The Shofar Echoes Through the Ages
By DR. H. RABINOWICZ
I day of the seventh month; in the
day of atonement shall ye make
with
the
horn
Supreme syinbol of Rosh Has- I proclamation
hanah, New Year, is the Shofar throughout all your land."
* *
and as many as Meah Kolloth (one I
' hundred sounds) are generally! The Shofar was also used in the
heard on that day. Rosh Hashanah service of God. David, musician-
is known by five different names: king of Israel, brought the Ark of
the two names used in the Torah. the Lord to Jerusalem, "With
Zikroh Teruah (a memorial pro- shouting and with the sound of
claimed with the blast of horns). the horn" and in the Psalms he
and Yom Teruah (a day of blowing urges, "With trumpets and sound
the horn) are both based on the of the horn, shout ye before the
Shofar. I King, the Lord." Many of the
The sounding of the Shofar I great events in Jewish history
marks the climax of the impassion-1 were associated with the Shofar.
ed Rosh Hashanah Service. This is ! At the Revelation at Mount Sinai,
the time when "even the fishes in "All the people perceived the
the sea tremble with terror," the thunderings and the lightnings,
moment when ' the worshipers. and voice of the horn,,;: The walls
tense and a'wed,Vrise as one man of Jericho fell miractilbusly after ,
to their feet. Their eyes are on they had been encompassed seven
the Bimah where . the Baal Tekeah times by seven priests bearing
• (Sounder . of - the Shofar) and the seven ram's horns, "And it shall
Baal Makre (prompter) stand be- be, tjaat when they make a long
fore the congregation robed in the blast with the ram's horn. and I
flowing folds., of the traditional when ye hear the sound of the
white garments. The greatness of horn, all the people shall shout
the occasion rests upon them and with a great shout; and the wall
gives them unwonted majesty in of the city shall fall down flat."
Strategist Gideon used the Shofar
the eyes of the people.
* * *
. in psychological warfare. "When
In ancient times the Shofar was I blow the horn. and all that are
widely used. It played a part in ; with me, then blow ye the horns
coronations, and when Absalom also on every side of the camp,
sent spies throughout all the tribes and say: For the Lord and for
.of Israel, they warned the people Gideon!"
The Shofar was still in fairly
saying, "As soon as ye hear the ,
sound of the horn ,then ye shall common use during Talmudic and
say: Asalom is king in Hebron." Medieval times. Whenever a ban
The Bible records that when Solo- of excommunication (Herem) was
mon was crowned, "They blew the . enacted, the formula was read,
ram's horn; and all the people wax candles were lit and the shofar
said: 'Long live king Solomon.' "
waS sounded. It was. used to herald
The Shofar, like the siren, was the Sabbath and 1 to announce a
also used as an alarm or danger death. The Talmud records that R.
signal, and the Prophet Amos asks Hammuna "chanced to be in a
the rhetorical question, "Shall the town named Daru, suddenly he
horn be !blown in a city, and the heard the note of the horn and
people not tremble?" At the end he knew by this signal that some-
of the 49-year cycle, on . the Tenth one had just died."
*
of Tishri, a blast of the . horn pro-
In the realm of eschatology, too,
claimed the Yovel (Jubilee), as ,
commanded- in the Torah, "Then the Shofar is heard with literally
shalt thou make proclaMation with epoch-making effect. At the end of
the blast of the horn on the tenth days. the angel Michael sounds the
trumpet with a mighty blast. Then
Elijah the prophet brings forth the
U.S. Negro Women
Messiah and the great Golden Era
is inaugurated: AS the Shofar sings
Boost Israel Tourism ;
out again and again, momentous
Meet Mrs. Shazar
events tke place: the primeval
JERUSALEM (JTA)—The Na- ; light reappears, the dead arise,
tional Council of Negro Women in the Shechinah becomes visible and
the United States has decided to the Temple stands in all its per-
include Israel in the tours spon- fection.
sored by the organization, it was
Philo Judaeus, writer of Hellen-
announced ,her6 by Mrs. Gerry istic Judaism, is the forerunner of
Major. a member of the council many scholars and philosophers
and of the editorial boards of Jet who delve into the significance of
and Ebony, two 'of the leading
the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah. In
mass-circulation Negro magazines
Talmudic times, the story of the
in the. United States.
