Articles on Yom Teruah
Awake Israel !
Author unknown
The Feast of Trumpets, Yom Teruah, is a day when the Shofar is blown to awaken Israel to an amazing event. (Amos 3:6) It is a call to Israel for the coming judgment and the return of Messiah Yeshua. Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of Yehovah is near, it is near, and comes quickly, even the voice of the day of Yehovah: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Zephaniah 1:16 A day of the trumpet (Shofar) and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. Yom Teruah is the first seventh month feast falling directly on the day that the new moon is seen. It is the only feast specifically commanded by Yehovah to be kept on the new moon day.
The seventh time the shofar is blown to proclaim the new moon in Yehovah's calendar is the month of Ethanim, the seventh month. Yom Teruah is the beginning of the count for all the seventh month moedim. If Israel was not ready for the Day of Atonement, the tenth day of Ethanim, the High Priest would surely not survive his commanded sprinkling of blood in the holy of holies. Yom Kippur is a holy time and the nine days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur are a time to prepare and a time to be thankful that Yeshua is Messiah and High Priest. Atonement was the only time that the High Priest was allowed to enter the holy of holies for ceremony. This is an important testimony to the amount of preparation we are to make for the Day of Atonement. The only chance that we have to survive spiritually is in the following of Yeshua's example. One of the commands for example that Yeshua observed is the set apart Yom Teruah.
Scriptural EvidenceIn Leviticus 23 we find that Yehovah gives instruction to keep the weekly and annual Sabbaths. In the seventh month on the first day we are to keep Yom Teruah. Yehovah calls this feast Zikarown Teruah, which is translated as the memorial of the blowing of trumpets. Yom Teruah is called a holy convocation which means that it is a day when Yehovah's people are to come together in worship.
Leviticus 23:23-25 Then Yehovah spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 'You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yehovah.'
The Hebrew word for "trumpets" is not actually found in Leviticus 23:24 the Hebrew "teruah" is translated blowing of trumpets. This is a memorial to commemorate a future start of the Messianic Kingdom with the return of Messiah Yeshua. Since Yom Teruah relates to the seventh new moon it shows the perfection of Yehovah's plan for salvation through Messiah Yeshua. This is also a connection between the torah and Messiah. The blowing of the shofar was the thunder that the children of Israel heard when Moses was given the law on Mt. Sinai.
Exodus 20:18-20And all the people saw the thunder, and the lightning, and the noise of the trumpet (shofar), and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed themselves, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, You speak with us, and we will hear: but don't let Elohim speak with us, or we will die. And Moses said to the people, Fear not: for Elohim is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, so that you don't sin.
The word "trumpet" in Exodus 20:18 is the Hebrew word "shofar" (Strong's #7782). This loud shofar blast really scared the people so much so that they asked Moses to speak with Yehovah for them. Solomon was inspired to write that the fear of Yehovah is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10) Yeshua demonstrated this wisdom throughout his life by giving the glory to Yehovah. We must forsake evil and live like Yeshua! Sin should be the farthest thing from our mind. We are Yeshua's chosen if we live as he teaches.
The sacrifice that Yeshua the Messiah gave to cleanse his people has given each of us the ability to step from the waters of immersion without sin. Sin is an immense problem today just as it has been since the beginning of time. People of the world do evil today that would have never even been thought of thirty years ago. The world is perpetually accepting sin but those that do follow Yehovah are condemned as being unloving or legalistic. (John 15:18-27) The truth is that if we love one another we look out for one another. Yom Teruah shows that we must be ready at all times because as in the time of Noah people of the world went about their business as if nothing was wrong. They missed the boat and all the signs of the impending flood. (Mat. 24:35-39) There was only one family that Yehovah found uncorrupted. Conform to Yehovah and He will inform you of impending disaster just as He did with Noah.
We have to be careful always watching what we allow in our lives. Cleansing in our own lives starts with Messiah Yeshua. The cleansing can be painful but like a cut once it is healed we don't cut ourselves again. Yeshua has given us the path to the Father through a different life than the world. Part of that different life can be found in Yom Teruah which is a feast of joy for the return of Messiah Yeshua. At the last blast of the shofar on Yom Teruah, we look for the change to an imperishable form. (1Cor. 15:50-57)
The Feast of Trumpets
Written by Sam Nadler
Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month, you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD'" (Leviticus 23:24-25).
