Sunday, December 26, 2010

Evidence of Shofar Usage in the Holy Temple


Evidence of Shofar Usage in the Holy Temple

 

Arthur L. Finkle

 

In the Mishnah, Arakhin, 2:3 provides evidence that the shofar was sounded never less than 21 blasts nor more than 48 blasts each day.


1)      There are never less than twenty-one blasts in the Temple and never more than forty-eight.

There was a minimum of 21 daily trumpet blasts in the Temple and a maximum of 48.
The explanation of this section can be found in the Mishnah, Sukkah 5:5. The shofar sounded:

·       one blast in the Temple
·       three at the opening of the gates
·       nine at the morning daily burnt offering
·       nine at the evening daily burnt offering.

At the additional offerings, they added another nine.

At the eve of the Sabbath they added six more; three to cause the people to lay down their work and three to mark the distinction between the sacred and the profane.

If the eve of a Sabbath were within the Festival of Tabernacles (Succot), there were forty eight:

·       three at the opening of the gates
·       three at the upper gate
·       three at the lower gate; three at the drawing of water
·       three at the Altar
·       nine at the morning daily burnt offering
·       nine at the evening daily burnt offering
·       nine at the additional offerings, three to make the people cease work, and three to differentiate between the sacred and the profane.

On Rosh HaShanah, the shofar was sounded at the additional sacrificial service for the New Year. Rosh HaShanah 28a

Sounds of the Shofar

The Bible refers to two kinds trumpet sounds: teki'ah and teru'ah (Num. 10:5–8). The Mishnah (RH 4:9) describes the teki'ah as a long blast and the teru'ah as three yevavot, a wavering crying blast. It prescribes three sets of shofar sounds since the word teru'ah is mentioned in the Bible three times (Lev. 23:24, 25:9 and Num. 29:1), each set to consist of a teki'ah, a teru'ah and teki'ah thrice repeated (RH 33bf.).

In the talmudic period, doubt arose as to the exact nature of the teru'ah. Some held that it was a moaning sound (genuhei genah) and others that it was an outcry (yelulei yelal). According to the first opinion the sound was shevarim (broken sounds), while in the second view it was teru'ah—a tremolo of nine staccato notes. Rabbi Abbahu reconciled the difference by deciding that the first set of sounds should include both shevarim and teru'ah, i.e., teki'ah, shevarim—teru'ah tekiah, while the other two sets were to be composed as follows: teki'ah, shevarim, teki'ah; and teki'ah, teru'ah, teki'ah (ibid.). The teki'ah (blowing) is a glissando which begins on a lower note and swells into a higher. The teru'ah (alarm) is a series of staccato blasts upon the lower note. The shevarim (tremolo) is an alternation of higher and lower notes. The concluding note of each of the two series is a teki'ah gedolah (great blast); this is a long drawn-out note explained as a sign of the removal of the Divine Presence, hermeneutically deduced from Exodus 19:13: "When the ram's horn soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

On Yom Kippur, the shofar heralded the beginning of the Jubilee Year (wherein debts are forgiven, slaves freed, lands returned, etc)


Leviticus 25:8 provides that every 50th year is the Jubilee Year. The Jubilee Year provides for 


1 No work land
2 All slaves go free
3 All land goes to original people

The Mishna Berurah provides in Section 623:12, Neilah Service,

 One should blow the Shofar the sounds tekiah, shevarim teruah, tekiah, although there are authorities who say that one should blow one tekiah counts.  The Shofar should be sounded after the community prayer has said the kaddish following the Neilah prayer.  Some localities have adopted the practice of having the Shofar sounded after the kaddish prayer.

The sounding of the shofar on Yom Kippur refers back to the days of the Holy Temple when every 50 years, a shofar would sound announcing the Jubilee year. During the Jubilee (Yovel) years, all will return to their land, Jewish salves will be manumitted (freed). The shofar is blown at the end of the Neilah service on Yom Kippur.

The Sefer HaChinuch (#342) suggests that part of the purpose behind the mitzvah of blowing a shofar during the Yovel ceremony is to strengthen the spirit of the slave owners. These men have to endure economic hardship when they release their slaves. As well, the blast of the shofar is also a call to the slaves to prepare them to leave the homes that they had with their previous owners. Expanding upon this, the Chinuch concludes by explaining that, at the end of the day, the shofar is a call to everyone to return to God. The shofar is meant to shake the foundations of an individual and remind him of where he comes from and to where his is going.

There also is a striking similarity between the shofar sounds  of the Jubliee Year and Rosh Hashanah, in terms of their reminders to persons of ownership and people in general to shake their lethargy and  on Rosh HaShanah—to remind one of their sins and repentance in order to return to God for salvation. (Rosh HaShanah, 3:5.)


