Feast of Trumpets - Yom Teruah
Feast of Trumpets – Yom Teruah
Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. – Lev. 23:23-25
Biblical Month: Tishrei
Secular Month: Sept/Oct
Rosh HaShannah means the New Year, but Biblically it is know as Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets.
· Lev. 23:24-25
· Num. 29:1-6
Yom Teruah is actually one of 4 New Years in Judaism
The four Jewish new years’s specified in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1 are 1 Tishri, 15 Shevat, 1 Nisan, and 1 Elul.
1.) 1 Tishrei: Civil/Fiscal New Year
· Anniversary of Creation
· Calculating the Reign of Secular Kings
· Calculating the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years (Lev. 25:2-5)
· Anniversary of the Akeidah (Binding of Isaac).
· Books in Heaven are opened for accounting
· Hints of Messiah’s Return, The Last Trump Thus Yom Teruah would be more likened unto the civil fiscal year of business and agriculture.
2.) 15 Shevat: Jewish Arbor Day/Jewish Earth Day
· New Year for Trees
· Most Jewish sources consider 15 Shevat as the New Year both for designating fruits as orlah (that is, forbidden to eat, because they have grown during the first three years after a tree's planting) and for separating fruits for tithing. This date was selected "because most of the winter rains are over" (Rosh Hashanah 14a), the sap has begun to rise, and the fruit has started to ripen. Fruits that have just begun to ripen--from the blossoming stage up to one third of full growth--are attributed to the previous year, whereas fruits that are more mature on 15 Shevat apply to the upcoming year. As with vegetables and grains, fruits that budded during one "fiscal year" could not be used as tithes on those that budded in another year.
· Traditional to plant trees
3.) 1 Nisan: Spiritual New Year
· The third Jewish new year is 1 Nisan, which corresponds to the season of the redemption from Egypt and the birth of the Israelite nation. This particularistic national event defines the nature of the New Year celebrated on 1 Nisan. The Torah's command that "this month [Nisan] is for you the beginning of the months, it shall be the first month of the year to you" tied all counting of Jewish religious festivals to the Exodus from Egypt, and this special religious counting system distinguished Israel from other nations.
· The first of Nisan is also the New Year for the reigns of Jewish kings .
· 1 Nisan is also the due date for using the half-shekel contribution described on Shabbat Shekalim to purchase communal sacrifices for the Temple.
4.) 1 Elul: The last new year, 1 Elul, is the New Year for the tithing of cattle. The tithe for cattle had to be made from cattle born in the same fiscal year, between 1 Elul one year and the next.
- So Judaism Today is not denying that Pesach is Rosh HaShannah?
- No. Yeshua was well aware of these New Years. If He had an issue with Yom Teruah being a Rosh HaShannah, I am sure He would have addressed it somewhere in the Brit Chadasha. But instead He said.
Matthew 23:1-4 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. - Messiah is saying is that it is okay to follow Jewish Tradition as long as it doesn’t nullify the Word of God or put and unnecessary burden upon the common people.
- Even Rav Sha’ul kept tradition.
ACTS 28:17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
- Here Rav Sha’ul proudly proclaims that not only has he kept the Torah, but also the traditions and customs of the Father’s relating to the performance of the commandments!
- So is Yom Teruah really Rosh HaShannah? Yes! But one of four.
Yom Teruah (Rosh HaShannah) Timeline
· Lev. 23:23-25 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
We are commanded by Adonai to celebrate Yom Teruah.
· Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth
· John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
About 6000 years ago God gave birth, through His Spoken Word, to the earth and all we see and know.
· Gen. 22:1-2, 11-14 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of… And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
About 4000 years ago Abraham offered his son Isaac to ADONAI. But before the sacrifice could be made, a ram was given to Abraham by God in place of his son Isaac. And tradition states that the ram had two horns a small one which was given to Abraham to use as a shofar, and a larger one which G-d took and will use to herald the coming of the Messiah.
· John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
· Heb. 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
About 2000 years ago God offered up His Son Yeshua in our place as a permanent sacrifice for sin. On the same mountain Avraham offered up Isaac. Yeshua is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
· Rev. 20:11-12 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
· I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It is believed that today the books in heaven are opened and we are judged according to our righteousness. Therefore we must take inventory of our lives and repent and ask for forgiveness.
· I Thess. 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
· I Cor. 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Sometime in the future we will hear a shofar blast to call all those dead and alive who are cleansed, forgiven and ready to meet God and be with Him forever. One day we will celebrate Rosh HaShannah – Yom Teruah not in this home but in our Heavenly Fathers Home.
Lev. 23:23-25 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first [day] of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work [therein]: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Every time I hear that shofar at Rosh Hashanah it’s as if time stands still. Chills run up and down my spine as a sense of holiness cleanses and even stops time for that brief moment. I can easily see why the Rabbi’s and sages say the sound of the shofar actually scares Satan away.
