— Saturday, September 19, was Rosh haShanah - Tishrei 1.

Talmud - Mas. Rosh haShana 2a reads:
“There are four New Years: On the first of Nisan is New Year for kings and for festivals.
On the first of Elul is New Year for the tithe of cattle.
On the first of Tishri is New Year for years, for release and jubilee years, for plantation and for [tithe of] vegetables.
On the first of Shevat is New Year for trees, according to the ruling of Beth Shammai; Beth Hillel, however, place it on the fifteenth of that month.” Talmud - Mas. Rosh haShana 2a

This first day Rosh haShanah Torah reading talks about the birth of Isaac, the promised son, and the Halftarah reading about the birth of Samuel, the prophet, both miraculous births. Traditionally, it is believed that on this day Sarah conceived Isaac. She was ninety years old and this is to show not only that the conception of life is in God’s hands, but also that the birth of the Jewish nation was not by accident but a sign from God with which He decreed that this nation would be His chosen messenger of His ethics to humanity.

Why is this day called Rosh haShanah? This designation of the holiday as Rosh haShanah (literally Head of the Year) is not Biblical but Talmudic. The words Rosh haShanah together appears only once in the Bible in Ezekiel 40:1 but it is not clear what “beginning of the year” is referring to. But in Mishnah the name is connected to the 1st of Tishrei. The rabbis have calculated that the world was created on Rosh haShanah and that there are four New Years as stated in the Talmud.

But in the Torah we read, Leviticus 23:23 "And Yehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, you shall have a Shabbat, a memorial of blowing, Shabbaton Zikaron Teruah, a holy gathering. You shall do no labor in it.’"

The seventh month of the Biblical calendar is Tishrei, and God said to have a holy gathering, to do no work in it and to have a memorial of blowing of the Shofarim. Therefore, this holiday is also known as Yom haZikaron (memorial) Yom Teruah (blowing). Since the Torah is not clear what the word “memorial’ refers to, it may recall Israel's forebears as God's people, it may refer to the giving of the Torah, or it may refer to a public commemoration of the dead. Some interpret it as to recall one's deeds for personal introspection because this day is also known as Yom haDin, the Day of Judgment, based on the Biblical passage from Psalm 81:4 "Blow a Shofar at the new moon, at the full moon on our feast day. For this is a statute for Israel, a judgment of the God of Jacob." Tradition tells that the Book of Life is opened on Rosh haShanah and sealed on Yom Kippur. In this book the fate of the righteous, the wicked, and those uncertain are recorded. The first are inscribed for life, the second are blotted out from the book of the living, and the third are given respite to repent.

The period of forty days, from the first of Elul until the tenth day of Tishrei (the day of Atonement - Yom Kippur), commemorates the second stay of Moshe on Mount Sinai, to invoke God's abundant mercy for our complete atonement, in which God inscribed the second set of stone tablets. Since then, these days are marked as a special period of Divine grace, during which, the tradition says, the sincere prayers are sure to find favor in the eyes of God.

There are two traditions for these Selichot prayers:

According to the Sephardic Minhag, these prayers begin on the first of Elul and continue until first of Tishrei (the Feast of Trumpets - Yom Teruah) or Rosh haShanah.

In the Ashkenazic Minhag these penitential prayers begin on the Sunday before Rosh haShanah with a minimum of four days of Selichot. The first Selichot are said early Sunday morning after midnight. The preceding Shabbat is called Shabbat Selichot.

The Shabbat between Rosh haShannah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbat Shuva, the Shabbat of Return.

“Shuva - Return Yisra’el to Yehovah your God; for you have fallen because of your sin.
Take words with you, and return to Yehovah.
Tell Him, ‘Forgive all our sins, and accept that which is good.’” Hosea 14:2-3

These are times of turmoil and the only way to break down the walls of hatred is to believe and tell the world that there is a God and His word is the only true truth and that we need to obey His commandments. Blowing the Shofar is one of these commandments.

Yes, by blowing the Shofar we will also tell Israelis that we stand with them in these times of rising anti-Semitism, because Israel is the apple of God's eye and that those who bless Israel would be blessed.

Therefore, would you stand with me and blow the Shofar? Project Jericho is blowing the Shofar every day around the Globe in every time zone at 6:00pm - local time - starting with Rosh Chodesh - the first of Tishrei - for the duration of the Ten Days of Awe, culminating with Yom Kippur. Wouldn't be amazing if we can hear the sound of Teruah every hour in a chain reaction around the Globe? Please let me know where are you located and see if we can have someone blow the Shofar in every time zone.

Thank you for participating in this event - Project Jericho.

PLEASE NOTE: According to a rabbinical ruling it is prohibited to blow the Shofar on Shabbat, but not according to the Tanakh, therefore, how much more appropriate is to obey God's commandment to celebrate Yom Teruah with the blowing of the Shofar even if it falls on Shabbat.