Unveiling the Sacred Sounds of the Shofar: Exploring Its Biblical Significance and Spiritual Impact
Introduction
The first time we read about the Shofar (שֹׁפָ֖ר) in the Bible was right after the Exodus when the Israelites encamped below Mount Sinai. The Shofar is commonly recognized as a ram’s horn.[i] The Lord instructed the Israelites to wait for the third day when He would come down upon the mountain, and the blast of a Shofar would sound before them.
In Leviticus and then again in Numbers, we read about the Feast of Trumpets (in Hebrew is Yom Teruah, which means the Day of Blowing).[ii] The day is more accurately called a “sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts.” It is written, “The first day of the seventh month [the Feast of Trumpets] shall be a sacred holiday to you when you may not do any mundane labor. It shall be a day of Teruah [blowing] for you” (Numbers 29:1). The Hebrew word, again, used here is Teruah (תְּרוּעָ֖ה) which translates as “blowing” or “to blow.”
In Leviticus, we also read about the Shofar of the Jubilee (Yovel) to be blown on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This day came ten days after the Feast of Trumpets.[iii] Here, specifically, the Lord commanded blowing a ram’s horn—a Shofar. The words Shofar and Jubilee are sometimes used in a combination called the “Horn of Jubilee (keren ha’yovel).”[iv] At other times in scripture, the word Jubilee is synonymous with the Shofar and is considered the same.[v]
Two Silver Trumpets
In Numbers, we first read about the commandment for the Israelites to make two silver trumpets to be used in chorus with the Shofar.[vi] The Hebrew word for trumpet is Chatzo’tz’rah, and plural is Chatzo’tze’rote (חֲצֽוֹצְרֹ֣ת). Unfortunately, there is confusion in the King James translation, which uses the same English word, “trumpet,” for both a ram’s horn and a silver trumpet. On the other hand, in Hebrew, there is a distinction between the two as they are not the same instrument.
The silver trumpets were blown differently and used for specific festivals, combined with the Shofar or separately. As it is written: “Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets (be’ chutz’tza’rote) over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God” (Numbers 10:10).
The sons of Aaron, the priests, were instructed to blow the silver trumpets as an everlasting ordinance;[vii] as it is written, “When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets (be’ chatzo’tza’rote), and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies” (Numbers 10:9).
The purpose here was to call forth God’s army for battle. Shortly after, we read about Israel going to war with the Midianites, and the sons of Aaron blew the silver trumpets (va’chatzo’tza’rote).[viii] Later in scripture, for example, at the walls of Jericho, the priests were commanded to blow a Shofar instead of a trumpet. It is written, “And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets [Shofars]” (Joshua 6:4).
The Shofar
The Shofar is mentioned seventy-two times in the Bible. It is molded and polished from the single horn of a kosher animal. Excluded, however, is the horn of a cow that the Israelites worshiped in the sin of the golden calf. Ironically, Shofar is derived from the Hebrew words shor and par, which translate as bull and ox.
The Shofar is traditionally made from a ram, a male sheep at least one year old. It can also be made from the Bushwack antelope (a Kudu). The Shofar is carefully hollowed out, sterilized, and bent to its desired shape. The bending symbolizes the human heart, which should be bent before the Lord. The narrow tip is cut and shaped into a mouthpiece. Any cracks or holes in the Shofar render it unsuitable. And no mending with any foreign substances is permitted.
Over time, each Jewish community has developed its style of Shofar. Spanish Sephardic and Jewish communities in Poland use either a flat or straight Shofar with a low pitch or one bent that produces a very high tone. In North Africa, the Jewish people use a straight Shofar with a deep sound. In Holland, a goat horn is traditionally used. And Yemenite Jews use a ram’s horn or the classic long spiral Shofar made from a Bushwack antelope or an Ibex that produces a deep trumpet-like sound.
