We are now entering the season of all the Fall Moedim (Mo-ed-deem) which means Appointed times, which are Feasts/Fasts that YAHWEH ELOHIM commanded us to observe each year and September 20th is the day for Yom Teruah, which is a High-Shabbat which means no work is to be done.
Teruah (Teh-roo-ah) in Hebrew is defined in Strong’s #8643 as:
A shout or blast of war, alarm, joy, battle cry, blowing, blowing trumpets, joyful sound, resounding, shout, shout of alarm, shout of joy, shouted, shouting, shouts of joy, signal, or trumpet blast.
Teruah spelled in the Otiot is: Taw, Resh, Waw, Ayin, Hey
Taw is a picture of two crossed sticks and means: COVENANT, Mark, Sign, Signal, Monument
Resh is a picture of a man’s head and means: FIRST, Top, BEGINNING, Chief, Highest
Waw is a picture of a tent peg and means: Add, JOIN TOGETHER, Secure, Hook
Ayin is a picture of an eye and means: WATCH, know, shade
Hey is a picture of a man with his arms raised and means: LOOK, REVEAL, Breath, Behold
When we combine them together we get: The COVENANT of the FIRST day of 7th month, as we JOIN TOGETHER, to WATCH, and LOOK for the REVEALING of YESHUA for His soon return as the shofar blasts!
As mentioned above the first Set-Apart Day of the fall is Yom Teruah/Trumpets which means “The Day of Shouting” and the beginning of a new month (CHODESH) and is on September 20th which is equivalent to the 1st day of the 7th month in YAHWEH’s eyes on the Zadok Priestly Calendar found in Enoch, Jubilees, and the Aramaic Levi Document. The 1st Day of the 7th month is ALSO a Day of Remembrance and the beginning of the Fall season.
Jubilees 6:23-26
“And on the first of the first month, and on the first of the fourth month, and ON THE FIRST OF THE SEVENTH MONTH, and on the first of the tenth month are THE DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE, and the DAYS OF THE SEASONS IN THE FOUR DIVISIONS OF THE YEAR. These are written and ordained as a witness forever. And Noah ordained them for himself as FEASTS for the generations forever, so that they have become thereby a memorial to him. Verse 26 “And on the first of the SEVENTH MONTH all the mouths of the abysses of the earth were opened and the waters began to descend into them.”
The 12 Patriarchs give us a witness of a feast being made of Yom Teruah which matches Jubilees 6:23
Testament of Naphtali 1:2
“When his sons were gathered together in the SEVENTH MONTH, ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH, while still in good health, he made them a FEAST OF FOOD AND WINE.”
Temple Scroll composite text: Column 25:2-9
“And in the SEVENTH MONTH, on the FIRST OF THE MONTH there shall be for you a Shabbat day (High Shabbat), a memorial of trumpet blowing, a set-apart GATHERING. And you make a burnt offering, a fire offering, a pleasing scent it shall be before YAHWEH. And you shall present on it a burnt offering for YAHWEH: one bull, one ram, seven yearling lambs, and a billy-goat, one for a purification-offering and their meal (grain) offering and their liquid offerings according to their precept, a pleasing scent before YAHWEH, besides the perpetual burnt-offering, and the burnt-offering for the first of the month. Afterwards you shall make the burnt-offering. You shall REJOICE on that day, you shall not do any laborious work on it. It shall be a Shabbat for you this day.”
Judaism calls this day “Rosh Hashanah” which means “Head of the year” or the “Jewish New Year” and this is false! Our New Year began in the spring during Passover when things are renewed and coming back to life, not in the fall when things like the leaves of the trees are starting to die. Judaism does things backwards most of the time and we need to flee from these man-made traditions aka the Oral Torah, “tradition of the elders.” Rosh Hashanah has ties to paganism that was learned in Babylonian exile and was started to be practiced amongst some in the 2nd Temple period. The Babylonians took their New Year’s Day celebrations seriously and called them Akitu and Resh Shattiim, which is the Akkadian form of the Hebrew Rosh Hashanah, and Rosh Hashanah is found nowhere in scripture because they borrowed it from pagans.
Exodus 12:1-2
“And YAHWEH spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying. This month (Abib) shall be to you the BEGINNING OF MONTHS: It is the FIRST to you among the months of the year.”
So again, spring is the beginning of the year for us when Passover was instituted and not Rosh Hoshanah in the fall. That is why we should stick to what the day is called in scripture which is Yom Teruah and not Rosh Hashanah.
The Scriptural Command for everything on this day:
YAHWEH commands us in Leviticus 23:23-24 saying:
"Speak to the children of Yisra’el, saying, 'In the SEVENTH MONTH (Ethanim), on the FIRST DAY of the month, you have a REST, a REMEMBRANCE OF BLOWING THE TRUMPETS, a set-apart gathering.” You DO NO SERVILE WORK, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to YAHWEH.”
Numbers 10:10
“And in the day of your gladness, and in your Appointed Times, and at the BEGINNING OF YOUR MONTHS, you shall BLOW THE TRUMPETS, over your burnt offerings and over your peace offerings. And they shall be a remembrance for you before your ELOHIM. I am YAHWEH your ELOHIM.’
