“Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound …”
(Ps 89:15, KJV)
In Lev 23:24-25 the feast day of Yom Teruah (The Day of the Blowing of the Shofar) is announced – ”Speak to the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do not customary work on it, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.” In Num 29:1 this day is characterized as “a day of blowing the trumpets”.
But this correction in terms of the Jewish tradition surrounding this feast day does not mean that it is no longer an important event. This day is the first (head) of the Yamim Noraim, in English, “the day of awe”, the most holy day on the Jewish calendar. Nehemia 8:9 calls it a day “holy to the Lord”. It is followed by ten days of self examination and repentance (known as the Asseret Yemei Teshuva, “the ten days of repentance”), which is concluded with Yom Kippur, the great day of Reconciliation.
There are a number of important events that took place on this day, and which all point to the spiritual importance attached to the day.
- The Talmud states that this is the day on which Adam was created, thus this day is in some way the commemoration of the creation, or birthday, of man.
- There are many who believe that Abraham sacrificed Isaac on this feast day. In the story the life of Isaac is saved when God orders Abraham not to sacrifice his son, in his place offering a ram who had been stuck in a nearby thicket (Gen 22:13). These horns also point to the ram’s horns which are used as shofars on this day.
- Various historical sources link this day to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.
It is thus clear that this day has specific importance with relation to the coupling between man and God. If it is indeed the day on which man was created in the likeness of God (Gen 1:26) and the day on which the covenant relationship between Father and Son was simulated by the events between Abraham and Isaac, and the sacrificial lamb provided (which symbolizes Christ – 1 Cor 5:7), and the horns of the ram used as a witness (Ps 81:3-5) to all the heaven and the earth, proclaiming God’s plan of salvation, and it, on top of all of this, points to the time at which Jesus started proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom (Luke 4:43) it becomes clear why this day is seen as “the day of remembrance”.
On this day we commemorate God’s eternal plan, which Eph 3:11 spells out as follows – “God did this according to his eternal plan. And he was able to do what he had planned because of all that Christ Jesus our Lord had done.” On this day the triumph of God’s purposes (Acts 13:36) is remembered and dramatically demonstrated with the blowing of the shofars.
- Sela: The shofar has gained immense prominence in our time. We need to always remember that the shofar, like the menorah or the talit, are mere pointers, and nothing more. They carry no spiritual power and have no other function than merely pointing to Jesus.
- Read: Deut 21; Ezek 47; Nah 2
- Memorize: Ezek 47:12
