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The Jewish New Year

Was the new year celebrated in the time of Jesus? Yes. In the time of the Messiah Jesus, the Jews were already celebrating what we today call…

3 min

The Jewish New Year

Was the new year celebrated in the time of Jesus?

Yes. In the time of the Messiah Jesus, the Jews were already celebrating what we today call Rosh Hashanah, the festival of the Jewish New Year. The Messiah Jesus and his family, as practicing Jews, observed the festivals of the calendar, including those of the month of Tishri, which bring together several major celebrations. The change of year was not on January 31.

What is this festival?

Rosh Hashanah — "Head of the Year"

  • It is the Jewish New Year, celebrated on the 1st of Tishri, at the beginning of autumn.
  • In the , this festival is called the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) and is described as a day of complete rest marked by blasts of the shofar.
  • The name "Rosh Hashanah" appears later in Jewish tradition, but the festival itself already existed in the time of Jesus.

Why does the New Year fall in the 7th month?

Because Israel used two calendar systems:

  • A religious calendar beginning in spring (Nisan, the month of Passover)
  • A civil calendar beginning in autumn (Tishri). Thus Tishri is the "first month" of the civil cycle, hence the New Year on this date.

How long does this festival last?

According to tradition:

  • In Israel: 1 day
  • In the diaspora: 2 days (Tishri 1 and 2)

In the time of the Messiah Jesus, who lived in Galilee but within the territory of Israel, the festival lasted one day, but it was part of a much broader period of autumn celebrations.

An isolated festival or a complete period?

Rosh Hashanah opens a series of major festivals in the month of Tishri:

  1. Rosh Hashanah – 1 Tishri
  2. Yom Kippur – 10 Tishri
  3. – 15 to 21 Tishri
  4. Shemini Atzeret – 22 Tishri

This period extends over three full weeks and was one of the most important times of the Jewish religious year.

Is Rosh Hashanah an "extended Sabbath"?

Yes, but with nuances.

  1. Rosh Hashanah is a "shabbat" in the liturgical sense

The describes it as:

  • A day of complete rest
  • A holy assembly
  • Marked by trumpets

So, even though it is not the weekly , it is a day of rest, with the same prohibitions on work.

  1. But it is not an extended Sabbath

  • The festival itself lasts one day (or two in the diaspora).
  • It is not immediately followed by another day of rest.
  • However, it opens a solemn period of ten days (the "Days of Awe") leading to Yom Kippur.
  1. , later in the month, includes several days of rest, but this is not directly linked to Rosh Hashanah.