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Page 8—THE rEWISH WEWS—September 1951

The Significance of the Shofar

Background of Rosh Hashanah's Clarion Call

Next to the Ugab or reeds, the shofar is the oldest
surviving form of wind instrument, whose tones are
bound up with a whole series of historic recollections,
including solemn reflections on life and death, the
duty of man and the destiny of the human race.
The basis for blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah
is the tradition that the Hebrew New Year, is the an-
niversary of creation. The shofar blasts during the
services are thus -listened to as the announcement of
the Divine Kingship. In ancient times the shofar was
used to proclaim the coronation of. a king and in ful-
fillment of this custom, the shofar tones on Rosh
Hashanah acclaim God as ruler of His universe.
Jewish tradition recalls that the shofar was heard
at Mount Sinai when the Israelites received the Decal-
ogue (Exodus k9:16). As the Jew listens to the shofar
on Rosh Hashanah, he is reminded of the turning,
point in the spiritual life of his ancestors. In the serv-
ice on the holy day there is a reaffirmation of the
eternal validity of that revelation at the desert mount
for the present and for the future.
Shofar Will Herald
Arrival of Messiah
The shofar is a reminder of the belief in resurrec-
tion, for Jewish tradition teaches that the arrival of
the Messiah will be heralded by the tones of the sho-
far. The shofar has been carved on Jewish tombstones
from ancient times. This practice is no doubt symbolic
of the hope in resurrection. Just as the blowing of
the shofar is symbolic of the resurrection of the dead,
the blowing of taps at the graves of fallen heroes may
have been inspired by Hebrew tradition.
The Shofar tones serve as reminders of - the
and their message who pictured the reunion of
Israel's children as being ushered in by the .sounding
of the ram's horn. "It shall come to pass in that day,
that a great shofar shall be blown; and they that were
lost ... and they that were dispersed .. : shall worship
the Lord in the holy mountain of Jerusalem" (Isaiah
27:13.)
Many instances are recorded, especially during

the Middle Ages, when the shofar was used to an-
nounce an excommunication. The wierd tones of
the ancient instrument would be a warning to all
persons . in the community to sever their social
contact with the person who was thus placed in
"cherem."
A custom, which still prevails in Israel, was the

blowing of the shofar to usher in the Sabbath. Ref-
erence to this practice is found in the Talmud (Shab-
bat 35b). There it is related that on Friday afternoon,
at the first Tekiah sound, the laborers in the fields
ceased their work; at the second Tekiah, the shops
and city workers stopped . their work, and by the tinte
the shofar blasts died down from the third Tekiah,
just before sunset, the housewives 'kindled the candles.
Shofar Had Many Uses.

Religious One Primary

Although the shofar was used in ancient times to
signal all important occasions in times of peace, and
as a clarion call in times of war, it has survived prim-
arily as a religious symbol for use only on the High
Holy Days. The Bible has no less than 70 references
to the shofar.

One of the impressive observances in ancient
Israel was that of the Jubilee Year. This came once
in 50 years, climaxing seven ;Sabbatical years. The
Hebrew name for Jubilee, "Yobel," actually means
"blasting" on the shofar. During Jubilee or Yobel
all land properties reverted to the original owners.

Jew Is Top
Truman Aid
With Press

By MURRAY FRANK

WASHINGTON, (AJP)—Presi-
dent Harry Truman's headline
hunter, a young Jewish midwest-
erner, is "Irv" to the newsmen
who cover the White House
"beat." Formally his name is
Irving Perimeter. His job, as-
sistant press secretary to the
President. •
Perimeter, in his new capacity,
is a member of the President's
immediate staff a n d attends
daily policy meetings. He says
he loves his new job, and the
"family" is very proud about it
"The family" is Mrs. Perimeter,
formerly Faye Klein of Omaha,
and their three daughters.
Perimeter f inane e d himself
through the University of Ne-
braska by working as a reporter
for the Lincoln Star. He re-
mained there until 1934, when
he joined the Associated Press
staff at Lincoln.
In 1936, AP transferred him to
its Washington Bureau, where he
served for seven years. He reg-
ularly attended President Roose-
velt's press conferences at the
White House.
He was recommended for the
White House post by President
.Truman's Press Secretary Joseph
Short, with whom he worked in
the AP Bureau in Washington.
In discussing Jewish affairs,
Perimeter vividly recalled his as-
sociation with AZA, the Bnai
Brith boys' organization, as a
youngster and later as a mem-
ber of the Omaha Bnai Brith
Lodge.

By HARRY CUSHING

endar. As a summons to spiritual regeneration, Mai-
monides, the eminent interpreter of Jewish law, gives
voice to the lessons of the shofar call as follows:
"Awake from your slumbers, ye who have fall-

(Copyright, 1951, Jewish TelegrapEic Agency, , Inc.)

en asleep in life, and ponder over your deeds.
Remember your Creator, and be not of those who
miss realities in their pursuit of ephemeral shad-
ows, and waste their years in seeking after vain
\ things which do not profit or deliver. Look well
to our souls,. and let there be betterment in our
acts. Forsake each of you your evil ways and
thoughts.

