Valerie van den Bergh – Yamim Noraim (The Days of Awe)

And it happened after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham,” and he replied, “Here I am.”

And He said, “Please take your son, your only one, whom you love – Isaac – and go to the land of Moriah; bring him up there as an offering upon one of the mountains which I shall tell you.”

So Abraham woke up early in the morning and he saddled his donkey; he took his two young men with him and Isaac, his son; he split the wood for the offering, and stood up and went to the place of which God had spoken to him.

On the third day, Abraham raised his eyes and perceived the place from afar. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here by yourselves with the donkey, while I and the lad will go yonder; we will worship and we will return to you.”

And Abraham took the wood for the offering, and placed it on Isaac, his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife, and the two of them went together. Then Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and said, “Father – “

And he said, “Here I am, my son.”

And he said, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the offering?”

And Abraham said, “God will seek out for Himself the lamb for the offering, my son.” And the two of them went together.

They arrived at the place of which God had spoken to him; Abraham built the altar there, and arranged the wood; he bound Isaac, his son, and he placed him on the altar atop the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slaughter his son.

And an angel of HaShem (the Name – Adonai) called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham! Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad nor do anything to him for now I know that you are a God-fearing man, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.”

And Abraham raised his eyes and saw – behold, a ram! – afterwards, caught in the thicket by its horns; so Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as an offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that site “HaShem Yireh” (Adonai will see), as it is said this day, on the mountain HaShem will be seen.

The angel of HaShem called to Abraham a second time from heaven. And he said, “By Myself I swear – the word of HaShem – that because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one, that I shall surely bless you and greatly increase your offspring like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore; and your offspring shall inherit the gate of its enemy. And all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your offspring, because you have listened to My voice.”

Genesis 22: 1-18 The Chumash (Torah)
The Stone Edition

This is the second greatest story every told – the story of a father, in obedience to the LORD God he loved, willing to sacrifice his only son. The greatest story ever told? That’s the one where the Father, in love for a lost humanity, was willing to sacrifice His only Son – and did!

The Jewish calendar will soon enter the 7th month of Tishri, the holiest month of the year (the evening of Friday, September 26th ). It is in this month that God told Israel to prepare for Yom Kippurim and Chag HaSuccoth, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles. The first day of Tishri, on the new moon, is to be designated a Shabbaton Zichron Teruah, a rest day, a remembrance with shofar blasts (Leviticus 23:24).

Interestingly, the first of the month is not designated an appointed time of the LORD. It has traditionally become known as Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year. (The Talmud teaches that this is the anniversary of the creation of Adam.) It ushers in the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, or the High Holidays. These ten days, of course, culminate on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year for our Jewish people.

The Torah calls this first day of Tishri, “a day for remembering and blowing the shofar.” The shofar, of course, is a call of repentance. Nachmanides, 13th C rabbi, says the shofar cries out: “Awake, you sleepers, from your sleep! Arise, you slumberers, from your slumber! Repent with contrition! Remember your Creator!…Peer into your souls, improve your ways and your deeds…”

The remembering? The LORD doesn’t give any specifics. This is the 7th month. The LORD gave Israel other appointments, beginning in Nisan, the 1st month. Israel has celebrated Pesach, Passover, and Shavuoth, Pentecost. The people have experienced the goodness and the mercy of God during these past six months. How have they lived? How have they responded to God’s provision? How have they approached and treated the LORD God of Israel and His commandments? Are these the things the LORD is telling His people to bring into remembrance?

As the traditional celebration of the Jewish New Year, we, of course, cook up a storm and eat all kinds of delectable foods. Sweet items are highlighted, as one of the wishes we give one another is for a “sweet year ahead.” Pomegranates are eaten, as well as apples and honey, depending on your heritage. We celebrate for two days. The reason? Something to do with not missing the new moon. Modern technology, of course, gives us the advantage in knowing this today; however, our forefathers didn’t have such luxuries as telescopes and precise lunar mappings. Tradition, though, is tradition, and we eat and celebrate for two days. Any excuse for a party! The God of Israel loves parties! All of our Biblical festivals, save one, are celebrations with lots of food and drink. We may fast on Yom Kippur, but you can bet your booties that we eat well after the fast!!

