The Days of Awe

As we learned yesterday, the Jewish new year called Rosh Hashanah was celebrated. Did you hear any recognition of the holiday from churches or news agencies? I suspect not much. Now, the Jews, including Yeshua went He walked the earth, begin a very important period of time. The ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with the Day of Atonement called Yom Kippur, are commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance. This is a time for serious self examination, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and repent before Yom Kippur.

One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the concept that Elohim has "books" that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter Elohim's decree. The actions that change the decree are repentance, prayer, good deeds (usually, charity). This is not about earning salvation, but this about the quality of your life you live.These "books" are sealed on Yom Kippur. This concept of writing in books is the source of the common greeting during this time is "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."

Among the customs of this time, it is common to seek reconciliation with people you may have wronged during the course of the year. The Talmud maintains that Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and Elohim. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, making restitution, i.e. righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible. This is very different from the Christian approach that merely seeks forgiveness from Elohim. Ask yourself, which approach do you think reflects the true purposes of Elohim?

Today, you don't have to be Jewish to examine your walk with Elohim. Paul exhorted his readers to examine themselves to make sure they were in the faith. He probably took that approach from the Days of Awe. Get a spiritual mirror and have a good look over the next week. If there is something you don't like, change it and have a great year!