What is the meaning of the shofar sounds?

On Rosh Hashanah (and Yom Kippur), we are told to hear the sound of the shofar – a ram’s horn that is turned into an instrument like a trumpet. Sages of generations past interpreted this sound to represent joy, hope and trust in the future! The second sound is called teruah.

What is the shofar and what is its significance to Yom Kippur?

As the last prayers of Yom Kippur fade, the shofar, or ram’s horn, is sounded, an indication that God’s forgiveness has been granted and that the 25-hour fast is over. Hungry congregants head home to break their fast with family and friends.

Where in the Bible is shofar mentioned?

Exodus 19
The shofar is mentioned frequently in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud and rabbinic literature. In the first instance, in Exodus 19, the blast of a shofar emanating from the thick cloud on Mount Sinai makes the Israelites tremble in awe. The shofar was used to announce the new moon and the Jubilee year.

What do trumpets mean in the Bible?

Interpretations. In Christian Eschatology, all the first six trumpets are used to serve as a wake up call to the sinners on Earth and a call to repentance. Each trumpet blast brings with it a plague of a more disastrous nature than the one before it.

What does shofar mean in Hebrew?

horn
shofar \SHOH-far\ noun. : the horn of an animal (usually a ram) blown as a trumpet by the ancient Hebrews in battle and during religious observances and used in modern Judaism especially during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur.

What makes a shofar Kosher?

The process of producing a kosher shofar has not changed much throughout the ages. Any pitch produced by a shofar, whether loud, soft, or dry, is acceptable. 13 If a shofar has a hole, some sources consider it kosher even if it affects the sound; however, the prevailing view is not to utilize such a shofar.

When was the shofar blown in the Bible?

The shofar is mentioned frequently in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud and rabbinic literature. In the first instance, in Exodus 19, the blast of a shofar emanating from the thick cloud on Mount Sinai makes the Israelites tremble in awe. The shofar was used to announce the new moon and the Jubilee year.

Is the shofar the voice of God?

Crafted from the horn of a kosher animal, the shofar is “an instrument that releases, symbolically, God’s voice,” according to shofar expert Robert Weinger. “We are waking up our spirituality. To return to god to actually cleanse ourselves.”

What is the Hebrew word for trumpet?

Note that the “trumpets” described in Numbers 10 are a different instrument, described by the Hebrew word for ‘trumpet’ (Hebrew: חצוצרה‎, romanized: ḥaṣoṣrah), not shofar (Hebrew: שופר‎). In the Temple in Jerusalem, the shofar was sometimes used together with the trumpet.