Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

Video Teaching

Day of Atonement

This video will give you a greater understanding of Yom Kippur [the Day of Atonement & how it relates to all believers. It speaks of the relationship with si...

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Study Notes and Slides

Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

Introduction: Now that we will have been seriously contemplating the 10 days of Awe from “Yom Teruah” The Day of Trumpets/Shouting as a time of reflection and T’shuvah (repentance & returning) we will finally arrive at the most Kadosh or Holy time on the Hebraic Calendar. It is also called “Yom Kippurim” or the Day of Atonements or the day of Coverings so it is extremely important for us to consider why this day holds such a central place in the lives of Yisrael. 

Yom Kippur is also known as the Last Trumpet referring to the conclusion of the sitting of the heavenly Court when the final Judgement is given. We find Shaul (Paul) referring to it in the following:

QorintYah Aleph (1 Corinthians) 15:51- 52 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—  52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last Shofar (trumpet).

If we consider the words of YHWH has holding great weight in our lives we dearly need to take note of this special day because it is clearly commanded by Elohim for all Yisrael to observe which surely includes all believers. It is a major Mitzvot (Commandment) being a most Solemn day for the people:

Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:29-31 “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. 30 For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you that you may be clean from all your sins before YHWH the Lord. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls.  

Knowing its importance I would like us to consider how Yom Kippur in essence is a shadow of a desire for a more far reaching atonement and should be seen as more than just a yearly atonement of sins though that does not diminish the need thereof. 

We are all aware I am sure that this day was the only time in the year in which the Cohen Ha Gadol (the High Priest) could enter the Most Kadosh place (the Holy of Holies) but not without the blood of a sacrificial animal which he would sprinkle on the mercy seat and then come out, lay his hands on the Scapegoat thereby transferring the sins of the people upon it after which the Scapegoat was sent into the wilderness. 

The Purpose of Yom Kippur:

Apart from its purpose of cleansing the Sanctuary, the Altar, the Priests and the assembly we need to come all the way back to the Garden of Eden to discover an extremely relevant truth. When Adam & Chavah (Eve) sinned the following occurred:

Bereshith (Genesis) 3:23 So YHWH Elohim sent Adam out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 And he drove him out and he placed Cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.   

This is the picture of the fall of man when man sinned through disobedience and was sent from the presence of Elohim.  

The yearly recital of making t’shuvah or turning from man’s sins with repentance and actions resulted in the Cohen Ha Gadol (the High Priest) entering into the Most Kadosh Place (the Holies of Holies) with the blood of the sacrificial animal to make atonement for the Nation which foreshadowed the journey of manback into the presence of Elohim. We will see how perfectly this journey back to Elohim is wonderfully portrayed in the Beyth Ha Mikdash (the Temple) & the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) service.  

In the simplest form Adam was sent east out of the garden while the High Priest goes west into the inner Temple (Beyth Ha Mikdash). Just as Eden was divided into three so the Beyth Ha Mikdash (the Temple) also had three divisions. Eden had the Eretz (the Land), the Garden & the Midst of the Garden while the Beyth Ha Mikdash (the Temple) had the Outer Court, the Holy Place & the Holy of Holies. As Adam met with YHWH in the Midst of the garden so too the Cohen Ha Gadol (the High Priest) met with YHWH in the Most Kadosh place (the Holy of Holies) only once a year on this day. 

The concept of the desire to return back to the presence of YHWH is by no means new. We first observe this in Bereshith (Genesis) when we find Cain & Abel bringing sacrifices and Yahweh accepting the blood sacrifice of Abel. Where do you think the sacrifices were done? Was it not before the entrance to the Garden of Eden where the Cherubim stood with the flaming Sword? The is why also the Cohen Ha Gadol (the High Priest) went humbly to the Most Kadosh Place (the Holy of Holies) remembering this Cherubim that stood at the entrance to Gan Eden. 

Just as Eden had trees so too the temple had images of trees & flowers carved into its walls and Cherubim carved in gold on the doors. Yom Kippur therefore is looking back to Eden but prophetically it also looks forward with a hope of Yisrael once again able to enter the presence of YHWH for all time:

What we observe is that all aspects of Yom Kippur were shadows of what would be accomplished:

The First Yom Kippur

We are now reminded of the great sin perpetrated by Yisrael when Mosheh first went up the Mountain and Yisrael made & worshipped the Golden calf. We then find Mosheh returning up the mountain from the first of Elul for forty days interceding for the people while they used this time in T’shuvah & repentance:

Shemoth (Exodus) 32:30-32 Now it came to pass on the next day that Mosheh said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to YHWH the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Mosheh returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves an Elohim (god) of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

We find that the High Priest during Yom Kippur is doing the same when he enters the Most Kadosh Place (the Holies of Holies) with the blood of the sacrifice. He is interceding for the whole Nation of Yisrael.

