Sunday, January 15, 2012

YOM TERUAH YOM HAKIPPURIM...OLD AND NEW CREATION

I have come to see a connection between the appointed times of YHWH, commonly called the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Old and New creations. I will be using the Hebrew names for the remainder of this article.

Yom Teruah takes place on the 1st day of the 7th month in the Creator's calendar. Although not found in scripture, it is also known today as Rosh HaShanah (Head of the Year). This 1st day of the 7th month is considered the beginning of another year, similar to New Year's Day. It is also the beginning of the agricultural season, with the early rain taking place during the fall harvest season, and the latter rain taking place during the spring season.

Being referred to as Rosh HaShanah, it also speaks of the creation, when it all started. Traditionally it is said that Adam was created on Yom Teruah, yet I wish to propose that Yom Teruah hearkens back a few days before that, to the very first verse of scripture.

Some may wonder how the Creator's calendar can have a new year coming in the 7th month, and not the 1st, like most calendars. This is because the 7th month in the fall is the beginning of the agricultural year, while the 1st month in the spring is the beginning of the festival year...Pesach, etc. Similarly, we have such things as the new year, fiscal year, school year, etc; the beginning point of certain things.

"Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest to you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
(Lev 23:24 WEB (R))

There are two things to note here. Firstly, this day is marked by trumpet blasting, which is taken from the Hebrew word Teruah. Secondly, the blasting is to be a memorial of something. But of what? The text does not say, but we can find out by looking elsewhere. Remember that tradition tells us this day is connected to creation. Are there any trumpet blasts associated with creation? Yes there is, although it is not readily discernable in most translations.

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding. Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it? Whereupon were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
(Job 38:4-7 WEB (R))

Here we see Eloah speaking to Job about what took place when he created all things, when the foundations of the earth were laid. Notice that it is in reference to the cornerstone being laid that the morning stars sing and the sons of God shout. The cornerstone is the first stone to be laid so this is at the very beginning of creation, not the end. When it says that the sons of God 'shouted' the word in Hebrew is 'ruah.' This is the verbal form of Teruah, which mean they literally 'trumpeted' for joy. I believe this trumpeting, at the laying of the foundations of the earth. the cornerstone being placed, to be the event memorialized by Yom Teruah. It is that event they are remembering.

Going by the Creator's calendar then, since Yom Teruah takes place on the 1st day of the month, that would also mean that the day the sons of God trumpeted was also on the 1st day of creation. For a while this posed a problem for me because the 1st day doesn't take place until verse 3, with light being revealed, yet the heavens and earth already existed back in verses 1 and 2. To me, Yom Teruah should have taken place during the time of verse 1, because the foundation of everything was laid at that time, but I could not reconcile how that could be the 1st day in light of the 1st day not occurring until verse 3. Then, it finally dawned on me that I was mixing 2 different types of days together.

In Genesis 1:3-5, it is not referring to the 1st day of the MONTH, but the first day of the WEEK. I failed to remember the difference between the two. The 1st day of the month took place back in verse 1 and 2. It was a dark period of time. This means then, that the 1st day of the week in verses 3-5 took place on the 2nd day of the month. Continuing this pattern, when we get to the 7th day, which Elohim proclaimed to be a shabbat, it was on the 8th day of the month. I know this goes against tradition, but all shabbats fall on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of a scriptural month, on every 7th day of the week.

Just as that first day of the month (Gen 1:1-2) was darkness, so too, each New Moon day is the time period when the moon is in conjunction, where no light is seen reflecting on the moon. I believe this is why Yom Teruah takes place on the New Moon, the only moed (appointed time) to do so. It is a remembering of the very starting point of creation, back in Gen 1:1. When that cornerstone (the first stone) was laid, and the sons of God trumpeted for joy, that was just the beginning. There were still 6 days of building needed to bring the physical creation to completion.

Now I want to make the connection with Yom Teruah (1st day of the month, new moon day) and Yom Kippur, which takes place on the 10th day of the 7th month. Here is what they were to do on that day:

"However on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
(Lev 23:27 WEB (R))

It is a day in which they were to 'afflict' themselves. Because of scriptures such as

...I afflicted my soul with fasting. My prayer returned into my own bosom.
(Psa 35:13 WEB (R))

it is said to be a day of fasting, abstaining from food. But why? I believe this is a moed concerning the sin of Adam and Eve.

Yom Kippur takes place on the 10th of the month, 9 days after Yom Teruah. So, starting with Gen 1:1 as Yom Teruah, the 1st day of the month, we have 6 days of finishing the creation, which brings us to day 7 of the month. This is followed by day 7 of the week, in which Elohim rested. This would be the 8th day of the month. Day 9 of the month starts with Adam naming the animals and culminates in his being introduced to his woman, Eve. If this holds true, then the next event taking place (the sin of Adam and Eve) does so on the 10th day of the month.

The sin of disobedience involved eating, so it now makes sense to me that we abstain from eating in remembering that day. While Adam and Eve indulged their desires on that day, we deny ours, a reversal of what they did.

Here is another important connection to note: Although the day is referred to as Yom Kippur (literally=Day of Covering) , it is nowhere called that in scripture. Everywhere it is referred to there, it is called Yom HaKippurim. (Day of The Coverings) Looking at Genesis 3, the coverings (plural) appears to be those (in type and shadow) made by YHWH for Adam and Eve.

Yahweh God made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.
(Gen 3:21 WEB (R))

Another possible connection I see is that during this day there were two goats, one of which was sacrificed for a sin offering, and the other was sent out of the land into the wilderness.

The first animal sacrifice took place on that day, by YHWH himself, to provide coverings of clothes for Adam and Eve's nakedness. Likewise, one of the goats was to die to cover the sins of the nation of Israel.

According to the Mishnah, Yoma, vi, 8, the live goat, bearing the sins of Israel, was sent EAST of Jerusalem into the wilderness. Likewise, Adam and Eve, bearing their sin, were sent EAST of Eden into the wilderness.

There is evidence that shows Jerusalem and Eden to be the same place. If this is true, then the connection is solid.

There is one final connection I would like to make, and that is with regard to Yom Teruah as it relates to the birth of Yeshua. We are not told of exactly when Yeshua was born, but we can deduce that it was during the fall. He is said to be the cornerstone:

being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;
(Eph 2:20 WEB (R))

It is interesting then, to note that on the very night he is born, we find spirit sons of Elohim shouting for joy (trumpeting perhaps?)

Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men."
(Luk 2:13-14 WEB (R))

Here we have the birth of what would be the new creation, the foundation being laid, and once again, we see this exclamation of joy over the event, just like the one back in Genesis.

Old Creation (Gen 1:1)
Sons of God shout for joy (Job 38:7)
New Creation (Luk 2:7)
Heavenly army praising (Luk 2:13)

These are my ruminations concerning all of this so far. I have much more study to do, which may result in further changes or refinements, but so far this gives me much more understanding as to the meanings behind Yom Teruah and Yom HaKippurim that I had not realized before.