Zikhron Teruah is a memorial of blowing. This day, often misunderstood due to added titles not found in Scriptures, holds a unique place among God's holy days as a pivotal point, standing in the middle of the annual cycle. It serves as a significant memorial, looking both backward from the end of the year and forward to what lies ahead, all centered on the powerful work of the Word of God, who became Jesus Christ. The term Zikhron Teruah comprises two parts: Zikkaron, a masculine noun meaning memorial or remembrance, conveying the essential quality of remembering something significant from the past, often tied to a festival memorializing a pivotal event; and Teruah, a feminine noun literally meaning blowing, but indicating a shout of joy, alarm, or a battle cry. It refers to a loud, sharp shout, often of joy or victory, or a great shout anticipating a coming event. Teruah can also refer to the noise or signal from an instrument, as seen in references to the Day of Trumpets in Leviticus 23:24 and the Jubilee year in Leviticus 25:9, where trumpets signal important beginnings. This holy day, described as a memorial of shouting in Leviticus 23:24 and a day of Teruah shouting in Numbers 29:1, emphasizes a focus beyond just the sounding of trumpets, which, while involved, may not fully capture the day's deeper significance. It is a day of no customary work, calling for reflection and anticipation through shouting, marking its critical role in God's plan as a moment to honor His presence and purpose among His people.

In Hebrew, the Day of Trumpets is called Yom Teruah, derived from the instructions in Leviticus 23:23-25 and Numbers 29:1-6. The term teruah (Strong's 8643) is commonly translated as a trumpet blast, a blowing of trumpets, or loud blasts on the ram's horn, but it fundamentally signifies a day of great noise, alarm, joy, rejoicing, and shouting. Derived from the root ruwa (Strong's 7321), meaning to split the ears with sound, teruah emphasizes earsplitting noise rather than its specific source, whether from trumpets, ram's horns, or the roaring shout of a throng of people, especially in worship to God as seen in Psalm 47:1, 66:1, 81:2, and 100:1. A survey of the three dozen instances where teruah appears reveals common themes such as war, alarm, rejoicing, warning, and victory. In Numbers 23:21, within Balaam's prophecy, teruah is linked to the shout of a King among Israel, highlighting God's presence with His people through an arresting noise that cannot be ignored. On Yom Teruah, this Day of Trumpets or Day of Shouting, the sounds capture attention and redirect focus to what the King is doing, serving as an effective start to the fall holy day season.

In Leviticus 23:24, the command to keep the Day of Trumpets is given as a memorial of the blowing of trumpets, a day distinct from other holy days due to this central focus. The Hebrew word truw'ah (H8643), often translated as a shout or blast, carries a range of meanings beyond just the sound of a trumpet. It can signify a loud, forceful blaring, an alarm, the shout of a shofar, or even the collective shouting of many voices, as seen at the walls of Jericho in Judges 6. In the Psalms, truw'ah is associated with shouts of joy, often linked to God's presence, and in I Samuel 4, the return of the ark to the camp of Israel prompted such a shout of joy that the ground shook. This diversity in meaning makes the symbolism of the Day of Trumpets somewhat enigmatic, as it encompasses remembrance of trumpet blasts, shouts of joy, or alarms. The most significant historical event tied to truw'ah before Leviticus 23 is found in Exodus 19 at Mt. Sinai, where the word trumpet appears four times. Here, the trumpet blast, described as very loud and increasing in intensity, accompanied God's awe-inspiring appearance to Israel with thunder, lightning, earthquake, fire, smoke, and His voice. This deafening sound caused the people to tremble and stand afar off, overwhelmed by fear. God intended this display, including the trumpet blasts, as a test of their faithfulness, to instill the fear of the Lord, and to dissuade them from sin. The memory of these trumpet blasts at Mt. Sinai, representing God's power and majesty, is what the Israelites were to recall on the Day of Trumpets, reminding them of their covenant and commandments at the start of each civil year. On this holy day, the remembrance of truw'ah is meant to inspire a renewed commitment to obey God, reflecting on His incomprehensible power. It serves as a call to remember His wonderful works and the fear they generated, urging a proper attitude of reverence and submission before Him.