2015 Yom Teruah Special!

A Free and Open Teaching, courtesy of www.onefaithonepeopleministries.com

Special Teaching, Moedim/Tishri 2015 Schedule
For more information, please see the 2015 Calendar under Other Resources and then
Calendar Tab. This schedule will be in the Notes throughout the Set-Apart season.
Please note Feasts and other Moedim run sunset to sunset.
(Bonus Audio, Video and Written Teachings Will be Available for the Following):
Friday, September 11th Nitzvaim Torah Portion
September 11-14Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanna Special (Feast: 9/13- 9/14)
Friday, September 18thVayelech Torah Portion with Shabbat Shuvah readings1
September 18-21Yom Kippur Special (Fast: 9/22-9/23)
Friday, September 25thHaazinu Torah Portion
September 25-27Sukkot Special Part 1Days 1-2 (Feast begins: September 27th)
Friday, October 2nd Sukkot Special Part 2/Shabbat Chol Ha Moed2
October 2-5Sukkot Special Part 3Days 7-8/Simchat Torah-Ve-Zot Ha-Barachah
Friday, October 9thTorah Recycles to Bereshit (Genesis 1:1-6:8)
1) What is Yom Teruah?
The original moed (appointed time) was known as the Day of Trumpet Blasts. It was already
customary to blow trumpets or shofars at New Moon feasts
At your festivals, solemnities and new-moon feasts, you will sound the trumpets over
your burnt offerings and communion sacrifices, so that they recall you to the
remembrance of your Elohim. I am Yahweh your Elohim.' (Numbers 10:10 NJB)
Blow the shofar at the New Moon, that is the Dark Moon, on our feast day. (Psalm 81:3Matara)
This Psalm gives Yom Teruah another name in the Jewish tradition: Yom Ha Kiseh, or Day
of the Dark Moon, necessitating this reference in the Zohar:
On this day [Yom Hakiseh, the Day of Concealment] the moon is covered, and it does not
shine until the tenth day, when Israel turns with a perfect repentance, so that the supernal
1

Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Returning, will have the normal Vayelech portion but Haftorah and NT readings
are replaced: Hosea 14:2-10, Micah 7:18-20, Joel 2:15-17 and Hebrews 4:1-8.
2
Special readings for this Shabbat in the middle of the Feast: Exodus 33:12-34:26; Ezekiel 38:18-39:16; Yochanan
7:1-36.

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Mother gives light to her. Hence this day is called the Day of Atonements (plural form,
kippurim), because two lights are shedding illumination, since the higher lamp is
illuminating the lower. For on this day, the moon receives illumination from the supernal
Light, and not from the light of the sun.-Zohar Emor 100b-101a
And the Psalm was also put this way in its most ancient Targum (Aramaic interpretation):
Blow the horn in the month of Tishri, in the month in which the day of our festivals is
concealed. (Psalm 81:4-Edward Cook, The Psalms Targum: An English Translation)
However, Yom Teruah itself was singled out because it was the seventh month of the year.
Since Torah had already sanctified the seventh day (Shabbat) and the seventh year (Land
Sabbath-Shemittah), it made sense that the seventh New Moon or Hebrew month would also
be Set-Apart, and this reason is why Torah says this:
'Speak to the Israelites and say: "The first day of the seventh month will be a day of rest
for you, of remembrance (zikaron-- ) and acclamation, a sacred assembly. You will
do no heavy work and you will offer food burnt for Yahweh." ' (Leviticus 23:24-25 NJB)
For this reason, the seventh new moon feast gets another name and is also called Yom Ha
Zikaron or Remembrance Day, and this is the first of many titles that became attached to
Yom Teruah. It is also no coincidence that the seventh full moon is also sanctified, as it is
better known to us today as the Feast of Sukkot!
In any case, it is at this new moon feast, more than any other, that we are called to remember,
but the Torah text never comes right out and tells us what we are remembering, at least, not
directly.
However, for many of the great sages throughout history, the Torah does the next best
thing
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'Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. 9 For six days you shall labor and do all
your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your Elohim. You shall do no
work that day, neither you nor your son nor your daughter nor your servants, men or
women, nor your animals nor the alien living with you. 11 For in six days Yahweh made
the heavens, earth and sea and all that these contain, but on the seventh day he
rested; that is why Yahweh has blessed the Sabbath day and made it sacred. (Exodus
20:8-11 NJB)
So the Shabbat is a memorial to the Creation of the Universe, and therefore it would make
sense that the next seven-cycle, that of the month, would be about the second most important
creation: Man. Yom Teruah is believed to be the birthday for Adam, and therefore by
extension of the whole human race.

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Similarly, the rule for releasing a servant in his or her seventh year is said to be linked to the
next most important event after Adam was created, that of the Exodus
12

'If your fellow Hebrew, man or woman, sells himself to you, he can serve you for six
years. In the seventh year you must set him free, 13 and in setting him free you must not
let him go empty handed. 14 By way of present, you will load his shoulders with things
from your flock, from your threshing-floor and from your winepress; as Yahweh your
Elohim has blessed you, so you must give to him. 15 Remember that you were once a
slave in Egypt and that Yahweh your Elohim redeemed you; that is why I am giving
you this order today. (Deuteronomy 15:12-15 NJB)
So the Yom Teruah linkage to Adam is of course thematically in between overall Creation
and the Exodus, explaining why the Rabbis have almost universally adopted this view. But
the final linkage to Adam is a little closer to home to his time
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Yahweh Elohim shaped man from the soil of the ground and blew (naphach--
) the
breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7 NJB)
This word naphach is very similar to Teruah or to blow out, but it has also a critical
difference in that humans cannot naphach because this is something only Abba YHWH does
to breathe life into or resurrect the dead, and this is how Ezekiel uses the exact same word
Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the
breath, 'Thus says Adonai Yahweh, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe
(naphach--
)on these slain, that they come to life."'" (Ezekiel 37:9)
And there is one more key linkage to this word naphach carried over intact into Yshuas
own Aramaic dialect
(Joh 20:22) And when he said these things, he breathed (naphach--
) on them and
said to them, "Receive the Ruach haKodesh. (Joh 20:23) If you forgive a man's sins,
they will be forgiven. And if you retain the sins of a man, they will be retained."
Obviously the power to forgive sins is inextricably linked to the power to raise the dead,
which the apostles also were able to do on occasion. So this naphach is a resurrecting breath
from Elohim which imparts great power to those who believe. Its linkage again back to
Adam is yet another reason for putting Adams creation and Yom Teruah together at the
same chronological moment, because trumpet blowing is also a part of the future
resurrections as well
(Mat 24:29) And immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened
and the moon will not shine its light. And the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers
of heaven will be shaken.(Mat 24:30) And then will be seen the sign of the Son of man
in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land mourn, when they will see the Son of man
who comes upon the clouds of heaven with great power and glory.(Mat 24:31) And he
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will send his Messengers with a large trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from
the four winds from one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 24:31 footnote
252) The phrase here, shipora raba, may be better rendered as "Great Shofar". Ancient
Torah practice is often said to be mirrored in heaven, and as such the Messengers
described here, like the Israelites of blessed memory, would assemble in times of great
importance or crisis by blowing the shofar. Similar language is also noted and explained
in the book of Gilyana (Revelation). See also Isa_27:13.
2) What is Rosh Hashanna?
The fact that Torah counts months differently now than they used to in the beginning is
plainly stated here
Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 'This month must be the first of all the
months for you, the first month of your year. (Exodus 12:1-2 NJB)
The text is referring to Abib or Nisan, the month that the Israelites would be freed from
bondage in Egypt. The question is, how did they count their months prior to this command
from Abba YHWH?
Well the simple fact of the matter is time was counted according to harvests, and there were
only two major harvests in Israel, one in the spring and the other in the fall. For each of these
seasons also, the year is said to turn rather than end, and those turns are of course
known to us today as equinoxes in the spring and fall.
Also, throughout the Middle East, almost all the nations around Israel had their years start at
either spring or fall equinox. So if the spring equinox is what they changed to, it makes sense
the original counting was from the fall equinox. Even the word tishri is a clueit means
opening of the year in ancient Akkadian.
But there is still more evidence that we need to discuss to really make this case clear and
compelling. First, it should be pointed out that the fall to fall system did not completely
disappear from Scripture. Rather, it simply assumed secondary importance.
This is evident in several places. For example, the Jubilee rules in Leviticus 25 state that on
Yom Kippur, which is on the 10th day of Tishri, the trumpet is blown to announce a Jubilee
year will commence in the spring, the start of the Hebrew sacred year. This is again because
that same seventh month is when the year turns over, and just after Yom Kippur is the
feast of ingathering or Sukkot, which is the end of the harvest cycle.
The remembrance of Tishri as the start of the old year also carried over into the times of the
Divided Monarchy. The great scholar Edmund Thiele (Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew
Kings) reconciled the seemingly paradoxical years given for the kings of Israel and Judah in
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Kings and Chronicles by realizing that each kingdom counted their months differently. As a
result, Thiele conclusively proved that the kingdom of Judahat least as far back as
Rehoboam if not going back to David during the United Monarchyreckoned their years
from Tishri to Elul. By contrast the Northern Kingdom of Israel did their years running Abib
to Adar, otherwise there is no other way to resolve alleged contradictions in the text. Then
many centuries later, the Rabbis inherited this tradition from the Scripture and from the
actual practices of their ancestors, and made Tishri the start of their civil year.
When that happened, Yom Teruah took on another name, Rosh Hashanna, which translates
to head of the year in English. However, the main difference between Yom Teruah as
mentioned in the Torah and Rosh Hashanna as it is practiced in modern Judaism is that
greater emphasis is placed on the trumpet blasts in the modern occasion, whereas the former
ancient version was much more sparse in its details
' "In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you will hold a sacred assembly;
you will do no heavy work. For you this will be a day of Acclamations. 2 As a burnt
offering, as a smell pleasing to Yahweh, you will offer one young bull, one ram and
seven yearling lambs, without blemish. 3 The accompanying cereal offering of fine flour
mixed with oil will be three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4 and
one-tenth for each of the seven lambs. 5 There will also be a goat as a sacrifice for sin,
for performing the rite of expiation for you. 6 This is in addition to the monthly burnt
offering and its cereal offering, the perpetual burnt offering and its cereal offering, and
the accompanying libations enjoined by law, as a pleasing smell, as food burnt for
Yahweh. (Numbers 29:1-6 NJB)
This is pretty much all we have for the ancient version of Yom Teruah, which is why on
Rosh Hashanna this is one of the most important Scriptures we read. More details on how
Rosh Hashanna is celebrated are related here
According to oral tradition, Rosh Hashanah (( ) lit., "Head of the Year") is the
Day of Memorial or Remembrance ( , Yom HaZikaron), and the day of judgment
( , Yom HaDin. Elohim appears in the role of King, remembering and judging each
person individually according to his/her deeds, and making a decree for each person for
the following year.
The holiday is characterized by one specific mitzvah: blowing the shofar. According to
the Torah, this is the first day of the seventh month of the calendar year, and marks the
beginning of a ten-day period leading up to Yom Kippur. According to one of two
Talmudic opinions, the creation of the world was completed on Rosh Hashanah.
Morning prayer services are lengthy on Rosh Hashanah, and focus on the themes
described above: majesty and judgment, remembrance, the birth of the world, and the
blowing of the shofar. Ashkenazi Jews recite the brief Tashlikh prayer, a symbolic
casting off of the previous year's sins, during the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah.-Wikipedia

