Hebrew Month of Tishrei | Embracing Kingship and Spiritual Renewal
As we prepare to enter the Hebrew year of 5785, we do so from a place of preparing our hearts for spiritual activation as Kings and Priests.
It is likely without coincidence that we step into this new place in God’s Kingdom at this time, as the Hebrew month of Tishrei is specifically focused on embracing the Kingship of God of the Universe.
Rosh Hashanah and Accepting God’s Kingship
In God’s Kingdom, there are two types of citizens.
- There are those who serve God the King from a place of fear.
- Those who serve from a place of love.
Those who serve Him from a place of fear do so because they are afraid of the consequences of should they choose otherwise.
Those who serve the King from a place of love serve from a heart posture of intense love where they desire to truly follow His instruction. They do not feel forced or constrained but rather follow His instruction from a place of honor and understanding the privilege of being in His Kingdom.
The Takeaway for the Hebrew Month of Tishrei…
In the Hebrew month of Tishrei and during the feasts of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, we focus on positioning our hearts to serve God and His Kingdom from a place of love and living free from fear-based obedience.
- “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”—1 John 4:18
Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot in the Month of Tishrei
All three of the Jewish Fall Feasts are celebrated this month, making it significant amongst the other seasons of the year. The period of Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur is called the “High Holy Days” or “High Holidays” and is marked by an extended moment of sincere introspection. So we begin the month of Tishrei and the new year looking inward and from a heart posture of repentance.
We might pray things like:
“Lord, reveal what is in my innermost parts that needs to be repented of removed or changed. Show me hidden sin I may not even be aware of.
“Yeshua, show me people I need to repent to and seek forgiveness from.
“Father, reveal places in my life I have charted off course and allow me to repent and return to alignment.
At Rosh Hashanah, we celebrate the beginning of the new civil year at the Feast of Trumpets.
The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Days of Awe, which culminates on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
At Sukkot, we celebrate God’s provision in the wilderness and renew our covenant from a place of joy during the Feast of Tabernacles or the season of our Joy.
Fulfilling Our Destiny: The Spiritual Significance of the Hebrew Month of Tishrei
During the Hebrew month of Tishrei, our study and introspection are focused on “ourselves”—making assessments, learning, and gleaning for the future and directing our path for the year ahead.
This is not based on academic knowledge but rather a study focused inward so that we can fulfill all that God has called us to do and Unlock our Kingdom Destinies!
In a culture that glorifies the “hustle and grind,” it can be intimidating to pause, pray, and plan for nearly three weeks during the Fall Feast season. But this moment truly lays the foundation for our year ahead and makes sure our “hustle” is aligned with the King’s purpose and “our grind” isn’t just busyness. It makes sure our actions are focused and aligned.
During the Hebrew month of Tishrei, we focus our attention towards:
- Introspection
- Repentance
- Accepting the yoke of God’s Kingship and His reign in our lives
When we accept God’s heavenly yoke from a place of “teshuvah” (repentance) and learn to walk in love, joy, trust, and covenant. At the very end of the festival of Sukkot, we are reminded once again of the importance of God’s Word and His instruction on *Simchat Torah (the end of the annual Torah reading cycle).
When we accept God’s heavenly yoke, we are submitting to God’s sovereignty from a place of yielded obedience, regardless of our full understanding. We are trusting God in the dark. And hopefully, we are trusting from a place of love.
*Simchat Torah is a holiday that celebrates the completion and renewal of the annual Torah reading cycle that is read in full through daily portions throughout the year; the name Simchat Torah means “Rejoicing in the Torah.”
The King Is in the Field
Rosh Hashanah is not only a day of judgment but a day of Kingship. According to Jewish teaching, Adam crowned God as King of the world on this day. God completed His work and reigned over all He had created. Our assignment as created humanity is to glorify and proclaim God’s Kingship.
Malchiyos: Kingship. Sovereignty. Surrender.
One Rosh Hashanah tradition is to say a prayer that includes the malchiyos, where mankind accepts and acknowledges the Father’s Kingship over our lives. From a place of love, we give ourselves to the King and fully accept His will for our destiny.
