Rosh HaShannah

An outward observance without any real inward meaning is only an empty ceremony. But an outward observance that has a real inward meaning - that is an offering to the Lord! So, the purpose of each feast is to draw our attention to the Lord in a meaningful way that reflects the theme of the feast; it is not a salvation issue …

Significance of Rosh Hashanah

In a word, the theme for Rosh Hashanah is teshuva (return). Rosh Hashanah is the Lord's formal invitation to each one of us to genuinely return to Him and to follow His ways. It also serves to foreshadow Messiah's Second Coming.

When Celebrated:

Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first day of Tishri with its observance traditionally being observed through the second day as well. (At Rosh Hashanah in the Gregorian year 2004, the Jewish Year will become 5765; Rosh Hashanah is observed from sunset September 15, 2004 through nightfall September 17, 2004)

Rosh Hashanah is celebrated as two days everywhere (in Israel and outside Israel), because it occurs on the first day of a month. In Biblical times, messengers were not dispatched on the holiday, so even people in Israel did not know whether a new moon had been observed, and everybody celebrated two days. This practice is maintained to this day.
Brief history as to why a two-day observance for some feasts. Generally, you may notice that the number of days of some holidays do not accord with what the Bible specifies. In most cases, we celebrate one more day than the Bible requires. There is an interesting reason for this additional day.

The Jewish calendar is lunar, with each month beginning on the new moon. The new months used to be determined by observation. When the new moon was observed, the Sanhedrin declared the beginning of a new month notice sent out messengers to tell people when the month began. People in distant communities could not always be notified of the new moon (and therefore, of the first day of the month), so they did not know the correct day to celebrate. They knew that the old month would be either 29 or 30 days, so if they didn't get notice of the new moon, they celebrated holidays on both possible days.

Significance

Background

In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year" and, by virtue of its idiom, is also known as the "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. However, the name "Rosh Hashanah" is not used in the Bible as the name for this holiday. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Hazikkaron (the day of remembrance) and as Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding [of the shofar]). The holiday is instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25.

In the days of the Temple, silver trumpets were sounded as the offerings of this feast were burnt on the altar. In addition to the silver trumpets, another priest stood before those sounding the silver trumpets. He sounded the shofar. During the sacrifices, the Levitical choir sang Psalm 81. Because of the many morning, afternoon, and evening sacrifices made on this day, more than 100 priests officiated over the Temple service at Rosh Hashanah.
Traditional Significance

In my humble opinion, King David expresses the sentiment to be attached to teshuva, and thus to Rosh Hashanah, exactly: "Serve the Lord with awe, and rejoice greatly with trembling." Psalm 2:11. Rejoice with trembling? Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains:

It is only in serene joyousness that man as a whole blossoms forth and that those energies are liberated which man needs in order to discharge his task. But this unclouded joy is only found "biradah" ("with trembling"), in the complete disappearance of any opposition to the will of G-d, in the awareness of the fact that, without G-d, we are nothing and that our being and striving begin to have some meaning only if we permit them to be completely absorbed in G-d and His will. If we attach ourselves to the great sovereign purpose of G-d with our every achievement, great or small, then no contribution of ours, however small, shall be lost, and we may rejoice in it…

True rejoicing can be found in the awe and "trembling" (also recall that wisdom beings with the fear (read "awe and trembling") of the Lord) that accompany the awareness of the Lord's absolute sovereignty and the commitment to live one's life according to that awareness.

And, as Rabbi Yaakov Feldman explains, "the meaning of teshuvah itself [although often translated as "repent"] [is] drawing close to G-d. For when we sin, we draw away from G-d, so to speak (for one could never truly draw away from G-d). But when we do teshuva, we return to Him (the Hebrew word for teshuva itself means "return"), we return everything to its rightful place in our relationship to Him and in the world. And we return our soul to the purer, clearer spiritual position it occupied before that sin [or that "turning away"] was committed."
According to tradition, whether a person is written into the Lord's Book of the Righteous, also known as the Book of Life, is determined by the Lord initially at Rosh Hashanah and, if a person is not included at that time, the Lord considers the depth of ones teshuva (return) during the Days of Awe and considers on Yom Kippur, when judgments become final, whether that person's name is added to the Book of Life. Additionally, according to tradition:

Rosh Hashanah is the day on which the Lord created Man, Adam, the Lord's final and most precious creation. Each Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of Mankind, we proclaim The Lord as our one and true King. We then reaffirm our desire to serve him every moment of our lives. At this same time, the Lord reviews the status of his creation and determines if he or she merits another year in this world.

On the first night of Rosh Hashanah, after prayer services, a special greeting is used, which is only said on this night "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." On Rosh Hashanah, everyone is judged by the Lord based on his or her actions during the previous year. The resulting judgment is inscribed by the Lord and a person's future is determined for the following year. Though that judgment is inscribed, it is not yet sealed and can still be changed at least for another ten days, called the "Days of Awe." The Lord waits until Yom Kippur to seal the book for the year.

