Second Harvest
Yom Teruah Reading
by Lovingneighbor
In these sections we have what starts as the begining of the promise with Avraham. From the promise of Yitzchak which started the prosess even to blessing of his seed. This very much models the giving of Torah at Sinai as the promise and then the blessing of the law writtenon the stones just before receiving the promised land. What they have in common is it started witht he promise, then those who would take hold and do the commandments would recieve the blessings. It is also shown in the two signs of Moshe. THe first is the rod being made straight. This is the old being made new as in Avraham having a child when he was old. It is also the same model of His people Yisra'el who had gone away from God and dwelt in Egypt considered a people forsaken as slaves for 400 years past the time of redemption in the sense that if they were to be freed wouldn't it have happened by then. Yet they were made new as a nation. Both stories then requirre obediance to the word of God. Both were tested and only through obediance are they afterward blessed.
What does this have to do with Yom Teruah and the shofar? This is the second harvest. The first set of holy days happens during the first harvest of the year and the second set happens around the second harvest. Both start with a serious event, Passover and the angel of death, and Yom Teruah which is a warning of final judgment to happen on the tenth day. in looking at the first set of Holy days or the first harvest. There is a sign, the blood on the doorpost the death of a lamb ( servant) that saves from the angel of death of the firstborn. Second is the sound of the Shofar that comes from the death of a ram (leader of the sheep) that warns of a greater judgment for all mankind (Yom Kippur). the first harvest then ends with shavuot the giving of the law and the holy spirit. The second harvest ends with Sukkot or a season of joy which ends with the 8th day celebration ( entering into the kingdom).
These two harvests are similar and yet the second is greater than the first. Both the punishment and warning are greater and the rewards are greater. When we look at them together we see that the second is the last chance to repent before Yom Kippur and final judgment. At the end of the giving of the law some would still fall away or be drawn near but Yom Teruah is the final warning. If you don't get yourself cleaned up in the next ten days it will be too late. We see this as a final refinement, a final sifting, and cleansing before meeting the king and being judged. THis time is signified by the anticipation of Messiah's return. Funny it's main focus is one of repentance. It's as if to say from the moment Messiah returns he will be saying repent! before it's too late. Isn't this the same message Messiah was saying before. And in this same way John the baptist and Eliyahu were like the giving of the torah. This also speaks of repentance but there is a difference. the first warning was the angel of death would come and kill the firstborn oif they didn't obey by putting the blood on the doorpost. This is a command to obey on the outside. because it says that He wouldn't suffer the angel of death to enter that house. The second warning was one of an internal search. God will then judge the inside.
This is the heart of Yom Teruah in my opinion. It is a stop on a map close to your destination. All the previous holy days have lead to this one and this begins the 9 days of repentance leading to Yom Kippur. It's a time of warning, preparing for war, announcing the king, and all of these are situations you are to be ready for. The heart of each of these things is you don't wan't to ignore or be unprepared for these events. This is not a time for tradition it's a time for serious awareness. Lets make sure we are preparing our households and not being surprised when our master returns only to find us not doing what we should be.