This section of the prayer focuses our attention on God’s sovereignty and verbally affirms His authority as King of the Universe.
Key Verses of the Malchiyos Prayer
- Proclaiming God’s Kingship
“The Lord shall reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:18).
“The Lord is King, the Lord was King, the Lord will be King forever and ever.”
- Proclaiming God’s Sovereignty
“The Lord is King; He has established the world; it shall not be moved” (Psalms 93:1).
“The Lord shall be King over all the earth; on that day, the Lord will be One, and His Name One” (Zechariah 14:9).
- Proclaiming Our Surrender to and Acceptance of God’s Reign
“Rule over the entire universe in Your glory, and be exalted above all the earth in Your splendor. Shine forth in the majesty of Your supreme strength over all the inhabitants of Your world”
It is in the Hebrew month of Tishrei that the dominion of the King of the Universe is most manifest not only to Israel and the body of Messiah but to all nations.
Rosh Hashanah: Head of the Year
Rosh Hashanah is also known as the Head of the Year. It is not just the beginning but rather the “nerve center” of the year. Like the human head, it represents the place from which life, thoughts, and direction flow.
Thus, Jewish tradition believes that the Hebrew month of Tishrei and Rosh Hashanah is a beginning that marks a harbinger of what is to come. That is why aligning our hearts and practice during this month is important: We are setting the pace and landscape for the year ahead. If we liken it to building a house, this is the moment we are preparing the dirt work and laying the foundation. This is not the time to cut corners in the spirit or in the natural.
Freedom from Bondage on Rosh Hashanah
Jewish tradition holds that Joseph was released from prison on Rosh Hashanah–the Day of Judgement and the first of Tishrei. Likewise, we can view this season as a time of freedom from bondage–a time to ascend, a time when chains are broken, a time of release and spiritual redemption.
Like the Hebrew letter lamed, which is connected to the Hebrew month of Tishrei, Joseph stands as a leader amongst his brothers and the tribes. Likewise, Tishrei guides and empowers the other months through the Fall Feast season marked by redemption.
A Community of Individuals
Rosh Hashanah is also called the Feasts of Trumpets or Yom HaZikaron, the Day of Remembrance. It is a day of judgment where the entire world and all nations are judged by God and yet even so each of us as individuals are also judged as we make up the “whole.”
One of the other traditional prayers said on Rosh Hashanah is the Unetanneh Tokef. This prayer reminds worshippers of the sanctity of human life, the reality of divine judgment that comes from strict justice, and the opportunity we have for renewal and transformation through God’s mercy, through God’s chesed.
One of the passages states:
“On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed… all creatures pass before You like Bnei Maron.”
According to one interpretation, Bnei Maron represents the perilous narrow path on Mount Maron where there is only room for one individual to pass at a time. Thus, during the Hebrew month of Tishrei and specifically on The Day of Remembrance, we pass before God the King one at a time–seen as individuals who make up His Kingdom as a whole.
In the Hebrew month of Tishrei, God sees us in a face-to-face moment.
Tribe of Ephraim: Fruitfulness, Growth, and Greater Descendants
Tishrei is believed to be symbolically connected to the tribe of Ephraim.
When Moses blessed the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh he did so through their father, Joseph. We see this in Deuteronomy 33:13-17:
“And of Joseph he said: ‘Blessed of the Lord is his land, with the precious things of heaven, with the dew, and the deep lying beneath, with the precious fruits of the sun, with the precious produce of the months, with the best things of the ancient mountains, with the precious things of the everlasting hills…
‘With the precious things of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come ‘on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.’
“His glory is like a firstborn bull, and his horns like the horns of the wild ox; together with them He shall push the peoples to the ends of the earth; they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
The Tribe of Ephraim Heritage and Inheritance:
Ephraim’s name means “fruitfulness,” reflecting Joseph’s experience in Egypt where, despite challenges, he ultimately prospered and his family grew (Genesis 41:52).
