A YOM TERUAH FOR TIMOTHY
by Jeremy Chance Springfield
9/1/2023
An important context in the process of comprehending the Scriptures is recognizing the Biblical festival framework within which a passage may have originally been penned. The holy days commanded for believers in the Torah are spiritual steppingstones leading us through the year. Listed in Leviticus 23, they define the rhythm of life for the faithful and energize those points in time with special spiritual merit. In many cases, important historical events for Israel occurred on those dates. When we read about what occurred in those festival contexts, we obtain a better assessment of the matter.
The text often alerts us when events recorded happened on a specific holy day. This offers a glimpse into a fuller understanding of the passage’s contents. In the New Testament, the Gospels and the book of Acts highlight such festival background of many incidents.
The text often alerts us when events recorded happened on a specific holy day. This offers a glimpse into a fuller understanding of the passage’s contents. In the New Testament, the Gospels and the book of Acts highlight such festival background of many incidents.
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Sometimes an account expresses the context indirectly, by intentionally placed keywords relevant to a specific festival—whether they be Scriptural terms associated with a festival, or concepts from traditional Jewish associations, such keywords should not be ignored. The underlying context is missed if those keywords go unrecognized. It is the responsibility of the believer to comprehend the message, and perceiving the context is the foremost duty in reading comprehension. If the reader is familiar with the terms as connected to their festival context, then the passage can be appreciated in a much deeper way.
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A perfect example of this type of indirect context is in 2nd Timothy chapter 2. Paul’s letter to his protégé contains repeated terminology linked to the Biblical festival of Yom Teruah “The Day of Trumpets,” also known more widely within Judaism as Rosh Hashanah—the “Head of the Year.” The day occurs at the beginning of the seventh Biblical month of Tishrei, and it is one of the Torah’s recognized “new years”—in this case, regarding several societal matters.
Scripture speaks of the holy time with two major details.
Scripture speaks of the holy time with two major details.
And in the seventh month, on the first of the month, a holy gathering shall be for you. Any servile work you shall not do. A day of teruah it shall be for you.
~ Numbers 29:1
~ Numbers 29:1
The transliterated Hebrew term teruah signifies a "sounding" that is typically created when someone is blowing into a ram's horn trumpet--or what is called in Hebrew a shofar.
On the new moon you must sound a ram’s horn, on the hidden [time], for the day of our festival.
~ Psalm 81:3
~ Psalm 81:3
The major theme is signaling with a ram’s horn the Divine judgment of a person’s actions from the previous year, and in a prophetic sense, is the day upon which the resurrection of the dead shall occur as well as an even greater intimacy between the Creator and His people that is likened to a betrothal between them and the long-awaited Messiah.
These concepts can be seen in such sentiments found in the Zohar, Terumah 142b.
Also, in the liturgy that is prayed daily in the synagogues, this prayer is uttered.
This study will highlight such Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah concepts by examining those intentionally chosen words in the verses of 2nd Timothy 2 and attempt to provide the reader with a better grasp of the letter’s content when understood with its proper festival context recognized by also looking at traditional Jewish texts that discuss the various nuances of the festival of Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah. Part of the key to perceiving these connections is also found by looking at the passage from 2nd Timothy from the Aramaic text of ancient Peshitta manuscript of the New Testament. The verses will all be examined directly from that text.
2nd Timothy 2:1
Therefore, you, my son, be strengthened in the goodness that is in Yeshua Messiah…
It speaks of this “strength” being in the “goodness” that is in Yeshua.
The Hebrew term KEREN, which literally has meaning of a generic “horn” of animal, is also used idiomatically in Scripture to mean “strength.” Therefore, an allusion to a “horn” is embedded in the words of Paul.
The Hebrew term KEREN, which literally has meaning of a generic “horn” of animal, is also used idiomatically in Scripture to mean “strength.” Therefore, an allusion to a “horn” is embedded in the words of Paul.
The concept of “good” and the notion of Yom Teruah is coupled in Psalm 33:3.
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You must sing to Him a new song; a good melody with a teruah.
