Yom Teru'ah /Trumpets - Traditional Hebraic Perspective
Festival of Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah) — Leviticus 23:24 requires that, “in the seventh month, (Tishri) in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets.” Yom Teru’ah actually translates to “the day of shouting” or “the day of noise” and is also Biblically known as Zikaron Teru’ah, or a “remembrance of shouting”. In modern times however the festival is known as Rosh HaShannah, translated as “head of the year”, and serves as the Jewish New Year although in reality the 1st day of Nissan is the declared first day of the Biblical year making Nissan of course the first month.
To begin it must be noted that unlike all other Biblical Festivals there seems to be no clear definitive explanation or context within the Word as to the central focus or reason associated with the festival. In the Hebraic tradition however Yom Teru’ah is viewed within a central theme of judgment, by the KING … G_D … and is also considered to mark the initial day of creation. Traditionally Yom Teru’ah formally kicks off the Fall season Mo’adim cycle and begins what is known as Yamim Nora’im … or the Days of Awe!
Although this understanding of the Mo’ed is reasonably developed and documented within the teachings of the Jewish sages over time … it is also evident that these same teachings reach said conclusions in a manner that would essentially be non-intuitive to the average person and believer. As such the intent herein is to follow the previously utilized pattern wherein Holy Scriptures is used as the primary mode of identifying and understanding the Hebraic context in which the Mo’ed is wrapped and perhaps even concealed.
What provides us our best insight is the actual naming convention of the festival which formally is Yom Teru’ah … not Rosh HaShannah) where we see that the day is fundamentally a day in which Israel is to gather in holy convocation and essentially shout or make loud noise to G_D.
Although references to horns and trumpets are numerous within Scripture, there is one definitive reference, found in the Book of Numbers, detailing the primary use and purpose of trumpets/horns in the design of G_D.
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 'Make thee two trumpets of silver; of beaten work shall thou make them; and they shall be unto thee for the calling of the congregation, and for causing the camps to set forward. And when they shall blow with them, all the congregation shall gather themselves unto thee at the door of the tent of meeting. And if they blow but with one, then the princes, the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. And when ye blow an alarm, the camps that lie on the east side shall take their journey. And when ye blow an alarm the second time, the camps that lie on the south side shall set forward; they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. But when the assembly is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for a statute forever throughout your generations. And when ye go to war in your land against the adversary that oppresses you, then ye shall sound an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your G_D, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. Also in the day of your gladness, and in your appointed seasons, and in your new moons, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt-offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace-offerings; and they shall be to you for a memorial before your G_D: I am the LORD your G_D.' (Numbers 10:1-10)
What we should gather from these passages within the Word is that the significance of the trumpets and blowing as it pertains to Israel has to do with:
the calling together of the Israelites before G_D;
the moving of the Israelite Camp;
warning the Israelite camp;
the calling out to G_D in times of distress and oppression by enemies;
the calling out to G_D in preparation for battling the enemies; and
the calling out to G_D to be remembered during sacrifices and festivals
Although there would be times after Israel came into their land to “sound the trumpets” for a vast array of events and occasions, it should be noted that in all probability we should look for a significant event(s) in Scripture while the Israelites were wandering as an “encampment” since this is the backdrop in which all the Mo’adim were declared by G_D.
Fortunately for us there are certain recorded events dealing with the Israelites entry into the land of promise which should be viewed in the context of Yom Teru’ah. These concluding wilderness experience events more so than other individual events in history exemplify all of the components set forth in “Numbers”: The gathering of the Israelites, the movement of Israel’s camp, the preparation for battle, the festival season and the remembrance of the covenantal relationship between Israel and G_D!
Moses spoke to all of Israel just prior to their entry into the promised-land while the encampment was in Moab just east of the Jordan River, opposite the “plains of Jericho” … and was gathered unto the fathers.
And Joshua said unto the people: 'Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.' And Joshua spoke unto the priests, saying: 'Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and pass on before the people.' And they took up the Ark of the Covenant, and went before the people. And the LORD said unto Joshua: 'This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shall command the priests that bear the Ark of the Covenant, saying: When ye are come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, ye shall stand still in the Jordan.' …
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel: 'Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your G_D.' And Joshua said: 'Hereby ye shall know that the living G_D is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passes on before you over the Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.' And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, the priests that bore the ark of the covenant being before the people; and when they that bore the ark were come unto the Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bore the ark were dipped in the brink of the water--for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest-- that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off from Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off; and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, while all Israel passed over on dry ground, until all the nation were passed clean over the Jordan. …
And it came to pass, when all the nation were clean passed over the Jordan, that the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying: 'Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, and command ye them, saying: Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood, twelve stones made ready, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where ye shall lodge this night.' Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man; and Joshua said unto them: 'Pass on before the ark of the LORD your G_D into the midst of the Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying: What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall say unto them: Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off; and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever.' And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as the LORD spoke unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. Joshua also set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that bore the Ark of the Covenant stood; and they are there unto this day. And the priests that bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua; and the people hastened and passed over. And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed on, and the priests, before the people. And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, passed on armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke unto them; about forty thousand ready armed for war passed on in the presence of the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. …