I bask in the echo of that rams horn. I close my eyes and take a deep breath and prepare myself to spiritually meet my God. For this starts the 10 Days of Awe leading up to Yom Kippur. A time where I make sure things are right between me and God.
Legend has it that the Rams horn was given to Abraham during the Binding of Isaac. The Ram caught in the thicket had a large horn and a small horn and the smaller one was given to Abraham to use while God took the other one to heaven to use to announce the coming of Messiah in the Last Days.
As I hear and see the shofar on Rosh Hashanah I am reminded of who I am to be this and every year.
I am to be like a ram’s horn, I am to be like a shofar.
Once a ram’s horn is cut off from the head of the ram it begins a grueling process to become a shofar. An instrument used for combat becomes a claxon to call one to combat oneself. It becomes a spiritual alarm clock to wake the slumbering soul. It becomes a too one uses to send a message of repentance and salvation to the world!
First, the ram’s horn is gutted of all of the gunk that is inside it. You can’t just cut of a ram’s horn and immediately start blowing and expect to hear a sound; it’s stopped up. It is like us before God can use us as His mouth piece. He needs to clean us out of all of the gunk that is inside our lives that stops us from making a sound for Him.
Next, after the ram’s horn is hallowed out, it is buffed and polished. For God to use me and get all the glory He has to put the finishing touches on me too.
And when one blows a shofar, what is it filled with to make a sound? Wind! Wind in Hebrew is Ruach, which also means spirit. We need to be filled with the Ruach Ha Kodesh, the Holy Spirit of God to be able to make a sound.
When God created man, didn’t He breath into Adam’s nostrils the “breath”, the “ruach” of life (Gen. 2:7)!? Ruach, breath, wind, in Judaism is also synonymous with and symbolic of wisdom. To be used as His mouth piece, to share His message with mankind for His Glory we need to resound with a clear sound of wisdom for us to truly be heard.
Also there must be focus. You just can’t put your mouth on a shofar and blow and all you’ll get is a sound like when one puts their ear to a conch shell. If I am blowing into a shofar and no sound is coming out, what kind of “ruach” is being heard through me? I’ll tell you, nothing but hot air! And does anyone want to listen to someone who’s blowing of hot air? Does God get any glory from a bunch of hot air? No, never!
To make a pure clear sound one must focus ones lips and blow into the shofar a certain way. As a shofar, I must be focused to be able to channel God’s “ruach” through me so I can make a pure, clear sound so His message can be heard loud and clear through me for His glory.
The shofar has many uses. Very specific sounds send a very specific message.
I Cor. 14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
Shofars were used to call meetings together, to announce war, etc. But on Rosh Hashanah what message does G-d want to sound through me for the people to hear? The sound of Teshuvah (Repentance); for Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, leads to up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the day that’s all about repentance.
The blast of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is very specific and embodies the process of repentance. There is a blast that awakens the soul. Followed by a series of broken wailing, sobbing sounds, topped off with a peaceful mellow steady blast of praise.
Some are confused about the silver trumpets that are mentioned, because they have a similar use. But most of the time (not always) when the word trumpet is mentioned by itself without the descriptor “silver” it is usually a rams horn, a shofar. The silver trumpets were predominately used within the camp and on Rosh Kodesh (the new month) according to Numbers chapter Ten, not so much on High Holy Days except when one fell on the first of the month. Sometimes they were used in conjunction with the Shofar.
Blowing the Shofar
- Hot air vs. Breath/Wind (Ruach)
· Gen. 2:7
The shofar has many uses. Very specific sounds send a very specific message.
· I Cor. 14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
- Shofars were used to call meetings together,
- To announce war.
- But on Rosh Hashanah what message does God want to sound through me for the people to hear? The sound of Teshuvah (Repentance); for Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, leads to up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the day that’s all about repentance.
- The blast of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is very specific and embodies the process of repentance. There is a blast that awakens the soul. Followed by a series of broken wailing, sobbing sounds, topped off with a peaceful mellow steady blast of praise.
There are three Shofar notes. They are:
What do each of the Shofar notes symbolize?
· 1 Cor. 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. – Lev. 23:23-25
Biblical Month: Tishrei
Secular Month: Sept/Oct
Rosh HaShannah means the New Year, but Biblically it is know as Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets.
· Lev. 23:24-25
· Num. 29:1-6
Yom Teruah is actually one of 4 New Years in Judaism
The four Jewish new years’s specified in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1 are 1 Tishri, 15 Shevat, 1 Nisan, and 1 Elul.