Through this blessing, Ephraim and Manasseh Joseph received a double portion of inheritance among the tribes of Israel (Genesis 48:5). This “adoption,” in a sense, positioned Ephraim and Manasseh as Jacob’s own sons where each received an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
In Genesis 48, we read that Jacob reversed the typical order of blessings and was insistent that Ephraim, the secondborn, would be greater than the firstborn, demonstrating God’s sovereign choice. This is a reminder to us during the Hebrew month of Tishrei that man’s expectations do not limit the blessings of the Father. He can and will surprise us!
According to the blessing, the Tribe of Ephraim became a “multitude of nations” (Genesis 48:19). They became one of the most powerful and influential tribes, holding central locations geographically and of political importance in the nation of Israel.
The secondborn Ephraim is considered a prophetic symbol of the Gentile nations. The prophet Hosea, therefore prophecies that God will be a lion for both Jew and Gentile when he said:
“For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah…”—Hosea 5:14
Notably, a lion symbolizes strength, courage, majesty, and kingship as the voice of God is likened to the roar of a lion (Hosea 11:10).
Joshua: Reflecting Light
Joshua, one of Israel’s most prominent leaders, was a member of the tribe Ephraim. He succeeded Moses and led the Israelites into the Promised Land. Like the New Moon, each Rosh Chodesh (new month) reflects light as Joshua reflected the leadership of Moses until it was his time to lead the nation of Israel upon Moses’ death (Deuteronomy 31:14-15).
Likewise, we are called to receive and reflect the King throughout each month of the year, but at Rosh Hashanah, we specifically focus on giving the King honor through our surrendered hearts. This makes the month of Tishrei unique amongst the Hebrew months, where we shift our focus from not only what we can receive but also the honor we can give.
Hebrew Letter Lamed: Symbolic of God’s Kingship and His Infinite Sovereignty
The Hebrew letter lamed, which is connected to the Hebrew month of Tishrei, has a numerical value of thirty representing the tribe of Judah, the Kingdom of Heaven, the kingdom of David, Joseph’s ascension to power, and thirty qualities of a king.
The Hebrew letter lamed is also thought to represent a goad, which farmers use to direct animals where to go. Likewise, the study of God’s Word gives us life direction when we are diligent to study and apply.
The Hebrew letter lamed represents “a tower floating in the air.” It stands higher than all other letters in the middle of the Hebrew alphabet and “breaks the ceiling” above all other letters. Therefore, it is thought to also be symbolic of the Supreme King serving high above and surrounded by royalty.
The Hebrew letter lamed also denotes limud which is the Hebrew word for Torah learning. This is something we not only acquire as individuals but also teach to others. The highest calling of studying God’s Word is not only what we learn but also in teaching others. In teaching others we not only grow and expand the Kingdom but we learn at a deeper level ourselves.
Just as the lamed reaches high above the other letters so we students of God’s Word are on a quest for a higher realm, something above us, that can cause all that is below to come into alignment with that which is above.
In the month of Tishrei we are raising our vision higher and seeking first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).
Holy God and One New Humanity
According to Jewish tradition, the ability to distinguish the lofty from the lowly, the relationship between a holy God and humanity, is a key foundational principle to building a meaningful life.
When we are able to make distinctions and see these values, we are able to lay a legacy for generations to follow and it is the groundwork for the legacy of eternity. There is so much richness found in the ability to perceive our God as a holy King interacting with humanity who is of “contrite and humble spirit.”
“For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’”—Isaiah 57:15
This concept of the lofty and the lowly conveys a profound spiritual truth. While God is exalted and far above human beings in His holiness, He still chooses relationship and connection with those who are humble and open-hearted. This illustrates the mystery of God’s greatness and yet His desire to be intimately involved in our lives when we seek Him.
That is part of the beauty of Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days of Awe is that as we return to Him in complete repentance and surrender we are laying down the previous year and embracing what He has for us the new year to come.
In the Hebrew month of Tishrei, the lowly can encounter the lofty, charting course for the year ahead.