After coming to faith in Messiah Yeshua, I was delighted to see that trumpets played such a significant role in Scriptures. In fact, what is traditionally called Yom Teruah, or Jewish New Year, is also called in the Scriptures Yom HaTeruah, which means the "Day of the Blowing of Trumpets."
Jewish tradition purports that the blowing of trumpets is a reminder of the shofars (the shofar is made from a ram's horn) that Joshua and the Israelites used at Jericho, and also the horn of the ram that Abraham sacrificed in place of Isaac.
However, Scripture reveals much more about the prophetic meaning of the Feast of Trumpets. This feast points forward to a time when Israel will be gathered back to the land (Isaiah 27:13). Also, it points to the time when Messiah will return (1 Corinthians 15:51,52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). Essentially there are two types of trumpets mentioned in the Bible: the ram's horn, and the silver trumpets....
Hearing the Sound of the Shofar
Written by Joshua Moss
The ritual most frequently associated with Yom Teruah, the Jewish New Year (in most English translations of the Bible called the Feast of Trumpets*), is the sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) in the synagogue. By Jewish tradition, a person who has not listened to the shofar has not observed the day. Hearing the shofar means obedience to one of God's 248 positive commandments to Israel found in the Pentateuch, or Torah. Rabbis have said that the mitzvah (commandment) is not fulfilled by merely hearing the shofar, as if by accident, but that the hearer must listen with the specific kavanah (intention) of fulfilling the biblical commandment. To enhance this observance of Yom Teruah, various rabbis have suggested kavanot, or ideas implied in the sounding of the shofar, upon which to focus.
The biblical command to hear the shofar is expressed in Numbers 29:1:
"And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work, For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets [shofarim]."
The word "trumpets" does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied. Nor does the word shofar ever appear in the Hebrew text of the Torah in connection with the holiday Jewish people call Yom Teruah. In the passage quoted above, the holiday is simply called Yom T'ruah, a day of blowing. However, it means more than simply "blowing" a trumpet or ram's horn.
Three basic trumpet calls are sounded in the synagogue during the Yom Teruah service. The first is the simple t'kiyah, one long, sustained blast. In ancient Israel, the t'kiyah was a reassuring sound. It signalled that the watchmen guarding the city were on duty and all was well. That sound periodically divided up the watches of the day and night....
Yom Teruah :
How the Day of Shouting Became Rosh Hashanah
Written by: Nehemia Gordon
I
n the 1st day of the Seventh month (Tishrei) the Torah commands us to observe the holy day of Yom Teruah which means “Day of Shouting” (Lev 23:23-25; Nu 29:1-6). Yom Teruah is a day of rest on which work is forbidden. One of the unique things about Yom Teruah is that the Torah does not say what the purpose of this holy day is. The Torah gives at least one reason for all the other holy days and two reasons for some. The Feast of Matzot (Unleavened Bread) commemorates the Exodus from Egypt but it is also a celebration of the beginning of the barley harvest (Exodus 23:15; Lev 23:4–14). The Feast of Shavuot (Weeks) is a celebration of the wheat harvest (Ex 23:16; 34:22). Yom Ha-Kippurim is a national day of atonement as described in great detail in Leviticus 16. Finally the Feast of Sukkot (Booths) commemorates the wandering of the Israelites in the desert but it is also a celebration of the ingathering of agricultural produce (Ex 23:16). In contrast to all these Torah festivals, Yom Teruah has no clear purpose other than that we are commended to rest on this day.
The name of Yom Teruah may provide a clue as to its purpose. Teruah literally means to make a loud noise. This word can describe the noise made by a trumpet but it also describes the noise made by a large gathering of people shouting in unison (Nu 10:5–6). For example,
And it shall come to pass when the ram’s horn makes a long blast, when you hear the sound of the shofar, the entire nation will shout a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall in its place, and the people shall go up as one man against it.” (Joshua 6:5)
In this verse the word “shout” appears twice, once as the verb form of Teruah and a second time as the noun form of Teruah. Although this verse mentions the sound of the shofar (ram’s horn), the two instances of Teruah both refer to the shouting in unison of the Israelites which was followed by the fall of the walls of Jericho.
