The Day of Remembering
Yom Ha-Zikaron or Rosh HaShanah

In a few weeks time we are going to be celebrating one of God's Feasts that he gave to Moses to give to the Israelites.

Many people try to say that people who have accepted Yeshua as Messiah do not need to keep any of God's Feasts. If we read Romans 15:4 it says “ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Tenach we might have hope.” Wow Shaul / Paul only had the Tenach /Old Testament, so are we prepared to learn from the past and what it all means? Yeshua said in Matthew 5:17 - 18 “Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah and the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to uphold. Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah – not until everything that must happen has happened. So whoever disobeys these commands and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Therefore as we learn and study Torah the 1^st 5 books of the Bible we will begin to understand more about God's ways and the Feasts which God gave to all who believe in him for the Jew and the Gentile. For the Gentile who has been grafted into the Olive tree and the Jewish person it is not a salvation issue but a way of drawing closer to Almighty God. 

This Feast has many different names the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah (head of the year). Passover is the start of the religious year and Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the civil year when the year changes. There are other names given to this Fifth Feast of the Lord's. The Day of Remembrance (Yom ha - Zikaron) or the Day of Blowing (Yom Teruach). It is understood to be the time when God had finished the creation of the world. Genesis 1:31 – 2:1 “ God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. So there was evening and morning , a sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, along with everything in them.” It is also a time of looking at ones self, preparing for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the10th day of Tishri. Yom ha- Zikaron is when Jewish people remember that God is the Judge over everything and so man needs to look at his life and get it in right order. The shofar is blown, and apple and honey are eaten to symbolize completeness and to ask God for a sweet New Year.

We are told a number of times through out the Bible not to add to or remove from scripture what is written, so what can we learn about this Feast of the Lord.

The Feasts of the Lord are mentioned a number of times in Scripture. Yeshua celebrated them all, but we are going to look at Leviticus 23 and Numbers 29. Lets see what we can notice in Leviticus 23:23 -25. Both scriptures talk about it being a day of rest. No work is to be done and the English translations say blow the shofar. Do you notice something the Feast is not given a name. We see that Moses gives an understanding of the feasts but for this feast there is no understanding. Feast 1 & 2 are Passover and Unleavened Bread all about remembering leaving Egypt. Exodus 12. The 3^rd Feast comes about as a time to remember that God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and into a new land where they would reap a harvest. Leviticus 23:10  Feast 4 is Shavuot celebrating the harvest. Exodus 23:16 and Leviticus 23:22.  Feast 6 is Yom Kippur, the day of redemption for Israel Leviticus 16 :23 -28 &23: 26 -31. Finally the 7^th Feast Sukkot Leviticus 23:39 and Deuteronomy 16:13 -15 This is a celebration of the final harvests and a time to remember living in booths in the desert. Leviticus 23:42.

So Feast 5 has no name and in fact no meaning. Lets look at what we can find out. It states in English it is to be a day of rest but to hold an assembly commemorating a shouting or blowing, a holy convocation. The Hebrew word used for commemorating is “ZIKRON” with the root being “Zakar” which means to call to mind, to remember. This is why it is called Yom ha Zikaron. But nowhere does it say that Moses called it by this name.. The English translations often say that the day was to be remembered with trumpets blown so it has been given the name of Feast of Trumpets as well , but is the word for trumpet used here. Lets look further at Leviticus 23 and Numbers 29 and see what the Hebrew says. The word used in the text is “teruah”. Looking up and investigating I have found that there are three words often translated as trumpet. 1^St word “Chatsots” (Hosea 5:8) 2^nd word “Shofar” Exodus 19:16 And finally “Yowbel” Exodus 19:13 None of these words are used in the text so does it say to blow a trumpet or shofar. What it says is the the people are to “TERUAH” on this day. Teruah comes from the root word rua Strongs 8643/ TWOT2135b to shout, to sound the battle cry. A few commentaries state that the word could be used to mean a blast using an instrument. If we look at Joshua 6:16 the words shofar and rua are used to tell us about the Jericho walls coming down. The writer says”and it came to pass, at the 7^th time when the priests have blown with the shofar and Joshua said unto the people rua shout. A note of interest, according to scripture only the priests carried and blew the shofar the people shouted (rua or teruah). Women did not blow the shofar. In Numbers 23:21 teruah is translated “so shout” 2 Samuel 6:15 both words are used when the people teruah and blew the shofar. As I looked through scripture 95% of the time rua /teruah are used for shouting whereas shofar or yowbel is used for trumpet, shofar or ram's horn. Why am I looking at this well I believe God is saying something to us. Could it be about the future, as we need to remember that the new is hidden in the old. If we do a search in the New Testament we will find that in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 we read that “The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, (teruah) with a call (rua) from one of the ruling angels, and with God's shofar, those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise.

Is Yom Teruah connected. When Messiah comes for his bride we see a connection between the ancient Jewish wedding feast as well. The bridegroom has the shofar blown and shouts that he is on his way to collect his bride who knows she has to be ready and waiting as she did not know when her bridegroom was coming for her. I have a feeling that at Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah The Day of Shouting or Blowing of Trumpets is connected to when the Lord comes back both as Bridegroom and King of kings. What do you think?