The Meaning of the Shofar

Last week Jews around the world celebrated Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year. And this week, starting Tuesday evening, they will celebrate Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. Many schools throughout the country are closed for these holidays. What universal message does these days have for all of us—Jews and non-Jews?

On Rosh HaShanah the shofar is sounded. It’s a ram’s horn that makes a trumpet-like noise and is traditionally blown on the Jewish New Year.

Originally, the shofar was blasted in ancient times during the New Year celebration to scare off demons and ensure a happy start for the New Year.

In Jewish history, the shofar was used to announce the start of a holiday, to mark the beginning of a war, and it was even used by Joshua to cause the walls of Jericho to come tumbling down (Joshua 6:2-5).

An important part of the Rosh Hashanah service, the shofar is blown 100 times during the two-day holiday. (If the holiday falls on the Sabbath, it is not blown at all.)

The shofar has symbolic significance, which helps explain the meaning of Rosh HaShanah to the Jewish people. First, it has to do with God’s request to Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. When Abraham proved his devotion to God, an angel came to him with a ram to sacrifice instead. To those who hear the blast of the shofar, we are reminded of God’s forgiveness. We are also reminded to repent our sins to start the New Year clean.

Secondly, the shofar is sounded to announce the revelation on Sinai when Moses delivered God’s law to the Jewish people. The shofar reminds us that Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) provide us with moments of revelation to properly engage in repentance. This not only means asking God to forgive our sins, but asking our friends, family, and community to forgive sins we may have committed against them during the past year.

Finally, the sound of the shofar signals the coming of the Messiah. Since no religion has claimed a messianic being for more than 2000 years, we must perceive this hope as a deeper message—within each one of us lays the Messiah. It is for the individual to live his or her life committed to good deeds, to help their community, and individuals in need. The shofar blast reminds us that the goal of all humanity is to turn weapons of mass destruction into missions of peace and to care for our children more than we are motivated to hate our neighbors.

The shofar is an optimistic sound signaling all of us—Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and atheists that humanity possesses the power to make the world a Garden of Eden.