1.) 1 Tishrei: Civil/Fiscal New Year
· Anniversary of Creation
· Calculating the Reign of Secular Kings
· Calculating the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years (Lev. 25:2-5)
· Anniversary of the Akeidah (Binding of Isaac).
· Books in Heaven are opened for accounting
· Hints of Messiah’s Return, The Last Trump Thus Yom Teruah would be more likened unto the civil fiscal year of business and agriculture.
2.) 15 Shevat: Jewish Arbor Day/Jewish Earth Day
· New Year for Trees
· Most Jewish sources consider 15 Shevat as the New Year both for designating fruits as orlah (that is, forbidden to eat, because they have grown during the first three years after a tree's planting) and for separating fruits for tithing. This date was selected "because most of the winter rains are over" (Rosh Hashanah 14a), the sap has begun to rise, and the fruit has started to ripen. Fruits that have just begun to ripen--from the blossoming stage up to one third of full growth--are attributed to the previous year, whereas fruits that are more mature on 15 Shevat apply to the upcoming year. As with vegetables and grains, fruits that budded during one "fiscal year" could not be used as tithes on those that budded in another year.
· Traditional to plant trees
3.) 1 Nisan: Spiritual New Year
· The third Jewish new year is 1 Nisan, which corresponds to the season of the redemption from Egypt and the birth of the Israelite nation. This particularistic national event defines the nature of the New Year celebrated on 1 Nisan. The Torah's command that "this month [Nisan] is for you the beginning of the months, it shall be the first month of the year to you" tied all counting of Jewish religious festivals to the Exodus from Egypt, and this special religious counting system distinguished Israel from other nations.
· The first of Nisan is also the New Year for the reigns of Jewish kings .
· 1 Nisan is also the due date for using the half-shekel contribution described on Shabbat Shekalim to purchase communal sacrifices for the Temple.
4.) 1 Elul: The last new year, 1 Elul, is the New Year for the tithing of cattle. The tithe for cattle had to be made from cattle born in the same fiscal year, between 1 Elul one year and the next.
- So Judaism Today is not denying that Pesach is Rosh HaShannah?
- No. Yeshua was well aware of these New Years. If He had an issue with Yom Teruah being a Rosh HaShannah, I am sure He would have addressed it somewhere in the Brit Chadasha. But instead He said.
Matthew 23:1-4 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. - Messiah is saying is that it is okay to follow Jewish Tradition as long as it doesn’t nullify the Word of God or put and unnecessary burden upon the common people.
- Even Rav Sha’ul kept tradition.
ACTS 28:17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
- Here Rav Sha’ul proudly proclaims that not only has he kept the Torah, but also the traditions and customs of the Father’s relating to the performance of the commandments!
- So is Yom Teruah really Rosh HaShannah? Yes! But one of four.
Yom Teruah (Rosh HaShannah) Timeline
· Lev. 23:23-25 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
We are commanded by Adonai to celebrate Yom Teruah.
· Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth
· John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
About 6000 years ago God gave birth, through His Spoken Word, to the earth and all we see and know.
· Gen. 22:1-2, 11-14 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of… And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
About 4000 years ago Abraham offered his son Isaac to ADONAI. But before the sacrifice could be made, a ram was given to Abraham by God in place of his son Isaac. And tradition states that the ram had two horns a small one which was given to Abraham to use as a shofar, and a larger one which G-d took and will use to herald the coming of the Messiah.
· John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
· Heb. 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
About 2000 years ago God offered up His Son Yeshua in our place as a permanent sacrifice for sin. On the same mountain Avraham offered up Isaac. Yeshua is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
· Rev. 20:11-12 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
· I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It is believed that today the books in heaven are opened and we are judged according to our righteousness. Therefore we must take inventory of our lives and repent and ask for forgiveness.
· I Thess. 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
· I Cor. 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Sometime in the future we will hear a shofar blast to call all those dead and alive who are cleansed, forgiven and ready to meet God and be with Him forever. One day we will celebrate Rosh HaShannah – Yom Teruah not in this home but in our Heavenly Fathers Home.
Lev. 23:23-25 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first [day] of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work [therein]: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Every time I hear that shofar at Rosh Hashanah it’s as if time stands still. Chills run up and down my spine as a sense of holiness cleanses and even stops time for that brief moment. I can easily see why the Rabbi’s and sages say the sound of the shofar actually scares Satan away.
I bask in the echo of that rams horn. I close my eyes and take a deep breath and prepare myself to spiritually meet my God. For this starts the 10 Days of Awe leading up to Yom Kippur. A time where I make sure things are right between me and God.
Legend has it that the Rams horn was given to Abraham during the Binding of Isaac. The Ram caught in the thicket had a large horn and a small horn and the smaller one was given to Abraham to use while God took the other one to heaven to use to announce the coming of Messiah in the Last Days.