However in these words Mosheh was surely a shadow of the Moshiach (Messiah) and how he would atone for the sins of his people. Prophetically this day looked forward to a day when transgressions would end and righteousness dwell in a New Heaven & a New Earth.  

Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness

Yahshua in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) 

As we consider the gravity of sin & use these days prior to the Day of Atonement to consider all our failures in the hope of receiving forgiveness it is a great moment to consider the work Messiah took upon himself on our behalf as the Cohen Ha Gadol (the High Priest) with the purpose of finally putting an end to transgressions by his everlasting sacrifice:

Ibrim (Hebrews) 9:11- 12 But Messiah came as Cohen Ha Gadol (High Priest) of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect Mishkan (tabernacle) not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.  12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

For all who truly believe in Yahshua Ha Moshiach (the Messiah) the knowledge of his perfect one time sacrifice should totally ignite within us a passionate desire to fulfil T’shuvah being a heartfelt return to him with repentance since our confidence rests solely in him and his sacrifice. 

To see how Yahshua is reflected in Yom Kippur should only heighten our desire to honour this day.  

Since Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) features as a means of casting the sins of the people on the scapegoat it is amazing how we find the Cohen Ha Gadol (The High Priest) taking the role of Judge & judging the Son of Elohim thereby casting sin upon him. 

YeshiYahu (Isaiah) 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says Yahweh (the Lord),

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Just as they placed a scarlet cord around the neck of the Scapegoat so they put a scarlet robe on Yahshua as a symbol of sin. Even as Elohim gave the Kingship of the Earth to Adam so too Man mocked Yahshua and made him King of man’s world of sin. Just as YHWH made man in his image, now man makes Yahshua the true Elohim in his image the image of Sin. 

The Curse of Adam

In Bereshith (Genesis) we also read: 

Bereshith (Genesis) 3:17- 18 “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,

The symbol therefore of the curse was the thorns that were placed on Yahshua’s head since he was also bearing the curse of Adam. Yahshua the scapegoat therefore bore the sin & curse of man. 

Passover and Yom Kippur:

A rather significant question should now be raised. What is the difference between Pesach (Passover) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)? 

It is important to understand that at Passover the Wrath of Elohim was averted by Yisrael placing their trust in YHWH through the blood of the lamb placed on their doorposts just as a new believer comes to the faith and Judgement is diverted to Yahshua but all this came before the knowledge of the Torah at Mount Sinai with Yisrael just as it came to the New believer at conversion however upon revelation came the understanding that Atonement for sin needed to be made and so we come to Yom Kippur. 

Passover celebrated the deliverance from the slavery of Sin that left us blind and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) leads us to understand that the blood of Yahshua the perfect sacrifice for our sin was necessary. Therefore we know after being enlightened we understand how Yahshua fulfilled both the function to open our eyes to the judgement on sin for which he was judged but also how he made atonement for our sins with the foreshadowing of a final redemption.  

A New Beginning:

On the Day of Atonement there is this concept of a new birth like that which happens at the born again experience except that Yisrael would repeat this every year when all their sins would be atoned for. In fact the Hebrew word for Atonement is:

Strong’s Number H3722 from the Blue letter Bible

kâphar 

to cover (specifically with bitumen); to placate, appease, pacify, pardon, put off, reconcile. 

Much like a credit card that covers you until you can make the payment. Therefore we read that this was done yearly because it failed in the sense of cleansing permanently the person:

Ibrim (Hebrews) 10:1-2 For the Torah (law), having a shadow of the good matters to come, and not the very image of the matters, was never able to make perfect those who draw near with these same slaughter offerings, which they offer continually year by year. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 

This in no way assumes that the sacrifices were not acceptable for the transgressions but rather that the sinner still yet retained the heart to sin.

However Micah the Prophet gives us a promise:

Micah 7:18- 19 Who is an Ĕl like You – taking away crookedness and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? He shall not retain His wrath forever, for He Himself delights in kindness. 19 He shall turn back, He shall have compassion on us, He shall trample upon our crookednesses! And You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea!

