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Dear Friends,
This coming weekend (September 19-20) we will be celebrating the Jewish New Year, beginning the year 5770 according to the Jewish calendar. The symbol of this holiday in Jewish tradition is the Shofar, שֹׁפָר, a blowing horn made from the horn of a ram. This horn is a reminder of the binding of Isaac (Genesis 22), and his salvation when God’s angel told Abraham not to sacrifice his son, but rather to sacrifice a ram that was caught in nearby bushes.
In modern times, the blowing horn is used for ritual purposes, on the New Year as well as on the Day of Atonement. However, in ancient times, it was used for additional purposes. Today we will discuss the use of the Shofar as it is described to us in the Bible.
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| The Shofar as a War Instrument |
In many cases in the Bible, we hear that the military commanders would assemble the people by blowing the Shofar: This is how the judge Ehud assembles the warriors in order to fight the Moabites (Judges 3:27), this is how the judge Gideon assembles the people to fight the Midianites and Amalekites (Judges 6:34), as well as many additional wars described in the Bible. The Shofar is blown in order to gather the men of war – one exception which actually emphasizes that this is the usual meaning of a gathering by Shofar, is found in the Book of Joel, announcing that not only the men of war are to be gathered by the Shofar, but every last member of the people, in preparation for the Day of the Lord’s Judgment (Joel 2:15-16). This emphasizes the importance of the day, on which every man, woman and child are to join the fighting forces.
Other than the use of the Shofar for gathering the warriors, we find one exceptional battle in which the Shofar played a key role: the conquering of Jericho by Joshua, as described in Joshua 6.
After besieging the city, Joshua is commanded by God to take all the men of war and walk around the city walls once, for six days in a row, with seven priests each carrying a Shofar and with the Arc of the Covenant. On the seventh day, they are to walk around the city seven times, and the priests are commanded to blow their horns. When the people hear the Shofar, they are to cry out loud and cheer, and God promises that if this is done, the city walls will fall down. Joshua carefully conveys these orders to the priests and to the people, stressing that they must not make a sound before they are commanded to do so. The commands are carried out, and on the seventh day, the wall of the city comes down with no force used. The city is then conquered, with no survivors left except the family of Rahab, who assisted Joshua and his men. Joshua then curses any man in the future who will dare to rebuild the city (Jushua 6:26), a curse which is fulfilled in the days of the wicked king Ahab, when the city is rebuilt (1 Kings 16:34).
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| The Walls of Jericho Falling Down, Gustave Doré |
Freeing of slaves
In Leviticus 25, a special set of laws is given. According to these laws, the land is only to be worked for six years, and every seventh year is a year of rest for the land, reminding the people that everything belongs to God. From Deuteronomy 15:1 we learn that this seventh year is called Shmittah, שְׁמִטָּה. After seven cycles of Shmittah years, the fiftieth year is called the Yovel, יוֹבֵל, which is similar to the Shmittah in terms of working the land, but has additional meanings. This is a year that erases all the financial transactions of the whole period, giving back to each man what was originally his: land that was sold returns to its original lawful owner, and land is always to be sold based on this assumption – its worth being determined by the number of years left until the Yovel. In addition, all Hebrew slaves are to be set free, together with their families. The reason for this is stated very clearly:
| כִּי לִי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדִים עֲבָדַי הֵם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם |
| For the sons of Israel are slaves to me, they are my slaves, for I took them out of Egypt, I am your God (Leviticus 25:55) |
For the sons of Israel are slaves to me, they are my slaves, for I took them out of Egypt, I am your God (Leviticus 25:55)
No Israelite can be a permanent slave, because the Israelites are slaves of God only!
The beginning of the Yovel year is proclaimed by the Shofar, which is sounded throughout the land on the Day of Atonement.
In Jeremiah 34, the prophet predicts the fall of Jerusalem and its king, Zedekiah, in the hands of the Babylonians. Jeremiah states that one of the reasons for this punishment is the fact that the people freed their slaves, but immediately reclaimed them.
Have a great week!
Naama Baumgarten
The Classical Hebrew Team
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Root: תק"ע
Transcription: taka‘
Literal Meaning: To blow
More about the verb תק"ע: The verb is used for the blowing of horns and trumpets, as well as for clapping. It is also used for fastening something in place such as a peg or a tent.
Root: סב"ב
Transcription: savav
Literal Meaning: To walk around, circle
More about the verb סב"ב: The verb is used for all different forms of circling and surrounding.
Root: זר"ע
Transcription: zara‘
Literal Meaning: To sow
More about the verb זר"ע: The verb is used for the sowing of the land, but also for a woman becoming pregnant. The word זֶרַע, zera‘, “seed”, is derived from the same root.
Root: קצ"ר
Transcription: qatzar
Literal Meaning: To reap
More about the verb קצ"ר: The verb is usually used for the reaping of grain, but in a specific sense is also used for one receiving what he has coming to him (see for instance Proverbs 22:8).
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