And the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying: 'Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan.' Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying: 'Come ye up out of the Jordan.' And it came to pass, as the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the midst of the Jordan, as soon as the soles of the priests' feet were drawn up unto the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned unto their place, and went over all its banks, as aforetime. And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal. And he spoke unto the children of Israel, saying: 'When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying: What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying: Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the LORD your G_D dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your G_D did to the Reed Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were passed over, that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty; that ye may fear the LORD your G_D forever.' …
And the LORD said unto Joshua: 'This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.' Wherefore the name of that place was called Gilgal, unto this day. And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal; and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. …
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand; and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him: 'Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?' And he said: 'Nay, but I am captain of the host of the LORD; I am now come.' And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said unto him: 'What says my lord unto his servant?' And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua: 'Put off thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place where on thou stands is holy.' And Joshua did so. Now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. And the LORD said unto Joshua: 'See, I have given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, even the mighty men of valor. And ye shall compass the city, all the men of war, going about the city once. Thus shall thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven rams' horns before the ark; and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the horns. And it shall be, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the horn, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.' (Joshua 3:5-6:5)
Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD, the G_D of Israel, in mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon which no man had lifted up any iron; and they offered thereon burnt-offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace-offerings. And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the Law of Moses, which he wrote before the children of Israel. And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger as the home-born; half of them in front of mount Gerizim and half of them in front of mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that walked among them. And it came to pass, when all the kings that were beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the Lowland, and on all the shore of the Great Sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof, that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. (Joshua 8:30-9:2)
As we consider the events of the Israelites movement into the land of promise it must be noted that this significant amount of movement, activity, festival observance, preparation for battle and conquering of Jericho … all within such a brief period of time would have entailed incredible logistics, organization and communication. Communication that we know would have been orchestrated through the use of the trumpets/horns … and a whole lot of blowing! Additionally let us not lose sight of the divine and miraculous intervention of G_D within these historical events. The Israelites entrance into the promised-land stands as one of the great and epic records in Biblical history; events that are uniquely associated with the blowing of horns and shouting to G_D!
It is hoped that the selected record of events from Holy Scriptures herein does indeed portray the quintessential picture of the Wilderness experience that is most appropriately aligned with the awesome Mo’ed of Yom Teru’ah … Festival of Trumpets.
Although it would certainly appear that the events surrounding the Israelites entrance into the promised-land align well with Numbers 10:1-10, we can also see that there is much more going on with respects to the entrance into the land of promise.
We should see how this entrance is aligned with the original Pesach and G_D’s declaration that this is a new beginning for Israel … a beginning when the Nation shall in fact become a temporal Earthly Kingdom;
We should see how this entrance took place after many Israelites had been lost … after a long and hard road rife with wandering, testing and contention from the peoples all around wherein the Israelites had become a pariah in the land … making all the peoples uncomfortable;
We should see how this entrance is set against a back-drop of war and strife where the judged peoples of the promised-land are G_D’s enemies and are not expected to roll over and give up what they have without a fight;
We should see how it is G_D that will be waging war upon the judged peoples;
We should see, how at Pesach, the “captain/LORD” of G_D’s Host declares himself and how he like G_D commands his servant to take off his sandals within his presence for the sake of his holiness;
We should see how G_D memorializes this entrance into the land within the auspices of the Everlasting Covenant … making sure that each and every tribe of inheritance is represented and memorialized within the inheritance dynamic;
We should see from the events of Jericho how none of the indigenous judged peoples, save Rahab and her family who are redeemed, have any portion of the promised-land;
We should see how Jericho is taken out by supernatural actions … taken out by the hand of the LORD of Hosts;
We should see how the destruction of Jericho, the initial judgment, resulted in all the Kings and peoples of the land coming together in union to stand against the Israelites … to stand against G_D;
We should see how the placement of his NAME … the Ark of his presence … his tabernacle is integral with the ushering in of G_D’s Kingdom;
We should see where Joshua consecrated the land to G_D and wrote in stone the Torah … the constitution of the Kingdom … so that all who enter the land would know who is King of Israel and what the governing laws of the Kingdom are … as prescribed by the King!
When we view Yom Teru’ah then within a Biblically Hebraic perspective it is apparent that this Mo’ed succinctly encapsulates and memorializes:
G_D remembering his chosen people Israel;
G_D judging the children of hasatan;
G_D exercising authority over hasatan;
G_D personally waging battle on behalf of Israel;
G_D removing the reproach of his people Israel,
G_D physically establishing the temporal Earthly Kingdom of Israel;
G_D sanctifying the land and purging it of unrighteousness;
G_D placing into the land his Holy Presence with himself as King;
G_D establishing within the land the Holy Service;
G_D delivering the promises of the Everlasting Covenant;
G_D setting up Torah as the Kingdom’s constitutional regulations
It is hoped that such a concrete framework surrounding this Mo’ed eliminates the need for further diligence with respects to how the Mo’ed itself may be connected to: The Torah, The Everlasting Covenant, The Holy Service and the Mishkan; it is hoped that suitable relevance has already surfaced within the tangible aspects of Yom Teru’ah! Needless to say the context in which Yom Teru’ah is to be viewed is quite extraordinary … and quite frankly should indeed result in a resounding holler from all Israel … “our G_D rules” … “he is awesome” … “he is our banner” … “he is our King”!
Consequently then traditional Judaism which views Yom Teru’ah from a perspective of: Judgment, Kingship and Creation are not significantly misaligned with the more discrete and Scriptural supported context depicted herein. Perhaps then the tradition of Rosh HaShannah … the Jewish New Year … has some relevance after all … or so it surely might seem to be the case with respects to the establishment of G_D’s temporal Earthly Kingdom!
In any event, as is the case with all the festivals, we will now look for the completion and deeper meaning of this festival in a Messianic perspective now that we have a concise framework developed from our review of the Tanakh.
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