Yahshua was therefore the ultimate sacrifice that would perfectly atone once and for all for the people of YHWH as we read in:

GalutYah (Galatians) 3:13 Our beloved King Messiah redeemed from the curse of constantly keeping the whole Torah (Law) having become that curse for us- for it has been written. “Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree.” (Devarim/ Deuteronomy 21:23) (Kings Covenant Version)

The Unveiled Truth:   

1. The Work of the High Priest on Yom Kippur therefore was a picture of returning and drawing near to the presence of YHWH through the blood sacrifice which can only be perfectly obtained through the Atoning blood of Yahshua.
   

2. Since we are in Yahshua Ha Moshiach (the Messiah) we can be totally confident that the one time sacrifice of Yahshua’s blood has fully atoned for all our sins. With that confidence we should be ignited with great passion to continue the journey of T’shuvah or the returning to obedience to the Covenant with repentance since Yahshua has promised us Divine help through the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit).
   

3. Both Pesach and Yom Kippur picture redemption through the shed blood of Yahshua; Passover being the deliverance from the bondage to sin and the rudiments of this world. Passover therefore symbolizes the first steps a new believer takes when coming out of spiritual Mitzrayim (Egypt) and accepting Yahshua, the Lamb of YHWH, as one’s deliverer and Master.
   

4. Yom Kippur, on the other hand, pictures the blood of the Lamb covering over the corporate sins of the nation of Yisrael.
   

5. Yom Kippur also prophetically points to the time when Yahshua will return to the earth to initiate the final regathering of lost Yisrael, and to prepare to marry his bride, redeemed Yisrael. Yom Kippur doesn’t focus so much on leaving Mitzrayim (Egypt), but rather on YHWH’s people preparing to enter the millennial kingdom under Messiah’s rule therefore having the hope of entering his presence to be Echad (One) with him.

The Final Haunting Question Remains:

In considering the gravity of Sin and how Kadosh (Holy) Yahweh & his son Yahshua are we must ask ourselves:

Have I shown through my T’shuvah sufficient honour for the exceedingly great sacrifice that my Adon (Master), my Melek Ha Olam (eternal King) & Elohim suffered in giving his life so that I may have Eternal life.  

Amein!

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Call of T’shuvah

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Call of T’shuvah

Psalm 89:16 says, “Esher (happy) is the people that know the tĕruw`ah (war cry [of the shofar]), they shall walk O Yahweh in the light of Your paniym (faces).”

“Esher (happy) are you Yisrael my nation yasha (saved) by Yahweh, the shield of your help, the rising sword and Your enemies will be found out liars and you shall tread down their Bamah (platform used for religious leaders).” (Deuteronomy 33:29)

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a kodesh mikra (set-apart nation), Elohim's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1 Kepha 2:9 quoting Exodus 19:6 & Deuteronomy 7:6)

Now, we can quote Scripture like this all day, but excuse me if I may, but why should we be happy and incidentally, what are we chosen for?  

Gas chambers? Genocide? Strict dietary laws? Body altering surgery on eight day old infant boys? Restrictions on clothing? To be a mockery among the nations? To be required to adhere to a high moral standard without any obvious reward? To follow a religion that operates contrary to the standard cyclical calendar?  

No other nation in mankind’s history has suffered as much as the Jews and if you’re a Nazarene, you’re part of that same nation whether you like it or not! We’ve endured so much that the nations came up with their own particular name for our plight. It’s called anti-Semitism! No other nation gets its own personal name for its suffering!

Don’t you realise, you’re affiliating yourselves with a people who have the honorary title of “Christ Killers!”

St. Augustine wrote, "The true image of the Hebrew is Judas Iscariot, who sells the Lord for silver. The Jew can never understand the Scriptures and forever will bear the guilt for the death of J-sus."

From Egypt to the modern era, the nation of Israel has been kicked like a worn deflated soccer ball from one super power nation to the other. In recent times, without a country of its own and without its own defence force, the nation’s occupants got rounded up from everywhere, losing their rights, livelihoods, belongings, loved ones, hair, gold fillings, body parts and eventually their lives in that order while the majority of world turned its back. 

I ask you, do you have a death wish? The Word says, we are blessed, chosen, a royal priesthood, a special treasure. Really? 

I have sat in envy at the peace of the wicked, knowing there are no chains that hold them back until they die? Their vitality throughout their lives always appears sound. They are not included in the toil of frail humans and they are not plagued as we are. They wear arrogance around their necks like jewellery and they are insulated from violence with their eyes bulging from abundance. They’re affluent lifestyles have even exceeded the fantasies of their hearts. They consume the weak and speak evil in public. They speak against heaven, ridiculing us with their tongues strutting on earth. Their success undermines the prestige of the Torah, where it should feel like a flowing river, it seems more like a trickle for us. Their success draining our joy. They ask, how can we be assured of an interventional Creator when we die just like them? These are the wicked and they are always at ease, accumulating wealth? Surely in vain have I purified my heart and ritually cleansed my hands. For I’m plagued all day long and I am chastised every morning with Your reality. If these thoughts became known, I would cause many to stumble in the Way. When I reflected to understand this privately it seemed like this faith was the source of my iniquity. 