Psalms 81:3 (Septuagint)
“Blow the SHOFAR (RAM’S HORN #H7782) at the NEW MONTH in the glorious DAY OF YOUR FEAST.”
This makes a lot of sense because Yom Teruah is on 1st day of the month which is the BEGINNING of the 7th month AND it’s an Appointed Time and we will be blowing trumpets/shofars, which matches what YAHWEH said in Numbers 10:10 and Psalms 81, It’s a TRIPLE celebration of blowing the shofar for the beginning of the month and again for it being Yom Teruah where we are commanded to blow the shofar/shout which falls on the beginning of the month, plus having a feast for the “Day of Remembrance” for the flood account and it being the start of the fall season.
So, we are commanded to:
· Not work
· Have a set-apart gathering
· Blow the trumpets/shofar and shout
· Rejoice
· Have a feast in remembrance of what happened during the flood; and for it being the beginning of a new season (the fall); AND the beginning of a new month all on this day
We are allowed to prepare food for the celebration and that is all you may do, being that it is a High-Shabbat and not a Shabbat Shabbaton such as the weekly 7th Day Sabbath or Yom Kippur which is a day of fasting. Similarly, to how cooking is all we can do on Feast of Unleavened Bread which occurs after Passover which is a High-Shabbat.
More scriptures:
Nehemiah 8:1-3
“And the SEVENTH MONTH arrived and the children of Yisra’el were settled in their cities; and all the people were gathered as one man to the broad place before the water gate and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the Torah of Moses, which YAHWEH commanded Yisra’el. So, Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the congregation both of men and women and everyone who had understanding was present to listen on the FIRST DAY OF THE SEVENTH MONTH (YOM TERUAH). And he read in it from the time of sunrise to the middle of the day before the men and the women; and they understood it and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Torah.”
Jubilees 31:3
“And he (Jacob) went up on the FIRST of the SEVENTH MONTH to Beth-El. And he built an altar at the place where he had slept (Genesis 28), and he set up a pillar there, and he sent word to his father Isaac to come to him to his slaughtering, and to his mother Rebecca.”
Jacob sets up altar on 1st day of 7th month, that he swore to do in Genesis 28 when YAHWEH appeared to him when he fled from Esaw and was on his way down to Laban’s house.
Numbers 29:1-6
“And in the SEVENTH, on the FIRST of the month, you have a set-apart GATHERING, YOU DO NO SERVILE WORK, it is a Yom Teruah for you. And you shall prepare a burnt offering as a sweet fragrance to YAHWEH: one young bull, one ram, seven lambs a year old, perfect ones, and their grain offering: fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenth parts for the bull, two-tenth parts for the ram, and one-tenth part for each of the seven lambs, and one male goat as a iniquity offering to make atonement for you, besides the burnt offering with its grain offering for the New Month, the continual burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their Right-Ruling, as a SWEET FRAGRANCE, an offering made by fire to YAHWEH.”
YESHUA is the Lamb of YAHWEH also as John 1:29 in The Hebrew says that He is “EL who takes away the iniquities of the world. He offered up Himself with His blood and not the blood of bulls and goats. It is important to see what YESHUA’s blood did for us and be thankful for this GIFT. YESHUA fulfills the animal offerings for us with His blood as He serves as High Priest in the heavens for us and His atonement is the sweet fragrance that YAHWEH mentions in Numbers 29:1-6 that is required on this day. Which connects to what Paul says:
Ephesians 5:2
“And walk in love, as Mashiach (Messiah) also has loved us, and gave Himself for us, a gift and an offering to YAHWEH for a SWEET-SMELLING FRAGRANCE.”
We too need to offer up ourselves as a living sacrifice in our daily lives:
Romans 12:1
“I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of ELOHIM, to present your bodies a LIVING OFFERING set-apart, well-pleasing to ELOHIM-your reasonable worship.”
1 Peter 2:4-5
“Drawing near to Him, a living Stone-rejected indeed by men, but chosen by YAHWEH and precious- you also, as living stones, are being built up, a spiritual house, a set-apart priesthood, to offer up SPIRITUAL SLAUGHTER OFFERINGS acceptable to YAHWEH through YESHUA HA’MASHIACH.”
SHOUTING (TERUAH) ON THE DAY OF SHOUTING
As we defined in the introduction that Teruah means a shout or blast of war, alarm, joy, battle cry, blowing, blowing trumpets, joyful sound, resounding, shout, shout of alarm, shout of joy, shouted, shouting, shouts of joy, signal, or trumpet blast. The reason for shouting has a role in YAHWEH’s plan for His people and we some examples of this in scripture:
Joshua 6:5-6:
"And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the horn, all the people shall shout with TERUAH (a great shout); and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him."
1 Samuel 4:5-6 says:
"And when the ark of the Covenant of YAHWEH came into the camp, all of Yisra'el TERUAH (shouted) so loudly that the earth shook." And when the Philistines heard the noise of the Teruah, they said, 'What is the noise of this great Teruah in the camp of the Hebrews?"