Another thought is to associated the Yovel with the year of freedom, equality, and justice. one commentary links ‘Teruah’ with’Re’ut,’ or friendship, implying the Jubilee Year institutes the new beginning of quality Among humankind forgiving debts and freeing Jewish slaves. As well as for “all its inhabitantas.”


Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof,’ derived from Lev 25:10in explaining the Jubilee year and is also the inscription on the liberty bell.

Freedom was proclaimed for servant and master alike (“all of its inhabitants”), reminding us that we can be enslaved by our possessions, and true freedom requires putting material desires into the context of an ethical and compassionate life. The Yovel communicates light of God upon us in order to Return to God (no longer encumbered with mundane affairs). It also retuns land returns to its  source, providing for a new wholeness.
       
Accordingly both Yovel and Rosh Hashanah encourage the opportunity to connect – for all humankind.


Accordingly, the linking of Teruah- a primal shofar sounding- and Re’ut, friendship- is so profound. It reminds us that what sets us free is focusing on people, not on objects. Indeed,  we can never be fully free to become loving friends if we are oriented more towards ownership of things than service to others.

http://rabbineal.wordpress.com. Accessed October, 2009.





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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Shofar: Heavenly Voice?


Shofar: Heavenly Voice?

                                                                 Arthur L. Finkle

 

CHRISTIAN WRITERS

 

Many Jewish scholars have written about the shofar, its uses, its significance, its vestigial survival  of the Holy Temple sacrifices at the Jewish New Year,  and have pondered the numerous Jewish Laws surrounding the shofar. See Tractate Rosh Hashshanah.

Christian writers have discussed  the phenomenon of the thunder, lightning and sound arising from the Mt. Sinai during a special moment in humankind’s history. They attribute heavenly qualities to this mystical sound.

the Lord Makes the sound


Some say that the horn was sounded by the Lord.

Then the Lord will be seen over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord God will blow the trumpet, and go with whirlwinds from the south” 
Zechariah 9:14
Blown to release angels
Others indicate that the sound releases angels to perform  miracles.

“And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:31
sounded by the angels

Still others indicate that the Angels will sound the shofar at the end of time. Indeed, seven angels will herald the Messiah by performing some of the rites of the Holy Temple,, including sounding the horn.

Revelation 8:2, 3 - “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God and to them were given seven trumpets. 3) Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

9:1, 13-14 - Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.13) Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14) saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

10:7 - But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets. 

11:15 - Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 

http://www.battleaxe.org/Shofar.html

Sounded By God


Some theologians claim that THE RUMBLINGS OF THE MOUNTAINT IN PREPRATION FOR Moses’ ascent of Mt. Sinai was in fact the saound (voice) oif God.


the sound of the shofar, and the mountain smoking; and
when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar
off (Exod 19:16,19; 20:18; d. Heb 12:19).

The shofar signals a theophany: God appears in His glory and majesty! While Exodus 19 and 20 do not make clear which heavenly being was blowing' the shofar on Sinai, the one other theophanic passage in the Old Testament referring to the shofar, explicidy states that God Himself is the shofar blower!( Zechariah 9:14)

Indeed, the shofar  sounds serves as a cosmic reminder  of the theophany at Sinai, the importance of the Law for God's people, and points us forward to the final theophany at the end of time.
Richard M. Davidson, "Blow The Ram's Horn In Zion!" Toward A Biblical Theology Of The Shofar http://www.thesourcehh.org/pdf/Contributors%20Documents/Richard%20Davidson/ Blow_the_Rams_Horn.pdf

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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Qualifications for a Shofar Sounder (Ba'al T'kiyka)


Qualifications for a Shofar Sounder (Ba'al T'kiyka)
Arthur L. Finkle
 
BEING A BA'AL T'KIYAH (SHOFAR SOUNDER) IS AN HONOR.
"The one who blows the shofar on Rosh ha-Shanah...should likewise be learned in the Torah and shall be God-fearing, the best man available. However, every Jew is eligible for any sacred office, pro­viding he is acceptable to the congregation. If, however, he sees that his choice will cause dissension, he should withdraw his candidacy, even if the improper person will be chosen"
(Shulhan Arukh 3:72). The Ba'al T'kiyah shall abstain from anything that may cause ritual contamination for three days before Rosh ha-Shanah (Shulhan Arukh 3:73).

When I train Shofar Sounders, I make sure that they all participate in the service and that no one is highlighted at the expense of another. I have also declined invitations to sound the shofar at other congregations if I know that I will displace another sounder. The democracy of each congregation is impor­tant. And it only enhances a sense of participation of as many people as possible can participate in a service.
Finally, the Ba'al T'kiyah shall recite the benedictions before the shofar ceremony.