Mrs. Major and seven other Akedah (the Binding of Isaac)
members of a visiting delegation, was closely associated with the
representing the council, were re- Shofar. "Blow a ram's horn before
ceived here by Mrs. Rachel me so that I may recall on your
Shazar, wife of Israel's president. behalf the binding of Isaac son of
President Zalman Shazar recei- Abraham and shall count it to your
ved a group of 1.6 editors of Afri- credit as though you had bound
can newspapers before their de- yourselves before Me."
* * *
parture, followiAg a 10-day visit
Saadia Gaon (892-942)- gives ten
to Israel.
During their visit here, the edi- reasons for the blowing of the
tors, who were guests of the Israel Shofar: the Creation of the Uni-
.Journalists Association, also met verse, the beginning of the Ten
with Foreign Minister Golda Meir Days of Repentance, the Revela-
and Agriculture Minister Moshe tion at Sinai, the exholtation of
Dayan.
the Prophets, the destruction of
The visiting editors represent! the' Temple, the Sacrifice of Isaac,
the leading newspapers and broad- cultivation of reverence and fear,
casting networks in Ethiopia, reminder of the Day of Judgment,
r.-Ghana. Nigeria. Northern Rho- Messianic age and Resurrection.
desia. Sierra Leone and Tangan- Two centuries later, Maimonides
.yika.
stresses the moral aspect 'of this
Command. "Although the blowing
of the Shofar on the New Year is
20 National Champs
a Scriptural decree, a suggestion
to Compete in World
Is hidden therein; that is, to say
`Awake ye sleepers from your
Bible Quiz in Israel
sleep and ponder your deeds; re-
JERUSALEM (JTA) —Twenty;
national Bible champions speak- Member your Creator', ye who have
forgotten the truth by preoccupy-
ing 11 languages will participate
,in the 1964 International World ing yourselves with the vanities of
Bible Quiz in Jerusalem, on Sept. the world and have" erredall your
years in vanity and emptiness
24.
Participants will include a Belg- which neither profit nor succour.
. ian army major, a New Zealand Give heed to your souls, and mend
farmer, an Ethiopian girl student, t your ways and deeds. Let every-
a Canadian writer and actor, and one of you abandon his evil way
a large number of clergymen. and his wicked thoughts."
Believing that the ' Torah has
Questions in the world quiz will be
restricted to the early and later I "seventy faces" shining forth to
the initiated and that every word
prophets.
Seven Arts Feature
24 Friday, September 4, 1964
THE DETROIT
JEWISH NEWS
and command of the Torah is en-
shrined in mystery (raza), the Cab-
balist gave much thought to the
Shofar. The Zohar (the book of
Splendor) gives the mystic point
of view. The reason that Israel
uses the ram's horn on this day
and not on any other is because
"we know to what place the horn
belongs and we do not desire to
awaken secret powers. Now when
the supernal shofar, in which is
the illumination of all removes it-
self and does not shine upon the
sons, the judgment is awakened
and the thrones are set up for
judgment ... But when this Shofar
rouses itself and men repent of
their sins, it behoves them to blow
the Shofar below, and the sound
thereof ascends on high and
awakens another supernal Shofar,
and so mercy is awakened and
judgment is removed."
In Hassidism, too, the Shofar
occupies a unique place in the
Service. Piety, integrity and schol-
arship were the qualities demanded
of the Officiant. These were
weapons he needed to strengthen
him in his struggle with the Satan.
Many of the great Chassidic rabbis
acted as Baale Tekioth and used
the Shofar to storm the Judgment
Room and to intercede before the
Heavenly Tribunal. Many delivered
stirring discourses before the
sounding of the Shofar and great
care was taken to have the right
Kavanoth (Intentions). The Hassi-
dim believe that the Shofar is
sounded as a signal and a reminder
to "put away causeless hatred and
to stir up love, unity and peace."
A NEW YEAR'S WISH! FROM ZIM-
MAY THE YEAR 5725 BE ONE-
OF CALM SEAS AND CLEAR SKIES
FOR YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES.
IN/ •.OUNIST... ao
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Happy New Year
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his -ace shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto th e e:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace..
NUMBERS VI: 24, 25, 26 •
Central European Shofar—Ram 'a
Circa XVIII Century, S. Strauss
Hors
Collection.
Jewish Museum, New Yor' at"
MOTOR COMPANY
THE AMERICAN ROAD, DEARBORN, MICHIGAN