One of the facts concerning this day is that it is considered the New Year in Israel although it is not called that in scripture. The truth is this day comes in the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar year and was given the name Yom Teruah.
It shall be a Yom/Day of sounding for you. Numbers 29:1
For this year, 1 Tishrei, 5783 is September 26, 2022.
Because Israel counts the years from Genesis and not like the western calendar, which begins from Messiah Jesus/Yeshuas birth 2022 years ago; the date is 5783. Some scholars say there is compelling evidence that during/after one of the enforced exiles, the dates lost 200 years in the counting and would make the date 5983 which makes all the more startling number towards the 6000 year marker looking towards the 7th thousand year millennial reign of Messiah… whether this is accurate or not there is no doubt we are closer than we think to His return.
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Romans 13:11
The biblical/spiritual year starts in the spring with the month of Nisan. Exodus 12:2 the beginning of the new agricultural year. However the sages gave such significance to the first Sabbath/Shabbat of the fall/autumn holy days, that they eventually considered it as the new year and changed the name.
Biblically it is Yom Teruah translates as the
day of sounding/festival of trumpets/shofars,
hence the day became known as the
Head of the Year which is the direct translation of
Rosh Ha Shannah.
The purpose of this Holy Day is summed up in the word regathering. Since these days call Israel to regather to a pure faith in God. Rosh Hashannah came to represent the day of repentance. It’s the day when the people of Israel make a careful examination of their spiritual condition and make the necessary changes to ensure that the upcoming new year will be pleasing to God.
This day was so important that the whole of the preceding month of Elul takes on a holy significance of its own.
The 40 days prior to Yom Teruah from the 1st day of Elul through the 10th of Tishrei (Yom Kippur),
was to be a time of special spiritual preparation. This was based on the belief that it was the 1st of Elul that Moses ascended Mt Sinai to receive the 2nd set of Tablets of the Law/commandments/Torah and that he came back down on Yom Kippur.
It shall be a Day/yom of sounding for you.
Micah 7:19
In synagogues, the shofar or rams horn is sounded daily to alert the faithful that the time of repentance is near. The theme of Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashannah is regathering for repentance and the focus is serious and for each individual to be authentic before a Holy God and there is always an abiding awareness of hope – because of Gods’ heart of forgiveness/ mercy towards His children.
In a traditional home in Israel, the evening begins with a meal and then a meeting at the local synagogue. Much of the following day is also spent in worship.
The Scripture readings and subject matter of the prayers and music are focused on the recurring theme of repentance/teshuvah, turning to God, our King. Based onMicah 7:19 where the prophet promises You will throw all their sins into the depths of the sea… families and groups of people will go in the afternoon to a body of water, (ocean, lake or stream); and join in an ancient service of Tashlich. This word comes from the verse above and to illustrate this beautiful promise people throw breadcrumbs or small stones into the water and rejoice in Gods promise of forgiveness. For Believers in Messiahs sacrificial death and resurrection we are trusting in His blood for our forgiveness and redemption having confessed and repented of our sins.
The most memorable part of this day is the blowing of the shofar, the rams horn which is mentioned in the scriptures. The shofar is sounded in the meetings with 4 different notes:
the tekia blast
the Shevarim – broken notes,
the teruah – alarm
and the tekia gedolah – the great blast.
The word for the second note is teruah
the name for the day Yom Teruah.
These notes provide some us with some spiritual lessons.
The shofar was used in the ancient world to hail/greet a king. So too at Rosh Hashanah all Israel is said to appear before the King of Kings in anticipation of personal judgement.
Also in the Bible the shofar was often:
sounded as an alarm to gather the troops together for battle!
as inJoshua 6and the blowing of the shofars which were part of Gods’ instruction prior to the city walls collapsing.
For us the shofar is our wake up call – an alarm to call us to our appointed time.
Today it is recognized as the new year in Israel and also called the day of blowing Yom Teruah. The future day of judgement will be announced by blasts on the shofar. Matthew 24:31. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, (with a great shofar), and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
This prophetic fulfillment was believed by the rabbis to be the holy day of regathering and the Messiah who would be the agent of regathering.
This season is a season of spiritual preparation and for us today, it’s a future fulfillment of His return and regathering of the believers in Jesus/Yeshua Messiah. Paul makes an interesting connection to this day in 1Thess.4:16, For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry/shout with a call from one of the ruling angels and with God’s shofar.
The events on Mt Sinai also recorded the sound of Gods’ shofar.
So it would seem that the signal of the gathering will be the sound of the shofar. In fact the reference here is to a particular note sounded at Rosh Hashanah/Yom Teruah. In verse16, the word normally translated shout or cry comes from the Hebrew word teruah; which is better translated as the alarm blast of the shofar. Similar references can be read in 1Cor 15:50 -58 and Rev 4:1.
Another important fulfillment of this day/yom, is the:
regathering of the remnant of the children of Israel at the second coming of Messiah.
In the 7th century B.C.Isaiah wrote verses 12-13 in chapter 27.On that DAY Adonai will beat out the grain between the Euphrates River and the Vadi of Egypt; and you will be gathered, one by one, people of Israel. On that DAY a great SHOFAR will sound. Those lost in the land of Egypt; and they will worship Adoanai on the holy mountain in Jerusalem/Yerushalayim.
It seems clear that this scripture is referring to a coming DAY/Yom, regathering of the believing remnant. Likewise Messiah Jesus/Yeshua when asked about the future of Israel confirmed this as a latter Day promise in His own teaching.Matthew 24:31 He the Son of Man 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 the heaven to the other.
The sound of the shofar is a reminder of the blessed hope every messianic believer possesses in Titus 2:13, and that we can enter Messiahs’ presence at any time.
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
When He comes, He will gather us to Himself and we do not know the exact day that our Lord will come; so we are to be ready like those 5 wise virgins – alert and prepared at a moments notice to answer the call of our Heavenly Bridegroom.
Keep looking up
mishpachah/family & chevarim friends
because…
one YOM /DAY He will come….
For more detail and sounds of the shofar.. click links below:
literally means, “May you be written for a good year.”
L’shana tovah u’metukah
(pronounced: l’shah-NAH toe-VAH ooh-meh-too-KAH)
means “for a good and sweet year.”
L’shana tova (pronounced: luh-shah-NAH toe-VAH)
means “To a Good Year.”
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
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