Some Shofars are decorated with precious stones or carved with symbols, like the Star of David or Menorah. Christian and Messianic communities have also painted or decorated their shofars with silver. Wetting the inside of the Shofar with water can enhance its sound. However, coating the inside with lacquer or urethane can distort the Shofar’s sound, rendering it invalid.[ix]
Many legends and mysteries surround the small number of Shofar makers and their trade secrets. Nowadays, most Shofars are produced in Israel. However, the horns are primarily collected in Morocco, Algeria, and countries in southern Africa. The Shofar is one of the world’s oldest and supernaturally enchanted instruments of worship in Jewish culture. In the Bible, the Shofar is conceived as an instrument God Himself uses. It is a symbol of God and a manifestation of His voice—the Shofar of the Messiah.
It invokes an emotion of the soul beyond words to describe, and no human sound is closely comparable. It blows a hole in our hearts with a powerful force that releases a flood of pent-up feelings and emotions, opening our souls to the untapped yearning for the presence of God.[x] There is simply nothing else like it.
How We Use the Shofar
In Judaism, each blast of a Shofar has a unique spiritual impact. The instrument is blown upward like the horn naturally appears on the animal.[xi] One central commandment of the Feast of Trumpets (also called Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year) is to hear the blowing of the Shofar.
The rabbis teach that Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of creation.[xii] This day, we proclaim God to be King and Creator of the universe at His coronation ceremony. Therefore, it is customary to stand when the Shofar is sounded as we are standing before the King of Kings.[xiii] In the Jewish prayers, we read, “For the Lord Almighty great King of the entire universe… The Lord rose to the sound of Teruah; God to the sound of the Shofar.” Blowing the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, therefore, foretells of the coming Kingdom of God.
Our sages set forth two blessings over the Shofar, each beginning with: “Blessed are You, God our Lord, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments…” The blessing begins in the second person (us) and concludes in the third person (Him). Experiencing God’s benevolence, we tell the Lord we are too small and unworthy to stand before the King and speak to Him. Yet, we cannot refrain from blessing Him for what He has done for us.[xiv] In response to hearing these blessings and the blowing of the Shofar, we say Amen, inferring the same blessing upon us as if we had ourselves recited the prayer and blown the Shofar.
When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the Shofar was used during specific convocations, such as the commencement of Shabbat, the beginning of the months (new moons), and the fiftieth year of Jubilee (Yovel). It was used during Selichot (the two days before Rosh Hashanah when we beg for God’s forgiveness) and was blown on certain days of fasting.[xv]
On the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year, when the last Shofar blast would sound, the high priest would stand silently at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. He would chant a short prayer as he entered the room silently, asking God to atone for the people. The connection the high priest must have felt with God at that moment is beyond description. This man represented the entire nation of Israel before the Lord. The reverence he experienced for God reverberated to every Jewish soul, especially those present in the Temple with him.[xvi]
The Shofar was also used at other special celebrations, such as the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and during Asa’s repentance when he removed the idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin.[xvii] After the Second Temple was destroyed, sadly, the Shofar lost much of its significance in the Jewish people’s daily lives.
You will notice from the Bible that both the silver trumpets and Shofar were blown on these festivals and new moons accordingly, as it is written, “With trumpets [va’chatzo’tza’rote] and the sound of a horn [Shofar]” (Psalm 98:6). Each instrument had a particular purpose. The rabbis explain in the Mishnah (the oral commentary on the Torah) that on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), the silver trumpets were blown abruptly, but the Shofar was blown for an extended time. Their reasoning is that the Shofar was considered the timely mitzvah, meaning the commanded blessing.[xviii] This commandment is highlighted in Psalm 81, which reads, “Blow the trumpet (Shofar) at the time of the New Moon, At the full moon, on our solemn feast day” (Psalm 81:4).
On these festivals, one’s awe for God was to be greater than one’s love for Him. For this reason, the rabbis instruct us: “The level of Divine pleasure evoked through blowing the Shofar in the Holy Temple – the location where God’s essence was manifest – is greater than the pleasure naturally activated on Shabbat. As such, the Shofar is sounded in the Temple even when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat.”[xix]
On Rosh Hashanah, we mark the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance or Days of Awe that lead up to Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. We are warned to repent, turn away from our wicked ways (teshuva), and seek the King’s kindness during this time.[xx] Blowing the Shofar during these ten days is an integral mystery linked to the Day of the Lord. The sounds reach heaven and create a tangible presence of awe towards God.
