Did you know there is an Appointed Time (Feast) in the Bible when Yahweh told the Israelites to rest and remember the day by blowing the shofar? This day is called the Feast of Trumpets, or Day of Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah in Hebrew). You can read about it in Leviticus 23:23-25, where Yah gives instructions for His people to honor His Appointed Times. It is also described in Numbers 29:1-6, which lists the special offerings brought on that day.
Meaning of the Day
Yom Teru'ah takes place on the first day of the seventh month on God's calendar. It is not an ordinary day. It is a Sabbath rest, a day to hear the sound of the shofar, and a time to gather in worship. In Nehemiah 8:1-12, the people of Israel assembled in Jerusalem on this very day. Ezra read the Torah aloud, and Nehemiah encouraged them, saying, “This day is holy to Yahweh your God; do not mourn or weep.” Instead of sadness, it was a time of joy, worship, and remembrance.
Historical Practice
In the first century AD, priests at the Temple in Jerusalem marked this festival with blasts of the shofar. The shofar, a ram’s horn, makes a loud and stirring sound. But it was more than just an instrument. In ancient Israel, the shofar was used to call the people together, announce a battle, or welcome a king. On the Feast of Trumpets, its blasts were a reminder of Yah’s presence, a call to repentance, and a signal to prepare for the other Fall Feasts (Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles) that followed.
Why It Matters Today
The Feast of Trumpets is one of Yah’s Appointed Times, listed alongside the weekly Sabbath and the annual Spring and Fall Feasts. It is a reminder that Yah has set aside special days for His people to rest, worship, and remember Him. Some also believe the Feast of Trumpets may be the true birthday of Yeshua, rather than December 25th. The timing fits with Scripture, since shepherds would still have been in the fields during the seventh month, but not in the cold of late December. Others point to what was happening in the heavens at that time - the Mazzaroth, or the constellations God created and placed in the sky. This is not astrology but biblical astronomy, showing how God uses the heavens as signs of His Appointed Times (Genesis 1:14).
Many connect the heavenly alignment around Yom Teru’ah with the description in Revelation 12, where a woman clothed with the sun and the moon at her feet gives birth to a male child destined to rule the nations. In this view, the blasts of the shofar not only announced the festival but also the birth of the Messiah, the Savior and King of Israel.
Learn more about the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teru'ah) with our Feast of Trumpets Activity Book. Click the cover below to learn more.
