Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year”, which is why this holiday is also called the Jewish New Year. However, in the Bible it is known as the Feast of Trumpets. In this article, Lev Lei takes an unusual look at the meaning and fulfillment of this holiday. We hope that you will be interested in its interpretation.
The Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles are the three feasts that round out the list of sacred gatherings that the Lord commanded the Jewish people to observe. All of them fall on the seventh month of the Jewish calendar – Tishrei.
The Feast of Trumpets heralded the onset of the seventh month and the beginning of the Ten Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a period in which penitents humble themselves in preparation for the great Day of Atonement.
But in addition to proclaiming the beginning of the seventh month and the period of High Holidays, the Feast of Trumpets also had an independent meaning. What is it?
The original meaning of the Feast of Trumpets
God’s ordinance to celebrate this feast is given in Leviticus 23:23-25:
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Say to the children of Israel, in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, let there be rest for you, a feast of trumpets, a sacred assembly. Do no work and offer sacrifice to the Lord.”
Another (and last) mention of him in the Torah (Pentateuch) is recorded in Numbers 29:1-6. Both of these passages describe how the day should be celebrated, but give us very little information about the original meaning of the Feast of Trumpets. However, by examining the 23rd chapter of the book of Leviticus, we understand that this day was supposed to be memorable, that is, the sound of the trumpet was supposed to remind people of something. No more tips, unfortunately. The word “commemorative” implies that the event to be remembered occurred before the issuance of the ruling.
To put the puzzle together, you need to ask yourself: what extremely important nationwide event related to the sound of the trumpet happened in the life of Israel? What spiritual event was so significant that God told people to remember it every year? I believe that the Bible only points to one outstanding event related to the sounding of the trumpet that needed to be immortalized:
“During the lingering sound of the trumpet, they can ascend the mountain … On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain[a] trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.” (Exodus 19:13, 16-19).
In chapters 19 and 20 of Exodus we read about the appearance of God on Mount Sinai and the first giving of the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 19:5, God calls the children of Israel into a covenant, the Covenant of Moses. In a spectacular revelation, God revealed His presence on Mount Sinai in smoke and fire when He came to make a covenant with His people, accompanied by the sound of a trumpet that made all the people tremble. On that day, the Israelites promised to do whatever the Lord commanded.
This momentous event was to remain forever in the memory of the people of Israel. Every year during the Feast of Trumpets, the sound of the trumpets reminded Israel that they were a people in covenant, a nation that had accepted the responsibility of being the people of God. In doing so, Israel also prepared for the Day of Atonement, which came eight days after the Feast of Trumpets, and in which the people repented and found atonement for everything they had done in violation of the sacred covenant.
Performance of the Feast of Trumpets
I believe the true fulfillment of this feast is the New Testament that Jesus offers to all who are willing to accept:
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20).
We, who have accepted the New Testament, remember it every time we take communion. The bread and the cup remind us of the most important events of the death and resurrection of the Lord. They remind us of our responsibility to be New Testament people. We repent of our sins, because of which we ourselves are not able to meet all the requirements of this high and holy calling. And through faith in the shed blood of Jesus, we receive the full and final atonement for sins that the New Covenant provides.
by Lev Lei / cis.jewsforjesus.org
Source: https://ieshua.org/prazdnik-trub-predystoriya-i-ispolnenie.htm
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