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I should also mention that the tashlikh prayer mentioned above is actually a ritual where
pebbles that represent our individual sins are cast into a lake or other body of water, symbolizing
repentance.
The other feature of the day, the blowing of the shofar, is arranged in this manner:
The shofar is blown in long, short and staccato blasts that follow a set sequence:

Teki'ah (long sound) Numbers 10:3;

Shevarim (3 broken sounds) Numbers 10:5;
Teru'ah (9 short sounds) Numbers 10:9;
Teki'ah Gedolah (very long sound) Exodus 19:16,19;
Shevarim Teru'ah (3 broken sounds followed by 9 short sounds).-Wikipedia

The total number of blasts on Rosh Hashana is 100.

And finally, while the term Rosh Hashanna does not directly appear in Torah as an alternate
name for Yom Teruah, it is mentioned by Ezekiel as a general term
In the 25th year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year (brosh hashana--

) , on the 10th day of the month, 14 years to the day from the capture of the city, the
hand of Yahweh was on me. He carried me away: in divine visions, he carried me away
to the land of Israel and put me down on a very high mountain, on the south of which
there seemed to be built a city. (Ezekiel 40:1-2 NJB)
3) Why 2 Days for Rosh Hashanna?
Another big difference though between the original Yom Teruah and the more modern Rosh
Hashanna is that Torah specifically only commands one day of observance, while modern
Jewish observance in Israel demands two days.
The main reason for this has to do with confusion over the New Moon that crept into Torah
observance very late in the Second Temple period and was passed down into Rabbinic
Judaism, where some parts of the Talmud seem to indicate two new moon days, but there
was some dispute as to whether day 1 or day 2 was the actual day.
The reality of the situation is that normatively the Scripture does tell us plainly that the new
moon was proclaimed over a two day period, which could only be done by counting from the
dark moon or conjunction
24

So David hid in the country; New Moon came and the king sat down to his meal. 25 He
sat in his usual place with his back to the wall, Jonathan sat facing him and Abner sat
next to Saul; but David's place was empty. 26 Saul said nothing that day, thinking, 'It is
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sheer chance; he is unclean.' 27 On the day after New Moon, the second day, David's
place was still empty. 28 Saul said to his son Jonathan, 'Why did not the son of Jesse
come to the meal either yesterday or today?' (1 Samuel 20:24-28 NJB)
The reason Davids place was empty on the second day is again because it was normal for
Israel to sanctify the New Moon over a 2 day period. But by the time the Rabbis write down
their own traditions after being exiled from Israel for centuries, they have actually forgotten
which of the 2 days was the real new moon, so to play it safe they began celebrating Rosh
Hashanna over 2 days.

END PART 1

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PART TWO: Scripture and other Traditional Prayers for Rosh Hashanna
In addition to Numbers 29:1-6 which we read earlier, the first day of Rosh Hashanna requires
that we read from Genesis 2:1-24, 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10. In addition, Hebrew Roots practice
usually also includes Matthew 1:1-21.
The second day of Rosh Hashanna will add Genesis 22:11-24 and Jeremiah 31:12-20, along
with Numbers 29:1-6 and Matthew 1:1-21 which were done on the first day. We will now do
extemporaneous commentary for each
1) Genesis 2:1-24
SHAVAT (2:3) = rested, but not because Abba YHWH was tired because He never tires.
Rather Abba YHWH completed His work and stopped doing it. This is confirmed in 2:4
with ASAH (made) in past tense, denoting completion. Later Jewish sources though will
speculate that certain events, like the building of the Temple, also in their way complete
creation.
In 2:3, Onkelos Targum says beine shimsetha, a metaphor meaning, from evening to
evening. See Shemot / Exodus 3:6. This is also a confirmation of the day beginning at
sunset.
ASOT (2:4) = made. However, this word connotes a stronger sense of completeness than
BARA and other similar words in Hebrew.
In 2:4, Onkelos Targum uses a word for generations that can, as Etheridge points out,
also mean these are the recitals/oral histories of Adam, thus showing some of the
sources behind the Written Torah.
VEADAM AYIN LAAVOD HAADAMAH (2:5) = and there was no man to work the
ground. However, there seems a word play and hint with the use of ADAM for man as
opposed to other Hebrew terms, indicating that there was no ADAM to work the ground.
ADAMAHADAM (2:7) = Both the words for Adam (man) and adamah (ground) are also
cognates and directly related to the word ADOM, which can mean red and blood.
NEFESH CHAYA (2:7) = Adam BECOMES a living soul. In other words, Adam doesnt
HAVE a soul but instead Adam IS A SOUL. His NEFESH contains his emotions, memory
and life forceall the things that make Adam unique to himself. He only needs YHWHs
spirit to make that nefesh live.
EDEN (2:8) = literally means delight or pleasant in Hebrew. So the word may be an
adjective rather than a place name as if to say YHWH planted trees in a delightful place or
YHWH created a pleasant area to plant. It seems it becomes a formal place name or
geographical marker AFTER Adam and Eve are expelled in 3:24.
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PISHONHAVILAH (2:11) = Some commentators think the Pishon is the Nile but
Josephus and others believe it is the Ganges or Indus river. Between Kashmir and Pakistan,
on the upper Indus river, there is a very ancient town that has been known as HAVELIAN for
more than 5,000 years. The Gihon river though is more likely to be the Nile, also according
to Josephus and others. The courses of these rivers must have shifted, either due to
tributaries drying up and re-establishing themselves (we can track this back to the time with
satellites) or because of the Flood.
Jonathan says that when YHWH creates Eden (2:15) He: took the man from the
mountain of worship, where he had been created, and made him to dwell in the
garden of Eden, to do service in the Torah, and to keep its commandments. This
idea again comes from the covenant (breet) that is from in the beginning (bereshit).
Jerusalem Targum concludes the chapter (2:25) by saying that not only were Adam and
Eve not ashamed at being naked but, they didnt know what shame was.
EZER KENEGDO (2:20) = the helper who stands in front of you. So the woman is meant to
complement the man and stand in front of him, eye to eye and not head down like a servant.
ETSEM MEATSAMAY UVESAR MIBESARI (2:23) = bone of my bones and flesh of my
flesh. This is both literalEve came out of Adams riband figurative, to express how
deeply intimate he felt connected to his wife.
2) Genesis 22:11-24
YAHWEH YIREH (22:14) = YHWH will see. Since the name of the place is established as
Salem, YIREH+SALEM is where we get Jerusalem. In a sense this can mean, YHWH
will see peace. Others render the place name as YHWH will provide but the word really
does mean to see.
UTZ (22:21) = Some rabbis think this another name for Job, probably because the same word
is used to name the place Job was from.
Bonus Teaching!
Proving the Dark Moon Starts the Month
Every year, twice a year, the calendar questions come flooding in, and not surprisingly those two
times are near Pesach and Yom Teruah as believers all over the world struggle to cut through the
calendar confusion that is unfortunately often rampant in our movement.
The situation can in fact get so bad that some assemblies will simply go with the Rabbinic
Calendar. Many in that situation will claimI have seen itthat this is because they want unity
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of worship with the Jewish people, but the reality is the true overriding factor is they want refuge
from confusion, and who can blame them for that? I certainly wont.
And so in most years, going Rabbinic is hardly problematic because up till now there has only
been a variance of 1 day between their calendar and mine, what I view as the original Biblical
calendar that gave birth to the RC.
Unfortunately, 2016 will not be most years, since as many of you know I have been talking
about for 2 years that the Rabbis will pick their Abib month 1 month too late, and therefore all
the feasts will be a month late in 2016. For all of you herefor the most part at leastI think
the effect will be minimal as those who will be following the Rabbinic Calendar will be getting
their Torah and Feast teachings in effect 1 month early, so you can all pick when you want to
grab a study, either at the time I post it or when the Rabbis say to do it later.
In other ways though it raises serious logistical concerns such as having two Yom Kippurs on
which to fast on if we cant resolve the issue, or having double the 8 day feasts of Pesach and
Sukkot, one version of which (mine) which will not be on employers calendars and may make
taking off work difficult. For others, there simply wont be enough vacation time for them to do
boththey will have to pick one set over the other. I am telling you all in advance I respect your
decision regardless as to which counting you choose.
But even when Hebrew Roots folks are not arguing about the MONTH of a feast, we still have
problems agreeing on the DAY of a feast because, depending on astronomical conditions and
how one counts the lunar month, any given feast can be argued over a period of 3-4 days,
depending on the time of year.
These differences to be sure can be very frustrating and unfortunately sometimes contentious and
divisive. This has become a real flashpoint in our movement, leading one very prominent
Hebrew Roots teacher to lament that we need to cry out desperately for unity on this issue and
learn to agree to disagree in the meantime. He also suggested that the dizzying array of calendar
styles out there made it very difficult to ascertain real truth while we are sorting it all out.
While I heartily agree on the need for greater civility and dialogue and the need to try not to
break fellowship over most controversies (certain core truths about Abba YHWH, His Word and
Yshua cannot be papered over but for the rest we need to be better), unfortunately this division
on calendar seems unlikely to go away anytime soon, for the simple reason that Abba YHWH
told us in His Word that the exact day to do His feasts matters so much that we will be cut off if
we get it wrong. One day means the difference between the High Priest getting atonement for all
on Yom Kippur or dying at the Shrine and being pulled out with a rope. I wish that were not true,
but there it is.
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So what do we do? For those of us who are Calendar Guys, it kind of falls to us to present our
cases as best we can from Scripture and wider history in a non-confrontation and clinical matter,
plant whatever seeds we can, and let the Ruach ha Kodesh do the rest. I see no other alternative,
but would welcome suggestions on this at any time.
This is also especially true because to be a Calendar Guy (or Girl for that matter) is to be into a
lot of details, precision and hopefully no small amount of astronomical, mathematical and
historical studies. Do that for even a handful of years and you begin to get the proverbial skin in
the game and the more skin the greater the likelihood we are to be passionate about our views
and, if not careful, even offensive.
Therefore, I did greatly appreciate what I heard this other Hebrew Roots teacher say because it
showed the need to build a process by which we can communicate different ideas and systems in
a respectful way.
Unfortunately though, sooner or later, dtente wont be able to rule all the time and people will
feel the need for a final answer, whatever answer that may turn out to be. For now though, the
best I can do is focus on one of quite a few very important issues that would need to be
hammered out to get the unity so many greatly crave: When is the beginning of the Hebrew
Lunar Month?
This answer comes down to two competing schools of thought: Whether to start the month by
conjunction or the waxing crescent, and even within these camps we have splinter-disagreements
as well!
For example, I am a Dark Moon advocate, meaning conjunction, but there are quite a few other
conjunctionists that disagree with me because they want to take the sunset BEFORE
conjunction as the start of the montha practice developed by the Samaritanswhile I insist on
taking the sunset AFTER conjunction. Similarly, among crescentist groups there is disagreement
as to how much of a percentage of visibility makes the moon new or whether or when to rely
on calculation when the moon is not visible or whether to take the moons measure over
Jerusalem or over their local area. Again, what can we prove? What can we know?
Well, the best I can do, again for my opinion, my point of view, is to go through a quick series of
what I believe to be misconceptions and use Scripture, history and a little astronomy to sort
through the confusion, so lets start on that process right now!
Misconception #1: The Torah is clear that Biblical figures always declared the month by
sighting the waxing crescent.

