Why Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) is called a “memorial”

This divine appointment day (festival) is interesting in many fronts.  Most have forgotten the Biblical name of Yom Teruah – Day of Shouts and blasts – and have replaced it with the non-Biblical name Rosh Hashanah.  ON this website, we still use the Bible name for this day – Yom Teruah, the Day of Blasts. 

Here are a few things that make this day so unique:

--- It’s the only festival that starts on the new moon. That’s why I want to be sure I’m keeping it starting on the day of the first visible new moon and not on a day moved by rabbis who did not acknowledge the Messiah with their 4 Rules of Postponement.  Remember that a “new moon” in Bible days was readily acknowledged in much of their written histories as being the time when the moon once more was giving visible light after 1-3 days of darkness.  

--- It’s the holyday with no reason given for its observance.  We’re just told to keep it, to rest, and to make it a day (Yom) of blasts/noise, blowing (Teruah).   We’re plainly told the reasons for keeping Passover, Days of unleavened Bread, Shavuot – Pentecost, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Booths for example – but nothing is said to explain the purpose of this festival. Mankind has come up with many conjectures and explanations, but I’m just saying, the Bible doesn’t anywhere say, “This is why I want you to keep Yom Teruah”.  We’re simply told to observe it with a holy meeting, keep it like a Sabbath rest and don’t work on it, and make it a memorial of blowing.  (Leviticus 23:23-25)

Leviticus 23:23-25

Then YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 24 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest,a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to YHWH.'"

--- It’s also said to be a day of “a memorial of teruah (blasts)” – usually translated as “a memorial of blowing of trumpets”.  Keep in mind the word “trumpets” is nowhere in the original Hebrew about this day. We know 2 silver trumpets were blown on all the holydays but on this day they also blew the shofar, the ram’s horn, over and over. Today the Jews blow their shofar 100 times on this one day. 

But why is it called a memorial of blasts?  The scriptures don’t tell us.  The Hebrew work is Strong’s # 2146 – zikkaronor zichron– meaning memorial, remembrance, record, or reminder.  It was used to help people remember past significant events or to bring certain things to mind. Joshua’s stone monuments (Josh 4:7) were a zikkaron. Written records were a zikkaron (Ex 17:14; Esther 6:1).  Really it pointed to events that were pivotal points in God’s working with man.

Here are some points to consider.

(Click on “continue reading” to read the rest of the blog).

A shofar was the horn from a ram. The first time a ram’s horn was used for deliverance, and this is well known in Jewish circles, was when the Angel of YHWH stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac.  There was to be a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah, the future site of the temple, but God provided the offering, just as Abraham had said (Genesis 22:8).  They saw a ram struggling as its horns were stuck in a bush (Gen 22:13). 

The ram’s horn ever since has been seen in Hebrew circles as a symbol of how Yah keeps his promises and watches over His children. The ram’s horn is also a picture of the ultimate sacrifice of Yeshua on our behalf: HE was the Father’s sacrifice – and it went all the way until he died.

It’s significant that the ram was tangled up in a thicket of thorns (Genesis 22:13)….as was Yeshua (Jesus) (John 19:2; Matthew 27:29).  Thorns were a symbol of the curse on sinful man when they were about to be cast out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:18). Yeshua took the cursed thorns upon his own head as he paid the price for the curses against humanity. All who accept Him are able to have the curses of sin removed and put upon his holy head.  Amen.

This is also a memorial – or reminder – of what is yet coming.It’s a “zikkaron of yom teruah” – to use part of the Hebrew – “a memorial of blasts and noise”.  It’s a reminder that amidst our joyful shouts of victory, we will be returning triumphantly with Christ to rid the world of terrorists and bullies and start the new way of governing under ben David – the Son of David, the Son of God. 

This is a day of shouts, of praising, of singing, of clapping, of blowing on shofars – of being JOYFUL in our Messiah – if you are a believer in Yeshua.  Remember the verb form of Teruah refers to clapping, shouting, making noise in praise.  All these verses and many more that are translated “shout” are from the verb form of Teruah.

Psalm 66:1 – Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth
Psalm 100:1 – Make a joyful shout to YHWH, all you lands.
Psalm 47:1 – Clap hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!” 

Those on the other side will also be making a lot of noise – of despair and panic as they meet their new ruler, whom they haven’t come to know yet. We’re told in Zechariah 14 that a coalition of world rulers will agree to send their armies to Jerusalem to FIGHT this outside invader, as they will see Him.  Besides that, remember Satan will be angry and this will be the last chance for a thousand years for him and his demonic spirit hosts to fight the mother of all wars.  Yes, right there, around Jerusalem. 

But go back and read Nehemiah 8.  There the exiles who had returned to Jerusalem were mourning as they heard the Torah read to them as they realized how little they had obeyed it. But still, on THIS holyday of Yom Teruah, they were told to REJOICE and celebrate it with joy. 

So this day looks back to God’s deliverance of his people – and is also a reminder, a memorial – of what is to come. 

Our God is great. SHOUT your joy to him. Clap your hands in joy. Blow on a trumpet and rejoice, for even though very dark days are coming first, we shall see the LIGHT of the coming of the King of Kings. 

Think of it, just as a Biblical “new moon” is the first visible light of the moon after a day or two of darkness in the sky – so after a time of darkness on earth as men’s evils get worse and worse, we shall see the LIGHT of our Savior coming to save the whole world from itself.

That’s one more reason why we must celebrate this day with the LIGHT of the moon, not the moved no-moon date given us by Yeshua-rejecting rabbis!  Amen.