A. With Moses in Leviticus 23
B. With Ezra and Nehemiah
C. With the rise of Rabbinic Judaism
ANSWER
C is the correct answer.
In the Torah, the first day of the seventh month is never called Rosh Hashanah or the New Year. It is called a “memorial of trumpet-blowing” (zikhron teru’ah, Leviticus 23:24) and a “day of trumpet-blowing” (yom teru’ah, Numbers 29:1). In fact, when God established Israel’s calendar, He declared the month of Passover to be the first month of the year, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.” Exodus 12:2
This biblical reckoning persists throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. Even in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, the first day of the seventh month is observed as a sacred day, though it is not called Rosh Hashanah or New Year’s Day (Ezra 3:6; Nehemiah 8:2).
As Rabbinic Judaism developed, the first day of the seventh month was explicitly designated Rosh Hashanah, the New Year. By the time of the Mishnah, around AD 200, this designation was firmly established: “On the first of Tishrei is Rosh Hashanah for years” (Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1).
As Rabbi Israel Drazin puts it:
“The Judeans changed the biblical Yom Terua, the day of the blowing of the shofar, to a totally different holiday with a totally different purpose.” Israel Drazin, Mysteries of Judaism II: How the Rabbis and Others Changed Judaism.
Interestingly, the Mishnah (Jewish Oral Law) identifies four Jewish New Years, including the biblical one in Nisan (Passover). Although Passover is an important feast celebrated throughout the Jewish world, it is seldom called the Jewish New Year, even though the scriptures define it as such. Several reasons are given for adopting Tishrei as the New Year; one may have been the influence of surrounding nations, who placed their New Year in the fall.
By establishing Tishrei as the New Year rather than Passover, we lose an important association and focus on Passover, where the nation’s redemption and recreation were established. It also diminishes the significance of Yeshua’s crucifixion on Passover, with His death and resurrection pointing to a new beginning (the New Covenant and new creation).