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My answer: At best, this is simply an assumption of how one chooses to read the text. In reality,
there is no direct reference to the crescent as New Moon anywhere in Scripture! Let me show
you the only times the word saharon or saharonim, Hebrew for crescent, ever appears in
Tanakh:
(Jdg 8:21) Then Zebah and Tsalmunna said, Rise yourself, and fall on us. For as a man
is, so is his might. So Gidon arose and slew Zebah and Tsalmunna, and took the
crescent ornaments (
) which were on their camels necks. (The Scriptures
1998)
(Jdg 8:26) And the weight of the gold rings that he requested was one thousand seven
hundred pieces of gold besides the crescent (
) ornaments, and the pendants,
and purple robes which were on the sovereigns of Midyan, and besides the chains that
were around their camels necks. (Jdg 8:27) And Gidon made it into a shoulder garment
and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Yisral went whoring after it there. And it
became a snare to Gidon and to his house. (The Scriptures 1998)
(Isa 3:18) In that day takes away the finery of the anklets, and the headbands, and
the crescents () , (Isa 3:19) the pendants, the bracelets and the veils, (Isa 3:20)
the headdresses, and the leg ornaments, and the sashes, and the perfume bottles, and the
amulets, (Isa 3:21) the rings, and the nose jewels, (Isa 3:22) the costly robes, and the
cloaks, and the shawls, and the purses,(Isa 3:23) the mirrors, and the fine linen, and the
turbans, and the large veils.(Isa 3:24) And it shall be: Instead of a sweet fragrance, a
smell of decay; and instead of a belt, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and
instead of a festal robe, a girding of sackcloth; and branding instead of loveliness. (The
Scriptures 1998)
So in each case, this was about paganism! In Gideons situation, he turned the crescent
medallions into a fancy coat that became a snare to him and Israel. In Isaiahs case, he predicted
a judgment against people who wore them and, by extension, those who worshipped the moon
with that shape as the start of the month.
But the main point is there is not a single reference to any Biblical figure ever counting the lunar
month by the waxing crescent. In fact, the worship of the crescent moon comes from Midian
(Saudi Arabia) and it will eventually become part of Islam. Other pagans in the Middle East, like
the Babylonians, worshipped the crescent moon as well.
Therefore if someone is going to say they know the Torah always sighted the crescent as the
New Month, the very start of that month as a forwards marker, I simply ask that they prove it.
Misconception #2: Okay Andrew, you want proof? Psalm 81:3 (or 4) proves we blew the shofar
at the New Moon!

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My answer: Actually Psalm 81:3 proves the opposite is true. It says, Blow the shofar at the
new moon, the kiceh moon, on our feast day. The key word here is kiceh and while some
translations say it means full moon the fact is this word in more than 40 definitions, refers to
something concealed, darkened, enveloped and similar language. There is also a separate
Hebrew term for FULL MOON and it is lebanaw (white). Let me show you:
4560

[ 4561] (Hebrew) (page 491) (Strong 3680)

I. [ ] vb. cover (NH Pi; Aram.

chiefly Pa; kso Pa. hide, cover; ksoyo covering, etksiyto garment; Ar. kasa (ksw) clothe,
kisaun garment; As. kus, cover: kustu, garment Dl:HWB 342)Qal, only Pt. act. ; 1.
conceal shame Pr 12:16; knowledge Pr 12:23. 2. pass. (cstr.)

Psalm 32:1 covered

in respect of sin (by God, which he thus puts out of sight) (||

). Niph. Pf. 3 fs.

, covered, with waves Je 51:42; Inf. cstr. Ez 24:8, (blood) not to be covered. Pi.
Pf. 3 ms. Nu 9:15 + 12 t.; sf. Lv 17:13, Nu 17:7;

Ex 15:10; 3 fs. Gn

38:15 + 5 t.; 1 s.
Psalm 32:5 + 3 t.; Ez 31:15 (del. Co); Ez 32:7 + 13 t. Pf.;
Impf. 3 ms. Is 6:2 + 8 t.; Ex 10:15 + 4 t.; sf. Hab 2:17; Ez 30:18; 3 mpl.
sf. Ex 15:5 + 41 t. Impf.; Imv. sf.