As I hear and see the shofar on Rosh Hashanah I am reminded of who I am to be this and every year.
I am to be like a ram’s horn, I am to be like a shofar.
Once a ram’s horn is cut off from the head of the ram it begins a grueling process to become a shofar. An instrument used for combat becomes a claxon to call one to combat oneself. It becomes a spiritual alarm clock to wake the slumbering soul. It becomes a too one uses to send a message of repentance and salvation to the world!
First, the ram’s horn is gutted of all of the gunk that is inside it. You can’t just cut of a ram’s horn and immediately start blowing and expect to hear a sound; it’s stopped up. It is like us before God can use us as His mouth piece. He needs to clean us out of all of the gunk that is inside our lives that stops us from making a sound for Him.
Next, after the ram’s horn is hallowed out, it is buffed and polished. For God to use me and get all the glory He has to put the finishing touches on me too.
And when one blows a shofar, what is it filled with to make a sound? Wind! Wind in Hebrew is Ruach, which also means spirit. We need to be filled with the Ruach Ha Kodesh, the Holy Spirit of God to be able to make a sound.
When God created man, didn’t He breath into Adam’s nostrils the “breath”, the “ruach” of life (Gen. 2:7)!? Ruach, breath, wind, in Judaism is also synonymous with and symbolic of wisdom. To be used as His mouth piece, to share His message with mankind for His Glory we need to resound with a clear sound of wisdom for us to truly be heard.
Also there must be focus. You just can’t put your mouth on a shofar and blow and all you’ll get is a sound like when one puts their ear to a conch shell. If I am blowing into a shofar and no sound is coming out, what kind of “ruach” is being heard through me? I’ll tell you, nothing but hot air! And does anyone want to listen to someone who’s blowing of hot air? Does God get any glory from a bunch of hot air? No, never!
To make a pure clear sound one must focus ones lips and blow into the shofar a certain way. As a shofar, I must be focused to be able to channel God’s “ruach” through me so I can make a pure, clear sound so His message can be heard loud and clear through me for His glory.
The shofar has many uses. Very specific sounds send a very specific message.
I Cor. 14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
Shofars were used to call meetings together, to announce war, etc. But on Rosh Hashanah what message does G-d want to sound through me for the people to hear? The sound of Teshuvah (Repentance); for Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, leads to up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the day that’s all about repentance.
The blast of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is very specific and embodies the process of repentance. There is a blast that awakens the soul. Followed by a series of broken wailing, sobbing sounds, topped off with a peaceful mellow steady blast of praise.
Some are confused about the silver trumpets that are mentioned, because they have a similar use. But most of the time (not always) when the word trumpet is mentioned by itself without the descriptor “silver” it is usually a rams horn, a shofar. The silver trumpets were predominately used within the camp and on Rosh Kodesh (the new month) according to Numbers chapter Ten, not so much on High Holy Days except when one fell on the first of the month. Sometimes they were used in conjunction with the Shofar.
Blowing the Shofar
- Hot air vs. Breath/Wind (Ruach)
· Gen. 2:7
The shofar has many uses. Very specific sounds send a very specific message.
· I Cor. 14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
- Shofars were used to call meetings together,
- To announce war.
- But on Rosh Hashanah what message does God want to sound through me for the people to hear? The sound of Teshuvah (Repentance); for Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, leads to up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the day that’s all about repentance.
- The blast of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is very specific and embodies the process of repentance. There is a blast that awakens the soul. Followed by a series of broken wailing, sobbing sounds, topped off with a peaceful mellow steady blast of praise.
There are three Shofar notes. They are:
- Tekiyah - one long, sharp, straight blast that is sustained for 3 seconds.
- Shevarim - three 1-second medium, staccato, wailing sounds in broken segments that rise in tone.
- Teruah - a series of nine quick, firm, searing and soaring blasts in short succession that extend over a period of about 3 seconds.
- Tekiyah Gedolah - literally or "big Tekiyah" in Hebrew, this sound replaces the regular Tekiah or Tekiyah sound. A Tekiyah Gedolah sounds the same as a T Tekiyah but is a triple Tekiah or triple Tekiyah, meaning it is a sound that extends for three consecutive tekiyot or tekiot, meaning it lasts for a minimum of nine seconds.
What do each of the Shofar notes symbolize?
- Tekiyah - symbolizes wholeness as it is one long, sharp, straight blast
- Shevarim - the Talmud describes this medium, staccato, wailing sound as symbolizing sighing or groaning.
- Teruah - the Talmud describes this quick, firm, searing and soaring sound as symbolizing sobbing.
- Tekiyah Gedolah - this sound symbolizes not only an alarm call, but a wake-up call.
· 1 Cor. 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
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