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Interestingly, another allusion to Rosh Hashanah exists in 2:1 in the phrase “in the goodness,” which is the Aramaic word B’TABUTHA, whose synonym in Aramaic is the word SHAPIRA, which also means “good,” but shares also its spelling with the Aramaic term SHIFURA, meaning “ram’s horn.”
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These concepts, Paul writes, are “in Yeshua the Messiah.” To this sentiment, we find yet another Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah link in Judaism, exemplified in the words of Likutei Etzot, Moadei Hashem, Rosh Hashanah 10.
This binding act on Rosh Hashanah connects us to the righteousness of Yeshua—the Tzaddik “Righteous One.” The text of Sichot HaRan 22:1 presents the same idea with the mention that such linking is “very good”—yet another allusion to the aspect of “goodness” in the festival.
2nd Timothy 2:2
…and those that you have heard from me by the hand of many witnesses, these you must charge unto trustworthy men--those who are able in their own hand even to teach others...
Paul’s mention of “many witnesses” would signal to think of the witnesses who would travel to Jerusalem to give their testimony that they saw the new moon of Tishrei. The Mishnah, Rosh Hashanah 2:5, explains how these witnesses were treated.
These human witnesses for the beginning of Yom Teruah symbolize a heavenly entourage above that the Zohar, Emor 100b, tells us will convene on the great fulfillment of that very day in the future.
2nd Timothy 2:3-4
3 And you must endure evils as a good soldier of Yeshua the Messiah.
4 No man is a soldier and is entangled in the desires of the world, so that he might please him who selected him.
4 No man is a soldier and is entangled in the desires of the world, so that he might please him who selected him.
Consider in this the words of the Mishnah, Rosh Hashanah 1:2.
The text is slightly corrupted here so as to suggest that the rendering I have given of “legion [of soldiers]” should be KIVNEI MARON “as sons of Meiron,” or as if it intended rather the idea of KIVNEI IMARNA “as sons of sheep,” both options which the Gemara in the Talmud Bavli, tractate Rosh Hashanah 18a, proposes.
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The truth is the text should be read as one single term: KIVNUMERON “as in a legion [of soldiers],” as a Hebraicized conjugated spelling of the word NUMERON “legion,” being a loanword from the Latin and Greek NUMERUS / NUMERON “Legion.”
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By way of metanalysis (the creation of new meaning by dividing a term), the single term of KIVNUMERON became confused by being read as two words, the meaning of which was perplexing and for which odd suggestions arose by the rabbis unfamiliar with the foreign origin of the Hebraicized word.
Ohr LaYesharim on Talmud Yerushalmi Rosh Hashanah 1:3 claims this is the intended reading. In fact, it states:
Ohr LaYesharim on Talmud Yerushalmi Rosh Hashanah 1:3 claims this is the intended reading. In fact, it states:
The term is found in use elsewhere—in the Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishma’el 14:7, where it states:
This reading of KIVNUMERON is further supported by considering the passage quoted in the Mishnah from Psalm 33:15. That text goes on in the verse that follows to mention an “army” and a “warrior.” This context is compelling evidence that the military / ranked context was truly the intended one, aligning seamlessly with the reading of KIVNUMERON, and had nothing to do with the concepts of the place-name of Meiron or the offspring of sheep.
The "soldier" concept is therefore linked directly to Rosh Hashanah.
The "soldier" concept is therefore linked directly to Rosh Hashanah.
2nd Timothy 2:5
And if a man contends, he is not crowned if he does not contend by the rule.
The mention of “crowned” here continues the Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah terminology begun in the previous verse.
This notion of coronation during Rosh Hashanah extends to us who are found meriting honor on that day by our trust in Him. This act of honoring is mentioned in conjunction to Rosh Hashanah in the Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 8b.
This notion of coronation during Rosh Hashanah extends to us who are found meriting honor on that day by our trust in Him. This act of honoring is mentioned in conjunction to Rosh Hashanah in the Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 8b.
We see that Yom Teruah was celebrated in ancient Israel as a moment signaling freedom from normal constraints, heralding the truth that all men are equal when the Day of Judgment truly comes upon mankind.
