding of the shofar, rest from ordinary labor, and worship before HaShem.

QUICK FACTS

Name

Rosh Hashanah — “Head of the Year”

Biblical Name

Yom Teruah — “Day of Teruah” or “Day of Trumpet/Shofar Sounding”

Hebrew

ראש השנה — Rosh Hashanah

יום תרועה — Yom Teruah

When Is It Celebrated?

Rosh Hashanah begins on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei.

Biblical References

Leviticus 23:23–25
Numbers 29:1–6

Central Symbol

The shofar

Major Themes

Remembrance
Repentance
Spiritual awakening
Self-examination
God's kingship
Judgment
Mercy
Renewal
Hope
Preparation for Yom Kippur

1. WHAT IS ROSH HASHANAH?

Rosh Hashanah is one of the most significant days in the Jewish calendar.

Today, it is widely known as the Jewish New Year, but its biblical identity is especially important.

The Torah does not call the day “Rosh Hashanah.” Instead, Leviticus 23 and Numbers 29 identify it through the command to observe a sacred day accompanied by teruah—a powerful sound or blast associated with the shofar.

This gives the holiday a profound spiritual message:

Wake up. Remember. Examine your life. Return to HaShem.

Rosh Hashanah is therefore more than simply celebrating the beginning of another year.

It invites us to pause and consider where we have been, where we are going, and how we are walking with God.

2. THE BIBLICAL FOUNDATION

Leviticus 23:23–25

HaShem commanded Israel that the first day of the seventh month was to be a sacred occasion.

The people were instructed to:

Rest from ordinary work.
Observe a sacred assembly.
Remember the day with trumpet/shofar blasts.

This passage establishes the biblical foundation of Yom Teruah.

Numbers 29:1–6

Numbers provides additional instructions concerning the offerings associated with the day.

Together, these passages demonstrate that Yom Teruah was established by God as one of Israel's appointed sacred times.

3. WHY IS IT CALLED ROSH HASHANAH?

The expression Rosh Hashanah literally means:

“Head of the Year.”

The name reflects its place in the Jewish calendar and the development of Jewish tradition surrounding the beginning of the year.

Over time, Rosh Hashanah became associated with themes that go beyond simply marking a new calendar year.

It became a season for:

Looking backward with honesty.
Looking inward with humility.
Looking upward toward God.
Looking forward with hope.

4. THE SEVENTH MONTH

One of the fascinating features of the biblical calendar is that the month of Tishrei is the seventh month.

Leviticus 23 describes the first day of this seventh month as a sacred day of shofar sounding.

This reminds us that biblical festivals are connected to God's appointed calendar rather than simply following the January-to-December calendar familiar in modern Western society.

The seventh month contains several major sacred observances:

1 Tishrei

Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah

10 Tishrei

Yom Kippur

15 Tishrei

Sukkot

The sequence itself is spiritually meaningful.

Awakening → Repentance → Atonement → Rejoicing

5. THE SHOFAR: THE SOUND THAT WAKES THE SOUL

Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of Rosh Hashanah is the shofar, traditionally made from a ram's horn.

The shofar is not merely a musical instrument.

Throughout the Tanakh, trumpet and shofar blasts can signal:

Assembly
Alarm
Warfare
Royal proclamation
Worship
Celebration
Divine intervention
A call to attention

On Rosh Hashanah, the sound of the shofar serves as a spiritual wake-up call.

It says:

Pay attention.

Wake up.

Do not drift through another year spiritually asleep.

6. ROSH HASHANAH AND REMEMBRANCE

One of the central ideas associated with the season is remembrance.

The biblical festivals repeatedly call God's people to remember His mighty acts.

Rosh Hashanah provides an opportunity to remember:

God's faithfulness.
His covenant.
His provision.
His mercy.
His promises.
His past deliverance.
The lessons of the previous year.

Remembering God's faithfulness can strengthen our faith for the future.

7. ROSH HASHANAH AND REPENTANCE

Rosh Hashanah begins the period traditionally known as the Ten Days of Repentance, culminating in Yom Kippur.

