High Holy Days Part 1 Yom Teruah

What does the Bible say about the High Holy Days or what some call the Fall Feasts? What is the difference between traditions and Gods commandments? Should Christians celebrate any of the fall feasts if so why?

To answer some of these questions, we must first understand whose feast are they and for what the general purpose for all the Feasts. The scripture eludes to some of the reasons that God commanded the Israelites celebrate these feasts. The first reason is in Exodus

Exodus 12:14 Tree of Life Version (TLV)

14 “This day is to be a memorial for you. You are to keep it as a feast to Adonai. Throughout your generations you are to keep it as an eternal 

These Feasts are for a Memorial which means to remember. When we look at the feast that God appoints they mostly remind us of who God is and what He has done for us. The verse above also state that these feasts are to Adonai. These feasts are God feasts they are not labeled Jewish feast. Yes, they were given to Israel to celebrate to God. In Ephesians, Paul talks about Gentiles when they believe in Jesus (Yeshua) becoming a joint heir with Israel becoming part to the common wealth of Israel. No longer being separated but becoming one in Messiah Yeshua.

Numbers 15:15-16 (KJV)

15  One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance forever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. 16  One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.

Ephesians 2:12-14 Tree of Life Version (TLV)

12 At that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Messiah Yeshua, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. 14 For He is our shalom, the One who made the two into one and broke down the middle wall of separation. Within His flesh He made powerless the hostility—

Ephesians 2:16-19 Tree of Life Version (TLV)

16 and to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross—by which He put the hostility to death. 17 And He came and proclaimed shalom to you who were far away and shalom to those who were near[a]— 18 for through Him we both have access to the Father by the same Ruach. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.

I have found celebrating the feasts of God such a blessing and intimate time with my Savior Messiah Yeshua. So Jewish or non-Jewish believers in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus get to continue celebrating the Lords Feasts together in unity.

The Fall Feasts or High Holy days have three specific names, and only one of them is a feast Sukkot. We are commanded by God to celebrate each one.

• Yom Teruah- starts at sundown on September 20th and ends On September 21st, 2017
• Yom Kippur- start the evening (sundown) of Friday, September 29th and ends September 30, 2017, at sundown
• Sukkot- Starts at sundown October 4th and ends sundown October 12th, 2017

The days on the Hebrew calendar are from evening to evening.

The theme repentance consistent throughout the High Holy Days is which starts 30 days before Yom Teruah where we are encouraged by tradition to search our hearts for sins of the past year. If we have sinned against anyone? We are encouraged to go and make an effort to apologize.

A shofar is blown every weekday as a call to return to God in Israel. The point is to get your heart ready for the day of atonement. So the ten days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur is especially meaningful and is called “10 Days of Awe” Where the prayers for forgiveness becomes greater in hopes on Yom Kippur that their names written in the book of Life. For a believer, we are already written in the Lambs Book of Life.

 I believe as a believer we need to be doing this daily and always searching our hearts because we have Yeshua his blood was shed to atone for our sins and we no longer need to wait once a year to make a sacrifice for our sins. He Sacrificed once and for all making atonement, and now we no longer need a yearly sacrifice. During this forty days, it is good for believers in Messiah to do an annual in-depth search of our hearts. Sin separates us from God so this prepares us for the feast of Tabernacles when Yeshua returns and Tabernacles with us.

 Click Prayer of Repentance to see prayers to pray https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/6577/jewish/Text-of-Al-Chet.htm

Let’s start by going through each High Holy Day. Please read through Lev 23 and Numbers 29. Focus on verses Lev 23:23-44 these are the verses we will be focusing on for this teaching. I find it helpful when studying to usually read the whole chapter and sometimes the chapter before and after so I can get the flow of the writer and the complete context of the subject.

Now that you have read Lev 23 and Num 29 let us start with the first Fall Feast.

Yom Teruah (Day of Shouting) or Feast of Trumpets.

Leviticus 23:24-25 (NASB)

24  "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. 25  'You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.'"

Leviticus 23:24Tree of Life Version (TLV)

24 “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a Shabbat rest, a memorial of blowing (shofarot),[a] a holy convocation.

The biblical Hebrew month of Tishrei is the seventh month. We count the months starting with the first Passover in Exodus 12:2  Which states that this month is the first month of the Year.