2nd Timothy 2:6
Unto the ploughman who toils, it is fitting for him that he be the first to be sustained from its fruits.
The inference made here by Paul is known as the usufruct, which regards what a worker can legally do with the produce of the field he tends to. He would likely have been speaking from his familiarity with the concept from the rabbinic schools. It is addressed in many places under various contexts in the Mishnaic and Talmudic literature, such as the Mishnah, Ketuvot 8:3, and Talmudic tractates Gittin 47b, Bava Bathra 56b, Bava Kamma 90a, Ketuvot 79b, and quite a few others. Newly planted trees are counted from Yom Teruah / the month of Tishrei for their age standards.
The pun here regards an alternative way to understand the Aramaic word PIRAHI “its fruits,” from the singular PIRA “fruit.” It can also mean “ditch / hole / pit” in its Jewish-Aramaic spelling of PEIRA, as well as “fruit.”
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It is in this cognate that the usage was likely inferred by Paul to be dual, for the word “ploughman” is the Aramaic AKARA, literally meaning “digger.” That this was an intended allusion by Paul is suggested also by his very next statement in 2:7, where he tells Timothy that he must understand what he is saying.
The Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 9b, speaks of the agricultural nuances linked to the seventh month.
The Talmud quotes from several scattered passages to validate its reasoning: Leviticus 19:23, Leviticus 19:24, Deuteronomy 11:12, and Exodus 12:2. It very succinctly makes the assertion that the first of the seventh month of Tishri is the actual new year for planting. It then attempts an equally succinct explanation for how this was understood: After first highlighting that the Torah used the phrase MEISHEIRITH HASHANAH “from the beginning of the year” as being an adapted manner of referring to Rosh Hashanah, it then goes on to further support that notion by explaining that the Torah’s passage speaking of what is planted for fruits only directly mentions “years,” whereas the Torah’s passage from Exodus 12:2, speaking of the first month of Nisan, mentions “months” in connection to the word “year,” implying a distinction of timeframe and thus, calculation, for the context of fruit trees involves a timeframe of “years,” but not “months,” meaning two separate “new year” concepts are actually intended—one directly related to “months” and being the beginning of the year for setting holy festivals, and one counted only from year to year, beginning in the seventh month of Tishri. Additionally, this shows that the phraseology surrounding Rosh Hashanah is never applied to the first month of Nisan, but the seventh month of Tishri.
2nd Timothy 2:7
You must understand the thing that I say. Our master shall give to you wisdom in every thing.
This concept of being given wisdom is one that is linked to Yom Teruah in a direct manner in the text of Likutei Etzot, Moadei Hashem, Rosh Hashanah 12.
This claim in verse 7 that we shall be given “wisdom” is also a hint to Rosh Hashanah, as seen in the Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 29b, where it clarifies actions that fall outside the category of prohibited things during a festival.
The above leads into the next verse:
2nd Timothy 2:8
You must remember Yeshua the Messiah, who rose from the house of the dead--he who is from the seed of Dawid, according to my own Glad Tidings,
The use of “remember” here and in verse 14 reinforces the Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah terminology begun in verse 4.
The mention of resurrection is directly linked to the topic of Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah, as we see the Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 16b-17a, makes the clear connection:
The mention of resurrection is directly linked to the topic of Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah, as we see the Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 16b-17a, makes the clear connection:
The festival of Yom Teruah is intricately linked to the resurrection and the different types of souls raised on the day when all the dead are judged, as the Talmud emphasizes by quoting from Daniel 12:2; Zechariah 13:9; and 1st Samuel 2:6. We thus seek to be remembered for good on the holy day, and our hope for true righteousness is by remembering the person of the Messiah to whose merit we can attach.
2nd Timothy 2:9
of which I bear evils until chains, as I were an evil-doer. But the Word of the Deity is not chained.
The shofar is linked to the Word of the Holy One, for it was the shofar that heralded in a miraculous manner the Divine utterance of the Torah, as seen in Exodus 19:19.
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And when the sound of the ram’s horn continued, and was very strong, Mosheh spoke, and the Deity replied to him by voice.
