Rosh Hashana...

Soon enough we will have a free day here in Israel. We have been going on adventures, either out in the field or in the classroom for the last couple weeks. This week was Rosh Hashana, which is the Jewish New Year, and Biblically it is the feast of Trumpets (Lev 23:23). We have been learning a lot about what these festivals actually mean. The word for feast in Leviticus 23 is better translated times. So in the beginning of the chapter it would read more accurately, "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed times of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed times." Following this verse are several different days that God had told the Israelites to set aside for an appointment with God, such as the Sabbath, Passover, feast of firstfruits, feast of weeks, feast of trumpets, day of atonement, and the feast of booths.
Why are there appointed times if God is approachable every day? It was explained to me this way: Say I'm friends with my doctor, Dr. Smith, and I saw Dr. Smith on the street today. And we chatted it up, and we talked about the family, sports, polar caps, etc. I talked to him very casually and about things that were important at the time. But lets say I had an appointment next Monday with Dr. Smith and I just didn't show up. I knew I had an appointment because it was in my planner, and it was also in Dr. Smith's planner. And the receptionist and Dr. Smith was counting on me to show up, so I would get charged for missing the appointment. You see, Dr. Smith is still Dr. Smith when we met on the street, but next Monday I planned on seeing him in a different context.
So these different days that are celebrated by the Jewish people were appointed by God. Romans 14:5-6 says, "One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and he gives thanks to God." What does this mean for us today? I would say that you have to be aware of God who has given you the day to live and recognize that HE is holy and give thanks for that.
Coming up on Saturday is another holiday for the Jews, and that is Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. This is exciting because if falls on a Shabbat, and in Israel (minus the Arab's, who are also celebrating Ramadan) the country will pretty much shut down and everyone will be inside. So I think I might go play on the highway because there won't be any cars on it!

I meant to actually talk more about our trip to Ashkelon last Saturday, but I got rambling, so I'll write another one recapping that within the next couple of days.