What are Rosh Hashanah and yom Kippur?

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, followed ten days later by Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Orthodox Jews believe that books recording the deeds of mankind are opened in Heaven on Rosh Hashanah, beginning an annual review of man’s behavior. On the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, Orthodox Jews go to a running brook or stream, empty their pockets of any dust or crumbs (symbolizing God’s casting away of their sins) and recite Micah 7:18-20, one of the most eloquent descriptions of God’s grace found in anywhere in Scripture.

In biblical days, two goats were brought before the High Priest on Yom Kippur. One was a peace offering and the other was called “the scapegoat” because all the sins of the nation were symbolically placed upon its head. It was then led outside of the city to be killed. The goat had done nothing to deserve this but was chosen to demonstrate the fact that only the shedding of innocent blood could atone for the sins of the people. The death of the two goats symbolically set aside the sins of the nation, made their peace offering acceptable and gave them another year of peace with their Creator.

How grateful I am that OUR Messiah allowed Himself to be both our scapegoat and peace offering! As Gentile believers in Yeshua as Messiah, all of us can look forward to the Lord’s return without fear. On Yom Kippur we can ALL celebrate because our sins have been atoned for by the shedding of Yeshua’s innocent blood, and we look forward to the day when ALL nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord at the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16).