Celebrate the Small Things: Rosh Hashanah

Today is Friday. Another day to Celebrate the Small Things with VikLit, over at Scribblings of an Aspring Author.

What is Rosh Hashanah you might ask? Well, it's the Jewish New Year. It is held on the first or second day of Tishri, which on the American calendar is September. This is the time we blow the shofar, beginning ten days of self-refelction and repentance culminating to Yom Kippur.

It is also an appointed holiday by G-d, in Leviticus 23:24:

 'Tell the people of Israel, "In the seventh month, the first of the month is to be for you a day of complete rest for remembering, a holy convocation announced with the blasts on the shofar,"

What is the purpose of the shofar in this celebration?

1. It is the anniversary of G-d's creation and G-d's return to the earth. Yes. Yeshua Moshiach will be returning. When He comes the shofar will sound.

2. It is to wake us up from our spiritual slumber. It also calls us to repent and turn away from our sins.

3. It is also a reminder of when the shofar was blown on Mt. Sinai when the Torah was given. It also reminds G-d of our commitment and sincerity.

4. It also reminds us of the Prophets of old, who like the blast of the shofar called upon us to correct our ways, follow God's commandments, and act properly with others.

5. The shofar's blast reminds us of the tears shed for the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, galvanizing us to bring Moshiach and hasten the rebuilding of the temple.

6. Since a shofar is made from a ram's horn, it reminds us of the binding of Isaac, and the ram G-d provided as a sacrifice in his place. This also symbolizes the sacrifice of Yeshua for our sins. And that we too are to self-sacrifice in order to rid ourselves of our sins.

7. It also reminds us that the shofar will be blown on the Day of Judgement when Yeshua Moshiach comes back. It nudges us to examine our deeds and contemplate how we can improve them.

8. The shofar blast also signals the return of the Jewish people when Yeshua Moshiach comes. He is our salvation.

9. When Yeshua Moshiach comes, the shofar will blast, heralding a time of universal understanding and recognition of G-d's unity.

10. It also reminds us of the primordial scream, the eternal voiceless call of the soul expressing its desire to return to its creator.

So L'Shana Tov to my Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed, and Messianic Jewish friends along with everyone else!

 Hopefully, we all can take time to self-reflect, repent, and do better this new year.

Hugs and chocolate, all!
Shelly

Celebrate the Small Things: Strange Trumpet Sounds: Is God Warning Us?

Before I celebrate, I thought I'd share something with y'll that I found when researching for a writing project that I'm working on.

Warning: It is a little strange and has to do with an atmospheric noise that people heard all around the world from 2011 to 2012. It sounds a lot like a shofar.

In the Torah, the shofar was used to warn the people.  Seven different angels, in Revelation 8, are given and blow a shofar prior to opening the specific seals assigned to them to release whatever judgement they are to pour out onto planet earth.
 
So is God trying to get our attention about something? Possibly. The entire world is in crisis .right now.

"There will be no more delay; on the contrary, in the days of the sound from the seventh angel when he sounds his shofar, the hidden plan of God will be brought to completion, the Good News as he proclaimed it to his servants the prophets." Revelations 10:6b-7 (The Complete Jewish Bible)

Of course, there is a scientific explanation for this. When there is a great number of natural disasters and strange weather patterns, it causes an atmospheric noise. But then, the Big Bang theory is parallel to the Creation Story. It was a lot of energy the first few days. A good book to read on this is, The Science of God, by Gerald L. Schroeder.

I believe God can use whatever He wants to speak to us. Genesis 1: 14 God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to divide the day from the night, let them be for signs, seasons, days, and years...et al. (The Complete Jewish Bible)

So here are three video clips of what I'm talking about.

This one was heard at a Ray's game. The sportscasters were bothered by it.

The next one is a clip made from news reports and people around the world hearing the same eerie noise.

This next one gives Biblical theory coupled with scientific explanations. The narrator also sounds off a shofar so you can here what it actually sounds like.

All three gave me chills. How about you?

Now for my celebration this week:

*No-No and Ya'akov, my daughter and son-in-law are staying safe. They both work in Tel Aviv and live in Bene Ayish, right between Ashkelon and Ashdod.

*The rest of my family is doing great. Sir Poops is still hanging out and is back in diapers. He's visited the Great White Watery Abyss of Torture a few times this week.

*And little by little, I've been getting back on track with my writing. Although, I've a got a really  strange problem with my MS. I had several chapter 35's with no ending. And today, I discovered more of the same chapter sprinkled through the last 10. Me eye-brains are crossing on this one.

*Also, we're still eating yummies from the garden.

This was posted on behalf of Viklit at Scribblings of an Inspiring Author .

Hope everyone has a chocolate-filled weekend. Happy Shabbats if you practice!

Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly

PS My friend Emily McKeon wrote a book on domestic violence. She's looking for help to get the word out. GO HERE