Creation and Rosh Hashanah
When used as a prefix in Hebrew writing, a lamed often symbolizes a change or a new direction. An example of this is Genesis 2:7 we read:
- “Then Adonai, God, formed a person from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so that he became a living being.” —Genesis 2:7 (CJB)
The prefix lamed appears before the words “living being” and indicates a transition from that which was to a living and breathing humanity. In this scripture, we witness transformation and a new birth. Interestingly, according to Jewish tradition Adam Harishon, which means “the first,” was created on Rosh Hashanah.
In this moment, Adam became a rational creature who could create with his words just as God had spoken the world into existence. This ability differentiated him from all other created things when God invited Adam to participate in the creation process by naming the animals.
- “So from the ground Adonai, God, formed every wild animal and every bird that flies in the air, and he brought them to the person to see what he would call them. Whatever the person would call each living creature, that was to be its name.”—Genesis 2:19 (CJB)
Thus, the Jewish sages teach that we should treat our words with similar creative power. They suggest when departing from friends instead of saying “go in peace” one should say “go toward peace,” implying that we are moving with direction and aim toward a goal that will result in transformational peace–always creating that which we truly desire with our words.
The Hebrew letter lamed is thus symbolic of embracing what transforms us. In the Hebrew month of Tishrei, we embrace transformation.
Lamed: Addressing Heart Issues
The Hebrew letter lamed begins the word, heart (lev). The Midrash addresses the heart when it draws our attention to a list of verses that show that love, hate, vindication, worry, distress, vexation etc… are rooted in the heart.
- “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart…”—Deuteronomy 6:5
- “You shall not hate your brother in your heart.”—Leviticus 19:17
- “For the day of vengeance is in My heart.”—Isaiah 63:4
- “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression…”—Proverbs 12:25
- “Therefore remove sorrow from your heart…”—Ecclesiastes 11:10
- “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”—1 Samuel 16:7
“Lamed rests” in the center of the alphabet, similar to how the heart symbolically rests in the center of mankind. All things are rooted in the heart, preserving us in both the physical and spiritual sense.
Similarly, in Hebrew culture, limud or Torah learning is also a place of spiritual centeredness that leads to spiritual rejuvenation and is a life-giving force. True limud is a real learning reflected internally without compromise and without superficiality.
If we seek to grow spiritually, we must remain rooted in God’s instruction and focused on a journey of learning that never ends. The Midrash states:
“…there can be a student who is not a sage, but there cannot be a sage who is not a student.”
Opportunity in the Hebrew Month of Tishrei
This month, we are presented with the opportunity to surrender to God’s Kingship from a place of repentance and understanding of the deep covenant love He extends. We are invited to embrace our identity as children of the King and align our lives to reflect this belief. Ultimately, we are invited to position ourselves to grow and prosper in the year ahead from a place rooted in joy.
The question remains: Will we accept the invitation of the opportunity?
A gift of embracing a season of introspection, repentance, and spiritual preparation has been extended to us. Will we receive it? This gift is reinforced and accelerated when we pull up a seat at the Father’s table and celebrate the feasts of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot in our homes or in community.
If you haven’t made plans for the season yet we would love if you would join us online for each of these special “moeds” (divine appointments):
Rosh Hashanah: October 2, 2024
Yom Kippur: October 11, 2024
Sukkot: October 16, 2024
Closing Prayer
Father, King of the Universe, thank you for meeting us face-to-face this month. Thank you for seeing us as individuals. Thank you for positioning us and aligning us for the year ahead. We declare that you are King and reign sovereign over this month and each month that follows.
We ask that You would search the recesses of our heart during this season and shine Your light on areas that we need to repent of, change, remove or shift in the year ahead. We give You our hearts and thank you for the opportunity that lies ahead.
We serve You in love and receive the love that You have poured out so lavishly on us. We focus our hearts on seeking You in the high places and knowing your heart more intimately.
We join all the voices around the world proclaiming:
Rule over the entire universe in Your glory, and be exalted above all the earth in Your splendor. Shine forth in the majesty of Your supreme strength over all the inhabitants of Your world.
In Yeshua’s Name, amen.