How can a person change their judgment for the better? "Repentance, Prayer, and Charity can remove the bad decree." The Lord looks especially at three areas during the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Ten Days of Awe also called the Ten Days of Repentance. By doing teshuvah (return) with true regret for the past and commitment for the future, a person can erase his misdeeds and hence improve his judgment before it is sealed on Yom Kippur. Similarly, by praying with greater concentration before the Lord, and by giving charity with the proper spirit, one can also upgrade one's status.

Rosh Hashanah is also a day of remembrance of the history of the Jewish people and a time to pray for Israel.

Messianic Significance
1. "…since all have sinned and come short of earning God's praise By God's grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua." Romans 3:23-24 and Ecclesiastes 7:20 ("For there isn't a righteous person on earth who does [only] good and never sins."). See also Romans 3:25-30 (explaining salvation by faith in Yeshua's atoning sacrifice yet expressly stating that the Law of Moses is to be upheld) and Ecclesiastes 7:20 ("For there isn't a righteous person on earth who does [only] good and never sins."). Put another way, if you truly appreciate the consequences of what Rosh Hashanah calls to your attention in conjunction with acknowledging that your own actions cannot remove your own sin, you should be tremendously thankful for Yeshua HaMashiach's sacrifice for you.
2. Further, in addition to calling each of us to a sincere teshuva, this feast also serves as a reminder that we should anticipate the Messiah's return when the Messianic Reign will begin. (which, by the way, is substantially similar to the traditional significance; the distinction being that traditional Judaism declines to acknowledge Messiah having already come once).
Individual Significance
1. Simply put, if your teshuva is sincere, in returning to the Lord, you consequently turn away from your sins and the Lord will return to you and show you mercy, and overcome your missing the mark. He will cast into the depths of the sea all of your errors. See Tashlikh below at para. V subpara. D.
2. Why return now? Rabbi Eliezer explained it well. He is credited with, one day, telling his students that, in order to obtain eternal life, all you need to do is to repent one day before your death. Astonished, his disciples asked, "Does one know on what day he will die?" The reply: "Then all the more reason that you repent today."
3. Again, "…since all have sinned and come short of earning God's praise by God's grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua." Romans 3:23-24 and Ecclesiastes 7:20 ("For there isn't a righteous person on earth who does [only] good and never sins."). See also Romans 3:25-30 (explaining salvation by faith in Yeshua yet expressly stating that the Law of Moses is to be upheld). Put another way, if you truly appreciate the consequences of what Rosh Hashanah calls to your attention, you should be tremendously thankful for Yeshua HaMashiach's sacrifice for you.
Corporate Significance

The corporate significance of this feast lies in understanding what lies in store upon Messiah's return including the gathering of believers. See Revelation 8:6 through 11:19 (describing the events giving rise to Messiah's kingdom being established on the earth) and 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

Traditional Observance

On Rosh Hashanah it is customary for families to gather together for the holiday meal. Traditional foods sweetened with honey, apples and carrots are served, symbolizing sweetness, blessings, abundance and the hope for a sweet year ahead. Rosh Hashanah is observed through services held at the synagogue.

One of the most important observances of this holiday is hearing the sounding of the shofar in the synagogue. The shofar is not blown if the holiday falls on Shabbat. The shofar is a ram's horn which is blown somewhat like a trumpet. There are four different types of shofar notes: (1) tekiah, a 3 second sustained note; (2) shevarim, three 1-second notes rising in tone; (3) teruah, a series of short, staccato notes extending over a period of about 3 seconds; and (4) tekiah gedolah, the final blast in a set, which lasts 10 seconds minimum. The Bible provides no specific reason for this practice. In ancient Israel, however, sounding the shofar had three major uses: (1) gathering an assembly before the Lord; (2) announcing the coronation for a new king; and (3) sounding a battle alarm.
No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah. Much of the day is spent in synagogue, where the regular daily liturgy is somewhat expanded. In fact, there is a special prayerbook called the machzor used for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because of the extensive liturgical changes for these holidays. Also if you daven, please note the many changes throughout the Shemoneh Esrei (also called the Amida) from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur.
Another popular observance during this holiday is eating apples dipped in honey, a symbol the sweetness of the Word of the Lord and of our wish for a sweet new year. I highly recommend it. It's yummy. I also drench Challah in honey at this time of year for the same reason - because it's yummy! (…and for the symbolism too.)
Another popular practice of the holiday is Tashlikh ("casting off"). This involves walking to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty our pockets (previously filled with pebbles or bread crumbs that represent our sins or iniquities) into the river, symbolically casting off our sins. This practice is based upon Micah 7:18-20, which says:

Who is a God like you, pardoning the sin and overlooking the crimes of the remnant of his heritage? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in grace. He will again have compassion on us, he will subdue our iniquities. You will throw all their sins into the depths of the sea. You will show truth to Ya'akov and grace to Avraham, as you have sworn to our ancestors since days of long ago.