This season encourages honest spiritual examination.

Repentance in biblical thought is not merely feeling guilty.

It involves turning back toward God.

A person can ask:

Where have I wandered?
Where have I allowed bitterness to grow?
Whom have I hurt?
Where have I neglected God's commandments?
What attitudes need to change?
What relationships need repair?
What do I need to confess before HaShem?
What kind of person am I becoming?

Rosh Hashanah gives us permission to stop pretending.

It calls us toward honesty, humility, and transformation.

8. ROSH HASHANAH AND THE KINGSHIP OF GOD

Jewish tradition strongly emphasizes God's kingship during this season.

The beginning of a new year becomes an opportunity to recognize:

HaShem is King.

The holiday therefore points beyond ourselves.

It is not simply:

“What do I want from this coming year?”

It is also:

“How will I honor the King during this coming year?”

This shifts the focus from self-improvement alone to faithful relationship with God.

9. ROSH HASHANAH AND JUDGMENT

Jewish tradition connects Rosh Hashanah with God's judgment and the examination of human lives.

This theme encourages serious reflection about our actions.

The idea of divine judgment should not merely produce fear.

It can also produce wisdom.

Scripture repeatedly teaches that God is both righteous and merciful.

Psalm 130:3–4 expresses this beautifully:

“If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You.”

The season therefore holds together two truths:

God takes sin seriously.

God is merciful toward those who turn to Him.

10. ROSH HASHANAH AND TESHUVAH

A central concept of this season is teshuvah (תשובה).

Teshuvah is commonly translated as “repentance,” but its underlying idea is closely connected with returning.

It carries the beautiful image of turning back toward God.

Teshuvah involves:

Recognition

I acknowledge what is wrong.

Confession

I honestly admit it.

Turning

I change direction.

Repair

Where possible, I make things right.

Return

I turn my heart back toward HaShem.

True repentance is therefore not merely saying:

“I'm sorry.”

It is saying:

“I want to return.”

11. ROSH HASHANAH AND THE TEN DAYS OF REPENTANCE

Rosh Hashanah begins a spiritually significant period leading toward Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

These days are traditionally associated with:

Teshuvah
Prayer
Charity
Reconciliation
Forgiveness
Self-examination
Seeking God's mercy

This period encourages believers not to postpone spiritual repair.

If something needs to be made right, make it right.

If forgiveness needs to be sought, seek it.

If someone needs to be forgiven, work toward forgiveness.

If we have wandered from God, return.

12. TRADITIONAL ROSH HASHANAH FOODS

Many Jewish communities celebrate Rosh Hashanah with symbolic foods.

Apples & Honey

A traditional symbol of the hope for a sweet new year.

Round Challah

The round shape is often associated with:

The cycle of the year.
Continuity.
Wholeness.
The ongoing cycle of life.

Pomegranate

Because of its many seeds, the pomegranate has become associated in Jewish tradition with abundance and mitzvot.

Fish

In some Jewish communities, fish is served because of associations with fertility, abundance, and blessing.

Customs vary significantly between Jewish communities.

13. TASHLICH

A beloved Rosh Hashanah custom is Tashlich.

Tashlich means approximately “casting off” or “casting away.”

Many communities gather near a body of water and recite prayers connected with God's forgiveness.

The practice draws inspiration from:

Micah 7:18–19

The passage speaks poetically of God casting sins into the depths of the sea.

Tashlich is not magic.

The water does not remove sin.

Rather, the symbolic act can help people physically express a spiritual desire:

“I want to leave my old ways behind and return to God.”

14. ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are closely connected.

Rosh Hashanah begins the season of reflection and repentance.

Yom Kippur follows ten days later as the Day of Atonement.

The progression encourages us to move from:

Awakening → Examination → Repentance → Reconciliation → Atonement

This makes the season one of the most spiritually profound periods of the Jewish year.

