What do you think of when you listen to the shofar?
While used in ancient times to rally the troops for war (Joshua 6:4) or in a musical accompaniment (Psalms 98:6), Rosh Hashana is referred to has Yom Terura, a day of blowing the shofar, which begs to ask the question, what's the meaning of this sound?
The Rambam highlights a greater purpose to the sounds of the shofar: "Awake, sleepers from your sleep, and slumberers
arise from your slumber!" Once could summarize this approach as the alarm clock for spirituality.
Exodus 19: 16 mentions the blast of the shofar causing the Israelites encamped under Mt. Sinai to tremble in awe. The shofar also acts like a trumpet to announce the arrival of the King of Kings, bringing the Judge into judgment on Yom Hadin.
I remember hearing from one teacher that the call of the ram's horn is like a primal cry - a plea for repentance or desire or pain.
What do you think of when you listen to the shofar?
I think of my father blowing the shofar in the house waking me up Sunday mornings.
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