The Shofar instills a sense of trepidation and fear that should lead us to humble ourselves before God. It is written, “If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?” (Amos 3:6). This atmosphere of awe towards God climaxes on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the culmination of God’s judgments and the Day of the Lord.
The Shofar Reminds Us
The sages tell us that on Rosh Hashanah, when the Lord hears the call of the Shofar, He rises from His throne of justice and sits on His throne of mercy. There, He judges the personal accounts of each man and woman.[xxi] This time of judgment is called the Shofar blast of remembrance (zich’ron teruah), as God is reminded of His covenant with Israel.
The Shofar reminds us of the revelation of the Torah and the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai (Matan Torah), which is celebrated on Shavuot (Pentecost). The Israelites declared to the Lord, “We shall do and we shall hear!” These prayers are recited in the holiday prayers called Musaf, which are additional prayers added to the regular service and are called a sacrifice of prayer. In these prayers, we declare, “You revealed yourself in the cloud… in sounds and bolts you were revealed before them, and at the sound of Shofar you appeared to them.” Therefore, the blessing of hearing the Shofar is expanded when it is sounded among the congregation; as it is written, “In a multitude of people is a king’s honor” (Proverbs 14:28).
The sound of the Shofar rising and falling symbolizes the binding of dark forces, releasing the Jewish people from their bondage. It is called the Shofar of redemption. And at the end of the age, the Shofar symbolizes the children of Israel being redeemed from the land of Egypt. This great Shofar will be blown on the Day of the Lord when He finally delivers the children of Israel from all the earth where He scattered us; as it is written, “So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet [Shofar] will be blown” (Isaiah 27;13).
The Shofar reminds us of our prophets, who warned the people of the judgment to come if we do not repent.[xxii] The prophet Ezekiel declared, “When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet [Shofar] and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head” (Ezekiel 33:2-4).
The Shofar reminds us of the walls at Jericho that fell with the blowing of the Shofar. And it reminds us of the destruction of Jerusalem, which came under the victorious trumpet blasts of our enemies. The Shofar was a reminder of Abraham’s great test of faith (called Yirat Shomayim in Hebrew) when he prepared to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah.[xxiii] The rabbis recite, “Said the Lord, blow to me the horn of a ram, so that I shall remember how Isaac son of Abraham was bound and thus I shall remember them.”
The Shofar reminds us of the Day of the Lord and judgment at the end of this age, the ingathering of the Jewish people to their homeland, the assembling the Gentiles to Jerusalem on the Feast of Tabernacles, and the resurrection of the dead.[xxiv] As it is written, “The great day of the Lord is near… A day of trumpet [blowing the Shofar] and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers” (Zephaniah 1:14 & 16). “All inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth: When he lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it; And when he blows a trumpet, you hear it” (Isaiah 18:3).
In the Jewish prayers, we say, “And a great Shofar will sound, and the voice of thin silence shall be heard, and angels shall rush, and awe and fear shall grasp them, and they shall say this is the Day of Judgment…” For it is written, “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth, declares the Lord. I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea—and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble. When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth, declares the Lord” (Zephaniah 1:2-3). “See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants” (Isiah 24:1).
Lastly, the Shofar confuses Satan not effectively to serve as a prosecutor at Israel’s Divine judgment. It is so that we merit a merciful ruling from the Lord.[xxv] The Lord declared that in the fiftieth year, the Shofar of the Jubilee would pronounce Israel’s freedom from all her debt and return the captives to the land of their inheritance. As it is written, “Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land” (Leviticus 25:9).
This last Shofar blast declares God’s final atonement for the Jewish people and their land. It is written, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43).
