The Nations on Trial: Rosh Hashanah and the Divine Council

At the beginning of the Book of Job, we are given a rare glimpse of the Heavenly court in session. We read:

One day the Divine beings presented themselves before G_D, and the Adversary came along with them. - Job 1:6

The impulse is to explore the identity of the Adversary (השטן the Satan), or philosophize on the life and worldview of Job.

Instead, there is something more enduring, and often overlooked, to take notice of.

When: Yom HaDin

The text gives us important details on the when, who, and why, and they are still as relevant today as ever.

Two details matter for context.

First, Jewish tradition identifies the day mentioned as Rosh Hashanah. Also known as Yom haDin (the Day of Judgment¹), this is the day the world is brought into yearly judgment.

This is a major holiday on the Jewish calendar, which is preceded by a 40-day period of repentance and soul-accounting². As far as I know, the Christian calendar has no equivalent holiday in this fall timeframe.

Who: The Divine Council

The second detail: the text tells us the Divine beings were assembled in the courtroom. The Divine beings are Angels:

"and the angels of G_D came to stand beside the Lord" to contend with Him, because the expression of standing refers only to judgment - Rashi on Job 1:6

But these are not just any Angels. The Hebrew tells us these are the Benei Elokim (האלה-ים). They are known as the Divine Council, and we've covered them in more depth in a separate work³.

To summarize, these are the s Angelic rulers assigned to govern the nations after the incident at the Tower of Bavel⁴.

From Bavel forward, Israel's governance has been under the direct guidance of G_D Himself; however, the nations have been placed under a tier of Angelic middle-management.

These Angelic rulers continue to govern and influence the nations, and will remain until sometime in the Messianic era when they are removed from their positions.

The important takeaway is that the presence of the Divine Council reveals that the nations are also undergoing judgment on Rosh Hashanah. In fact, assuming Job is not an Israelite, this might be an important aspect of the Book.

Why: Atonement and Blessing

Many Christians may find this to be an entirely new reading of the text. However, a Jewish audience may be more familiar. This understanding is ancient, which is why the fall holidays included many Temple offerings on behalf of the nations.

This is especially true of the holiday known as Sukkot (Tabernacles). In the Talmud, we read:

"Rabbi Elazar said: These seventy bulls that are sacrificed as additional offerings over the course of the seven days of Sukkot, to what do they correspond? They correspond to the seventy nations of the world, and are brought to atone for their sins and to hasten world peace." - Sukkah 55b

Offering sacrifices was one of the ways Israel could bring blessing upon the world, serving as priests, helping to mitigate the judgment upon the nations. Without a Temple, this ability is stunted to some degree, but thankfully other methods exist.

So if the period of judgment between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur includes the nations, by what criteria are they judged?

The Legal Criteria: The Noahide Laws

Contrary to the common misconception, the nations are not judged by the 10 commandments given at Sinai; these were part of the unique covenant established with Israel.

The nations are, however, held accountable to the seven commandments known as the Noahide laws⁵. A discussion of these can be found in the Talmud⁶, and this is the underlying basis for the discussion in Acts 15, at the Jerusalem Council.

Though there are seven of them, these are not simple one-off commands; they are categories of [mostly] prohibitions - things that ought to be avoided.

They are:

Not to worship idols
Not to curse G_D
Not to commit murder
Not to commit adultery or sexual immorality
Not to steal
Not to eat flesh torn from a living animal
To establish courts of justice

The seven Noahide laws are the foundation on which the world is meant to function, to establish peace and harmony between nations, communities, and families.

It is these that the Gentile world is held accountable for, and it is these that are taken into account in the yearly day of judgment.

Conclusion

In other words, though they seem to be Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were never meant for Israel alone. They reflect a natural accounting process for heaven and Earth, a time when debts are balanced, and the Creator seeks to bring harmony to creation.

Want to Learn More?

Notes:

¹ Rashi on Job 1:6

² The Forty Days | Part 1 - Ending

³ The Divine Council

⁴ Babel and the Ethics of Technology

⁵ The Roots of Gentile Inclusion: Noahide Laws and the Jerusalem Council

⁶ Talmud Sanhedrin 56a