EMBER WEDNESDAY-ROSH HASHANAH
“For the
mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not
depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord,
who has compassion on you.”-Is 54:10
Psalm 64, Verse 10
Every person fears and proclaims God’s actions, they ponder his deeds.
Those who follow the commandments of
God will be glad for their trust is in Him who is. Whoever is filled with God’s
spirit will have an upright heart and is joyful. Generosity is their watchword.
Ember
Days?[1]
Ember Wednesday of September. (Also called the Michaelmas Embertide because of its proximity to St. Michael's Day. See Ember Days.) Commemoration of the restoration of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.
The term “Ember Days” is derived from the Latin term Quatuor Tempora, which literally means “four times.” There are four
sets of Ember Days each calendar year; three days each – Wednesday, Friday, and
Saturday. Ember Days fall at the start of a new season and they are ordered as
days of fast and abstinence. The significance of the days of the week are
that Wednesday was the day Christ was betrayed, Friday was the day He was
crucified, and Saturday was the day He was entombed. According to the
Catholic Encyclopedia, the
purpose of Ember Days, “besides
the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the
gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist
the needy.”
The Four Occurrences of Ember Days are as Follows
·
Winter: the Wednesday,
Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of St. Lucy.
·
Spring: the Wednesday,
Friday, and Saturday after Ash Wednesday.
·
Summer: the
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after Pentecost.
·
Fall: the Wednesday,
Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of the Holy Cross.
Rosh
Hashanah (Hebrew: Χ¨ΧΧ© ΧΧ©Χ Χ) is the Jewish New Year. Rosh
Hashanah literally translates to the Head of the Year. It is a two day
festival. In the Bible, it is called Yom Ha-Zikkaron, the day of
remembrance or Yom Teruah the day of the sounding of the shofar-(Leviticus 23:24-25).
Jews start Rosh Hashanah festivals with lighting of the candles and synagogue
prayers. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Jews eat an apple dipped in honey
to signify a sweet new year to come. They also place a fishes head at the
table to commemorate 'being a head and not a tail'.
Rosh
Hashanah Facts
·
In
synagogues it is common for 100 notes to be sounded with a Ram's horn as a call
to repentance.
·
Jews
typically wear new clothes on Rosh Hashanah and eat new fruits that have not
yet been tasted in the season. Customary foods include round hallah bread
with raisins, pomegranates, pumpkins, carrots, and honey cake.
·
For
Rosh Hashana, many Jews 'cast off their sins' to a running water stream/sea
containing fish (the Tashlich custom). This is to symbolically purge
one's body of sin and cast the sins onto the fish.
·
On
Rosh Hashanah, it is believed that the fate of all Jews and Gentiles is defined
by God for that year. Jews greet each other with many Happy New Year
wishes. It is customary to therefore greet people with a wish for a happy
New Year and to 'be inscribed for a good year' - meaning to be allocated by God
a full year of healthy life.
·
New
Year prayers include many passages relating to the sovereignty and dominion of
God over the entire world. One of these prayers is recited daily and is
called Aleinu leshabei'ach (it is our duty to praise God). However, on
Rosh Hashanah, during this prayer, Orthodox Jews bow down to accept the full
Sovereignty of the Lord.
Rosh
Hashanah Top Events and Things to Do
·
Send
New Year's Greeting Cards to your Jewish friends.
·
Celebrate
the Jewish New Year with a Rosh Hashana Concert. Popular concerts are
held in major cities such as New York and London.
·
Attend
a local Rosh Hashanah service as a synagogue near you.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
·
Fast today
praying for priest’s. In the evening when you break the fast have some
traditional Rosh Hashanah foods. In light of this day’s reflection on the
betrayal of Judas and the 30 pieces of silver he received try to make a
donation to a local priest in reparation to Christ.
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