Arthur L. Finkle, Easy Guide to Shofar Sounding, Torah Aura, 2002

Moreover, the Talmud indicates that a woman can sound the Shofar but only for other women because  this positive mitzvah (obligation) is time bound for which women are exempt.. Mishnah Berurah 588:6.


To which I would now add that, in the preponderance of non-Orthodox synagogues, women have achieved ritual equality as men. Accordingly, there is no prohibition for a man to sound the Shofar in these synagogues.


Arthur L. Finkle




The general rule is that women are exempt from mitzvahs which are time-dependant.1 This would include the Mitzvah of hearing the Shofar -- which has a very specific time designation; it must be fulfilled during the daytime hours of Rosh Hashanah.
Nevertheless, there are certain time-contingent mitzvahs which women have accepted upon themselves to observe. Hearing the sound of the shofar is one of these. Indeed, there are Halachic authorities which maintain that because it has become a universally accepted custom for women to hear the shofar, today it is has become mandatory -- as is the case with any custom which has become accepted practice. 
Footnotes
·         1. See http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/411,2512/Which-mitzvahs-are-women-obligated-to-fulfill.html

By Rebecca Honig Friedman
One of the highlights of the High Holy Days is the blowing of the shofar, and the best shofar-blowing I ever heard was by a woman. Her tekiah gedolah was — the long blast sounded at the end of each shofar-blowing sequence on Rosh Hashanah and at the very end of the Neilah service on Yom Kippur — was sublime. She held the note longer than anyone else I’ve ever heard, until her face turned so red I was sure a blood vessel would burst, or worse.
But it wasn’t in shul that I heard this impressive, lung-busting performance. Rather, it was during an interview for The Jewish Channel’s “Holy Dazed” program, where various Jewish personalities share their thoughts, both thoughtful and humorous, about the Jewish holidays. And the woman in question was no rabbi or cantor but the owner of Davida’s Aprons, a purveyor of kitschy, Jewish-themed gifts. She just happened to blow a damn good shofar, and she said she did so every year at her synagogue, where congregants were invited to blow their own shofar along with the official “shofarist” (a term coined by Tablet’s Jesse Oxfeld in another episode of “Holy Dazed”).
As I was recalling Davida’s shofar prowess, I remembered an anecdote shared by the Reform movement’s Rabbi David Ellenson about how as a young assistant rabbi assigned to blow the shofar for High Holiday services, he ran out of steam and was saved by his fellow assistant rabbi, Sally Priesand, the first woman ever ordained as a rabbi. That story made me realize that, having gone to Orthodox synagogues my whole life, I have never heard a woman blow the shofar in shul. With all the strides that Orthodox women have made in synagogue and ritual life — reading Torah, leading services (albeit for women only), and even serving in rabbinic positions — shofar-blowing is one ritual role that Orthodox women, to my knowledge, have yet to go after.
Is that because women blowing shofar is halachically problematic, I wondered, or is this simply a case of tradition left unchallenged? I put the question to a halachic authority I thought would be sympathetic to my cause, Mahara”t Sara Hurwitz of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale. She filled me in: “Women do not have the same obligation as men to blow shofar. They cannot blow on behalf of men. But a woman can blow for other women.”
To expound on that, because shofar-blowing is a time-bound mitzvah, women, who are exempt from most time-bound mitzvot, are exempt from blowing or hearing the shofar. Since they’re not obligated in the mitzvah, they cannot fulfill the mitzvah for those who are, namely, men. But there is no problem if a woman wants to blow the shofar for other women, who are also not obligated in the mitzvah. In fact, when I asked another rabbi for a second opinion (always good practice in halachic-decision and medical-prognosis seeking), Rabbi Joshua Yuter of the Stanton Street Shul noted that the Talmudic commentator “Machzor Vitry (written around 1105) #316 writes explicitly that if women want to blow shofar, we do not prevent them.”
How progressive of him.
So, according to Orthodox halacha, for a woman to blow the shofar in an Orthodox shul, she would have to do it in a special women’s-only service, similar to what is done in many shuls on Simchat Torah when women read from the Torah. But on the High Holidays, when congregational unity is a theme of sorts, I wonder if a breakaway women’s minyan just for the sake of shofar-blowing is the best idea. And then, as Rabbi Yuter noted, there is the further-divisive question of whether a woman blowing shofar for other women should say the requisite blessing, containing the words “asher kiddishanu bemitzvotav v’tzivanu” [who sanctified us with the commandments that he commanded us], since she is not technically commanded in this particular mitzvah.
And as I learned from Wikipedia, woman aren’t the only ones who can only blow the shofar for each other: “A hermaphrodite may make his shofar sounding serve for other hermaphrodites.”
I’m not sure what to make of that except that the rabbis really do seem to have thought of everything, and that there is a consistency in their thinking, at least where women and hermaphrodites are concerned.
So my next question is, can a woman blow shofar for hermaphrodites, and can a hermaphrodite blow the shofar for women? And what would be the status of a hermaphrodite vis à vis participating in a women’s minyan?
Anyone who can give me a satisfying answer to these questions gets a free shofar.
Larry Lennhoff