During these Days of Awe, our people perform various rituals. One of the most beautiful at Rosh HaShanah is Tashlich, a ceremony performed as a symbolic act of casting our sins into running water. Observant Jews will gather at a stream on the afternoon of the first day of Tishri. (The Jewish day goes from sunset to sunset.) Those gathered will empty their pockets of crumbs into the running water and say prayers of repentance. A portion of Scripture is read from the prophet Micah:

“He will again have compassion upon us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and unchanging love to Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from the days of old.” Micah 7:19-20

The origin of this tradition is unknown, but its symbolism is obvious. May God hear our prayers of repentance and wash our sins away according to His everlasting mercies!

The Days of Awe are a time of getting ready for the Day of Atonement. Jewish people all over the world spend time in reflection, introspection and repentance. These days are preparing us to go before God in His mercy to ask Him to write our names in the Book of Life. L’Shanah Tovah Tikatevu is a common greeting. Happy New Year! May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life)! It is also a time to pray for Israel and our people.

All this, of course, culminates in the synagogues on 10 Tishri, Yom Kippur. It is on this day, commanded in Torah as a day of total rest and fasting, that our Jewish people stand before the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, asking Him for forgiveness and the privilege of having their names being written in the Book of Life for the coming year.

Unfortunately, as is prescribed in Torah, there is no blood sacrifice offered to atone for Israel’s sins. It is only our tzedakah, our acts of charity, and God’s mercy, that get us written in the Book.

As was previously mentioned, the first of Tishri is called Yom Teruah, the Day of Shofar Blowing (Numbers 29:1).

The most important element of this season is the blowing of the shofar. It is only during this season that the sound of the shofar blast is heard in the synagogue. The blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn, is taken very seriously in Jewish tradition, and there are tomes written on this subject. The Mishnah names three types of shofar blasts. They are called tekiah, teruah, and shevarim. These blasts represent the three major themes that are found during Rosh HaShanah. These themes are malchuyot, sovereignty, zichronot, remembrance, and shofarot, the shofar blasts.

The ram’s horn also brings into remembrance the story of Abraham and Isaac, which is the Torah portion read during Rosh HaShanah. The Haftarah portion, or prophetic portion, is 1 Samuel 1:2-10, the story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. Both Isaac and Samuel were products of barren mothers given promises from the God of Israel.

The story of Abraham and Isaac still thrills us. It also unnerves us. An old man (almost 100) and an old woman named Sarah (almost 90), without children, are promised by God that they will have a son. Isaac was that son of promise – the promise of an heir, the promise of descendants, the promise of a great nation – the promise of redemption. This little one does come, but not without serious questions being raised and attempts to help God along the way. This family rejoices in God’s goodness and Isaac grows up; but then, the unthinkable happens. The LORD calls to Abraham and says:

Offer up Isaac.

Offer up the promise.

The Hebrew is ‘olah, the word used in Torah for the burnt offering. We know that the LORD gave a serious request. The burnt offering was an elevation offering – everything was burned in this sacrifice and sent up to the LORD as a rayach nichoach, a soothing aroma.

One can only imagine the things that went through Abraham’s heart and mind, yet we know he was obedient to do what God asked him.

We’ve read the story. We know how it ends. A ram was found in a thicket near Mount Moriah. The ram was sacrificed as an ‘olah to the LORD.

Abraham got back Isaac, and the promise.

The Rabbis tell us Isaac actually died of fright on Mount Moriah and that God’s calling out to Abraham brought him back to life.

Only son.

Offered up.

Resurrected,

Sound familiar?

For God, the Father, loved the world so completely that He was willing to offer up His only Son …

Thank you, Father God!!

Thank you, Yeshua!!

No. The stories are not quite identical. Isaac’s blood was never shed. The ram was sacrificed in Isaac’s stead, and its blood made the atonement. The precedent, however, for substitutionary death was established – a life being laid down for another.

The Days of Awe are a wonderful time of the year for those of us who believe in Messiah Yeshua. This is a season for reflection and introspection. It is a time to look deep inside. Do you have areas in your life where you feel barren? Has God given you a promise, a prophetic word, about something new and wonderful? Has God given you a promise, an Isaac that you have forgotten because it hasn’t come to pass all these years? Is there something the LORD has asked you to offer up and you’ve been reluctant?

What is it that the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the Father of Yeshua, the Messiah, is saying to you during this season?

Hear the Blast of the Shofar.

Hear the Blast of the Shofar and REMEMBER!!!