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Once the shofar sounded, the Torah could begin, and so, the sound of the shofar is linked to the giving of His Word. Additionally, the shofar that sounded to herald the giving of the Torah was unlike any other, as a normal sound made is loudest at its outset and diminishes as the acoustic waves dissipate. The shofar heralding the Word is only said to have grown louder—continuing and magnifying as the waves spread out—a detail showing it was not bound by the physics of normal acoustic waves. “Chains” imply a constraint, but the increasing blast of the shofar shows there is no constraint on the reach of the Creator’s call to come and accept His Word.
For this reason, the text of Likutei Moharan 60:9 linked the shofar to freedom from being bound.
For this reason, the text of Likutei Moharan 60:9 linked the shofar to freedom from being bound.
The passage quotes from Amos 3:6 and Psalm 118:5 to makes its thematic connection to the shape of the shofar. The Hebrew term for “the confines” is HAMMEITZAR, and literally means “the rope,” or generically, “the binding” of some type.
Additionally, the concept of the shofar bringing fear, which leads to a special blessing on the length of one’s life, is based on linking the sentiments found in two Biblical passages:
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Honor your father and your mother, so that your days shall be lengthened upon the land which YHWH your Deity gives to you. ~ Exodus 20:12
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A man shall fear his mother and his father, and My Sabbaths he shall keep: I am YHWH your Deity. ~ Leviticus 19:3
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The idea is that one is “confined” or “bound” to this life, and the only way to be free from that limit—to have everlasting life, which is the epitome of being consecrated—is to possess the proper fear of our Creator / creators. The shofar is that “warning” that reminds us of the Day of Judgment, and thus to live a life in awareness of what we must do to truly possess the intended expansiveness we are meant to experience.
These ideas are further developed in the next two verses.
These ideas are further developed in the next two verses.
2nd Timothy 2:10-11
10 On account of this, I endure every thing on account of the selected ones, that even they shall find the life that is in Yeshua the Messiah, with glory that is everlasting.
11 Trustworthy is the Word. For if we died with him, also with him shall we live,
11 Trustworthy is the Word. For if we died with him, also with him shall we live,
The goal of the believer is to be found “with Him”—that we be on the side of the Most High. The Messiah is the vessel with the merit to elevate any sinner to a place of righteousness. We can find immediate and lasting acceptance before the Holy One when we connect to the spiritual life offered by the Messiah. Reliance upon our own righteousness is no certainty, but reliance upon the greatest of all—the Messiah—brings us to the right place on the Day of Judgment, where we can be certain we will be judged righteously in light of His merit.
This is a sentiment preserved wonderfully in Likutei Moharan, Part II, 1:14.
This is a sentiment preserved wonderfully in Likutei Moharan, Part II, 1:14.
2nd Timothy 2:12
and if we shall endure, also shall we reign with him. Yet, if we desert him, even he shall desert us,
The term here of “desert” is NEKPUR, which is a word-play allusion to the festival known popularly as Yom Kippur / Yom Hakippurim (as the Biblical Hebrew renders it) that arrives ten days after Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah, and for which the initial festival is a preparation. The link lay in the fact that the term NEKPUR is an inflected form of the root KAFAR, which means not only “desert / deny,” but also “forgive,” and is thus related to the very nature of Yom Kippur – forgiveness of our sins.
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The concepts of Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah segue into those of Yom Kippur, as we see mentioned in the Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 16b, which, quoting from Psalm 69:29, states:
2nd Timothy 2:13-14
13 and if we shall not trust in him, he--in his trust--abides, for he is not able to desert himself.
14 These remind them, and witness before our master, that they should not contend with words of which are no gain [but] to the overthrow of those who are hearing them.
14 These remind them, and witness before our master, that they should not contend with words of which are no gain [but] to the overthrow of those who are hearing them.
It is on Rosh Hashanah that we are to bring to memory before the Holy One that we have sought Him in regard to our failures, for only He can right the wrongs we have committed. As our King, He pardons us and remembers us for good based on the situation-changing power of the ram’s horn, all of which is explained in the Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 16a.