I just quoted from Psalm 73. 

Recently, I sat in quiet reflection over the coming High Holidays almost upon us and I toiled over the events of the last year, working out my salvation with fear and trembling. At the same time, I looked at the secular person, even the mainstream Christian, people going about their lives, totally oblivious of the importance of Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur, and yet they seem quite happy.  

Sometimes, at this time of year we can feel so anxious that the allure of our former lives can seem like a grass greener on the other side. 

King David’s director of music, Asaf, went through the same trivial in Psalm 73. But listen to what he continues to say: “It seemed like the source of my iniquity sprang from my faith, but then my thoughts came to the sanctuaries of Elohim. In other words, the apparent unfairness of life continued to puzzle me as long as my vision remained profane, measuring success according to material attainment and physical comfort, but when I shifted my gaze to loftier things I realised that the tearing down of my body was building my soul into a magnificent sanctuary of eternal bliss. 

The wicked are bankrupt, for they have squandered all their merits in this world, and are condemned to eternal damnation in the hereafter (Rashbam & Radak). Through the Ruach HaKodesh, I gazed into the future and saw the fate of those who dared to attack Elohim’s sanctuaries (each Temple and every Elohim fearing man or woman who ever walked). The wicked attack us and in so doing seal their ultimate doom (Ibn Ezra). 

The Egyptians, Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Persians, the Romans, and even as recent as the Germans under Nazi rule have all ceased to exist, but the Jew remains the same. 

Only on slippery places does Elohim place the wicked and He throws them down into darkness. He turns them to desolation and brings them to an end with terrors. They will be as if caught in a bad dream that never ends and all the while their own stench will fill their nostrils. I felt like a fool contemplating the prosperity of the wicked, like an animal that walks alongside you knowing nothing, but still I walked along side you. You cut down all who stray from You. I put my refuge and hope in You and I shall relate You rescue mission.

Asaf comes to his senses, but he does what every believer who is worth their salt should do, reflect and ponder honestly and openly with Yahweh Elohim. Don’t be afraid to tell Him how you really feeling. If you talk openly and honestly with Him, he’ll deal openly and honestly with you. 

Everyone’s worried about Donald Trump, Isis, chem-trails, the illuminati, but the truth is our one and only concern should be our own spiritual condition before Yahweh. 

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Messiah Yahshua came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

We’ve all sinned and Yahweh didn’t arrange His calendar to catch us out and condemn us! He arranged it to remedy our sin, not kill us in the midst of it. Yahweh doesn’t punish us or kill us, we punish us and kill ourselves. 

Our sin and iniquity cause the separation. Sin and iniquity are not thrust on us; we work them into our lives with great effort. 

Your iniquities have separated you from Elohim, your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

In the absence of sin, Elohim’s presence would be evident everywhere! Gradually we push Him away and He gradually retreats from our sight. This is fine until we need Him again. 

You see we work hard to sin. We walk along way from Elohim’s House to sin. It takes a lot of mental, verbal and physical effort. And when we find ourselves damaged by sin, we want an instant teleportation back into Elohim’s house! Unfortunately, Messiah Yahshua, renamed J-sus Christ by the masses has helped to serve up this instant repentance just add water solution. As a consequence, his redefined persona has for many replaced the requirement to observe the Hebrew Calendar at all.

But what about those of us that have pushed through the myriad of smoke screens and come to the knowledge of the truth. Is life any easier for us than it is for the one walking in ignorance? 

We should know that this walk is not a guarantee against sin. But it is a guarantee for removal of sin and renewal of the soul. According to a Jewish Midrash, there is an interesting take on sin from three different levels of revelation within Scripture.  

According to Wisdom sin is a harmful deed. According to Prophecy it is death. Torah sees it as folly. And Elohim sees it as an opportunity. - The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni on Psalms 25)

How’s this work? Three of the four Scriptural interpretations regarding sin’s effect seem to have a similar take on sin and yet Elohim himself says something that seems completely different. 

