I am not Jewish, and I feel no compulsion to convert. Still, I find it interesting that I am discovering real value in certain Jewish traditions.
Oct. 9, 2019 was Yom Teruah, the day of blowing the trumpet. Of all of God's appointed times in the Torah, this one has no stated purpose. I personally believe that is because the only meaning of this day is prophetic; it looks forward to the second coming of Yeshua, Jesus, which will be heralded by a great blast of the shofar.
For Jews, Yom Teruah has become synonymous with Rosh Hashanah, literally the "head of the year." This is the time when one season of Torah reading ends and another begins. In Jewish tradition it is also the time when God determines whose name is written in the Book of Life.
Ten days after Yom Teruah comes Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement; the most holy day on the Jewish calendar. Jewish tradition teaches that the 10 days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur are a period of grace: if an individual spends the 10 days in genuine repentance God will have mercy and record his/her name in his Book of Life. This seems consistent with the nature and character of God, who "is not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance."
My wife and I are beginning to observe a couple of simple traditions in conjunction with these days.
On Yom Teruah, we try to repair any relationships that have been damaged or fallen into disrepair in the previous year; and we take some smooth stones, write our transgressions from the past year on them, and then take them to a local bridge and, as we repent of our transgressions, we cast the stones into moving water below us. According to tradition you are supposed to look and see if you can see the stones - the fact that you cannot see them any longer is representative of the fact that God has removed your sins "as far as east is from the west."
On Yom Kippur we spent the day fasting, praying, and studying the Word. I felt refreshed and blessed by these days.
I'm looking forward to a year filled with the presence of God. Amen.
