The seventh month of the Biblical year starts the Fall Feasts of the Lord! Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets on the 1st, Yom Kippur on the 10th, and Sukkot on the 15th. This will be a very full month of celebrations, filled with meaning, rejoicing, and reflecting. What is Yom Teruah? How have we seen it celebrated in Scripture? And how do we celebrate it now?
Yom Teruah Celebrations in the Bible
Leviticus 23:23-25:
23 And 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, ye shall have a rest, a memorial of trumpets: it shall be to you a holy convocation. 25 Ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall offer a whole-burnt-offering to the Lord.
Numbers 10:1-2; 8-10:
“1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Make to thyself two silver trumpets: thou shalt make them of beaten work; and they shall be to thee for the purpose of calling the assembly, and of removing the camps.
8 And the priests the sons of Aaron shall sound with the trumpets; and it shall be a perpetual ordinance for you throughout your generations. 9 And if ye shall go forth to war in your land against your enemies that are opposed to you, then shall ye sound with the trumpets; and ye shall be had in remembrance before the Lord, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. 10 And in the days of your gladness, and in your feasts, and in your new moons, ye shall sound with the trumpets at your whole-burnt-offerings, and at the sacrifices of your peace-offerings; and there shall be a memorial for you before your God: I [am] the Lord your God.”
Numbers 29:1:
“And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, there shall be to you a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work: it shall be to you a day of blowing the trumpets.”
Psalms 80: 1 – 5:
1 [For the end, a Psalm for Asaph, concerning the wine-presses.] 2 Rejoice ye in God our helper; shout aloud to the God of Jacob. 3 Take a psalm, and produce the timbrel, the pleasant psaltery with the harp. 4 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, in the glorious day of your feast. 5 For [this] is an ordinance for Israel, and a statute of the God of Jacob. *
*The numbering of the Psalms in the Septuagint version of the Bible is different from other translations. Psalms 81: 1 – 4 is the reference in non-Septuagint Bible translations.
Nehemiah 8:1-3; 5-6:
“8:1 And the seventh month arrived, and the children of Israel [were settled] in their cities; and all the people were gathered as one man to the broad place before the water-gate, and they told Esdras [Ezra] the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord commanded Israel. 2 So Esdras the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and every one who had understanding [was present] to hearken, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read in it from the time of sun-rise to the middle of the day, before the men and the women; and they understood [it], and the ears of all the people [were attentive] to the book of the law.
5 And Esdras opened the book before all the people, for he was above the people; and it came to pass when he had opened it, [that] all the people stood. 6 And Esdras blessed the Lord, the great God: and all the people answered, and said, Amen, lifting up their hands: and they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their face to the ground.”
What is Yom Teruah?
Yom Teruah is the Day of Trumpets and it occurs on Rosh Chodesh – the New Moon, in the seventh Hebrew month Tishrei (September). Unlike the other High Holidays, the explicit meaning of this holiday is not clear, however, what is clear is that it is a day of remembrance, a day for blowing trumpets, and a commanded rest day. The word Teruah in Hebrew refers to making a loud noise or a shout, a blast of war, alarm, or joy (Strong’s “Teruah”).
It can be described as the noise made by a trumpet- as when the priests would blow the trumpets to gather the Hebrew nation together. When they were about to begin a battle with an enemy nation, or during the beginning of the High Holidays, the new moons and sabbaths. Teruah also can be the shout made by a large gathering of people, there are several examples shown in Scripture.
Yehoshua (Joshua) 6:20 – The walls of Jericho fell at the sound or Teruah of the children of Israel.
Iyob (Job) 33:26 – Job’s face is described as having joy or Teruah.
Tehillim (Psalms) 47:5 – Elohim goes before us with Teruah and trumpets.
Yom Teruah is a time where we dive into the word of God to better understand this holiday and to celebrate in Him. It is a day to blow trumpets, as stated in Numbers and in the Psalms. We should look for the new moon and we should rest, during this time of transition from Summer to Fall.
If you want to learn more about the meaning of trumpets and how they were used in the Torah, I have a post all about it!
How to celebrate Yom Teruah
There isn’t a list of things to do on this day except to have a sabbath rest and blow the trumpets, but here are a few ideas that my family and I like to do on this day!
Decorate
I love decorating and making the house look nice for the high holidays. I have a blog post all about my Yom Teruah decor. Fresh flowers are an easy way to instantly bring freshness and beauty into your home and it looks nice on the dinner table.
Have a nice dinner
Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner was one of my favorite parts of the secular holiday season. Since we don’t celebrate these holidays anymore, my family and I make the same food for the High Holidays. Dressing, mac and cheese, roasted beef or lamb, mashed potatoes, candied yams, all the things. We usually cook and have dinner as a family right before sunset then eat cold cuts, sandwiches, salads, fruit, and snacks during the holiday.
Look at this Yom Teruah Menu Ideas post if you want more delicious inspiration for your High Holiday dinner!
Study scripture
Sabbath rest days are always amazing opportunities to study and meditate on scripture. Whether it’s reading over Leviticus to learn more about this day, reflecting on the goodness of God through the Psalms, or following along in your daily Bible study, meditating on scripture should always be a part of your holiday celebrations!
Blow to Trumpets
Of course! It’s the day of the trumpets so we must blow the trumpets on this day! We actually don’t know how to blow the trumpets properly, but we try! LOL. Usually, we play a recording of the shofar blowing on Youtube and listen to that before dinner. Here is our favorite video to listen to!
Day of Rejoicing
Yom Teruah is a day to rejoice. This is a day to remember the amazing things that Elohim did for Israel. The main theme of remembrance should be at the forefront of our hearts and minds during this time. As we sound the shofar, and as we rest and have a joyful holiday!
Tehillim (Psalms) 47:2:
“For Yehovah Most High is awesome; A great Sovereign over all the earth.”
Tehillim (Psalms) 66:1:
“Shout with joy to Elohim, All the earth!”
Tehillim (Psalms) 89:15:
“Blessed are the people Who know the sounding! They walk, O יהוה, in the light of Your face.”
Shalom and I pray you and your family have a blessed and wonderful Day of Trumpets!
Read More
Meaning of Trumpets in the Bible
Yom Teruah Scriptures Reading List
Introduction to the Fall Feast Days
All Tanach scriptures are from the Septuagint unless otherwise stated.