Ho 10:8; Inf. cstr. Mal 2:13 + 11 t.; Nu

4:15; sf. Ex 26:13; Pt. Pr 10:18 + 12 t.; pl. Is 11:9; fpl. Ez 1:11,
1:23, 1:23; 1. cover, clothe Ju 4:19, Ez 16:10 (2 acc.), v:18; Jon 3:6 is appar. reflex., c. acc. of
garment (strange; rd. perh. ;) nakedness Gn 9:23 (J), Ex 28:42 (P), Ez 16:8, Ho 2:11; the
naked Is 58:7, Ez 18:7, 18:16 (+ acc. rei); the face and legs of seraphim Is 6:2, 6:2; bodies of
cherubim Ez 1:11, 1:23, 1:23; the face Gn 38:15 (J), Ez 12:6, 12:12, fig. Jb 23:17; earth with the
great deep Psalm 104:6; heavens with glory Hab 3:3; with

of the clothing Gn 38:14 (J), Dt

22:12, these two appar. reflex., cf. Jon 3:6 supr.; Ju 4:18, 1 K 1:1; heaven with clouds Psalm
147:8, with glory Ez 32:7. 2. cover, conceal blood Gn 37:26 (J), Jb 16:18; human ordure Dt
23:14; mts. conceal men from God Ho 10:8; cover transgressions Jb 31:33, Pr 17:9, 28:13;
iniquity Psalm 32:5; righteousness Psalm 40:11; hatred Pr 10:18; a thing Pr 11:13; face of judge
so that he cannot see justice Jb 9:24; rulers and seers Is 29:10; with
(H), 1 S 19:13; face by fat Jb 15:27; sun by a cloud Ez 32:7; with

of covering Lv 17:13

from whom Gn 18:17 (J), Jb

33:17. 3. cover (with covering of protection), a pit Ex 21:33 (Covt. code); with cloud of incense,
the Kapporeth Lv 16:13 (P); coverings of the sacred tent, tabernacle, and their furniture Ex
26:13, Nu 4:9, 4:15 (P); with

of the covering Nu 4:5, 4:8, 4:11, 4:12 (P); Zion Is 51:16.

4. cover, spread over, fat, the inwards Ex 29:13, 29:22, Lv 3:3, 3:9, 3:14, 4:8 (with

) , 7:3 (P);

leprosy, the skin and flesh Lv 13:12, 13:13 (P); the cloud of the theophany, the mount Ex 24:15,
24:16 (P), the tent of meeting Ex 40:34, Nu 17:7 (P), and the tabernacle Nu 9:15, 9:16 (P); altar
with tears Mal 2:13 (2 acc.); Jerusalem with multitude of camels Is 60:6; of handiwork 1 K 7:18,
7:41, 7:42 = 2 Ch 4:12, 4:13. 5. cover, overwhelm, sq. accus., the sea the Egyptians Ex 14:28
(P), 15:5, 15:10 (song), Jos 24:7 (E), Psalm 78:53 106:11; waters Jb 22:11, 38:34, Psalm 104:9,
Je 46:8, Ez 26:19; locusts the eye of the land Ex 10:5, 10:15 (J), also Israel Nu 22:5, 22:11 (J);
frogs the land Ex 8:2 (P); quails the camp Ex 16:13 (P); cloud the land Ez 30:18, 38:9, 38:16;

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darkness the earth Is 60:2; dust a city Ez 26:10; the depths of the sea by God Jb 36:30; with
a reference to a person's shame Psalm 44:16, 69:8 , Je 51:51, Ob 10, Mi 7:10; horror Psalm
55:6, Ez 7:18; violence Pr 10:6, 10:11, Hb 2:17; confusion Je 3:25; mischief Psalm 140:10; God
covers sin Psalm 85:3 (||

), cf. 32:1 (Qal). 6. sq. of person or thing covered, cover

over: cherubim over the ark 2 Ch 5:8; over the dead, the earth Nu 16:33 (JE), Psalm 106:17, Is
26:21, worms Jb 21:26; dust over blood Ez 24:7; waters over the sea Hb 2:14, cf. Is 11:9; (v.
Dr: 135. 7 Obs.); love covereth over all sins Pr 10:12; God covereth over iniquity Ne 3:37;
people not to cover over a guilty person Dt 13:9; + acc. of obj. covering (Da:Synt. 75), fig.
covering over the garment with violence Mal 2:16; God's hands with light Jb 36:32; +
covering Psalm 44:20. Note. ) ( Psalm 143:9 is error for

SS, but not cstr. wi. ;

Bae;

of

acc. to LXX

Ez

31:15 acc. to Co I caused the deep to mourn for them (del. ). Pual. Pf. 3 mpl. Psalm
80:11, Pr 24:31; Impf.

Ec 6:4; pl. Gn 7:19, 7:20; Pt. pl. 1 Ch 21:16; fpl.

Ez 41:16. 1. sq. accus. be covered, hills with shadow Psalm 80:11; mountains with
water Gn 7:19, 7:20 (P); field with nettles Pr 24:31; abs., windows of temple Ez 41:16 . 2. sq. ,
be clothed, with sackcloth 1 Ch 21:16; name with darkness Ec 6:4. Hithp. Impf. Is 37:1 =
2 K 19:1; 3 fs. Pr 26:26; Gn 24:65; pl. Is 59:6, Jon 3:8; Pt. 1 K
11:29; pl. Is 37:2 = 2 K 19:2; cover, clothe oneself, abs. (of veil) Gn 24:65 (J); with

of new garment 1 K 11:29; sackcloth 2 K 19:1, 19:2 = Is 37:1, 37:2; fig. of works Is 59:6, of hatred
with guile Pr 26:26; with acc. Jon 3:5 () .

In fact the only possible reference to full moona very remote and dubious one--is with
respect to a tiara for a moon god that could be linked to a full moon, but not the full moon
directly. Even there, it seems far more likely the kiceh meaning is talking about the COVERING
over that false gods head and nothing to do with the full moon at all.
This mysterious word kiceh can also mean in Aramaic appointed time and it is closely related
to the Hebrew and Aramaic word for throne. However, with this reference of Psalm 81:3, there
are four overriding considerations:
1) It is linked to the word chodesh, so whatever kind of moon kiceh is, the new moon is
officially defined as the moon in this phase. As we just saw, the near universal
application of kiceh is with respect to clouding over, concealing or covering, so I think
the burden of proof is on my opponents to prove the extremely rare meaning of a moon
gods tiara first refers to full moon and second that such is the intended meaning over and
above 99% of the other instances of this word with the covering/dark meaning.
2) Other Hebrew uses in Tanakh are clearly meant to show a distinction as Proverbs 7:20 is
clearly meant to say, At the kiceh (New Moon) he will come home, referring to a
wayward woman seducing a man by saying my husband wont be back until the start of
next month. Compare this with Song of Songs 6:10 which is talking about a full moon,
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comparing it to the glow of a beautiful womans face, but uses lebanaw. That would have
been the one place that kiceh could only have been thought of as full moon but it isnt
used there.
3) Finally Job 26:9 does have some scholars think it should read He obscures the face of
the FULL moon with kiceh allegedly meaning full to contrast the miracle of covering
it over. While I admit on first glance I see that logic, I suggest a careful reading starting
from Job 26:7 talks about natural cycles such as the he has inscribed a circle at the
boundary between light and darkness and he wraps up waters in the clouds and they do
not burst which would go much better thematically with the covering over that is a
natural part of the recycling of the moon. The poetry in Job is divided up into themes, and
in this part of the Scripture, that theme is on natural cycles.
4) The testimony of very ancient Jewish translations of Hebrew Tanakh into Greek and
Aramaic should also be taken into account, as neither mentions a full moon for Psalm
81:3:
3
Blow the trumpet at the new moon, in the glorious day of your feast. (Psalm
81:3, LXX rendering by Brenton)
The Greek redactor may be thinking of a secondary Aramaic meaning for kiceh which is
appointed time, feast, but nowhere does it say full moon. Now lets check the
Aramaic Tanakh:
Blow the trumpets in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast
days. (Psalm 81:3, Peshitta Tanakh rendering, by Lamsa)
Lamsa saw the word kiceh but took it to mean appointed time, perhaps because all
versions have another occurrence of the word feast at the end and he may have thought
that made more sense to him.
However, I think it is clear that a new moon is being described here, not the feast day it
falls upon, because the feast is given in the other part of the sentence. As a result, I
believe the proper translation should be something like: Blow the shofar at the new
moon that is concealed on our appointed times.
The one thing though that I believe is certain is that the two most ancient translations
from the Hebrew avoid full moon for kiceh which puts it much more in favor of the
dark moon rendering since that is the overwhelming meaning the word is given
throughout Tanakh.
Misconception #3: The New Moon is never described outside Psalm 81:3 as being new
while covered.
My answer: The word hodesh (new moon) is derived from hadash which can mean
either new or renewed. In several places the moon is described as hidden or new
things are referred to as having not sprung forth:

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"Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new ( )
things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you." (Isaiah 42:9 NAU)
6

"I proclaim to you new ( ) things from this time, even hidden ( )
things which you have not known. (Isaiah 48:6 NAU)

New = hidden = dark moon. A crescent moon has sprung forth for up to three days on
some occasions.
Misconception #4: Reckoning by the conjunctionbecause it cannot be seenmust be a
thoroughly modern practice and therefore unknown to Israel.
My answer: Actually a combination of keeping careful observation records and tracking lunar
months mathematically over a period of many centuries could totally predict conjunctions with
perfect accuracy in spite of it being unseen.
In around 3100 BCE, the ancient Egyptians began constructing one of the most intricate and
sophisticated calendars ever known to man. Almost all Egyptologists agree that the first stage of
their calendar development involved a lunar calendar with schematized averages married to actul
observation.
According to Richard Parker in his landmark The Calendars of Ancient Egypt, the astronomers
there had developed a system where they could predict conjunctions and in fact all phases of the
moon within a 25 year period. The Egyptians made all their months 30 days long (part of a
longer solar process) and then overlaid those months with lunar phases for certain feasts that fell
on phases of the moon.
While Parker admitted the details of some of this math were his best attempt at well-educated
guesses, the broad contours of how the system worked are not in doubt. The math is actually
quite simple.
Take the extremely stable and accurate synodic month average of a lunar month at 29.530588
solar days and multiply it by 309, and you get this number:
29.530588 x 309 = 9,124.95162 days = 9,124 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes and 26.19
seconds.
In other words, 309 lunar months were about 1 hour and 9 minutes short of 9,125 days, so
when the Egyptian day began at sunrise, that dawning sun would only be 1 hour and change after
the predicted phase of the moon they were tracking.

