Sounding the Shofar, a Call to Repentance - CBN News Julie Stahl

Sounding the Shofar, a Call to Repentance

09-10-2018

CBN News Julie Stahl

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel is celebrating the fall feasts, a special season of biblical holidays. These 

annual holy days begin with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and include Yom Kippur, the Day 

of Atonement.

But there's more to this season and the Bible points the way.

Rosh Hashanah literally means "the head of the year," the New Year, but biblically it's much more than 

that.

In the Book of Leviticus, it's called Yom Hateruah, the day of the blowing of trumpets or ram's horns – 

the Judgment Day.

"The only mitzvah, the only commandment during Rosh HaShanah, is actually to hear the sound of the 

shofar. And so everybody [is] gathering in the synagogue to hear the sound of the shofar," Eli Ribak, 

co-owner of Ribak and Barsheshet Shofarot Israel told CBN News. "It's something that people connect 

to their soul to hear the sound of the shofar."

The piercing blast of the shofar is meant to remind the hearer to repent for his sins and make things 

right with his brothers and sisters.The rabbis say that reconciliation with God and man will confound 

the enemy.

"The shofar is a musical instrument made from a horn," Ribak continued. "This is the oldest musical 

instrument and the Jewish Orthodox who have committed to hear the sound of the shofar during the 

New Year, our Judgment Day."

As part of the business, Ribak is the third generation of shofar makers at the same location in Tel Aviv 

since 1927.

"We take the raw horn – the process is grinding, polishing…open [the] mouthpiece –and this is quick, 

but it's a lot of experience and a lot of handwork because each horn is a different size, a different 

thickness. So you have to be experienced to make a good shofar," he explained.

The ram's horn is used as the traditional shofar because when Abraham showed his willingness to 

sacrifice his son, Isaac, God provided a ram to be used in his place (Gen. 22).

"Actually all types of horns are kosher – except for the cow," Ribak said.

That's because the Jewish people don't want to remind God of the time Israel worshipped the golden 

calf in the wilderness (Ex. 32).

Besides the distinctive tones of the different horns, there are three different blasts sounded.

The shofar is blown in synagoges and at the Western Wall each morning for a month before the holiday 

to give plenty of time for repentence.

"You and I both know that we need a lot of reminders in our daily life to repent, to think of the things 

of God," Boaz Michael, founder of First Fruits of Zion told CBN News. "It's like an alarm clock for

 the soul."

Ribak says its not just Jewish people who blow the shofar.

"A lot of Christians, a lot of Messianic people, evangelicals, they use the shofar, too," he said. "We sell 

the shofar all over the world. We sell it to Jewish, to Christian, messianic people, evangelicals.

Rosh Hashanah is the feast of the seventh month, but in Jewish tradition, it represents the New Year.

"At the coronation of the kings of Israel, the shofars would blow," Michael continued. "They would 

announce the new king or they would announce the coming of the king. So, too, at Rosh HaShanah."

Michael says that's a foreshadow for those who believe in Yeshua (Jesus).

"I know that often times in the Christian world, shofars are blown throughout the entire year but in 

Judaism and in Jewish practice the shofars are only blown for a very limited time throughout the year, 

during this time, the month of Elul, at Rosh Hashanah," he explained. "And they tell us something; 

they're speaking to us; they're reminding us of something and one of the things they're reminding us 

of the creation of the world, the coming of the king, King Messiah one day at this time, the coronation

 of his Kingdom here on earth. This is what the shofar is to remind us of and it speaks to us every day 

when we hear that sound.

Watch here: Sounding the Shofar