The ceremony of the blowing of the shofar is the
most impressive moment of the entire High Holy Day
ritual. It begins with the recital of Psalm 47. In some
rituals, such as among the Sephardic, Italian and
Yemenite Jews, several Biblical verses are recited
which refer to the powers of the shofar. These recita-
tions are based upon the Midrashic statement that
through the blowing of the Shofar, Israel influences
the Judgment in its favor. (Vayikra Rabba 29:3).

A shofar may be made from the horn of any
kosher animal with the exception of the ox or bull:
The reason for this is that a shofar from the head
of a bull or ox would be a reminder of the Golden
Calf which the Israelites worshipped in the desert.
Since it is desirous not to recall sinful acts, a sho-
far is never fashioned from the horns of a bull
or ox.

The inordinate accumulation of land in the hands
of the few was thus prevented by the Biblical
Jubilee law.

Those familiar with the Bible will recall the inci-
dent of Nabot, the owner of a vineyard, who refused to
sell his property to King Ahab because, as he ex-
plained, the Hebrew law forbade him to give up the
property of his ancestors. He might have agreed to sell
the property under ordinary circumstances, but in this
case where it was demanded br-the king as eminent
domain he -knew that it would never revert back to
his heirs during the next Jubilee. Ahab had NabOt
executed on a trumped up charge and then seized
the vineyard. It will be recalled that Ahab was de-
nounced by the prophet Elijah and the king's death
upon the battlefield was hailed as divine punishment
for his wicked deed.
When the shofar was sounded at the beginning of
the Jubilee year, which was proclaimed on Yom Kip-
pur, the poor man received back the land heritage of
his fathers. To the Jew, down through the ages, the
sounds of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and Yam
Kippur have become a clarion call bidding him to re-
claim full possession of his spiritual heritage.
Serves as a Reminder
Of Abraham's' Sacrifice
One of the major lessons of the shofar ceremony
on Rosh Hashanah is to, serve as a reminder of the in-
tended sacrifice of Isaac. It will be recalled that after
Abraham had proved himself loyal to the divine call,
a ram appeared in the thicket. In gratefulness, he sac-
rificed the ram instead of his son. The shofar, or
ram's horn thus brings back memories of "Akedat
Yitzchak"—"the binding of Isaac." The blasts on the
shofar recall Abraham's unconditional surrender to
God. Tied in with this lesson is the JQw's acceptance of
martyrdom through the ages. Rosh Hashanah thus
recalls the - many supreme sacrifices that Jews have
made in all ages.
As part of the Rosh Hashanah service, the shofar
is primarily a clarion call to repentence. The curved
shofar is in fact symbolic of the contrite heart re-
penting on the most solemn days of the Hebrew cal-

....7he Pooh, Illaohanah,

By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX

(Copyright, 1951, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

Why is "Rosh Hashanah" (New Year's) cele-
brated for two days in Israel when the other
major holidays are only celebrated for one

Actually, the shofar differs from other instruments
in the fact that its blasts are monotones. The signals
are based not so much on the tones of the call but
rather on the length of each sound. There probably
were various lengths and combinations of lengths for
the different kinds of signals in ancient times. In the
present use of the shofar, for the Rosh Hashanah cere=
mony, there are three traditional notes. They are
"Tekiah"—a lc ■ ng stretched out sound; "Shevorifia"--
three broken shorter sounds, and "Teruah"—nine
staccato blasts. These three shofar calls are sounded
three times. First, in honor of "malkyot" - (kingdom),
in . recognition of God's reign; second, "zichronot"
(remembrances) to recall the binding of Isaac and
to memorialize many other events in Jewish history,
and third, "Shoforot"—to comply with the precept of
the shofar itself.
Originally, the ceremony of blowing the shofar was
set in the early morning service. However, this was
changed to take place immediately prior to the Musa!
service. The reason for the change is explained in the
Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 32b). Once, probably during
the time of the rebellion against Roman Tyranny, the
military authorities were alarmed at the shotar blasts
during the early morning hours and believed that they
were a signal for an uprising among the Jews. The
Roman soldiers attacked the Jewish populace causing
grave consequences. As a result, the rabbis prohibited
the blowing of the shofar early Rosh Hashanah morn-
ing but placed the ritual just prior to the Musaf serv-
ice.
In many ways the basic teachings of Judaism, as
well as glorious memories of the past, and hopes for
the future, are recalled by the shofar, Reverting to
the days of antiquity, its archaic sounds have beea
heard down through the centuries. Its grave tones
during national calamities, and its regal blasts on na-
tional rejoicings have continued to bring their lasting
message to the Eternal People.