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In addition, 9,125 days is 25 x 365, or just 6 days shy of 25 solar years, which is 9,131 days, 1
hour, 18 minutes and 43.92 (call it 44) seconds. As a result, the 309th New Moon from when they
started would be about 6 days shy of completing that 25th year, by which time the moon would
be at or near its next phase (probably 1st quarter).
As a result, 1,500 years or so before the birth of Moshe, the culture he would grow up in had no
trouble predicting conjunctions in 25 year increments. Moshe, as a Prince of Egypt, had to have
been skilled in all their wisdom, including astronomy, per Acts 7:22. Therefore Moshe knew, as
did his adopted culture, the first day of the lunar month was the day of invisibilitya clear
reference to conjunction.
But Moshe would also make a few tweaks. He would view sunrisethe Egyptian start of the
dayas the midpoint in his Hebrew sunset to sunset days, and simply point back to the previous
sunset to use their calculations for his purposes. Moshe would also double the 25 year lunar
system to 50 years, and married solar and lunar cycles in the Jubilee. In any case, conjunction is
not a new process, but one of the oldest components of the most ancient astronomy known to
man.
Misconception #5: The calendar being based on signs, seasons, days and years requires a
sighted moon, whereas conjunction is not sighted.
My answer: There seems to be a lot of inconsistency about how a crescent moon fits as a sign.
For example, if the waxing crescent is a signalthough it will often not be seen at the right time
which tends to go against this classificationthen so must the OTHER crescent, the last sliver of
the OLD moon, also be classified as a sign. And yet I have yet to see any crescent tracker take
into account the OLD moon consistently to help prove the new, from their viewpoint. The fact is,
I sight the moon throughout the month as part of my calculated system.
That being the case, the conjunction is simply that which takes place IN BETWEEN the
crescents. When the last sliver is seen, ancient observers knew the next night the moon would
rise 50 minutes later.
So if they see the sliver at say 6:00 PM on Night 28 (start of day 28 at evening), they will check
to see if they will see another sliver at 6:50 PM the next night at the start of day 29. If they do,
they know the next night the moon will NOT be seenits a 30 day month and never less than
29 or more than 30 days long.
But if on Night 29 they do NOT see the crescent, the moon has gone into conjunction and the
month will only have 29 days, because that day will end the next sunset. So if the waning and
waxing crescents are signsnot sure they are but for the sake of argument will allow it for the
momentthey will frame the time of conjunction to the sunset that takes place in between them.

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If however the unreliable crescentwhich is not seen about 1 in 3 timesis therefore NOT a
sign, then sunset and math can act as signs because a sign can be discerned in cycles and cycles
can be counted by math.
For these reasons and many others, I remain convinced that the sunset after lunar conjunction has
always been the start of the Hebrew lunar month.
On another occasion though, perhaps we can also get into why certain events in Jewish history
(particularly Jewish tradition) sometimes create a false impression in favor of the crescent, but
lets leave this as it is for the present.
END PART TWO

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PART THREE: ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURAL READINGS FOR YOM TERUAH

AND COMMENTARY
3) 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10 (extemporaneous)
4) Jeremiah 31:12-20 (extemporaneous)
5) Matthew 1:1-21
Matthew 1:1
The name Y'shua is short for Y'hoshua and means ( Yahweh) is Salvation. The
giving of names in Israel is a prophetic act. His name Y'shua therefore carries great
prophetic insight regarding the office and identity of Mashiyach. We avoid the Greek
anglicized version due to its association with the name of a Greek deity. It is written in
Exo_23:13, "Make no mention of the name of other Elohims, neither let it be heard out of
your mouth" which prohibits the use of alternative names and titles that replace the Name
of YHWH and His Mashiyach Y'shua; both are absolute.
Hebrew Mashiyach (maw-shee'-akh) (Aramaic Meshikha) means "Anointed One". This
is a Torah specific term that can only be correctly understood in the context of the
Tanakh, i.e. the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings. YHWH directs His servants to
perform "h'mishchah" (the anointing) with oil, indicating those whom YHWH sanctifies
and puts His Ruach haKodesh within. The Anglicized term "Messiah" has gained
connotations of "the hero", whereas Mashiyach ben Yoseph is the Suffering Servant,
tender, a man of sorrows and the Savior or all. Mat_20:28; Php_2:7; Isa_53:2.
Matthew 1:11
Paul Younan renders this passage as: "Yoshiyahu fathered Yochanyahu and his brothers
in the captivity of Bavel." However, while the beyt proclitic here can most certainly read
"in", the better choice is "about" Babylon, meaning "about the time of the Babylonian
captivity" because Josiah died just prior to this happening and did not go into captivity
himself. Lamsa uses "about" but Etheridge uses: "at the exile of Bobel." In this case "at"
or "about" are interchangeable readings for this proclitic. Murdock's translation agrees
with Younan, but the context here requires "about" and this is also retained in Greek
translations.
Matthew 1:16
The word gowra designates a protector-male or guardian; the context of this verse
determines its specific meaning. Y'shua elsewhere says "which one of gowra, if he has a
son..."; obviously "father" is intended. "Gowra" also applies to other forms of protectormale type relationships depending on the context, such as "husband", "son", and so forth.
Ancient Aramaic Matthew ends at Mat_1:17, not verse Mat_1:25. The text not only
establishes the subject, but shifts from "background history" into the present, from intro
19 | P a g e

to body. This means that the Yosip in Mat_1:16 (the guardian or adopted father of
Miriyam (Mary)) is not the same Yosip as the husband of Miriyam in Mat_1:19. There is
no reason for Matthew to use two different words for the same individual, whereas gowra
sometimes means "husband" but can also mean "father". The other term baalah can only
mean "husband". On the other hand, there would most definitely be a reason to
differentiate two men named Yosip, one being the adopted father, the other the husband
of Miriyam. With this differentiation we now have three full sets of 14 generations,
which satisfies the demands of Mat_1:17. More detail is presented in Ruach Qadim,
accessed online at www.aent.org.
Matthew 1:18
A very clear shift from the backstory of ancient times into the contemporary narrative of
Matthew 1, with "din" or "now" being one of the most common ways in Aramaic of
switching to a new thought. While all parts of this chapter are in past tense, the shifting
from ancient to recent also demands two different Yosips.
Betrothal (Hebrew Erusin or Kiddushin) is as binding as marriage, see Deu_20:7;
Deu_22:23-28.
Ruach (Wind/Spirit) haKodesh (the Set-Apart). Most English translators follow the
tradition of using "holy ghost". Holy is etymologically derived from the word "heile"
referring to the warmth of the sun; "ghost" is a saxon term that refers to the spirit of a
dead person; neither are consistent with being Set Apart for the Kingdom of Elohim.
Matthew 1:20
"Messenger" is more preferable by Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek than "angel." See
Messengers (Angels) in Appendix.
YHWH (yud-hey-vav-hey, pronounced YAH - WEH) is the Name of the Most High
Elohim. To vocalize the Name YHWH, breathe in slowly while saying "YAH", then
breathe out while saying "WEH". Netzari followers of Mashiyach never subscribed to
the Rabbinic ban against vocalizing the Name of YHWH. Neither was the pronunciation
of the Name lost within Jewish culture. When Torah was translated into Greek,
observant Jewish scribes preserved the Name of YHWH by writing "YHWH" with
Hebrew characters in the Septuagint. Isa_52:5-6 states that the Name of YHWH is
"continually every day blasphemed, therefore YHWH's people shall know His name."
This prophecy is nested in Scripture that reveals the "arm of YHWH" who is Mashiyach,
therefore it is Mashiyach Y'shua who brought the knowledge of the Name of YHWH to
the world. Jer_12:16 states that the Israelites swore by the name of Baal (Lord) a popular
heathen deity of the day. Jer_23:27 says that false prophets postured false dreams to
manipulate YHWH's people away from YHWH into Baal worship. One should also note
that the English "LORD" is an equivalent term for "Baal." Jer_44:26, states that YHWH
would remove His Name from their lips for using the cliche, "as Adonai YHWH liveth,"
all while they burnt incense to the Queen of Heaven. However, Jer_16:21 states that
20 | P a g e

"they shall know my Name is YHWH." Eze_36:20-24 states that when Israel "entered
unto the heathen... they profaned my Set Apart Name... but I had pity for my Set Apart
Name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen... and I will sanctify my
Great Name, which was profaned among the heathen!" See Ban on the Name of YHWH
and MarYah in Appendix.
Y'shua the Son is begotten of YHWH as Mashiyach, see Psa_2:7-12.
Bonus Teaching! Fun Facts About those Bloody Moons!
1)
2)
3)
4)

All Blood Moons occur at Lunar Eclipses.