15. ROSH HASHANAH FOR BELIEVERS IN YESHUA

For Messianic Jewish believers, Rosh Hashanah can be a deeply meaningful time to reflect upon the biblical themes of:

Repentance
God's holiness
God's mercy
Forgiveness
Redemption
Resurrection
The coming Kingdom
The kingship of God
Hope in Messiah

Yeshua's teachings repeatedly call people toward repentance, humility, forgiveness, faithfulness, and readiness.

Rosh Hashanah can therefore become an opportunity to ask:

Am I spiritually awake?

Am I walking faithfully with God?

Is there anything I need to surrender?

Is there someone I need to forgive?

Is there someone from whom I need to seek forgiveness?

Am I prepared to follow God's direction into another year?

16. A BIBLICAL THEME: “AWAKE!”

The shofar gives Rosh Hashanah one of its most powerful spiritual images.

The sound interrupts ordinary life.

It demands attention.

It awakens us.

This can become a powerful metaphor for spiritual life.

Sometimes we become comfortable.

Sometimes we become distracted.

Sometimes we carry resentment for too long.

Sometimes we become so busy surviving that we stop listening for God's voice.

Then comes the sound of the shofar:

Wake up.

Return.

Remember.

Be ready.

17. IMPORTANT TANAKH PASSAGES FOR ROSH HASHANAH

Leviticus 23:23–25

The foundational Torah passage concerning Yom Teruah.

Numbers 29:1–6

Instructions concerning the sacred day and its offerings.

Psalm 47

A powerful meditation on God's kingship.

Psalm 81

A psalm associated with trumpet/shofar imagery and God's appointed times.

Psalm 98

Celebrates God's kingship and calls for joyful praise.

Psalm 100

A beautiful declaration of worship and God's enduring faithfulness.

Psalm 130

A powerful meditation on repentance, forgiveness, and hope in God.

Micah 7:18–20

A profound passage about God's compassion, faithfulness, and forgiveness.

Isaiah 55:6–7

A powerful call to seek HaShem and turn from wicked ways.

18. WHAT DOES ROSH HASHANAH TEACH US?

1. Life should not be lived on autopilot.

The shofar calls us to wake up.

2. We should remember God's faithfulness.

Looking backward can strengthen faith for the future.

3. Repentance is a gift.

God gives us opportunities to turn around.

4. Our relationships matter.

Spiritual renewal should influence how we treat other people.

5. God is King.

The new year belongs to Him.

6. Judgment should lead us toward humility.

Knowing that our lives matter before God should produce wisdom rather than pride.

7. God's mercy gives us hope.

Repentance is not the end of the story.

8. Every new season is an opportunity.

We cannot change yesterday, but we can respond faithfully today.

19. HOW CAN I OBSERVE ROSH HASHANAH?

A believer can use Rosh Hashanah as a meaningful time to:

☐ Attend synagogue or a worship gathering.

☐ Hear the shofar.

☐ Read Leviticus 23:23–25.

☐ Read Numbers 29:1–6.

☐ Spend quiet time in prayer.

☐ Examine the past year.

☐ Confess sins before HaShem.

☐ Practice teshuvah.

☐ Seek reconciliation where appropriate.

☐ Forgive others.

☐ Give charity.

☐ Share a festive meal.

☐ Eat traditional symbolic foods.

☐ Participate in Tashlich according to one's community's practice.

☐ Pray for God's guidance for the coming year.

☐ Reflect on God's faithfulness.

☐ Look toward the coming days with hope.

20. HOW TO EXPLAIN ROSH HASHANAH TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER CELEBRATED IT

You could explain it simply:

“Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, but its biblical roots are found in Yom Teruah, the Day of the Shofar Sounding. It is a time to remember God's faithfulness, hear the shofar, examine our lives, turn back toward God, seek reconciliation, and enter the new year with humility and hope.”

For a Messianic Jewish believer, you might add:

“For me, Rosh Hashanah is also a powerful reminder to remain spiritually awake, to turn toward HaShem, and to live faithfully as I await the fulfillment of His promises through Messiah Yeshua.”