This is a special TMTO post that I pray will encourage, and maybe inform you, as it relates to the imminent advent of Yom Teruah, or the Day of the Blowing of Trumpets.

 

As you may, or may not know, we are on the very cusp of receiving this Moedim, this set-apart day, this feast day that Yah has instructed HIs set-apart ones to keep, guard, honor, and celebrate.

 

Many Torah observant brethren will be keeping Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets this coming S-turday, September 16th, in accordance with the rabbinic, calculated calendar. However, those of us who keep the Creator’s observational calendar, are waiting with “baited breath,” so to speak, to learn from searchers in the Land of Yisra’el, the results of their search for the renewed moon. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the difference between the two prominent calendars kept by members of our beloved faith, I would humbly encourage you to read my post entitled: “Why I Keep the Torah (Observational) Calendar and not the Other Popular Messianic Calendars.”

 

And let me just say, if you are led to keep the rabbinic, calculated calendar, I do not disparage you for doing so. That’s between you and Yehovah. We are all on collective and individual journeys in this wonderful faith of ours, which means that we may be at different places in our respective walks with Yah. Thus, we await our Master’s illustrious return when He will bring us into final unity whereby we worship Yehovah as one united man or body.

 

But as for today’s post, I was led to forego my regular, weekly blog posting of my Thoughts and Reflections on this week’s Torah Reading, for an unpacking of the passage that instructs Yah’s people to keep Yom Teruah: Leviticus 23:23-25, which reads:

 

23 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the ⌊Israelites⌋, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ⌊you must have⌋ a rest period, a remembrance of the trumpet blast, a holy assembly. 25 You must not do ⌊any regular work⌋, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh.’ ” W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Le 23:23–25.

 

Let’s Unpack this key passage that defines what and when Yom Teruah is:

 

(23) Then YHVH spoke to Moshe saying…That is, YHVH “ye-dab-ber” or spoke to Moshe during one of His times on Mount Sinai with the Creator.

 

The verb, “ye-dab-ber” is a verb that consists of an imitative base with an original meaning of “to buzz/hum,” such as common to a bee. In this context, we have Moshe receiving a download from YHVH, which paints a prophetic shadow picture of the disciples sitting at Master Yeshua’s feet and receiving His righteous teachings on that mountain/hillside (famously referred to as the Sermon on the Mount as found in Matthew 5-8).

 

(24) “Speak (i.e., “ye-dab-ber”) to the Yisra’elites or children of Yisra’el, saying…

 

That being: “ye-dab-ber” to the sons (i.e., “bene”) or descendants of Yisra’el that which I’m about to pass on to you. It’s likely that Moshe would have been taking notes or writing down everything that the Father was saying to Him.

 

In the seventh month…

 

That being, in the “se-bi-i” or 7th “Chodesh” or month.

 

…on the first day of the month…

 

That being, on the “e’had” or “echad” of the “Chodesh” (implying the first day of the month).

 

…you must have a rest period…

 

That being, on the “e’had” of the “se-bi-i” “Chodesh,” “yih-ye(h)” or it shall come to pass a “sab-ba-ton” or a sabbath. Sabbaton, a noun, denotes a day of complete rest, referring back to the very first Shabbat recorded in the scripture of Genesis 2:2: “And on the seventh day Elohiym ended His work (i.e., His mela’kah, His occupation or work) which He had made (i.e., ‘asah, or which He had fashioned), and He rested (i.e., “sabbath;” He rested) on the seventh day (i.e., Yehovah “se-bi-i” “Yom”) from all His work (or “mela’kah”) from all His work which He had made.

 

Thus, whenever we come upon the term “Shabbat” or “sabbath” in the holy writ, it denotes a day of rest or cessation from one’s normal occupation or work.

 

Continuing:

 

…a remembrance of the trumpet blast…

 

That being, on this sabbath or day of rest, it is to be “zik-ron” (or, a memorial; remembrance; a reminder) of “teruah” (that being,תְּרוּעָה f.n. 1 shout, cry, alarm. 2 a succession of tremulous notes of the ‘shofar’ or trumpet. Ernest Klein, “תְּרוּעָה,” ed. Baruch Sarel, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English (Jerusalem: Carta Jerusalem; The University of Haifa, 1987), 717.).

 

The term teruah in this context denotes shofar and or trumpet blasts.

 

So, given the time constraints of this passage, what is Yehovah referring to as it relates to a “teruah” that He is requiring bene Yisra’el to “zik-ron” or remember/memorialize? Why of course Yah’s magnificent revelation from Mount Sinai:

 

16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet (i.e., “kole shofar”) exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. (Exo 19:16 KJV)

 

On that historic day, when Yehovah revealed Himself to His bride-to-be, Yisra’el, the revelation of Himself to Yisra’el was accompanied by various sights and sounds. The most notable of these sights and sounds, at least in the mind of Yah, was the exceeding loud voice of the shofar. And it is this event that Yah instructed Moshe to ensure that bene Yisra’el remembered on the first day of the 7th month.