2nd Timothy 2:15
And you should be careful to establish your soul maturely before the Deity, a laborer who is not in shame, who is properly proclaiming the Word of truth.
The term translated here as “maturely” is the Aramaic G’MIRAYITH, meaning “completely / maturely,” and comes from the root G’MAR, a term shared between Aramaic and Hebrew. In this we see a direct link to the allusion of a traditional Hebrew greeting used from Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, which is G’MAR HACHATIMAH L’TOVAH “May you be completely sealed for good.”
Additionally, when one properly proclaims the Word of truth, we are drawn further from the shadows, as Likutei Moharan 112:3 explains.
However, if we refuse to take account of our actions and repent accordingly, we will be workers who are shamed on that future Rosh Hashanah when mankind is held accountable, as we see will happen on the Day of Judgment, as mentioned in Reshit Chokhmah, Sha’ar HaKedushah 17:16.
2nd Timothy 2:16
From empty words wherein there is no advantage you must be excused, for they are especially increasing concerning the wickedness of those occupied by them,
Rather than vain speech, the believer is called to speak in a beautiful way, or as the phrase from Genesis 49:21 suggests, to utter IMREI SHAFER “the beautiful words.” The phrase could also be rendered as “words of the shofar (ram’s horn).” In this manner, we see that Judaism wrote of the purpose of a believer’s beautiful speech, as found in the text of Likutei Moharan, Part II 16:2.
The passage, quoting Proverbs 22:11 and Song of Songs 3:11, highlights the marital concepts of Rosh Hashanah to the King--the Holy One Himself--who unites with His people at the final fulfillment of Yom Teruah, when "beautiful words" are truly spoken.
It is a common tradition in Israel that a shofar is blown at a Jewish wedding ceremony. The blasts of a shofar are its “words.” This context is important in the flow of Paul’s message, and in particular, for the two people mentioned in the next verse.
2nd Timothy 2:17
and their words are as spreading decay which shall grab hold in many. Yet, one from these is Humene’as, and another, Pilitas,
Humene’as (Anglicized as Hymenaeus) is from the Greek, and a name derived from the Greek god of weddings--Hymen—and so literally means “Of the Hymen.” His companion, Philetus in the Anglicized form, means “Beloved,” or “Kisser.” We cannot dismiss the mention of these two names in the context of Rosh Hashanah—a festival possessing the elements of a wedding and union between the Creator and His people.
This can be seen from the commentary I provided in the previous verse, where the passage quoted in part from the Song of Songs 3:11, reading in full:
This can be seen from the commentary I provided in the previous verse, where the passage quoted in part from the Song of Songs 3:11, reading in full:
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You must go forth, and you must look—daughters of Tziyon—upon King Shlomoh, on the crown with which his mother coronated him on [the] day of his wedding, and on [the] day of his heart’s joy.
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We see that being crowned is linked to a wedding day—and on the final Rosh Hashanah believers are at last crowned, for we join together with the Creator in a deeper and spiritual union for eternity.
In fact, Likutei Moharan 21:5 further emphasizes being crowned at the resurrection as betrothal.
In fact, Likutei Moharan 21:5 further emphasizes being crowned at the resurrection as betrothal.
Paul’s letter does not entirely clarify the situation regarding Hymenaeus and Philetus, but the meanings of their names in light of the obvious Rosh Hashanah context of the overarching passage shows a clear connection. The next verse, however, continues the thought and provides a little detail that helps to make some sense of this.
2nd Timothy 2:18
these who have wandered from the truth, while they are saying that the resurrection of the dead has already been, and the trust of certain men they are overturning.
Hymenaeus and Philetus were engaged in activity that argued the fulfillment of Rosh Hashanah had already occurred. Perhaps they taught that the resurrection of Yeshua and the resurrection of some holy people then was the fulfillment of the promise [see: Matthew 27:52-53]. Whatever the case, their argument was obviously flawed and dangerous to the faith of other believers.
The harsh view of those two men is based on the way certain types of sinners are viewed in Judaism. Some sins are held to be so dangerous and against the eternal truths of the Creator’s reality that there will be no end to the punishment that is poured out upon them. This is expressed well in a list of offenders recorded in Mishneh Torah, Repentance 3:6.
