Yom Teruah means Feast of Trumpets or known amongst modern Jews as Rosh Hashanah. I was really excited for this feast. During the summer I researched a lot of messianic points of view for the feast. I got caught up in a lot of theories that were spoken of so confidently. I began digging deep into the end times and what the future fulfillment of Feast of Trumpets is. I started this study to know what God says about us. What God’s plans are for the Jews. What God prescribed. I was getting caught up into religiosity, which is exactly what Jesus warns against. It is easy to take an idea and find passages to prove it with. It is vital to go straight to the Word of God and let it speak for itself. I needed mindset switch, and with the help of my pastor and other people, God made it clear to me. Recentered on my original mission, I got back to studying the holy days.
Leviticus 23:24-25 says, “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.’” Numbers 29:1-6 go into more detail about the sacrifices and offerings made. The consistent theme is the blowing of the trumpet. Besides that, there is not strict mandates to this feast. Although God prescribed the Jews to celebrate Yom Teruah, they made Rosh Hashanah into their own “holiday.” Rosh Hashanah is a purely secular Jewish holiday with few references to the actual feast.
Rosh Hashanah means head of the year. For the Jews, it is the first day of the new year—a day of remembrance. It is not mentioned in the Bible, however they celebrate Rosh Hashanah on the same day as the Feast of Trumpets. It is suggested to have become a celebrated “holy day” in the 3rd century but many of its traditions stem from the Babylonian exile in late 6th century BC. Although we do not know exactly when this tradition started, “it is in the Mishnah that we are first introduced to the main theme of the holiday, that of judgment: “On Rosh Hashanah all human beings pass before him [God] as sheep before a shepherd” (Tractate Rosh Hashanah 2).” The Jewish tradition is based around the idea that God created the world on this day and each year we must repent of our sins. “According to traditional Jewish teaching, God opens the Book of Life each year on Rosh Hashanah to inscribe a person’s fate for the coming year, but does not seal that fate until Yom Kippur, the “Day of Atonement.” The Days of Awe or Repentance (the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) thus offer an observant Jew the opportunity to atone for past misdeeds, seek forgiveness, and mend his or her behavior through the practice of teshuvah, or “return.” According to their beliefs, this is a return to their natural self. It is not a return to God because they believe humans are inherently good. During Rosh Hashanah, Jews will read over stories like Abraham taking Isaac up to sacrifice him to the Lord and passages about trumpets. This is a time of somber reflection.
Modern-day Jews still observe the blast of the shofar. The shofar is sounded in three different ways. The tekiah blast is one long sound. The shevarim blast is comprised of three slightly shorter notes. And the teruah blast contains nine, staccato-like, short blasts blown in quick succession of each other. The tekiah blast points us to the King of the Universe’s presence. We recognize his sovereign rule overall. The shevarim blast reminds us that everything we have is a gift from the Lord. “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” Job 1:21. The teruah blast is a reminder of an alarm clock. It summons us to wake up from our slumber and refocus our attention on the Lord. A reminder that we all have a specific purpose under God. Finally, the Tekiah Gedolah is one very long blast that concludes the shofar portion and the night.
On the other hand, we have the Biblically inscribed Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah. Leviticus 23:23-25 says, “The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the LORD.’” This is it—offerings and trumpets. Trumpets are known for their call to war, assembly, march, coronation, and kingship.
As we have talked about throughout each different feast this year, they all have a fulfillment. This is the first feast on our calendar that has not been fulfilled yet. There are a few common views on the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets. One is the rapture. In the New Testament, Paul refers to the trumpet sound of the rapture in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” The second view of fulfillment is based off Matthew 24:31, “And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” This view suggests that the elect in this passage are the Jewish people and they will be rescued towards the end of the tribulation. Lastly, some may view it as a period of time rather than one event. For example, from the sounding of the trumpet announcing the rapture and beginning the tribulation all the way to the last trumpet that ushers in the millennial kingdom.
Regardless of what view you hold; we must keep in mind we are in a period awaiting the fulfillment of this feast. Each other previous feast has been fulfilled on the day it was supposed to be celebrated. The word “convocation” in Hebrew is Mikra. A mikra is a public meeting or dress rehearsal. This puts these feasts into perspective when we are able to view them as a rehearsal of the actual events to be fulfilled. Although Rosh Hashanah has lost the true meaning behind the Biblical holy day, we can still find benefit in both celebrations. We can spend time in reflection, rededication, and anticipation. We can be reminded that the Lord is coming back soon, and that should compel us to evaluate our attitudes, how we are spending our time, and what we can do to actively await our King and celebrate his Lordship.
We celebrated this feast just like the past ones. A group of 20-30 people from church, the neighborhood, and other circles joined us in the celebration. I wanted to present a clear picture of the Bible says about Yom Teruah, while inviting some Jewish tradition into the mix. We went over the Biblical commands while adding Jewish perspective. Ultimately, the idea of reflecting on the year and its struggles is important to the Christian’s walk. We must daily choose to repent and “return” to God. The difference is we know we can do nothing to earn God’s forgiveness or love. Jesus Christ, our Messiah, paid the price once and for all. I wanted us to rejoice in this truth, that we do not need to bathe in our sin and try to climb out of the mire and muck, rather we know we cannot do anything and yet Christ chooses to redeem us from the pit and give us his righteousness. That is worthy of celebrating!
At the end of Rosh Hashanah, many Jews conclude by reading together Psalm 118:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let Israel say:
“His love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say:
“His love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say:
“His love endures forever.”
5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
11 They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.[b]
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up[c] to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Chichilnitsky, Rae. “Shofar by Rae Chichilnitsky.” Pixels, 2022, https://pixels.com/featured/shofar-rae-chichilnitsky.html.