 

Continuing.

 

…an holy convocation.

 

That being, this memorial/zik-ron of teruah/blasts of the shofar/trumpet was to be unto bene Yisra’el a “miqra kodesh” or a set-apart “calling together; even a reading.

 

You may come across some that teach that a convocation as used here denotes that of some kind of rehearsal. But this English term denotes that which is “practiced” or that which is of a “trial performance” for purposes of a later public performance (wikipedia dictionary). In my humble opinion, what Yah is instructing Moshe to do here is to establish in the hearts and minds of bene Yisra’el, that on the first day of every 7th month, they are to assemble themselves (whatever that assembly looked like and looks like today) and remember the day that He revealed Himself to Yisra’el, accompanied by exceedingly loud “teruah” or trumpet/shofar blasts. The only aspect of this commandment where I could conceivably concede some form of a rehearsal is that bene Yisra’el would memorialize the day with the blowing of shofars.

 

In terms of the “miqra kodesh/qara’,” they would be inextricably linked to the weekly and annual sabbaths or the Moedim of Yah. This phrase, Holy Convocation as used in many English translations of the Books of Leviticus/Vayiqra and Numbers/Bemidbar, it concerns “the proper celebration of the appointed festivals that God commanded the Israelites to celebrate, including the regular Sabbath observance (Lev 23:3)”. Specifically, a holy convocation is required for:

1. The Feast of Matzah or Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:16; Leviticus 21:7-8; Numbers 28:18, 25).
2. Shavuot or Feast of Weeks or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:21; Numbers 28:26).
3. Yom Teruah or the Day of the Blowing of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1).
4. Yom Kippurim or the Day of Atonements (Leviticus 23:27; Numbers 29:27).
5. Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:35-36; Numbers 29:12).

What is unique or special about these commanded holy convocations on these set-apart days is that it was to involve worship (generally marked by sacrifices unto Yehovah) and celebration/festive times that involved the entire nation; an abstention from work; and a reading of Torah.

 

The reading of Torah is featured in Nehemiah 8 where it is recorded that Judah, having recently been freed from Babylonian captivity, on Yom Teruah, Ezra (a Hebrew scribe read to the assembled nation the Book of the Law or Torah (vss. 1-12). If you haven’t read this passage, I would humbly encourage you to do so. It is one of the most touching passages of the Tanakh involving our ancient Hebrew cousins in unison and in obedient teshuvah, that I’ve ever had the blessing to read.

 

Continuing.

 

(25)  You must not do any regular work…

 

On this set-apart day, bene Yisra’el was to perform no “mela-ket” or trade, business, work, and so forth. It generally referred to abstaining from one’s occupation on this set-apart day. The extreme orthodox rabbis over the centuries took this and similar commandments to an extreme, banning virtually all physical activities on such days. But their fence around Torah served only to imprison the folks they had ecclesiastical oversight. For the spirit of this instruction, that no regular or servile work be done on this set-apart day, was not in any sense an abstention from all physical activities. Rather, it was to be a day of rest and refreshment from the activities and work of the previous six days.

 

Look, Yom Teruah and the other set-apart days (including His weekly Shabbat) were specific times that Yah’s chosen ones are required by Yah to stop that which they do in their everyday life and come together to be with their Elohiym. These times were meant to be special to Yehovah’s people. These were to be times of Yah coming to love on and be with His children. From a marriage standpoint, it would be likened to the husband scheduling for his bride a day-date or a date-night. It was to be a special time for both Yehovah and His bride Yisra’el. To miss these times of convocation, for whatever reason or at any level, was to essentially “stand our Husband up,” which Yah does not take too kindly to.

 

Continuing.

 

…and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yehovah.

 

That is, on this set apart day, bene Yisra’el will be required to “qarab” or “come or draw near or approach.” In what sense was bene Yisra’el to come or draw near or approach Him? They were to render unto Yehovah a burnt offering, otherwise referred to as an “‘ishshah.”

Now, there are a couple of things we must bear in mind when we consider what Abba is referring to as an expectation for an “‘ishshah” from His set-apart people. First and foremost, especially as it relates to this Moedim or feast day: Yah commissioned just three (3) pilgrimage feasts for Yisra’el: (1) The Feast of Matzah or Unleavened Bread; (2) Shavuot or Pentecost; and (3) Sukkot. Yom Teruah is not included in these three pilgrimage feasts, which meant that an individual who was not in the local vicinity of the Tabernacle or Temple, would either have to journey there in order for him to render unto Yah his personal “‘ishshah” or burnt offering. Yah prohibited individual Yisra’elites from rendering personal or individual burnt offerings outside the Tabernacle or Temple proper where proper administration by the Levitical Priest would ensure the acceptance of one’s offering.