All Lunar Eclipses can only occur at Full Moon.
Three Hebrew Fests also occur at Full Moon: Purim, Pesach and Sukkot.
Therefore any Blood Moon happening in any given year has a 25% chance of hitting on a
Hebrew Feast.
5) Almost all of the tetrads that are touted as prophetic happened AFTER events they
were supposed to predict.
6) Blood Moons are not rare eitherand in the last 2,000 years they have happened more
than a dozen times without Yshua returning.
7) Blood Moons only look rare if one counts the month by the waxing crescent. This is
because that system will cause you to miss your Full Moon Feasts about 85% of the time,
so for the 15% of the time that conjunction and crescent point to the same start of the
month, it looks rarernearly 6 times more rarethan it actually is.
8) However, if one counts by sunset after conjunction, one will see that of course Father
Yahs feasts like Yom Teruah happened at Dark Moon and Pesach and Sukkot happen at
Full Moon because thats how it is supposed to work, to have feasts at when its all dark
or all lit up. Its a beautiful choreography from all dark to all light and back to all dark
again.
9) Finally, if we are to proclaim that these Blood Moons are a sign FOR Israel, why is it that
15 of the 16 Blood Moons will not be see IN Israel? How does that work? Still, for that
ONE Blood Moon hitting at Sukkot in 2017, I admit, that one will be seen over Jerusalem
skies and it may be prophetic counting down to Yshuas return, but if son, I believe it is
counting FORWARD from Sukkot of 2017, so the count would just be starting, not
ending.
10) I believe it may be possible that last Blood Moon counts forward by adding to the Sukkot
2017 date the 4,112 days I counted in the book of Revelation, from when the clock was
built and ticking forward in chapter 4 to when Yshua returns as the Word of Elohim in
Revelation 19:13. This will point to 2028a very significant year in my prophetic
system that may be associated with a possible return date.
END PART THREE
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PART FOUR: SPECIAL PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS

What are the Selichot?
In Ashkhenazic practice, starting on the Saturday before Yom Teruah and continuing throughout
the Ten Days of Repentance are the Selichot or the traditional Jewish prayers of repentance.
Sephardic Jews on the other hand start their version of these prayers during the weekdays of
Elul. Either way, there are several types of these, including the following

Selichah ( )Hebrew for "forgiveness." This is the default Selichah and comprises
the vast majority of the Selichot service.
Pizmon ( )Hebrew for "chorus." These central Selichot vary according to the day
and contain a chorus which is repeated after each stanza.
Akeidah ( )Hebrew for "binding", a word which specifically refers to the Binding
of Isaac. This Selichah contains the theme of the Akeidah as a merit for Elohim
answering our prayers. It begins to appear on Rosh Hashanah eve and is placed
immediately before the Pizmon.
Chatanu ( )Hebrew for "we have sinned." Starting on the evening before Rosh
Hashanah and continuing through Yom Kippur, this Selichah is said after the final
recitation of the Thirteen Attributes and before the Vidui confessional. It contains as its
refrain, "" , "We have sinned, our Rock, forgive us, our Creator".
Perhaps the most famous Chatanu Selichah is the Eleh Ezkera Martyrology recited during
Musaf on Yom Kippur, though the recitation of the aforementioned refrain is not always
followed in this particular Chatanu.
Techinah ( )Hebrew for "petition." This Selichah begins to appear on the eve of
Rosh Hashanah in the Tachanun section, at the very end of the Selichot service.

A fundamental part of the selichot service is the repeated recitation of the "Thirteen Attributes,"
a list of Elohim's thirteen attributes of mercy that were revealed to Moses after the sin of the
golden calf (Ex 34:6-7): YHWH [1], YHWH [2], Elohim [3], merciful [4], and gracious [5],
long-suffering [6], abundant in goodness [7] and truth [8], keeping mercy unto the thousandth
generation [9], forgiving iniquity [10] and transgression [11] and sin [12], who cleanses [13].
Why is "YHWH" listed twice as an attribute? And why are three of these "attributes" Names of
Elohim? Different names of Elohim connote different characteristics of Elohim. The four-letter
Name of Elohim (rendered here as "YHWH") is the Name used when Elohim is exhibiting
characteristics of mercy, and the Talmud explains that this dual usage indicates that Elohim is
merciful before a person sins, but is also merciful after a person sins. The third attribute is a
different Name of Elohim that is used when Elohim acts in His capacity as the almighty ruler of
nature and the universe.
Bonus Teaching: How the Tribes of Israel Form a Clock!
And Elohim called the light day and the darkness He called night. And there came to
be evening and there came to be morning, the first day. (Genesis 1:5-TS 1998)

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When there is found in your midst, in any of your cities which your Elohim is
giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the eyes of your Elohim, in
transgressing His covenant, and has gone and served other mighty ones and bowed down
to them, or to the sun or to the moon or to any of the host of the heavens, which I have
not commanded, and it has been made known to you and you have heard, and has
searched diligently. Then see, if true: the matter is confirmed that such an abomination
has been done in Yisral, then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who
has done this evil matter, and you shall stone to death that man or woman with stones.
(Deuteronomy 17:3-5 TS 1998)
So because Abba YHWH commands Moshe to start the day at sunset, and further commands that
veneration of the sun, moon and stars is forbidden. But if Moshe, as Stephen says in Acts 7:22,
was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and mighty in words and deeds. That statement
implies Moshe was raised on their science and astronomy; and this is confirmed in the writings
of Philo and the Talmud.
However, according to Josephus, Moshes astronomical training took a decidedly surprising turn,
according to an Egyptian account of the Exodus that he quotes from:
250

It was also reported that the priest, who ordained their polity and their laws, was by
birth of Heliopolis, and his name Osarsiph, from Osiris, who was the Elohim of
Heliopolis; but that when he was gone over to these people, his name was changed, and
he was called Moses.'' (Against Apion, 1:250)
265

and for that priest who settled their polity and their laws,'' he says, ``he was by birth of
Heliopolis, and his name was Osarsiph, from Osiris the Elohim of Heliopolis; but that he
changed his name, and called himself Moses.'' (Against Apion 1:265)
286

Nor, indeed, is that other notion of Manetho at all probable, wherein he relates the
change of his name, and says that ``he was formerly called Osarsiph;'' and this a name is
no way agreeable to the other, while his true name was Mouses, and signifies a person
who is preserved out of the water, for the Egyptians call water Mou. (Against Apion
1:286)
Heliopolis was the center of Egyptian astronomical study as it related to their sun Elohim, so
they intimately studied equinoxes and solstices there. It was also the city that Josephs wife
Asenath was a priestess at and, if the lone report in the Septuagint is to be believed, Heliopolis
was also rebuilt and expanded by the Hebrew slaves in Exodus 1, along with Pithom and
Rameses.
That Moshe had sophisticated astronomical training in the sun, moon and stars in Egypt is
beyond dispute. But then, when Abba YHWH calls him, the command is the day starts at

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sunset, not sunrise as they do in Egypt, and so Moshe then makes sure the sunrise/noon solstice
processes he learned about growing up go underground.
In other words, all of the solstice expertise Moshe had from his time at Heliopolis he passed on
to Aaron and the priests. But because of how the heavens were worshipped across the Middle
East, the priests kept the sun data to themselves, did not pass it on to the rest of the nation, and
merely proclaimed the feasts to them instead (Leviticus 23:4).
This idea though is not speculationthe solstice patterns are directly encoded in the Torah as
well as being referenced by Josephus and Philo. But what is less well known is that the solstices
are encoded with the marching order of the tribes!
To begin with, there are four sub-tribes of Levi: The Kohenim (priests), the Gershonites, the
Merarites and the Kohathites. In Numbers 10, the tribes prepare to leave Mount Sinai. It is clear
that Kohenim, the sons of Aaron, have the responsibility for setting the timings of the feasts and
the agricultural year, and so they have this command to follow
And the sons of Aharon, the priests, blow with the trumpets. And it shall be to you for a
law forever throughout your generations. And when you go into battle in your land against
the enemy that distresses you, then you shall shout with the trumpets, and you shall be
remembered before your Elohim, and you shall be saved from your enemies. And in the
day of your gladness, and in your appointed times, and at the beginning of your months, you
shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over your peace offerings. And they
shall be a remembrance for you before your Elohim. I am your Elohim. (Numbers 10:810)
Over and over again, the priests are charged with blowing trumpets or shofars at the appointed
times and at special occasions. In Numbers 31, Phinehas the Priest is sent with trumpets as he
goes to war.
At Jericho (Joshua 6) the priests blew both rams horns and trumpets to bring down the citys
walls towards the end of Abib, the first month of spring.
In 1 Chronicles 15, the ark is brought to Jerusalem with the priests blowing trumpets.
2 Chronicles 7 has the priests blow trumpets when the Temple is dedicated.
The point is, the priests are doing this function of blowing trumpets throughout the feasts,
throughout the year and during special times of need or crisis. So since the Hebrew Year starts
with the Feast of Pesach at spring full moon, the Kohenim group represents the start of spring, or
Vernal Equinox.
Next thing we notice is the very word for the tribe, Levi, means to join together, and this is
literally true with respect to the other tribes, as they march out of Sinai
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And it came to be on the 20th day of the 2nd month, in the 2nd year, that the cloud was taken
up from above the Dwelling Place of the Witness. And the children of Yisral departed,
setting out from the Wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud dwelt on it in the Wilderness of
Paran. Thus they departed the first time, according to the command of by the hand of
Mosheh. And the banner of the camp of the children of Yehudah departed first according to
their divisions. And over their army was Nahshon, son of Amminadab. And over the army of
the tribe of the children of Yissaskar was Nethanl, son of Tsuar. And over the army of the
tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliyab, son of Hlon. And the Dwelling Place was taken
down. And the sons of Greshon and the sons of Merari departed, bearing the Dwelling
Place. (Numbers 10:11-17 TS 1998)
Psalm 19 then tells us that Abba YHWH has pitched a tent for the sun, and the Tabernacle was
basically a glorified tent. Now imagine that the sun itself is attached to the top part of this tent
or Tabernacle. When the tent is set up then the sun is at the highest point (summer solstice)
and when it is taken down it is at its lowest point (winter solstice).
Therefore the clan of Gershon represents the summer solsticeit is mentioned firstand Merari
is the winter solstice. Since we just saw that the priestly line (the Kohenim), represents the start
of the agricultural year (spring equinox), and with Gershon and Merari representing the solstices,
that leaves the Kohathites to represent the fall equinox.
This makes sense, because the Kohathites were in charge of the Ark, and its mercy seat is
called kaphar, the same as Yom Kippur, which is in fall! In fact the number of days in the
Hebrew Year, starting from 1 Abib inclusive to Yom Kippur, is exactly the same as the number
of days from spring equinox to fall equinox: 187
The numbers parse out as:
Abib (30), plus Iyar (29), plus Sivan (30), plus Tammuz (29), Ab (30), Elul (29) + Tishri
to Yom Kippur (10) = 187 days.
So, in terms of the solar procedures Moshe knew from his time in Egypt, I believe it is pretty
likely to determine what he adapted when commanded by Abba YHWH.
First, because the Hebrew day starts and ends at sunset, tracking the position of the dawning sun
as was done in Egypt becomes the sole province of the priests. Two main reasons for believing
this are
1) The priests and Levites were each divided into 24 divisions, one for every hour of the solar
day. It was actually the Egyptians who first determined the day was 24 hours long.
2) The terms for sun (shemesh/ ) and minister (shamash/) ,
are actually the same, so
one is meant to mirror the other.