The harsh view of those two men is based on the way certain types of sinners are viewed in Judaism. Some sins are held to be so dangerous and against the eternal truths of the Creator’s reality that there will be no end to the punishment that is poured out upon them. This is expressed well in a list of offenders recorded in Mishneh Torah, Repentance 3:6.
2nd Timothy 2:19
Yet, the true foundation of the Deity is established, and has for it this seal: “Marya knows those who are His own,” and, depart from evil: “all who are calling upon the Name of Marya.”
The term in the Aramaic here is CHATHMA “seal / inscription.” It is the Aramaic cognate for the Hebrew CHATIMAH “seal.” It is used in traditional greetings from Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur every year. See the note in verse 15 for more details.
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Also, as was shown in the commentary to 2:5, in the Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 8b, it speaks of all being "judged" on Rosh Hashanah and "sealed" on Yom Kippur.
The passage above speaks of those who are “calling” upon the Creator. The term for “calling” in the Aramaic is D’QARE, from the root Q’RA “call / read.” It appears to be an allusion by Paul to one of the foods traditionally eaten on Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah from ancient times –QARA “gourds,” which is spelled and essentially pronounced the same as the Aramaic term quoted here.
The passage above speaks of those who are “calling” upon the Creator. The term for “calling” in the Aramaic is D’QARE, from the root Q’RA “call / read.” It appears to be an allusion by Paul to one of the foods traditionally eaten on Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah from ancient times –QARA “gourds,” which is spelled and essentially pronounced the same as the Aramaic term quoted here.
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The Talmud Bavli, Keritot 6a, mentions a list of foods that are prone to be eaten during the festival, and the food is included there:
The allusion would thus be looking to the Creator for spiritual sustenance—depending on His Name, that is, His authority.
2nd Timothy 2:20
Yet, in a great house there are not vessels of gold only, or of silver in it, but also of wood--even of clay; [some] from them for honor, and [some] from them for shame.
Paul appears to continue his allusions / references to the festival of Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah with the addition of a second food item traditionally eaten on the festival from ancient times, by referencing the term RABA “great.”
The alluded-to term is the word ROV’YA “beans” of some type. It is mentioned in the Talmud Bavli, Keritot 6a, which was quoted in full in my comments to verse 19.
Furthermore, this mention of valuable, base, and in-between vessel types is reminiscent of the commentary shared back in 2:8 from the Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 16b-17a that lists three types of people on Rosh Hashanah: the wholly righteous, the wholly wicked, and the in-between.
The mention above in 2:20 of varying materials – gold, iron, silver, wood, stone – for vessels is also spoken of in Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 23a, quoting from Isaiah 60:17, in connection to the concepts of Divine judgment on Rosh Hashanah against the Gentiles who martyred the Creator's people.
2nd Timothy 2:21-22
21 If a man, therefore, purifies his soul from these, he is a pure vessel for honor, that is suitable for the use of the master, and ready for every good deed.
22 From all the lusts of youth you must flee, and you must run after justice, and trust, and love, and peace, with those who call to our master in a pure heart.
22 From all the lusts of youth you must flee, and you must run after justice, and trust, and love, and peace, with those who call to our master in a pure heart.
The mention of “youth” here could also be a hint back to verse 20 and the ROV’YA “beans” notion, for the word can also be used to refer to a “young boy.”
Additionally, it tells us to run after “justice” as well as “love,” which seems to be an allusion to the concept of Karatei, “leeks,” in that the term is spelled the same as one of Scripture’s titles for the Sanhedrin (as explained in the Talmud Bavli, Berachot 4a, when discussing the meaning of the Hebrew phrase Kereiti uPeleiti in 2nd Samuel 20:23).
Additionally, it tells us to run after “justice” as well as “love,” which seems to be an allusion to the concept of Karatei, “leeks,” in that the term is spelled the same as one of Scripture’s titles for the Sanhedrin (as explained in the Talmud Bavli, Berachot 4a, when discussing the meaning of the Hebrew phrase Kereiti uPeleiti in 2nd Samuel 20:23).