Sounds of the Shofar
According to the Mishnah, three main musical notes are each blown three times for nine mandatory notes that must be blown with the Shofar. These are Tekiah, Teruah, and Tekiah, each repeated three times.[xxvi] Three additional notes were added in the fourth century, including Shevarim, which sounds like a groaning person. Maimonides (one of our great sages) said: The blowing (Teruah) of the Shofar is like the howl of a wailing woman or the moan of someone travailing in his heart over something dire. The rabbis later expounded in the Talmud that thirty blasts are required. Today, the Shofar is blown a total of one hundred times in the following pattern:
Teruah – consisting of nine short blasts;
Shevarim – three short blasts, each taking the same length of time as three blasts of the Teruah;
Tekiah – a single blast that is the length of the Teruah and Shevarim combined when those blasts are sounded one after the other.
Ashkenazi Jews produce a staccato rhythm, while the Sephardic Jews produce a wavy tremolo sound. The final blast is the “large” Tekiah (Tekiah Gedolah), three times longer than the Tekiah. Tekiah and Teruah share common verbs and gerunds representing the silver trumpet and the Shofar. These one-hundred sounds are considered symbolic of the one-hundred and one letters of Sisera’s mother, who lamented for her son’s return from battle. Sisera had died in battle, and his mother’s lament is recorded in Judges. It is called the Song of Deborah. In the Sephardic communities, an additional Tekiah is sounded, totaling one hundred and one, corresponding with the numerical value of the name “Michael,” the guardian angel of Israel who seeks mercy on their behalf.[xxvii]
The meaning of the word Teruah comes from Psalm 2, where it reads, “You shall break them [in Hebrew, tero’aim] with a rod of iron; you shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:9). Jewish mystics describe the Shofar sounds this way: “The Teruah blasts are in the [spiritual realms of beauty] sefira of tiferet and break the power of the negative spiritual energies, [the Sitra Achra], breaking them with powerful shattering blasts. These blasts act like an iron rod shattering pottery, and this is why King David chose the word ‘teroaim,’ which shares the same root as ‘Teruah,’ to describe a shattering action.”
The Lord says, “Happy is the nation that knows Teruah (the Shofar blast), they walk in the light of your countenance, God” (Psalms 89:16), and in Isaiah, we read, “For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). Notice the emphasis on knowing, not blowing, or hearing. Why? Because the rabbis understand the secret of the Teruah, as it is written, “Shatter (in Hebrew, Teraim) them with an iron rod” (Psalm 2:9).[xxviii] Teruah is derived from the root “to break” or “shatter,” hence the Shofar’s broken notes.
The rabbis tell us that Tekiah comes from the brain, while Shevarim comes from the heart. This is reflected in Psalm 51, where it reads, “The contrite [in Hebrew, nishbar] spirit is a sacrifice [in Hebrew, zevach] to God; O God, You will not despise a contrite and broken [nishbar] heart” (Psalm 51:19). The word shevarim means “broken” and is related to the sefira of gevura, which is God’s power to restrict and conceal the light so that His creatures can receive His lovingkindness. And it takes great strength (gevura) to break or humble something. The same root word, “shever,” describes the contrite and broken heart in the quoted verse. The Nefesh (soul) is the raw life force represented by the blood. The heart distributes the blood and characterizes the soul (Nefesh).
In summary, the sound of Tekiah says: We are desperate for God. The sound of Shevarim and Teruah says: We are brokenhearted over our separation from God. And the final blast of the Tekiah is God’s response of love, saying, “Return, My children, return. No matter where you roam, you can always come back home.”[xxix]
Atonement
One of the repeated themes of the Shofar blast is “atonement.” When the heart is broken, as opposed to being full of itself, the light of the Divine can enter. The Shevarim blasts of the Shofar represent the breaking of pride in our hearts before the Creator. It diminishes our consciousness, called bina, and is derived from the Hebrew word for understanding. Bina, in turn, relates to the heart and is the state where the soul wants nothing for itself. When we annul ourselves before God, His harsh judgments are “slaughtered,” taken from the word zevach, meaning “to slaughter.” And these are slaughtered by our broken and contrite spirit, as it is written, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).
