FEAST OF TRUMPETS

The Feast of Trumpets – “Rosh HaShanah” or the “Head of the Year.”

2009 – 2012 Rosh HaShanah Beginning and Ending Dates

(Israeli time).

 

• Sunset September 18, 2009 – nightfall September 20, 2009
• Sunset September 8, 2010 – nightfall September 10, 2010
• Sunset September 28, 2011 – nightfall September 30, 2011
• Sunset September 16, 2012 – nightfall September 18, 2012

According to this website, the first visible sign of this September’s new moon will occur on September 21st, which would mark the traditional Biblical beginning of Rosh HaShanah. In other words,  this year’s traditional Rosh HaShanah would be from:

    

Sunset September 21, 2009 - nightfall September 23, 2009.

  

 There is going to be a conjuncition (alignment) of planets Mercury and Saturn on September 22 (right in the middle of the traditional Rosh HaShanah) which is also the first day of fall.  Early in the morning over North America, the planets Mercury and Saturn will appear in the sky only 0.3 degrees apart.    During this conjunction both the sun and moon will also be in this alignment for a brief time.

 

More information about Rosh HaShanah    - 

The shofar (trumpet pictured above) is blown to usher in the beginning of the civil year and to begin the Ten Days of Awe from Rosh HaShanah to Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). This begins the TEN DAYS OF AWE and is a time of introspection and self-examination in anticipation of the trumpet sounds that will announce the Lord’s arrival. The Shabbat (The Jewish Sabbath) that occurs during the Day’s of Awe is known as Shabbat Shuvah (the Sabbath of Return) which happens on Saturday,  September 25, 2009.

Shabbat Shuvah

The first special Shabbat of the Jewish year–Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of Return –occurs between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; it receives its name from a verse in the day’s haftarah: “Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have fallen because of your sin” (Hosea 14:2).

Some call the day Shabbat Teshuvah, the Sabbath of Repentance, because it is observed during the Ten Days of Repentance. The defining custom of this Shabbat is an admonitory sermon by the rabbi designed to inspire and awaken listeners to examine their deeds and return to God. The rabbi may also review the laws of Yom Kippur. Some communities add readings from Joel 2:15-27 and Micah 7:18-20 that elaborate the Yom Kippur themes of repentance and forgiveness. Joel focuses on purification and fasting by the people and Micah on God’s promise to forgive the people: “He will take us back in love; He will cover up our iniquities, You will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).