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This is because the purpose of the Sanhedrin was to provide tempered assessment of legal matters, as it explains in Shenei Luchot HaBerit:
The Sanhedrin is to act in a balanced harmony of judgment and love, and in the festival of Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah this lay in its relationship to the sounding of the shofar “ram’s horn.” Traditionally, anywhere the Sanhedrin held active court, the shofar could be sounded on that holy day by anyone (even if it fell on a weekly Sabbath day)—the complexities of which are discussed at length in the Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 29b-30a. Although the believer is not individually a Sanhedrin, it is incumbent upon us to seek that same level of righteous justice in our own dealings in life.
2nd Timothy 2:23
Foolish strivings – those that are without correction – you must be excused [from], for from them you know that they sire contentions,
Again, Paul appears to allude to the foods traditionally consumed on Rosh Hashanah by the word choice he made.
The Aramaic term of ESHTAL that he used means to be “excused” or “dismissed,” and the term in the Talmud Bavli, Keritot 6a of SILEQA meaning “beets,” has as its root concept the idea of “dismissal” from a place or event.
The Aramaic term of ESHTAL that he used means to be “excused” or “dismissed,” and the term in the Talmud Bavli, Keritot 6a of SILEQA meaning “beets,” has as its root concept the idea of “dismissal” from a place or event.
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We thus repeatedly see these strong allusions in the words Paul chose to use that seem to point to aspects surrounding the festival of Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah in this letter to Timothy.
2nd Timothy 2:24-26
24 yet, a servant of our master is not indebted to contend, but instead, that he should be meek towards every man, and teaching, and long-suffering of spirit,
25 that he should correct those who strive against him in meekness; perhaps the Deity shall give to them a returning, and they shall acknowledge the truth,
26 and shall be reminded of their souls, and shall depart from the snare of Satana, in whose desire they have been caught.
25 that he should correct those who strive against him in meekness; perhaps the Deity shall give to them a returning, and they shall acknowledge the truth,
26 and shall be reminded of their souls, and shall depart from the snare of Satana, in whose desire they have been caught.
The concept of “departing” mentioned in verse 26 is that of being “rescued” from a bad situation. In this case, it is the “snare” of Satan from which one is removed. It appears to link to the last food item in the Talmudic list traditionally eaten on Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah, which are TAM’REI “dates.” This is from the term TAMAR, meaning “to rise up” or “lift away.”
The word easily parallels the concept from 2nd Timothy 2:26 of the person who is removed from the Enemy’s grasp to return to true worship of the Most High.
Notice also that the Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 16b, explains that the sounding of the shofar has a very precise purpose.
To this assertion of what the ram's horn does to Satan, the text of Kli Yakar to Genesis 22:13 explains why the shofar confuses him and allows the believer the opportunity to repent without accusations from Satan.
So concludes the passages that appear to be dedicated to the topics of Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah. Paul does make a few more scattered references [like the resurrection and being crowned] in the remainder of the letter that appear to also be contextual allusions to the festival’s topics. I leave those for the interested reader to examine further to appreciate the act of seeking out such truths for themselves.
It is a beautiful thing to see the richness of the text—how careful its writers were as they penned the words of hope and admonishment. It is a glory so graciously given to us to be able to study and seek out His eternal truths in the context in which they were originally shared.
Even in the letters of Paul we can catch glimpses of how the Pharisee embedded the eternal truths of Yom Teruah into his own words. He did not rush to share his thoughts, but crafted them in the context of the festival of Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah for Timothy, who was so faithfully continuing the ministry Paul had begun that was bringing men from all nations into the true worship so they would be prepared and sealed for good on the Day of Judgment.
Even in the letters of Paul we can catch glimpses of how the Pharisee embedded the eternal truths of Yom Teruah into his own words. He did not rush to share his thoughts, but crafted them in the context of the festival of Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah for Timothy, who was so faithfully continuing the ministry Paul had begun that was bringing men from all nations into the true worship so they would be prepared and sealed for good on the Day of Judgment.
All study contents Copyright Jeremy Chance Springfield, except for graphics and images, which are Copyright their respective creators.