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But in terms of the solar months themselves, I believe the original system was simply to number
them 1 through 12, and to be honest I sympathize with many who think that should have never
changed. However, Torah tells us plainly that a change in these months was intended. When the
12 tribes were blessed in Genesis 49, this was their order
The 12 Tribes/Months per Genesis 49
1) Reuben

7) Dan

2) Levi

8) Gad

3) Judah

9) Asher

4) Zebulun

10) Naphtali

5) Issaachar

11) Joseph

6) Dan

12) Benjamin

This order was also star based, per the instructions of Genesis 31, which is identical to Genesis
49. Genesis 31 was again when Joseph dreamed that the sun (Jacob), the moon (Rachel) and 11
stars (the brightest stars of each constellation of the zodiac) bowed down to him, the 12th star.
This relates to the pattern in Numbers 10 in the following way
Numbers 10 lists 4 lead tribes, each having 2 others under its command
1) Judah, commanding also Issachar and Zebulun.
2) Reuben, commanding also Shimeon and Gad.
3) Ephraim, commanding also Manasseh and Benjamin.
4) Dan, commanding also Asher and Naphtali.
This order tells us that Judah represents spring, Reuben summer, Ephraim fall and Dan winter. In
addition, each season tribe is named after the first month of that season, with this order of the
months for the year: 1) Judah, 2) Isaachar, 3) Zebulun, 4) Reuben, 5) Shimeon, 6) Gad, 7)
Ephraim, 8) Manasseh, 9) Benjamin, 10) Dan, 11) Asher, 12) Naphtali
Other concordances here include:
1) Judah depicts spring and the Lion of Judah (Messiah) dies at Passover, and please see
also the linkage between that event as foreshadowed in Psalm 22:13. Also just before the
wheat harvest in late spring, Samson kills a lion (Judges 14:1-15:1).
2) Reuben is summer, when the mandrakes associated with him are harvested (Genesis 30).

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3) Ephraim is fall and his name means fruitful, when grapes are harvested (Deuteronomy
16:13).
4) And Dan is winter, because of his dark betrayal in the season of darkness, which comes
in the time of the Judges.
So now we see how the Tribal Calendar of Moshe works! All the sub-tribes of Levi represent
solar and seasonal markers (equinoxes and solstices) and so Levi is counted separately from the
others.
The rest of the tribes each represent months, with the 4 most prominent of these also representing
a season each. This is why I always say, no detail in Scripture is too small and there is also no
such thing as coincidences in Scripture either! Even something seemingly mundane, like the
way the tribes of Israel march out, can have a profoundly deep message embedded in equally
profound calendar codes!
Yom Teruah in the Rest of Tanakh
Yom Teruah was an especially important time of year for both the United Kingdoms of David
and Solomon and for the Southern Kingdom of Judah that followed after it. This was because, as
we saw before, these two kingdoms especially reckoned their year with Tishri as their first
month, and so Yom Teruah was their New Years Day and the time that they reckoned the rule
of their kings from.
Furthermore, it is no accident that the Temples were built to have their dedications coincide with
this seventh month, if not Yom Teruah itself, then definitely for Sukkot. It is important to note
that Yom Teruah and Sukkot are kind of two sides of the same coin, as the former celebrates the
7th New Moon of the year and the latter the 7th full moon of the year, making for a complete
cycle of total joy. So it is the case with Solomon and the First Temple
Solomon then summoned the elders of Israel to Jerusalem to bring the ark of the covenant of
Yahweh up from the City of David, that is, Zion. 2 All the men of Israel assembled round
King Solomon in the month of Ethanim, at the time of the feast (that is, the seventh month).
3
When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark 4 and the Tent of
Meeting and all the sacred utensils which were in the Tent. 5 King Solomon and all Israel,
present with him before the ark, sacrificed countless, innumerable sheep and oxen. (1 Kings
8:1-5 NJB)
After Solomons Temple was destroyed and the nation was taken into captivity in Babylon, 50
years passed before Babylon was conquered by Persia. Shortly after that, the first waves of Jews
began returning to the Land, and even before the Temple was up and running, Yom Teruah was
important enough of an occasion to make sure it got celebrated again
When the seventh month came after the Israelites had been resettled in their towns, the
people gathered as one person in Jerusalem. 2 Then Yeshua son of Yehozadak, with his
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brother priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, with his brothers, set about rebuilding the
altar of the Elohim of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it as prescribed in the Torah of
Moshe man of Elohim. 3 They erected the altar on its old site, despite their fear of the people
of the country, and on it they presented burnt offerings to Yahweh, burnt offerings morning
and evening; 4 they celebrated the feast of Shelters as prescribed, offering daily the number
of burnt offerings required from day to day, 5 and in addition presented the continual burnt
offerings prescribed for the Shabbats, for the New Moons and for all the festivals sacred to
Yahweh, as well as those voluntary offerings made by individuals to Yahweh. 6 From the
first day of the seventh month they began presenting burnt offerings to Yahweh, though
the foundations of the Temple of Yahweh had not yet been laid. (Ezra 3:1-6)
A little later on, additional tradition was added to this day where the whole Torah was supposed
to be read at that time
Now when the seventh month came round -- the Israelites being in their towns- all the people
gathered as one man in the square in front of the Water Gate, and asked the scribe Ezra to
bring the Book of the Law of Moses which Yahweh had prescribed for Israel. 2 Accordingly,
on the first day of the seventh month, the priest Ezra brought the Law before the assembly,
consisting of men, women and all those old enough to understand.
3

In the square in front of the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and women, and
of those old enough to understand, he read from the book from dawn till noon; all the
people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. 4 The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden
dais erected for the purpose; beside him stood, on his right, Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah,
Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; on his left, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum,
Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 In full view of all the people -- since he stood
higher than them all -- Ezra opened the book; and when he opened it, all the people stood
up.
6

Then Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great Elohim, and all the people raised their hands and
answered, 'Amen! Amen!'; then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated
themselves before Yahweh. 7 And Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai,
Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabab, Hanan, Pelaiah, who were Levites, explained
the Law to the people, while the people all kept their places. 8 Ezra read from the book of
the Law of Elohim, translating and giving the sense; so the reading was understood.
9

Then His Excellency Nehemiah and the priest-scribe Ezra and the Levites who were
instructing the people said to all the people, 'Today is sacred to Yahweh your Elohim.
Do not be mournful, do not weep.' For the people were all in tears as they listened to the
words of the Law. 10 He then said, 'You may go; eat what is rich, drink what is sweet
and send a helping to the man who has nothing prepared. For today is sacred to our
Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of Yahweh is your stronghold.'
11

And the Levites calmed all the people down, saying, 'Keep quiet; this is a sacred day. Do
not be sad.' 12 Then all the people went off to eat and drink and give helpings away and