The sound of the Teruah is from the wings of the lungs, which is the source of the sound. The lungs and windpipe contain the sound. They make the simple sound while the mouth, specifically the lips, make the “speech” of the Shofar. Speech always represents the sefira of malchut, the spiritual realm of exaltedness and humility. And so, the very act of blowing the Shofar represents our unification with the Divine. We become one with God.
Conclusion
So, let us summarize. The Shofar, not the silver trumpet, is an instrument God uses to shatter our pride and open our hearts to His lovingkindness. However, it is not the Shofar that makes the sound. It is our mouth that cries out from our heart, from our soul in repentance to the Lord. And with a broken and contrite spirit, the Lord, in turn, shatters His judgments against us. Rambam (another of our great sages) writes:
“Although the sounding of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah is a Divine decree [which is accepted without our having to understand its reason], nevertheless, we can discern a purpose in doing so. It is as if it tells us: Sleepers, arise from your slumber, and those who are dozing, awake from your lethargy. Review your actions, repent your sins, and remember your Creator! Those who forget the truth with the passing of time and who waste their years pursuing vanity and folly that is purposeless and cannot save you - look into your souls and improve your ways and your deeds. Let all abandon the ways of evil and thoughts that offer no benefit” (Hilchot Teshuvah 3).
These verses address repentance and forgiveness and are the central theme surrounding the time from the Feast of Trumpets through the Day of Atonement. These will be fulfilled on the Day of the Lord with a great Shofar blast when Christ returns. Then, He will pour out His judgments on all flesh, but on Jerusalem, His spirit of grace and supplication. God will open Israel’s uncircumcised hearts, and she will regret her sins. As it is written, “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10).
The nation of Israel will cry out for the Lord just as in the days of Egypt, and they will call out for the coming of the Messiah, the son of David; as Yeshua said, “You shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 23:39). Yes, Israel will cry out from her bondage and suffering. And God will remember His covenant with Israel and save them. And so, all Israel shall be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins” (Romans 11:26-27). “Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad” (Psalm 14:7).
[i] Exodus 19:13, 19:16, 19:19, 20:18.
[ii] Leviticus 23:24. Numbers 29:1.
[iii] Leviticus 25:9.
[iv] Joshua 6:4-8.
[v] Exodus 19:13.
[vi] Numbers 10:2.
[vii] Numbers 10:8.
[viii] Numbers 31:6.
[ix] Ibid. The Laws of the Shofar.
[x] Gurkow, Lazer. The Long Blast. Chabad.org.
[xi] Rabbi Gornish, Yitzchak. The Laws of the Shofar.
[xii] Kitov, Eliyahu. Sounding the Shofar. Chabad.org.
[xiii] Kitov, Eliyahu. Listening to the Sound of the Shofar. Chabad.org.
[xiv] Kitov, Eliyahu. Blessings Over the Sounding of the Shofar. Chabad.org.
[xv] The Sephardic Jews have Selichot prayers for the entire month of Elul. Ashkenazi Jews ask for forgiveness only during the week before Rosh HaShannah, for at least four days starting from the Saturday night before the holiday.
[xvi] Ibid. The Long Blast.
[xvii] 2 Samuel 6:15. 2 Chronicles 15:14 & 28.
[xviii] Rosh Hashana 3:3. Baal Shem Tov. The Trumpets and the Shofar. Chabad.org.
[xix] Silberberg, Naftali. Why is the Shofar Not Blown on the Shabbat? Chabad.org.
[xx] Rambam, Hilchos Teshuvah 3:4.
[xxi] Vayikra Raba, 29:10.
[xxii] Sefer Kol Hakemach LeRabeinu BChai.
[xxiii] Gemara, Rosh Hashanah, 16:1.
[xxiv] Machzor Hameforash, R’ Saadya Gaon.
[xxv] Gemara, Rosh Hashanah, 16:1.
[xxvi] Shulchan Oruch, Orach Chaim 586-593.
[xxvii] Kitov, Eliyahu. One Hundred Sounds. Chabad.org.
[xxviii] Adilman, Binyomin. The Shabbat Shofar. Chabad.org.
[xxix] Ibid. The Long Blast.