Yom Teruah

Introduction

Shalom, everyone. How many here are celebrating this festival for the first time? And how many have celebrated it before but could use a refresher?

Today we gather for Yom Teruah—the Feast of Trumpets. It is one of the moedim, God’s appointed times, listed in Leviticus 23.

Unlike Passover or Sukkot, this day is described very briefly in Scripture. We are told only that it falls on the first day of the seventh month, that it is a day of rest, a day of teruah—shouting or trumpet blasts—and that it is a zikaron, a memorial. That’s all. No story of deliverance, no instructions about what to eat or how to build booths—just a command to stop, to gather, and to hear the trumpet.

And maybe that’s on purpose. The lack of detail gives Yom Teruah a sense of mystery. It invites us to ask: What are we remembering? Why are we blowing the shofar? What is this day all about?

In Jewish life today, this day is most often called Rosh Hashanah, “the head of the year.” That name does not appear in the Torah itself—it emerged later, in Talmudic times, drawn from a reference in Ezekiel 40:1. By then, Jewish tradition recognized four different New Years in the calendar:

Nisan 1 – the first month of the religious year, beginning the cycle of festivals.

Elul 1 – the new year for tithing animals.

Tishri 1 – the beginning of the agricultural and civil year, used for counting years, sabbatical cycles, and Jubilee.

Shevat 15 – Tu Bishvat, the new year for tithing fruit trees.

So when Jewish people celebrate Rosh Hashanah, it is not just the start of a calendar year—it is tied to ideas of creation, judgment, and renewal. Tradition holds that on this day the righteous are inscribed in the Book of Life, while those in between await their verdict until Yom Kippur.

But as followers of Yeshua, we understand that our names are written in the Book of Life not because of the balance of our deeds, but because of the blood of Messiah. Our assurance does not rest on our righteousness but on His. That is why we can greet one another with L’shanah Tovah—“for a good year”—not with fear, but with confidence in the grace of God through Yeshua.

Yom Teruah is also the first of the fall feasts, which together point us toward God’s final redemption. Just as the spring feasts found their fulfillment in Messiah’s first coming, the fall feasts prepare us for His return. And the central symbol of this day—the shofar—ties together past, present, and future.

So when we hear the shofar today, we are meant to wake up spiritually, to remember who God is, to proclaim Him as King, to repent, and to prepare for His coming.

That’s why this day is called a memorial—a zikaron teruah, a memorial of trumpet blasts. And that’s what I want us to focus on: What does it mean for Yom Teruah to be a memorial? What are we remembering, and what does God want us to bring to mind on this day?

What Does “Memorial” Mean?

A memorial brings something to mind for a purpose. It is not only about looking back—it is about calling something to mind in the present, even before God Himself.

Exodus 28:12 says the names of the tribes on the high priest’s breastpiece were a “memorial before the LORD.” In the same way, Yom Teruah is a day that reminds us, reminds our community, and even “reminds” God of His covenant.

If the shofar does not move us to act, then we have not truly remembered. We have missed the point of the day.

Memorials in Scripture

The Torah gives us many examples of memorials:

Rainbow – a reminder of God’s covenant with Noah (Genesis 9).

Twelve Stones at the Jordan – a reminder of God’s deliverance into the land (Joshua 4). These stones were meant to spark questions in future generations.

Bread of the Presence – a continual memorial offering before the LORD (Leviticus 24).

Each of these connects past events with present faith and future hope. Memorials shape identity across generations.

1. Yom Teruah as a Memorial of God’s Kingship

In Jewish tradition, the shofar blasts of Yom Teruah are like trumpet blasts at a royal coronation. They proclaim God’s kingship in every generation.

Psalm 47:5–8 says: “God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a shofar. Sing praises to God, sing praises! For God is King over all the earth.”

And of Yeshua we read in Luke 1:31–33: “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.”

On this day, we remember: our God is Sovereign, and Yeshua is His Anointed King.

2. Yom Teruah as a Memorial of God’s Deliverance

The shofar also reminds us of God’s saving acts:

At Mount Sinai, when His presence descended (Exodus 19).

At Jericho, when the walls fell at the sound of the shofar (Joshua 6).

At the binding of Isaac, when God provided a ram caught in the thicket (Genesis 22). Jewish tradition even ties that event to this day.

Psalm 81 links the shofar to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt: “You called in trouble and I rescued you… I removed the burden from your shoulder.”

And in Messiah: “He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son. In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14).

The shofar is a memorial of deliverance—past, present, and future.

3. Yom Teruah as a Memorial of Our Need for Repentance

Ezekiel 33 describes the watchman blowing the shofar as a warning. The sound calls us to wake up spiritually and remember that we are accountable before God.

In Jewish tradition, the ten days from Yom Teruah to Yom Kippur are the Days of Awe, a time of repentance and returning. The memorial here is personal: remember who you are, where you’ve strayed, and turn back to the LORD.

4. Yom Teruah as a Memorial Before God

Numbers 10:10 says the trumpet blasts are “a memorial for you before your God.”

On this day, the shofar is not only to remind us—it is to bring us to remembrance before Him. It is like appearing in God’s courtroom, appealing for mercy on the basis of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

5. Yom Teruah as a Memorial of Messiah and Future Hope

For us as believers in Yeshua, Yom Teruah also points forward to Yeshua’s return:

The shofar sound is a warning blast to proclaim that the Day of the Lord is near. Joel 2.

Blow the shofar in Zion!

Sound an alarm on My holy mountain!

Let all living in the land tremble—

for the day of ADONAI is coming—

surely it is near! (Joe 2:1).

Paul speaks of a time when the natural branches of the olive tree will no longer continue in unbelief and will be grafted back into the tree. The hardening that we see on Israel is only temporary - when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in then the words of the prophet will be triggered and God will turn ungodliness from Jacob and all Israel will be saved because God will show mercy to them once again.

The shofar reminds us to keep watch and look for the signs of the season. Yeshua says in Lk 21.24 Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Isaiah 27:13 promises that at the sound of the great shofar, God will regather His people from exile.

Yeshua speaks about gathering his followers in Matthew 24:31: “He will send His angels with a great shofar, and they will gather His elect from the four winds.”

Paul says we will be changed and the dead will rise in a blink of the eye at the last shofar (1 Cor 15.52)

The shofar is both a memorial of what Messiah has done and a reminder of what He will soon do.

Conclusion

Yom Teruah as a memorial is rich and layered:

It reminds us that God is King.

It reminds us of God’s salvation in the past.

It calls us to repentance in the present.

It brings us to remembrance before God for mercy.

It points us to Messiah’s return at the final trumpet.

So when we hear the shofar, it is not just a sound—it is a memorial sound that echoes across time: past, present, and future. It is the voice of remembrance that keeps us awake, centered, and full of hope until the day when the ultimate memorial becomes reality: the reign of Messiah Yeshua over all the earth.