The Four Rosh Hashanahs: History and Deeper Meaning

Honorable Rabbi Yosef Edery
Sep 19
4 min read

The Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 1:1) teaches that there are four beginnings of the year in the Jewish calendar. Each of these days is not just a date marker but is deeply rooted in the Torah’s story, in Jewish history, and in spiritual meaning.

1. The First of Nisan – Freedom, Kingship, and Festivals

Historical Context: Nisan is the month of Yetziat Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt). The Torah says, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months” (Exodus 12:2). Nisan became the first month because freedom is the true beginning of Jewish history. Only a people freed from slavery can receive the Torah, establish a society, and serve Hashem fully.

Kingship: Counting the reign of kings from Nisan symbolizes that Jewish leadership is rooted in redemption and divine mission. A king’s authority flows not from personal power but from the freedom Hashem gave His people to live by Torah.

Festivals: The Jewish festival cycle starts with Pesach, the holiday of liberation. Without Pesach, there is no Shavuot (Torah) and no Sukkot (Divine protection). Freedom is the foundation of sacred time.

Deeper Message: Time itself begins with redemption. Our calendar, our leaders, and our holy days must all be anchored in the experience of becoming a free people under Hashem.

2. The First of Elul – Responsibility for Wealth and Animals

Historical Context: In Temple times, one tenth of animals born each year were tithed as offerings (Ma’aser Behemah). To manage this, the Sages fixed a “new year” cutoff date for counting livestock. The majority opinion in the Mishnah placed this on the first of Elul.

Why Elul? Elul is the month of teshuvah (repentance), a time of accounting for one’s soul. It is fitting that the reckoning of one’s possessions — herds, wealth, resources — also falls here. By recognizing that animals, like crops, are Hashem’s blessing, we are reminded that our material success is not our own, but a gift to be sanctified.

Alternate View: Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon said the cutoff was Tishrei, tying the tithes of animals to the same New Year as agriculture and judgment. This reflects a deeper debate: is material responsibility best reckoned in the season of mercy (Elul) or the season of judgment (Tishrei)?

Deeper Message: Before we stand before Hashem in judgment, we must already train ourselves to dedicate our “possessions” to holiness. Elul is not only about self-correction, but about using what we have in service of God.

3. The First of Tishrei – The World’s Birthday and Day of Judgment

Historical Context: Tishrei marks the anniversary of Creation — specifically the sixth day, when Adam was created. The prayers of Rosh Hashanah declare: “Hayom harat olam – Today the world was born.” This is why the Mishnah calls 1 Tishrei the “Rosh Hashanah for years.”

Sabbatical Cycles: Agricultural laws — Shemitah (Sabbatical year) and Yovel (Jubilee year) — are also counted from Tishrei. Since these laws sanctify the land itself, their cycle begins with Creation, reminding us that the land belongs to Hashem.

Day of Judgment: Because it is the birthday of humanity, it is the day humanity is judged. The Talmud says: “All creatures pass before Him like sheep” (Rosh Hashanah 16a). On this day, the fate of nations and individuals is inscribed.

Deeper Message: Nisan may be the new year for Israel, but Tishrei is the new year for the world. Every human being is judged because all of humanity descends from Adam. Tishrei thus expresses the universal covenant between Hashem and mankind.

4. The Fifteenth of Shevat – Trees, Growth, and the Land of Israel

Historical Context: Tu BiShvat (15 Shevat) is the cutoff date for determining the agricultural year of trees. Fruit that blossoms before this date belongs to the previous year’s tithes, and fruit blossoming after counts for the new year. This was practical for Temple offerings and tithes.

Why Shevat? By this point in Israel, most of the winter rains have fallen, and the sap begins to rise within the trees. It is the natural “new year” of tree growth, when creation quietly renews itself.

Later Development: In exile, Tu BiShvat evolved into a celebration of the Land of Israel itself. The kabbalists of Tzfat created a mystical seder with fruits and wines, seeing the holiday as a time to repair the bond between man, nature, and God. In modern Israel, it became a day for planting trees and renewing the land.

Deeper Message: If Tishrei is the new year for humanity, Shevat is the new year for creation itself. It calls us to respect the land, care for nature, and remember that the physical world is also holy.