Shana tovah umetukah! (Traditional Rosh Hashanah greeting meaning "[a] good and sweet year")

Shalom mishpocah! Well, are you all ready for sunset tonight when we begin to celebrate Yom Teruah (Trumpets)/Rosh Hashana (New Year)? For those who are new to Torah, this holy day celebrates the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve and their first actions toward the realization of man's role in the world; of the first sin that was committed and resulting repentance; a day when YHWH our ELOHIM takes stock of all of His Creation. It is also believed that this is when Y’shua will return to earth as the “Lion of Judah!”

1 Thessalonians 4: 16. Because our Master (Y'shua) will himself descend from heaven with the mandate and with the voice of the chief Messenger and with the Qarna (trumpet/shofar) of Elohim; and the dead who are in the Mashiyach will first arise; 17. and then we who survive and are alive will be caught up together with them to the clouds to meet our Master (Y'shua) in the air; and so will we be ever with our Master. (AENT)

Why is Yom Teruah a holy day? Leviticus 23:23-25 tells us that YHWH Himself commanded it!

Leviticus 23 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you have a rest, a remembrance of blowing of trumpets, a set-apart gathering. 25 ‘You do no servile work, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה.’ ” (ISR)

What is our “offering of fire/burnt offering/fragrant aroma” today?

2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to Elohim who always leads us on, to overcome in Messiah, and manifests through us the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 Because we are to Elohim the fragrance of Messiah among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death to death, and to the other the fragrance of life to life. And who is competent for these? 17 For we are not, as so many, adulterating the Word of Elohim for gain – but as of sincerity, but as from Elohim, in the sight of Elohim, we speak in Messiah. (ISR)

(Readings for Yom Teruah: Genesis 21:1-34, Leviticus 23, Numbers 29:1-6, 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10, Matthew 1:1-21 and Luke 4:14-44. For more on the new year, please read our article, Why two new years?)