Well, no doubt you’ve been hearing about Rosh Hashanah and how it’s a Day of Judgment that comes each year and all of creation gets judged. If you’re anything like me, you’re taking that seriously. But you can be bowled over by it or use it to bowl over your sin. 

So how is sin an opportunity? 

Yahweh Elohim invented the laws of nature (both physical and spiritual) and the Wisdom that recognizes how they operate. Elohim is the source of life, and it is He who decreed that it should flow to the human soul via a channel constructed (or disrupted) by the deeds of man. And Elohim gave us the Torah and its formulae for spiritual sanity, self-discovery and transcendence. So Elohim is the source of the first three perspectives on sin.

But the fourth perspective is Elohim’s alone: sin as the opportunity for "return" (teshuvah).

Teshuvah is a process that, in its ultimate form, empowers us to not only transcend our failings but to also redeem them: to literally travel back in time and redefine the essential nature of a past deed, transforming it from evil to good.

To achieve this, we first have to experience the act of transgression as a negative thing. We have to agonize over the utter devastation it has wrecked on our soul. We have to recognize, disavow and renounce its folly. Only then can we can go back and change what we did.

So is sin a bad, harmful deed? Is it the very face of death? Is it mere stupidity, to be shrugged off by an inherently wise and pristine soul? Is it a potent opportunity for conquest and growth? Turns out, it's all four. But it can only be the fourth if it's also the first three.

The usual word for sin, averah, is from the root avar, “to pass over,” hence “transgression,” overriding Elohim’s will.

There are three categories of a person who commits an aveira. 

• The first one is someone who does an aveira intentionally, called "B'mezid." This is the most serious category. 
• The second is one who did an aveira by accident. This is called "B'shogeg," and while the person is still responsible for their action it is considered less serious. 
• The third category is someone who is a “Tinok Shenishba,” which is a person who was raised in an environment unaware of the proper halacha. This person is not held accountable for his or her actions.

The usual word for repentance is t’shuvah, meaning “turning”– that is, from sin to Elohim. The word Teshuvah in Hebrew may be read “tashuv hey,” literally “returning the letter Hey.” The last letter Hey of the Tetragrammeton refers to Malchut. Malchut is synonymous with Shechinah, which is how Elohim manifests Himself as a sovereign within the creation. When we do t’shuvah in an area, we are returning the sovereignty of Yahweh back to our lives in that place. 

T’shuvah comprises chiefly four steps. 

1. Regret. To regret what we have done wrong. 
2. Leaving the negativity behind. To stop dwelling on the transgression in thought and action. 
3. Verbalisation. To verbally state the transgression
4. Resolution for the future. To be determined not to let the transgression happen again.

The chief reason King Messiah Yahshua was sent was to call sinners to t’shuvah! 

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

Maimonides wrote: "let not a penitent man imagine that he is afar off from the excellency, or degree of the righteous, because of the sins and iniquities he has committed, the thing is not so; but he is beloved and desired before the Creator, as if he had never sinned; for his reward is great; for lo, he hath tasted the taste of sin, and hath separated from it, and hath subdued his evil imagination: the wise men say, the place where "penitents" stand, the "perfect righteous" cannot stand; which is as if it was said, their degree of excellency is greater, than those who never sinned, because they have subdued their imagination more than they.''

The High Holidays were given amid the framework of the Torah to enable us to regulate righteous living. Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Awe and Yom Kippur are designed to repair, refresh and restore our souls. They were not given to condemn us each year. 

Every day, every week, every month and all year round the Father is calling us to turn around. On Rosh Hashanah the shofar is sounded as a final alarm of this constant calling. 

The shofar sound on Rosh Hashanah is to awaken us to t’shuvah! 

Paradoxically, in Orthodox Rosh Hashanah liturgies there is no reference to sin of forgiveness. Why? Because Rosh Hashanah is the preliminary stage of the final rout of t’shuvah for each year. This is called Hirhur t’shuvah (the awakening of t’shuvah). 

The interesting thing about hirur t’shuvah is that it is a form of t’shuvah that lacks all the above stages of t’shuvah. This is why Rosh Hashanah is so awesome. This form of t’shuvah overrides the multi-step process of normal t’shuvah.  

An example of hirur t’shuvah can be found in the martyrdom of Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon. The Gemara in Avodah Zarah (18a) relates that when he was taken out to be burned at the stake by the Romans, the tufts of woll soaked in water were placed over his chest in order to prolong the agony. The executioner, intensely moved by his suffering, asked Rabbi Chanina whether he could be guaranteed a place in the World to Come were he to remove the tufts of wool and increase the intensity of the fire so as to hasten Rabbi Chanina’s death. When Rabbi Chanina answered in the affirmative, the executioner acted accordingly, the latter subsequently hurling himself into the flames as well. At that point, a voice emanated from Heaven and proclaimed that both Rabbi Chanina and the executioner would enter the World to Come. The emphasis on the story was not that they only earned a share in the World to Come, but that the executioner achieved the same level as Rabbi Chanina. 