Though I’m unable to look up the etymology of the words in the Book of Jasher, I feel led to add these verses as they seem to qualify for Teruah as we read from the scriptures of above.
Jasher 37:20
“And these kings were seized with great terror at the sons of Jacob, and while they were standing in their quarters, behold the sons of Jacob advanced upon them, with one hundred and twelve men, with GREAT AND TREMENDOUS SHOUTING.”
Jasher 39:5-8
“And the men of Arvelan went out with their wives to fight with the sons of Jacob, for their wives were experienced in battle, and they went out, about four hundred men and women. And all the sons of Jacob SHOUTED WITH A LOUD VOICE, and they all ran toward the inhabitants of Arvelan, and with a GREAT AND TREMENDOUS VOICE. And the inhabitants of Arevelan heard the noise of the SHOUTING of the sons of Jacob, and their roaring like the noise of lions and like the roaring of the sea and its waves. And fear and terror possessed their ears on account of the sons of Jacob, and they were terribly afraid of them…”
Jasher 39:25
“What is the matter with you in the battle that you cannot prevail? (Men of Ga’ash speaking to sons of Jacob) Can you then do to the mighty city of Ga’ash and its inhabitants as you did to the cities of the Amorites that were not so powerful? Surely to those weak ones among us you did those things, and killed them in the entrance of the city, for they had not strength when they were terrified at the sound of your SHOUTING.”
Jasher 42:12-13
“And behold Simeon rose up from his seat against them (Midianites), and sprang upon the ground and drew his sword and approached the Midianites and he gave a terrible shout before them, so that his SHOUTING WAS HEARD AT A DISTANCE, AND THE EARTH SHOOK AT SIMEON’S SHOUTING. (Similar to 1 Samuel 4:5-6). And the Midianites were terrified on account of Simeon and the noise of his shouting, and they fell upon their faces, and were excessively alarmed.”
Matthew 24:31 (Hebrew)
“And He will send his messengers, SHOUTING WITH GREAT VOICES, and they will gather the chosen ones of EL from the four portions of the world- from the heavens and unto the earth.”
Shofar/Trumpet blasts in scripture:
Isaiah 27:12-13
“And it shall come to pass in that day that YAHWEH shall fence men off from the channel of the river as for as Egypt; but gather one by one the children of Yisra’el. And it shall come to pass in that day that they shall blow the great SHOFAR/RAM’S HORN (#H7782) and the lost ones in the land of Assyria shall come and the lost ones in Egypt and shall worship YAHWEH on the set-apart mountain in Jerusalem.”
Joshua 6:5-6
"And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the SHOFAR/RAM’S HORN, and when you hear the sound of the horn…”
Judges 3:27
“And it came to pass when Ehud came into the land of Yisra’el, that he BLEW THE SHOFAR/RAM’S HORN in mount Ephraim and the children of Yisrael came down with him from the mountain and he was before them.”
Nehemiah 4:18-20
“As for the builders, each one had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the ram’s horn was beside me. And I said to the nobles, and to the deputy rulers, and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and large, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. In whatever place you hear the sound of the SHOFAR/RAM’S HORN, join us there. Our ELOHIM fights for us.”
Trumpet blasts when YESHUA returns:
We do not know the day or the hour of YESHUA’s return; however, I would just like to point out the connection with the trumpets when He does.
Mathew 24:31 (Most translations)
“And He shall send his angels with the GREAT TRUMPET, and they shall gather the chosen who are His from the four winds and from the ends of the heaven.”
Matthew 24:31 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“He will send out His angels with a GREAT SHOFAR; and they will gather together His chosen people from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16 Aramaic (includes both shouting and trumpet)
“For our Master Himself shall descend from heaven with a SHOUT and the voice of the archangel and with the TRUMPET OF ELOHIM; and those who died in Messiah will rise first.”
Paul mentions both shouting and the blowing of the trumpet on the day YESHUA returns, and both of those elements are a part of our Yom Teruah celebration, HalleluYAHWEH!
There are four primary types of shofar blasts:
1. Tekiah- A long single blast (the sound of the King’s coronation.)
2. Shevarim- Three short wail-like blasts (signifying repentance)
3. Teruah-Nine staccato blasts of alarm (to awaken the soul)
4. Tekiah ha-Galol- a great long blast (for as long as you can blow!)
Our Father YAHWEH has given us Kingdom behavior to act out on earth as it is in heaven, just as we see the shofar blast being heard on the mountain.
Exodus 19:16-17
“And it came to pass on the third day as the morning drew near, there were voices and lightning and a thick cloud appeared upon the mountain and the sound of the trumpet RAMS HORN/SHOFAR sounded loud and all the people in the camp trembled. And Moses led the people forth out of the camp to meet ELOHIM and they stood by under the camp.”
Let us SHOUT (TERUAH) and blow our trumpets/shofar on this day and make NOISE, enjoy a feast, rejoice and give thanks to YAHWEH. It’s the first moed (appointed time) of the fall AND it’s the first day of the seventh month, let us rejoice! As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!