The first day of the seventh month is also when Israel celebrates the New Year (Rosh Hashana) and is a separate secular holiday. That has been incorporated into the Yom Teruah (Day of Shouting)

On the day of trumpets, God says we are to rest and not do any work. This day of rest is an extra day of rest unless it lands on a Shabbat. I love the idea that God desires us to rest physically and spiritually we can rest in our God.

We are also to come together as a community.

We are to remember by blowing the trumpets. What are we to remember? We are to remember to return to our God, Remember His blessings, and as believers in Messiah, we can remember what Yeshua did on the cross. We can also remember that He was raised from the Dead and sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us.

Numbers 10:10 Tree of Life Version (TLV)

10 Also at your days of rejoicing, feasts and new moons, you are to blow on the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. They will then be a reminder for you before ADONAI your God. I am ADONAI your God!”

Now the offering made by fire is a confusing issue, and there are many discussions in both the Messianic and Christian communities about burnt offerings. I will not go into this in this article. I will say this, Israel currently does not do any burnt offerings because there is no temple so until there is a temple we do not do any burnt offerings. See Numbers 29 for a complete list of offering for Yom Teruah

So, to recap for the Day of Trumpets God requires that we

1. Take a Day of Rest
2. Blowing of the Trumpets
3. Gathering as a community
4. Burnt offering

Traditions

What I consider tradition is anything that the Bible Genesis-Revelation does not command us to do. Example Lev 23 and Numbers 29 just commands us to blow the shofar but not how so the how to would be considered traditional, but God does tell us what sound from the trumpets are for, like in Numbers 10.

 How you rest, blow the trumpets or gather as a community is not stated clearly in this passage. So there have been traditions set up to help the people of God obey Gods commands. Remember these are just traditions and not commands from God on the way we should obey. Traditions can be a slippery slope remembering how Yeshua rebuked the Pharisees for pushing traditions as commandments of God. Some of these traditions seemed to be impossible and even a burden and were adding to the Word of God.

 Remember!!!!

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)

28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Taking a day of rest usually means focusing on God for the day in prayer and fellowship with the community and of course not doing any work. Most of the traditions of the day of rest have come from what the Bible has said about the Shabbat. Usually, a day of rest comes with coming together as a community which is a command from God.

 Leviticus 23:3 (KJV)

3  Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.   

Yom Teruah is a celebration, one because the Israel New Year is on the same day. Coming together and remembering what God has done in the past year and who He is. Turning back to God is always a celebration.

Services differ from congregation to congregation, but there is always blowing of the trumpets or shofars. When you read through scripture, you can find scriptures that give instructions on blowing the trumpet or horns. Check out Numbers 10 They are blown to call the community together, sound the alarm, etc.

In Exodus 19:13-19 talks about God commanding the people not to come to the mountain, Until they heard the Voice of the Trumpet (A loud sound getting Louder). I believe we will hear that same sound when our Messiah returns. They also sounded the trumpets for warnings and battle.

So traditions have come from these instructions on when and how to blow the trumpets. On Yom Teruah the how is still considered tradition, not a commandment. According to tradition, there are at least 100 blasts of the Shofar on Yom Teruah during the community service.  In your home just blow the shofar as the Holy Spirit leads. Are you unable to blow the shofar? Raise a shout of praise to Adonai See Joel 2, 1 Thess 4:16 -18.

There are four different types of shofar notes during Yom Teruah service

Tekiah,- long sustained note;

Shevarim,- three short notes rising in tone,

Teruah,- a series nine short, staccato notes

Tekiah Gedolah (“big tekiah”), the final blast gets louder and longer than the rest

Shofar Blasts for Yom Teruah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grZDPCKORGg

During the community worship, there is usually a nosh (food) for Yom Teruah it is sweet food to represent a sweet new Year and the sweetness of the presence of God.

Yom Teruah is also the first day of the "ten days of awe" which is a tradition. I believe it is a great tradition because our hearts and minds are turning towards God. Seeking God asking Him to search our hearts and surrender our hearts to Him. Repenting (turn away) from any sin we may not have dealt with in the past 12 months. It is truly a return to God.

Life happens, and we get distracted with whatever drama comes our way. Sometimes we lose our way! We have an advocate with the Father; His Name is Yeshua.

Traditions can honor God and help us to obey His word. They encourage us to remember who He is. They remind us to return to our merciful Creator. 

Part 2 will be on Yom Kippur which means Day of Atonement.

Written by Michelle Enterline

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www.gospelofpeaceministries.net