While the Torah does not explicitly tell us the purpose of Yom Teruah its name may indicate that it is intended as a day of public prayer. The verb form of Teruah often refers to the noise made by a gathering of the faithful calling out to the Almighty in unison
What Judaism (and Everyone) Gets Wrong About Rosh Hashanah
Written by: Kevin GeofferyRosh Hashanah begins Judaism’s high holy day season, when synagogues are packed full to hear the blowing of the shofar, and the people begin the ten-day period of repentance and judgment in the hopes of ensuring their inscription in the book of life for one more year. And yet, not one part of that sentence can be supported with Scripture. Sadly, the beautiful and profound traditions of Rosh Hashanah—which Messianics have relied upon for their theology and practice—are no more than the inventions of man. Here are just four of the misconceptions that Judaism has about Rosh Hashanah.
Misconception #1—Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year. The Talmud says there are four new years, and Rosh Hashanah recognizes one of them. This is why it is called “Rosh Hashanah,” meaning “head of the year,” because it marks the beginning of Judaism’s annual civil year. But even according to this extra-biblical calendar, Rosh Hashanah falls on the first day of the seventh month of the year, during Autumn , while the Scriptures only tell us to count years according to the beginning of the year—that is, starting with the first month, in Spring . “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you” (Exodus 12:2, JPS). So Rosh Hashanah does not mark the beginning or turn (Exodus 34:22) of a new year, but is simply a special first day of the month, occurring half-way through the biblical calendar.
Misconception #2—Rosh Hashanah is called “Rosh Hashanah.” In truth, the Scriptures never call the first day of the seventh month by that name. The Torah refers to this appointed time in two distinct ways: as zikh’ron t’ruah (Leviticus 23:24) and yom t’ruah (Numbers 29:1)—zikh’ron, meaning “memorial” or “remembrance”; yom, meaning “day”; and t’ruah, being associated in Judaism with the blowing of trumpets or shofars. Yet neither “zikh’ron t’ruah” nor “yom t’ruah” have anything at all to do with the time of year, much less the head of the year. Rather, they simply indicate the commanded activities for the day. Referring to this appointed time as Rosh Hashanah, then, is not merely a misnomer, but adds to and changes its main purpose, focus and orientation, according to the Scriptures.
Misconception #3—Rosh Hashanah is a biblical Feast. According to the Torah, only the three pilgrim feasts are referred to in the Hebrew as “feasts” or “festivals”: the Feasts of Unleavened Bread (Matzah), Weeks (Shavuot), and Booths (Sukot). Passover—which launches the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread—is also considered a Feast. And that’s all. Neither “firstfruits,” nor Yom Kippur, nor Rosh Hashanah are feasts. Since this is the case, it should immediately change our perception of the importance of Rosh Hashanah/Yom T’ruah, and our priority in celebrating it. While Yom T’ruah remains an essential and pivotal appointed time, it is a far cry from the High Holy Day status assigned to it in Judaism and adopted by Messianics. Our zeal for and focus on Yom T’ruah should be tempered in relation to the actual biblical feasts....
Yom Teruah - The Day of Trumpets
Written by Glenn Kay
This feast is the first feast after the long summer - it is the first month that marks the beginning of the harvest. The crops have been growing all summer - with no Biblical Feast - now comes Yom Teruah - the first feast which heralds the beginning of the harvest.
This regathering - is not just of the harvest, but as we shall see points to the next great spiritual event in God's timetable - when He returns to gather His elect to Himself
Feast of Trumpets - Day of Blowing
Trumpets played an important role in ancient Israel:
- Guided through the wilderness
- Warned of enemy attack
- Marked the beginning of special days
In fact the day of God's gathering of believers to Himself will be marked with the blowing of trumpet - (Mat 24:31; I Thess 4:16-18)
According to Rabbinic teaching the trumpet blowing on Yom Teruah served two purposes:
- The trumpet sound served to call to repentance. It was a call to the dead (spiritually) to arise and live again, to wake up from sin to regeneration through repentance - indeed this appears to be the background to John the Immerser's and Yeshua's teaching - Repent the Kingdom of God is at hand, and also Paul's admonition in - Eph 5:14
- Secondly - it's purpose was to remind the people of their covenant relationship to the Lord
In fact (Num. 10:9-10) tells us specifically that the purpose of the Day of Trumpets is " a reminder of you before the Lord God." Not a reminder of them, but rather a day to remember God's graciousness
This year at Yom Teruah - many observant Jews, will take time to remember and reflect on their relationship with God. We too need to take time - at least yearly - but more often than that - to look back and take careful inventory of our walk with God - thinking about what He has done for us, and what He desires of us. The trumpets are also a call to repentance - we too need to reflect on our own lack of obedience, failure to serve, and lack of commitment