In response to this Divine verdict, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi wept, marvelling at how some individuals merit the World to Come only after a lifetime of effort, while others acquire such a reward after only a brief moment. But why did Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi weep? Because, though prior to the incident, he had knowledge of t’shuvah, he never knew of hirur t’shuvah. 

But to those of you that might have trouble relating to this old story, there is another example of hirur t’shuvah in one of the unlikeliest of sources. The science fiction movie Return of the Jedi. In this movie, the evil Darth Vader watches as his evil mentor, the Emperor proceeds to electrocute his son to death. Watch what happens (Que Slide). 

So this Rosh Hashanah, if you feel you’ve had a bad year, may the sound of the shofar bring you hirur t’shuvah and may you be reconciled to the body of Messiah Yahshua. Amein. 

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The Feast of Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets)

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The Feast of Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets)

 

Introduction: 

Since we are about to come together in a little over a week & celebrate one of the Feasts of Yahweh (the Lord) it is appropriate to reconsider its significance in our lives. “Yom Teruah” marks the beginning of ten days of consecration and repentance before Elohim. 

It is one of the “Seven Feasts” outlined in the Tanakh (Old Testament) by YHWH the Elohim of Yisrael as Moedim or Appointed times. It is not a tradition but is a Mitzvot or Commandment of YHWH that all Yisrael and those brought into Yisrael should honour and partake of. This feast begins on the First day at the New Moon of the Seventh Hebrew Month called Tishrei.     

The importance of the Seventh Month cannot be underestimated! Shelomoh (Solomon) dedicated the First Beyth Ha Mikdash (the Temple) on the Seventh Month and this month is one of the few given a name being the Month of Eythanim- so named since the streams were enduring or still flowing. 

We also read the following concerning the importance of the 1st of Tishrei revealed in the book of NechemYah (Nehemiah) upon the rebuilding of Yerushalayim and the Gathering of the whole Assembly of Yahudim (Jews) before the Beyth Ha Mikdash (The Temple):

NechemYah (Nehemiah) 8:2 And when the seventh month came, the children of Yisra’el were in their cities. And all the people gathered together as one man in the open space that was in front of the Water Gate. And they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Torah of Mosheh, which YHWH had commanded Yisra’el. 2 And Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the assembly of both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

It is also known as the Anniversary of the Creation of Adam and Chavah (Eve). Another interesting connection is found in Bereshith (Genesis) when speaking about the Eretz (Earth) being dried up after the flood:

Bereshith (Genesis) 8:13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month on the first of the month the waters had dried from upon the earth. 

According to Rashi this is the month of Tishrei being the first month according to the former Calendar before Yahweh instructed Mosheh to make the change making the seventh month known as Aviv or now as Nissan the 1st Month.

Amazingly we discover that all the great events in Scripture are connected to the Moedim or appointed times of YHWH. 

Names that “Yom Teruah” is known by:

1. Rosh Hashanah- The generally accepted & most recognized name that this time is known by is “Rosh Hashanah” which means “Head of the Year” and is observed for two days beginning on the 1st of Tishrei and is known as the Jewish New Year. It has been thought that the adaptation of calling it “Rosh Hashanah” was a result of the Babylonians referring to it as Akitu the New Year celebrated twice, once on 1st of Tishei & once on the 1st of Nissan. Torah however gives us another truth that may contradict this concept:

Shemoth (Exodus) 23:15b- 16 Appear not before me empty-handed and also the festival of the Harvest the 1st fruits of your labours which you have sown in the field and the Festival of ingathering at the outgoing of the year.

This seems to suggest that the Feast of Sukkot (Booths) is the time of the New Year and not “Yom Teruah.” 

The Name “Rosh Hashanah” is not used anywhere in the Tanakh but is referred to as “Yom Ha-Zikkron” the day of Remembrance being a set-apart day commanded in: 

Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:24- 25 “On the first day of the 7th Month-(Tishrei) you are to have a day of rest (shabbathon), a remembrance, a blowing of the Trumpets, a set-apart gathering. You do no regular work and present an offering made by fire to YHWH. 