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enjoy themselves to the full, since they had understood the meaning of what had been
proclaimed to them. (Nehemiah 7:72-8:12 NJB)
Yom Teruah in the NT
In the New Testament, Yom Teruah appears as a metaphor for judgment day, when the shofar
sounds, the dead are raised and judged. It begins to be alluded to by Yshua in Matthew 24 and
we saw this Scripture earlier
(Mat 24:29) And immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened and
the moon will not shine its light. And the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of
heaven will be shaken.(Mat 24:30) And then will be seen the sign of the Son of man in
heaven, and then all the tribes of the land mourn, when they will see the Son of man who
comes upon the clouds of heaven with great power and glory.(Mat 24:31) And he will send
his Messengers with a large trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four
winds from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31-AENT)
.
The Aramaic here literally reads Great Shofar, and amidst the imagery of the sun and the moon
being darkened, something important often goes unnoticed. The fact is the phrase, and the moon
will not shine forth its light relates directly to the terms kiceh (dark, concealed), and again Yom
Teruah is called Yom Ha-Kiseh, but the other imagery in Matthew 24 also relates to the feasts
other name, Yom Ha-Din, which literally means Judgment Day! Other NT references also go
a long way to support these related ideas
(1Co 15:51) Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,84
(1Co 15:52) Suddenly, as in the twinkling of an eye, at the last shofar, when it will
sound; and the dead will arise, without corruption; and we will be changed. (1Co 15:53)
For this which is corruptible, is to put on incorruption; and that which dies, will put on
immortality. (1Co 15:54) And when that which is corruptible, will put on incorruption, and
that which dies, immortality; then will take place the Word that is written, "Death is absorbed
in victory." (1Co 15:55) Where is thy sting, O death? And where is thy victory, O Sheol? (1
Corinthians 15:51-55-AENT)
(1Th 4:16) Because our Master (Y'shua) will himself descend from heaven with the
mandate and with the voice of the chief Messenger and with the Qarna (synonym for
shofarAGR) of Elohim; and the dead who are in Mashiyach will first arise; (1Th
4:17) and then we who survive and are alive will be caught up together with them to the
clouds to meet our Master (Y'shua) in the air; and so will we be ever with our Master.
(Rev 4:1) After these things, I looked and behold, a gate opened in heaven. And the first
voice which I heard was as of a shofar talking with me. It said, "Come up here; and I
will show you the things that must occur afterwards." (Rev 4:2) Instantly, I was in the
Spirit: and behold, a throne was placed in heaven; and there was (one) seated on the throne.
(Revelation 4:1-2-AENT)
(Rev 8:6) And the seven Messengers who had the seven shofars, prepared themselves to
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sound. (Rev 8:7) And the first sounded; and there was hail and fire which were
mingled with water: and these were thrown upon the earth; and a third part of the
earth was burned up, and a third part of the trees were burned, and all green grass was
burned. (Rev 8:8) And the second Messenger sounded and, as it were a great mountain
burning with fire, was cast into the sea; and also a third part of the sea became blood. (Rev
8:9) And a third part of all the creatures in the sea that had life, died; and a third part of the
ships were destroyed. (Rev 8:10) And the third Messenger sounded, and there fell from
heaven a star burning like a lamp; and it fell upon a third part of the rivers and upon the
fountains of water. (Rev 8:11) And the name of the star was called Wormwood;31 and a third
part of the waters became wormwood; and many persons died from the waters because they
were bitter. (Rev 8:12) And the fourth Messenger sounded, and a third part of the sun was
smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so that the third part of
them were dark, and they became dark; and the day did not give light for the third part of it,
and the night in like manner. (Rev 8:13) And I saw and heard an eagle which flew in the
midst, and it had a tail of blood,32 while it said with a loud voice: Woe, woe, to them
who dwell on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three
Messengers.
Yom Teruah for Christian and Hebrew Roots believers
I think the most important aspect of Yom Teruah, for both Christians and Hebrew Roots
believers, is that the spring feasts have already been fulfilled by Yshua the Messiah, from
Passover, to First Fruits to Shavuot itself, all are inextricably linked to the death, resurrection and
ascension of Yshua, climaxing with the coming of the Ruach ha Kodesh the day after
Pentecost on the Shabbat, when all were assembled as one.
When we also consider that Yshua was probably born right after Yom Kippur and before
Sukkotbecause there was no room at the innthe significance of this seventh month becomes
clear.
We may not know exactly which feast during the seventh month Yshua will actually return on
though I have some fairly strong ideas about thatbut nevertheless whichever one, we need to
think of the seventh month as a collective whole.
There is a reason why the Hebrew month is structured the way it is. It is a cycle from complete
darkness (conjunction) to complete light (full moon) and back again to darkness. It is
choreography in the heavens about life itself, and ultimately the month Yshua actually returns
may be more important than the day in that month because
(Mat 24:36) About the day and about the hour no man knows, not even the Messengers
of heaven, but the Father alone. (Mat 24:37) And as in the days of Noah, thus will be
the coming of the Son of man. (Mat 24:38) For as they were before the deluge, eating
and drinking and taking women and giving them in marriage to men up to the day that
Noah entered into the ark, (Mat 24:39) And they did not know until the deluge came
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and took them all, thus will be the coming of the Son of man. (Mat 24:40) Then two men
will be in the field, one will be taken and one will be left. (Mat 24:41) And two women will
be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and one will be left. (Mat 24:42) Therefore be
alert, because you do not know in what hour your Master will come. (Mat 24:43) And know
this, that if the master of the house had known, he would not have allowed his house to
be plundered. (Mat 24:44) Because of this also, you should be prepared, because in an
hour that you do not expect, the Son of man will come.
Conclusions
I think analyzing that last Scripture will more than suffice for my conclusion on the great
feast of Yom Teruah and its ultimate importance.
First, the day and the hour no one knows could very well be prohibition against us humans
ever figuring out the exact moment of Yshuas return.
However, in addition to that, it might also be a description of the kind of daywithout
knowing the exact yearthat Yshua will return on. We see clearly that this day is
concealed and it is a time of judgment, and once again this is a perfect interpretation of two
names for Yom Teruahthe Day of Concealment and the Day of Judgment. If that doesnt
already proveto the limited extent possiblethat it is the actual day of Yshuas return,
it certainly suggests something important and related to that event happening at that time.
And again, I have to hold to at least the possibility that the day of return may be known but
the year is the real secret that keeps us from knowing the hour that only the Father knows.
And finally, the other images in this Scripturedealing with Noah and a man who didnt
know when his house would be robbedboth point to a different meaning of Behold I come
quickly than has been popularly supposed.
I say this simply because the Flood and the robbery were clearly images of being surprised,
as opposed to quickly as in very soon, in a few years. Therefore the better readings for
this phrase might instead be, Behold, I come suddenly, and this in a sense brings us back to
where we started, in Tanakh
9

Look, the Day of Yahweh is coming, merciless, with wrath and burning anger, to
reduce the country to a desert and root out the sinners from it. 10 For in the sky the
stars and Orion will shed their light no longer, the sun will be dark when it rises, and the
moon will no longer give its light. 11 I am going to punish the world for its wickedness
and the wicked for their guilt, and put an end to the pride of the arrogant and humble the
haughtiness of despots. 12 I shall make people scarcer than pure gold, human life scarcer
than the gold of Ophir. 13 This is why I am going to shake the heavens, why the earth will
reel on its foundations, under the wrath of Yahweh Sabaoth, the day when his anger
ignites. 14 Then like a hunted gazelle, like sheep that nobody gathers in, everyone will
head back to his people, everyone will flee to his native land. (Isaiah 13:9-14 NJB)

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Blow the ram's-horn in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everybody
in the country tremble, for the Day of Yahweh is coming, yes, it is near. Day of
darkness and gloom, Day of cloud and blackness. Like the dawn, across the mountains
spreads a vast and mighty people, such as has never been before, such as will never be
again to the remotest ages. In their van a fire devours, in their rear a flame consumes.
The country is like a garden of Eden ahead of them and a desert waste behind them.
Nothing escapes them. They look like horses, like chargers they gallop on, with a racket
like that of chariots they spring over the mountain tops, with a crackling like a blazing
fire devouring the stubble, a mighty army in battle array. At the sight of them, people are
appalled and every face grows pale. Like fighting men they press forward, like warriors
they scale the walls, each marching straight ahead, not turning from his path; they never
jostle each other, each marches straight ahead: arrows fly, they still press forward, never
breaking ranks. They hurl themselves at the city, they leap onto the walls, swarm up the
houses, getting in through the windows like thieves. As they come on, the earth quakes,
the skies tremble, sun and moon grow dark, the stars lose their brilliance. Yahweh's voice
rings out at the head of his troops! For mighty indeed is his army, strong, the enforcer of
his orders, for great is the Day of Yahweh, and very terrible -- who can face it?
(Joel 2:1-11 NJB)
But fortunately we also know, and our hopes also swell at this time of year, this as well
(Rev 22:13) "I am Alap and the Taw, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the
Completion. (Rev 22:14) Blessed are they who do His (Master YHWH's) Mitzvot,
that they may have a right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into
the city. (Rev 22:15) Without (will be) dogs and sorcerers, and sexual sinners and
manslayers and idolaters, and everyone that loves and does falsehood. (Rev 22:16) I
Y'shua have sent my Messenger to testify to you these things before the assemblies. I am
the root and offspring of Dawid: like the splendid star of the morning. (Rev 22:17)
And the Spirit and the bride say, 'You come.' And let him that hears, say, 'You
come.' And let him who thirsts, come; and he that is inclined, let him take the living
water freely."
It is my prayer that all of us, speedily and in our days, will drink the new wine with Mashiyach
Yshua in His kingdom. But if not now, then my prayer is simply this...

Ketiva ve-chatima tovah!

May you be written and sealed for a good (year)!
Chag Sameyach everyone!
Andrew Gabriel Roth
September 8th, 2015

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