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Judaism has a difficult time with the explicit meaning of Yom Teruah, the Day of Blowing (Trumpets), aka Rosh HaShanah (New Year). Sure, there are traditions about eating honey and apples, casting bread into water, etc. But all the other appointments on the LORD’s calendar spelled out in the TaNaK (Hebrew scriptures) have a very specific purpose and commemorate a specific historical event, or a series of historical events.
The reason for this high holy day is not as obvious as all the others. As we “look under the hood,” we find that it calls us to accept godly change without hesitation.
Leviticus 23 has the primary reference for this appointment on God’s calendar.
“Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘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 23:23–25 NASB)
What are we remembering? What is Torah telling us to remember?
- Leaving Egypt?
- Wandering?
- Monotheism?
- Return of the King?
- Battle?
The Torah doesn’t give an explicit reason for the Yom Teruah. We have to dig deeper to see what God wants from us at this festival.
“Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets. ‘You shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect; also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs. ‘Offer one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, besides the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.” (Numbers 29:1–6 NASB)
Does this give us more information about the reason for Yom Teruah? Numbers 10:1-10 describes a special type of trumpet. When Messiah was on earth, shofars and trumpets were more interchangeable than they were in the time of Moses.
The calling together blast, the long blast, was to linger as long as one’s lungs would draw it out. This is called taqa.
The short blasts in Numbers 10:5 and Numbers 10:7 are not the same. One is an alarming sound, rua, which goes up and down the entire octave. The other short blast is a call to movement, called teruah.
Today, Yom Teruah, is a call or signal to advance forward.
Why? Why not merely remember the trumpet? Why does God want us to remember how they moved? God had specific rules to how the tribes moved from one camp to another. The camp revolved around the tabernacle and the tribes camped each time in the same directions around the tabernacle.
The Levites camped in all four directions immediately next to the Tabernacle. The other tribes were divided into threes and camped around the tabernacle outward. (Their encampment and movements are recorded in Numbers 10:11-28.)
God tells us to remember this? Why? Does it really matter if Reuben was first, second or last? We might not understand why but God does.
“Thus they set out from the mount of the LORD three days’ journey, with the ark of the covenant of the LORD journeying in front of them for the three days, to seek out a resting place for them. The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp.
Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said, “Rise up, O LORD! And let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.”
When it came to rest, he said, “Return, O LORD, To the myriad thousands of Israel.”” (Numbers 10:33–36 NASB)
Why was this process so important to God? He made an entire holy day dedicated to this movement. How does this movement give us an insight into God’s character. One thing we notice is that the movement of the tribes was highly organized.
When change is difficult, lech lecha (get going)!
I submit to you that Yom Teruah is not about movement but the lack of movement. This wandering was a waste of 40 years. A waste of time caused by Israel’s refusal to enter the land the first time when they spied out of the land.
Twelve spies had been sent out; 10 of the spies refused to follow through and conquer the land. Only two spies had enough faith in God that they were ready to advance. They heard God’s call to advance and they refused. They were comfortable where they were at but God wanted them to move and moving is hard. Change is hard.
None of imagined 10, 20, 30 years ago that we would be at the place we are now. God put events into our path to bring us to where we are now. God operates the same way with the children of Israel as he does with us.
““Then the LORD heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and took an oath, saying, ‘Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot, because he has followed the LORD fully.’ “The LORD was angry with me also on your account, saying, ‘Not even you shall enter there. ‘Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there; encourage him, for he will cause Israel to inherit it. ‘Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall possess it. ‘But as for you, turn around and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.’” (Deuteronomy 1:34–40 NASB)
Only Joshua and Caleb heard God’s call to advance. Only 2 men among the entire people of Israel were really sons of God and not merely sons of Israel. A son of God hears God’s call and obeys it without hesitation. Those who are not sons of God say “We won’t go. You can’t make us.”
We want to remember to be like Joshua and Caleb and be willing to go where He wants us to go.
“So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them, “I am a hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’ “It is the LORD your God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, just as the LORD has spoken. “The LORD will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. “The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. “The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”” (Deuteronomy 31:1–8 NASB)
Spirit-led courage to follow HaShem’s instructions
God’s call to be strong and courageous is hard. It’s easier to be complacent and comfortable.
“For they who are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14 Peshitta)
Supposedly all the children of Israel were following God in the cloud but only Joshua and Caleb were really children of God.
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage, again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, by which we cry, Father, our Father. And this Spirit testifies to our spirit, that we are the sons of God. And if sons, then heirs; heirs of God, and participators of the inheritance of Jesus Messiah: so that, if we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:15–17 Peshitta)
Caleb was 85 years old at this time and had to conquer three giants there to take Hebron. Caleb was still just as willing to go in his old age as he was in his young age. He said “I am just as strong at 85 as I was at 45. Let’s go.” Why was Caleb willing to fight in his old age?
“For I reckon, that the sufferings of the present time, are not comparable with the glory which is to be developed in us.” (Romans 8:18 Peshitta)
What matters is not, “Can I…?” or “Can’t I…”?. What matters is, am I willing or not willing.
“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:19–30 NASB)
We need to hear the advance and be willing to go. When we blast of our shofars on this day, may we remember to move when God tells us to move — without hesitation.
Banner Photo: “The Snake”, Larne. The Snake is the local name for the path connecting the Promenade to the Bankheads, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. This is the view from the Bankheads. “It is steeper than the photo suggests. The chap in the foreground made an excellent ascent without hesitation or deviation.” Photo by Aubrey Dale, used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.
Summary: Tammy