CK $JF

 

 

 

VOI. IX

Gentral
Komfiueky
Jowisflm
Federaofiim

OCTOBER 1986

No. 7

 

THE SHOFAR

by Charlotte L. Levy

Heed ye the sound of the shofar,
The blast that is blown, O my people.

Have you ever wondered to what extent
the haunting and piercing sound of the
shofar compels even the most secular Jew
to wind his or her way to the synagogue or
temple during the High Holidays?

 

On Rosh Hashanah, the shofar calls us
to a ”spiritual awakening.” It is a
powerful symbol that seems to captivate
the soul, connecting every Jew to his or
her unconscious and primordial past. In
fact, the shofar is one of the oldest
elements of the holiday. The Torah speaks
of Rosh Hashanah as Yom Terurah (the day
of the sounding of the shofar). The
sounding of the shofar is a very ancient
ritual of the Jewish people, and its
origins are shrouded in mystery. There-
fore; it has been a perfect subject for
interpretation.

Sa’adya Gaon (b. 880 8.5.) was one of
the last and most illustrious of the
Gaonim. The Gaonim were the arbiters of
Jewish law in the post-Talmudic era, and
they headed the powerful Babylonian
academies. Sa’adya cited 10 reasons for
the sounding of the shofar on Rosh
Hashanah. His reasons included: the
proclamation of the rule of G—d; a call
for repentance; a reminder of the giving
of the Torah at Sinai; recalling the
destruction of the Temple; and the
ever—awaited sound announcing the
Messianic age. Another explanation
suggests that the sound of the shofar
awakens G-d to our pleas for mercy. Moses
Maimonides (b. 1135 C.E.) understood the
sound of the shofar as a summons to human
beings to become introspective, examine
their deeds and turn to G-d in repentance.

The Rosh Hashanah shofar blowing
consists of combinations of three distinct
sounds: ti:3§e—yah, shi’va-reem_ and
ti’roo-ah. Ti’kee—yah is a sustained
blast with a lift at the end. Shi’va-reem
is three short blasts with a lift at the

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