(Liz

TEICIAH!

O X

Why is the shofar blown at different times-

in the morning service of Rosh Hashanah?

Originally, it seems, the shofar was sounded
at only one part of the service, i.e., in the early
morning. As a matter of fact, in many instances
it was blown at sunrise. This was preferred either
to announce the dawn of the New Year, or to
arouse the conscience of the populace from the
earliest morning hours and set the theme of re-
pentence from the very beginning of the day.
A strange thing happened later. While under
the yoke of tyrannical foreign government, the
Jews received an order prohibiting the sounding
of the shofar, it being considered an affront' to
the king whose presence was always announced
by the trumpeters of his realm. To enforce the
fulfillment of this prohibition the government
would station police guards in the synagogue to
keep the congregation from attempting to blow
the shofar. The rabbis at that time instituted a
cunning device which fooled the police. Instead
of blowing the shofar in the early morning heiurs
of worship they ordained that the shofar . be
blown tt the later part called "Musaf" (the ad-
ditional part).
The police, taking for granted that the sho-
far was to be blown during the early morning
hours, remained on duty only during the time
of the Schacharis service (the early morning sec-
tion) and confidently departed, feeling they had
accomplished their mission.
*
*
*
Why is it customary to eat sweets on Rosh

day?
The other najor Jewish Festivals (i.e. the
first and last .day of Passover, Shevuoth, Suk-
kot and -Shemini Atzeres) are observed for only
one day in Israel because originally they were
one-day occasions. The diaspora assumed two
days because of the distance from Israel and
the uncertainty of the exact day. This uncertain-
ty came -about because of the fact that the He-
brew month was inaugurated upon the appear-
ance of a new moon. The festivals were counted
so many days after the appearance of the new
moon. This would make a difference only when
the festival comes in the middle of the month.
There is only one Jewish festival that comes
at the very onset of the month and that is the
Jewish New Year's festival called Rosh Hashan-
ah. Since this was the case, even in Israel there
were occasions when the festival wa,s -a two-
day event. One of the occasions occurred when
Elul (the last month of the old year) turned
its 30th day and the witnesses who saw the new
moon came late in the afternoon, after the speci-
fied time. Then, the 30th day of Elul was de-
clared Rosh Hashanah as well as the day after
it.
An interesting reason is given by one scholar
for prolonging this practice. Rosh Hashanah is
Hashanah? -
.
the day when the Almighty pasSes judgment on
The custom seems to be an old one. Even as
the human race. In olden times, when matters
far back as in the days of the Bible we find Ezra
of life and death were in the hands of" the San-
telling the returning exiles to eat good thingS
hedrin in Israel, it was forbidden to pass judg-
and drink sweet wine on this day. The Talmud
ment on only one day's deliberation. At least two
(Tractate Horiyot 12a) also mentions this as an
days had to be used so that the night would pass
accepted custom, explaining that it was an
during which the judges would have a chance
"omen for a sweet year." The moral is quite
"to sleep on" the case and perhaps find a way
a wholesome one. It teaches us not merely to sit
of saving the defendant. Likewise, the Lord sets
back and pray- for sweetness, blessing and for-•
the example for men to follow, by making the, giveness on the New Year. It advises us to go
day upon which he sits in judgment last two
out and find these gifts; to reap them by our
days so that overnight consideration might be
acts of kindness and mercy; to earn them with
given.
good deeds.

SHEVORIM!.

TERUAH!

Miss Damari
'Wopping Hit'
In NY Clubs

(American Jewish Press Feature)

The pulsating songs of a ._
throbbing-voiced daughter of, a. ,
Yemenite rabbi, who at the age
of three rode a donkey over
miles of desert to Palestine, is .
an outstanding example of the
wonderful exports coming these
days from Israel.
Shoshana Damari, the first

Israel artist to win a'top - spot

in New york's'
night life
suit, started at
Club Habibi aft-
er singing to
soldiers in the
front line dur-
ing t h e Israel
;War for Inde-
pendence. Now,
a f t e r wopping
success in sev-
Miss Damari eral N e w York
clubs, she is on a nation-wide
tour for the Zionist Organization
of America.
Dark-haired, attractive Miss
Damari sings only in , Hebrew,
but neverthless appeals to uni-
versal audiences. She explains
her success, "When people have
hearts they understand. It is this
way all over the world."
Shoshana grew up in Rishon:.
Le Zion, learning the folk songs :-
of the Rishon vineyards and vil-
lages. She began a study of mu-
sic at 13, made her stage debut
a year later. At 15 she sang for f
the Palestine Broadcasting Serv-
ice in Jerusalem and later with:,;:
the Israel Symphony Orchestra:
Shoshana is married and the; ) :
mother of an eight-year-old
daughter.

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