Also known as Zichron Teruah often translated as memorial or another rendering can be to a mentioning:

The day of Zichron Teruah, the “Mentioning Shout”, may refer to a day of gathering in humble public prayer in which the Assembly of the faithful shouts the name of “Yahweh” in unison.

 Yom Teruah [The Day of the Trumpets] 

Based on the Scriptures Yisrael is:

1. Commanded to rest & do no regular work.

2. Commanded to make it a day of Remembrance or Mentioning (a “Zik’ron”).

3. Commanded to blow the Shofarim (Trumpets).

4. Commanded to make this day a Miqra Kodesh or a Set-Apart gathering.

5. Commanded to present a “Isheh” fire offering to YHWH.

“Yom Teruah” however has no clear purpose other than that we are commanded to rest on this day. Nevertheless, the name of Yom Teruah provides a clue as to its purpose. “Teruah” literally means to make a loud noise. This word can describe the noise made by a trumpet but it also describes the noise made by a large gathering of people shouting in unison as in the fall of Yericho:

Yahushua (Joshua) 10:5-6 “And it shall come to pass when the ram’s horn makes a long blast, when you hear the sound of the shofar, the entire nation will shout (Teruah) a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall in its place, and the people shall go up as one man against it.”

Traditionally on this day the Shofar was blown 100 times;

The various sounds made on the Shofar include:

1. Tekiah- A long straight blast.

2. Shevarim- Three short blasts.

3. Teruah- Nine quick blasts in succession.

They blow 3 times in that order so that is nine. That series they blow 11 times that day. The one hundredth blast is known as the “Last Trump.”

1. Yom HaDin- This name refers to the day of Judgement when the books are opened and is also known as the day the gates are opened:

Hitgalut (Revelations) 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before the throne and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

This concept of Judgement was well known amount the ancient Hebrews as we see in Daniel for example:

Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.

This event becomes a promised truth known to all Israelites, that on a future “Yom Teruah” the Heavenly court will sit & based on the accusations brought, the Books are opened and the case proceeds for ten Days. Each person’s life is placed on the scales. 

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Messiah that each one may receive according to what he has done in the body, whether good or bad. 

We could say that the blowing of the Shofar is a yearly reminder of a soon to be event which should highlight its importance & establish this reality for our benefit.

1. Yom Ha Keseh- Meaning “the Hidden Day” since it is concealed as to when it begins. Every day during the month of Elul, a trumpet is blown to warn the people to turn back to Elohim, except for the last day of Elul, the day preceding Rosh HaShanah (Elul 29 is known as the “Day of Release” at the end of a Shemita year.) On that day, the trumpet is not blown, because it was hidden from Ha Satan, the adversary. It is taught that the Shofar does not blow on this day so that Ha Satan does not know the day judgment begins

1. The Time of Ya’acov’s (Jacob’s) Trouble:

There are many references of this day with the purpose of producing great Awe & fear in the hearts of all those who fear YHWH and to bring a call for them to do “T’shuvah” and repent:

ZephanYAH (Zephaniah) 1:14-16 The great day of YHWH (the LORD) is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of YHWH is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. 15 That day is a day of gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of trumpets (Yom Teruah) and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. 

Yet many live as though they need nothing but this is for them:

Revelation 3:17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and have white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.    

In Judaism the High Priest was known as the thief in the Night and he would come to see if the Temple guards were asleep & if they were, the High Priest would get some coals from the altar & light their garments on fire. They would then run & scream & take off their garment so they were naked running through the temple courts.  

Yahshua’s words are therefore an inspiration for all of us:

Luke 12:37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  

    The truth is, that day will not come with warning but as we read:  

 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

This truth should stir us up to watch and not slumber:

This image is none other than “Yom Teruah.”! Because Shavuot (Pentecost) is known as the “1st Trump.” 

Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is known as the “Great Trump.” 

1. The Day that No Man Knows-

 It is called this because this is the only feast that is determined by the sighting of the “New Moon” and so “no man” could calculate the exact day or hour when this feast day would begin. In ancient Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), there would be “two witnesses” who would stand on the walls of Yerushalayim and “watch” for the first sliver (crescent) of the new moon. The two witnesses would sound the Shofar & all the people would drop what they were doing & run to the Beyth Ha Mikdash (The Temple) for the celebrating of “The Day of Blowing” (Yom Teruah). 

The Temple doors were only left open for a short time & late comers were not permitted to enter ounce the doors were shut. Since the feast began at sundown the oil lamps needed to be filled in order for people to find their way to the Temple. 