 

Since Yom Teruah was not a pilgrimage feast, it fell exclusively to the Levitical Priests headquartered at the Tabernacle to render the proper “ishshah” or burnt offerings. And Yah provided the particulars of those sacrifices in Numbers 29:

 

“ ‘On the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you will have a holy convocation; ⌊you will not do any regular work⌋. It will be a day for you of blowing trumpets. 2 You will offer a burnt offering as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs ⌊in their first year⌋; they will be without defect. 3 Their grain offering will be finely milled flour mixed with oil: three-tenths for the bull, two-tenths for the ram; 4 and one-tenth for each of the seven male lambs; 5 with one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, 6 in addition to the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their libations, according to their stipulations, as a fragrance of appeasement by fire for Yahweh. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Nu 29:1–6.

 

Since Yom Teruah fell exclusively on the first day of the 7th month, in addition to the Feast Day burnt offering requirements, the Levitical Priests were required to offer a Rosh Chodesh (NOT a Rosh Hashanah) offering (Numbers 29:6).

 

Thus, it fell to the non-Levite to keep all of the other stipulated requirements of the set-apart day such as participating in a local holy convocation; abstaining from his/her regular, weekly activities and work; and blowing in celebration his shofar.

 

As it relates to us who are modern, engrafted Yisra’elites, we are compelled to do accordingly in spirit and in truth:

1. Keep Yom Teruah on its appointed day of Yah’s sacred calendar year, which is the first day of the 7th Chodesh or 7th month. The question that we all must answer for ourselves and for Yah is, which calendar will we comply with?

 

2. Abstain from those activities that we do during the other six (6) days of our week. That abstention from the regular week’s activities includes not engaging in any servile or regular work.

 

We remember that historic event where Yah revealed Himself to our ancient Hebrew cousins from Mount Sinai, accompanied by the exceeding blasts of a shofar or trumpet. It is also a wonderful opportunity to consider the prophetic shadow picture that this historic event holds for the new covenant Messianic, and how the Apostle brilliantly framed the next great revelation from heaven involving the return of Yahoshua HaMashiyach: 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1Th 4:16-18 KJV) This is our blessed hope that should be front and center in our hearts and minds when we receive and celebrate Yom Teruah. We earnestly await a repeat of that teruah and our being gathered to be with our King. Thus, we blow our shofars (if we have them) throughout the day in remembrance/zikron of that event and that future event. If we don’t have a shofar, we can instead make a joyful noise unto Yehovah through the means we have available to us on that day. The beauty of the term “teruah” is that it can also refer to the making of a joyful noise or celebratory shouts unto Yehovah. So, let us not miss the opportunity to make that joyful noise unto Yehovah.

 

3. We participate in a holy convocation or miqra kodesh. For many of us, that miqra kodesh will be in the form of a physical, live fellowship or worship service with other like-minded brethren. For the rest of us, that holy convocation may take the form of a family gathering or watching or participating in an online service or teaching, especially given that many of us are not privy to a physical assembly or fellowship. Either way, we allow the Holy Spirit (aka, the Ruach HaKodesh) that is operating in each of us, to guide and lead us to the convocation that He has set aside for us, bearing in mind, that that convocation may or may not be as we envisioned it would be.

 

4. If we haven’t already, we need to ensure that we have the day off from work (that is if we are currently employed). Chances are that for those of us who keep the observational calendar, Yom Teruah will fall either on the first day of next week (i.e., S-nday the 17th), or the second day of next week (i.e., M-nday the 18th). Either case, we need to be ready to receive the day mentally, physically, and above all spiritually. Yah deserves our full attention on this set-apart day, regardless of which day it actually falls on.

 

 

5. And lastly, we will have to have some form of offering prepared to offer Yehovah. Many of us will send financial offerings to those ministries that feed us or so forth.

The other form of offering that we should all be prepared to render unto Yah is that of praises unto Yehovah. The writer of Hebrews described this form of offering as sacrifices of praise to Yehovah, which directly involves the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name. Doing good among those whom Yehovah has placed in our path, not neglecting to share that which we have with any who is in need (13:15-16). The writer asserts that it is these types of offerings that please our Heavenly Father when they come from the heart.

 

In the event that you want to learn more about this set-apart day–this Moedim–this Feast of the LORD, I would humbly encourage to go on over to themessianictorahobserver.org, type in the search bar (i.e., that magnifying glass looking thing, located in the top menu panel), and type in “Yom Teruah” and you will set some of the teachings and commentaries I posted over the last few years on this important day.

 

Beloved, there is no better time–no more important time in human history–that we who are called by His Name should be “teruah’ing,” it’s in the here and now. These are indeed perilous times, eerily similar to the times the Apostle prophesied of his young protege at the time, the Evangelist Timotheus. He described these days accordingly:

 

in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2Ti 3:1-7 KJV)

 

So my prayer, hope, and trust for all of us during this and the upcoming holy/set-apart days is that we not only keep them on their appointed days, but keep them with as much gusto, joy, solemnity, and anticipation as we can muster.

 

Have a blessed and meaningful Yom Teruah. Until next time. Shalom. Take care.