Elul 30 :: Not The End

Today is the last day of my personal commitment to blog daily throughout the month of Elul, leading up to the the Fall Feasts of the Lord. It has been a time of introspection and self-examination, and developing my thoughts. I appreciate that some people have expressed that they have been impacted by a few of my meanderings.

This blog was started, and continues to be a venue where I can anonymously sort through various experiences, thoughts, and working out what I find to be true - or false - about a given topic, in a "safe place."

I am deviating again today from the published devotional with The Rabbi's Son, not because I believe it has no value, but because it is presented in allegorical story form that cannot logically be conveyed in a few sentences. Instead, I want to turn my thoughts to the first of the Fall Mo'edim, the Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah. My understanding is that the word "teruah" refers to the blasts of the shofar, a ram's horn used to call the assembly or call warriors to battle. Over the years, this holiday has also come to be called Rosh haShanah, because tradition says it is the anniversary of Creation, and therefore is celebrated as the head of the civil year in traditional Judaism (as opposed to the religious/Biblical "New Year" which falls at Passover.)

Really, the only instruction given to us in scripture is this:

The Feast of Trumpets

Leviticus 23:23 Then the Lord 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 the Lord.’ ” (The Scriptures, 2009)

Other than the specifics of the required Temple sacrifice outlined in Numbers 29:1 (which I am of the opinion cannot be performed in light of the destruction of said Temple in 70 AD), there is no further instruction on how to commemorate this day. Of course, there is a wealth of traditions to be found in a simple Google search, but beyond understanding the principles behind the traditions, I am not interested in adding another layer of hoops to jump through in my life. I will, however, be going to the observatory to see the new moon and blow my shofar (as best I can.) As I have explained elsewhere, I am learning as I go.

Trying to understand the prophetic significance of Yom Teruah, and how that points us to Jesus/Yeshua, there are quite a few thoughts out there. A good number of them propose that it foreshadows the return of Messiah, or his Second Coming. 

In light of my comments made in yesterday's blog regarding the end times, I found a blog, He That Has An Ear, wherein the writer hypothesizes that Yom Teruah could possibly be "the day that no man knows." It's an interesting read, for anyone interested in pursuing that line of thought.  Other blogs  with that proposal are Bible Things in Bible Ways, and Restoring the Way. I am not including these links because I agree or disagree with them, I just found them worth considering as I examine how to observe the Lord's Appointed Times in a way that will honor Him. 

It can be nice to have a local fellowship of like-minded believers who are in agreement about how to celebrate together, but some of us on this faith journey are thrust into the adventure of exploring and learning for ourselves.