This is the heart of the story in MattithYahu (Matthew) 24 of the workers in the field where it says one is taken but the other is left. These would run to the Temple when they heard the sound of the Shofar since the doors to the Beyth Ha Mikdash (Temple) would only remain open for a limited time. Therefore Yahshua is speaking the language of “Yom Teruah.” 

Yahshua also likens this day to the coming of the Bridegroom in the Parable of the 10 virgins and so this again is the language of “Yom Teruah” which basically means the day of shouting, fanfare or blasts of the trumpets. 

1. Yom Ha Melech- (The Day of the King) This signifies the day of Moshiach (Messiah) or the Eternal King’s return:

Tesloniq’Yah Alef (1 Thessalonians) 4:16 For the Master Yahshua himself shall descend from the Shamayim (the Heavens) with a shout and with the voice of the chief Malak (Angel/ Messenger) and with his Shofar blowing the Tekiyah-ha-gadolah (the Long Blast) of YHWH and the dead in Moshiach (Messiah) shall rise first. (Hidden Truths N.T.) 

1. Yom Ha Kidushin- The day of the expected Wedding of the Moshiach (Messiah):

Knowing that there is an expectation of the return of Moshiach (Messiah) & that he is coming to take his bride we need to arise and make ready. This is because his “Ketubah” the Betrothal Contract is in his hand: 

The Bride Has Made Herself Ready

Hitgalut (the Unveiling) 19:7-9 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him; for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and his Bride has made herself ready. And it is granted to her that she should be arrayed in fine linen, pure and white. For the fine linen are the justifications of the Saints. And He said to me: Write: Blessed are they that are called to the Marriage supper of the Lamb. These are the true sayings of Elohim.

The Summary of the Great Truth of Yom Teruah:

To fully grasp the awesomeness of this Day we must remember & see it as a rehearsal of an Eschatological event that will one day occur. To this end we can summarize it under these points that should bless us as well as cause us some anxiety & awe:

1. As it is also known as “Yom HaDin” it reminds us of a time when all mankind will be called before the Heavenly Judgement seat where the books will be opened and the charges presented for what we have done in the flesh. We however have the hope that since our defence counsel is Yahshua who has redeemed us we shall not be condemned according to:

Romi’Yah (Romans) 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Moshiach (Messiah) Yahshua.   

This however does in no way negate our need for living our life in the flesh with a great fear and an awe of Yahweh because we will also be judged according to how we live & we will all be rewarded according to what is written in the books therefore Adonai (the Master) has a rewards program for the way we have lived apart from the concept of being written in the book of life:

Hitgalut (Revelations) 22:12 And behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me, to give to everyone according to his Work.

1. Rosh Ha shanah is a cyclical remembrance for those whom Moshiach calls his bride that she might;

1. Arise from slumber and renew her dedication to him.

2. Be purified and prepared for the Bridegroom as a Bride awaits the coming of her betrothed since she knows not, the day or hour of his coming.

3. Be prepared to go out into the field in search of her beloved.

4. Yahshua like a Hebrew Bridegroom has great expectations for his bride and it is out responsibility to know what is expected by us:

Ephsi’Yah (Ephesians) 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious Assembly, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be set-apart and without blemish. 

We could easily replace the word Assembly with Bride to get the meaning of a pure set-apart bride prepared for her Bridegroom eagerly awaiting his wondrous coming with all the fanfare that he will muster being the true picture of Yom Teruah the Feast of Trumpets. 

1. Like the traditional Hebrew Betrothal where the bridegroom would pay 30 pieces of Silver at the Betrothal as the ransom for any failure of his bride, those who are the bride have that promise as well that they can prepare themselves in expectation of being accepted when he comes knowing he has already redeemed them with his precious blood being the Bride’s price.

Conclusion: 

It is within the brief summary of this Great day that it makes us consider our lives & calls us to a renewed emphasis on repenting from our past failure remembering that YHWH in his exceedingly great mercy gives us this day each year as another opportunity to renew our passion once again for him with renewed vigour remembering that one day we will finally stand before that awesome Heavenly Court with great trepidation. 

With this thought we can however rejoice in Yahshua the Messiah who has done everything necessary that we can be accepted into the beloved through his precious atoning blood that we might be presented to him at his coming as his bride without spot or blemish. The art of repenting & doing T’shuvah in accordance to his Torah being his prescribed instruction for his bride should always remain the greatest joy that we can do for our beloved as it is the only human activity we can do for him with the hope of bringing joy to his heart. Though we may never be perfect the knowledge of knowing that he has made us acceptable should be all the prompting that we need to bring us back onto that path of “T’shuvah & Righteous living.  

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