Oct 14, 2009


Larry Lennhoff Wed. Oct 14, 2009http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-blog/115479/

 All who are obligated to hear the shofar can blow the shofar for others to fulfil their obligation. A child (meaning under the age of bar mitzvah), a mentally incompetent person and women are exempt from the Torah's obligation of hearing the shofar. A child is exempt since he has not reached the age of mitzvahs, nevertheless, parents bring children to hear the shofar in order to educate them in this important mitzvah. A mentally incompetent is not required to hear the shofar, since the Torah does not obligate someone who is severely lacking in intelligence. A women is relieved of her obligations to hear the shofar since it is a mitzvah that is time orientented. Even so, most (if not all) woman have the custom to hear the shofar, just like a man. However a woman does not blow the shofar for a man, since she is not obligated by the Torah to hear it and a man is.
   The person who blows the shofar must have in mind that everyone who hears it will fulfil their obligation to hear it. Therefore, we do not practice blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah; perhaps someone will hear the practice blast and think that by hearing those sounds he has fulfilled his obligation.

Qualifications for Sounding the Shofar

The Shulchan Aruch begins its exploration of fitness by citing excluding classes of people:
  1. Whoever is not obligated to fulfill the mitzvah of sounding the shofar should not substitute his efforts for another whose duty it is to perform a mitzvah. For example, the Baal Tekiah sounds a shofar for a synagogue in Chelm cannot perform he same mitzvah when another in the town of Lodz can fulfill the mitzvah.
  2. The mitzvah is not valid for a deaf mute (cannot hear), moron (lacks the capacity) and a child (lacks the adult status).
  3. Women are exempt because the mitzvah is time bound.
  4. A hermaphrodite may make his shofar sounding serve for other hermaphrodites.
  5. Women should not be Baal Tekia’s because they would be substituting her efforts for another whose duty it is to perform a mitzvah. However, if a female Baal Tekiya has already intoned the shofar for other women, it is valid. However, women should not make a blessing.
  6. Only a freeman (not even a slave who will become free in the next month) can be a Baal Tekiya. MB 590:1–5
Being a Baal Tekiya (Shofar Sounder) is an honor.
"The one who blows the shofar on Rosh Hashanah . . . should likewise be learned in the Torah and shall be God-fearing; the best man available. Nevertheless, every Jew is eligible for any sacred office, providing he is acceptable to the congregation. If, however, he sees that his choice will cause disruption, he should withdraw his candidacy, even if the improper person will be chosen” See Shulchan Aruch 3:72.
Moreover, the Baal Tekiya shall abstain from anything that may cause ritual contamination for three days prior to Rosh Hashanah. See Shulchan Aruch 3:73
A Baal Tekiya can sound the shofar for shut-ins and home-bound women who have had baby.
If a blind blower was dismissed, but the community did not find a blower as proficient, he should be appointed as community blower. The touchstone is proficiency not disability.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shofar

The laws of the tumtum (apparently sexless person) and the androgynous(hermaphrodite) are dealt with by Rabbi Dr. Cohen in article republished on the web at http://www.daat.ac.il/DAAT/english/Journal/cohen-1.htm
While dissenting opinions exists, with regards to true hermaphrodites the majority opinion seems to be we choose the more restrictive option with respect to torah law. (Torah law as opposed to rabbinic legislation).
Thus IMVHO a hermaphrodite would be obligated to hear shofar, but could not blow it for men, since that is the strict ruling in each direction. To unpack it a little, since the obligation to hear the shofar is only for men, and the hermaphrodite might be a man we rule strictly and say he/she is obligated. But since they might be a woman, we rule strictly and say they can't relieve others of their obligation.
It seems to me that a hermaphrodite could blow the shofar for a group of women. If he/she is a man, then obviously they can do so. Since we say that woman can blow shofar for other women, that if the hermaphrodite counts as a woman then they can also fulfill the mitzvah for [other] women. The only way this logic fails is if they constitute a category of their own, and this does not appear to be the majority opinion.
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