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When we think of Rosh HaShanna, we think of the Shophar. And so we should, for this is in the only facet of the festival of which the Tora makes explicit mention: "And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy day of gathering; you shall do no manner of work; it shall be to you a day of blowing the horn" (Bemidbar 29: 1).
What are we to make of this verse? What is "a day of blowing the horn", and what might be the purpose of such a misswa (commandment)?
We cannot know the thoughts of Hashem, to be sure, yet it is right and proper to attempt to fathom that which Hashem has placed before us. As the Rambam wrote: "It behooves a man to contemplate the statutes of the Holy Tora in order to comprehend their ultimate meaning to the utmost of his ability. And if it be that he can find no reason or explanation for something, that thing must not become light in his eyes...his attitude [to precepts of the Tora] must never be akin to his attitude to mundane matters" (Hilchoth Me'ila 8:6 or 8:8, depending on the edition).
The Tora itself gives us a hint about the purpose of the misswa: "Speak to Bnei Yisrael saying, in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a day of rest, a memorial (or remembering) of blowing the horn, a holy day of gathering" (Wayiqra 23:24). We now possess two clues: "a day of blowing the horn" and "a remembering".
Turning to the Oral Tradition, we learn that on Rosh HaShanna "All the people on Earth pass before Him like troops for inspection, as it is written - 'From the place of His Abode He looked upon all the Earth's inhabitants; He Who fashioned their hearts; Who considers all their doings' (Tehillim 33:14-15)" (Mishna Rosh HaShanna 1:2). In the Talmud Bavli, Rosh HaShanna 18a it says: "What is meant by Bnei Maron? Like the troops of King David.'
Is there a connection between this message of the Mishna and the "day of blowing of the horn" of the Tora?
"Derekh Eress existed before the Tora" (Wayiqra Raba 9:3). In other words, it is often necessary to be cognizant of the ways of the world in order to fully comprehend the Tora. Many of us living here in Israel are aware of the practice that when the President, who is also the head of state, enters the Knesseth, a fanfare of trumpets is sounded.
A similar ceremony is performed when the Queen of England enters the British parliament or when a head of state is received by a foreign government on an official visit. These ceremonies are all quite similar: a fanfare (or 21-gun salute) followed by the national anthems and an "inspection of the guard." This latter is a hangover from the days when a monarch - often also a general - would visit an outlying region of his dominion and inspect his troops' readiness for battle.
We can thus see that this practice of announcing the arrival of the king/commander/president with "pomp and circumstance" is not uniquely Jewish. It is simply "Derekh Eress", the way of the world.
Therefore it would seem that the Shophar, among other things, serves to announce the "arrival" of the King, the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who on this day of Rosh HaShanna "comes" to inspect His world. To a person familiar with the ways of the world, the message is readily understood.
This understanding becomes almost unavoidable upon reading the Mishna of Rosh HaShanna which states: "The Shophar of Rosh HaShanna...and two trumpets accompanied it[s blowing]; the Shophar being blown longer than the trumpets, seeing that the misswa of the day is the Shophar" (3:3). The Talmud Bavli explains that the trumpets are blown together with the Shophar in the Miqdash (temple) only. Why?
"Said Rava, and others say it was Rav Yehoshua Ben Lewi - ‘What is the scriptural hint of this fact (that this applies in the Miqdash only)? 'With trumpets and the sound of the Shophar waken homage before Hashem, the King' (Tehilim 98:6). 'Before the King' only [i.e. in the Miqdash, which is always refered to as 'before Hashem', with the Miqdash being His House] are trumpets required" (27a).
Thus we find that the fanfare of trumpets reserved for kings is explicitly linked to Rosh HaShanna and the Shophar. The message of both the Written Tora and the Oral Tradition is one: "waken homage before Hashem". In other words, to announce Hashem's arrival, give Him a fitting welcome - and prepare ourselves. For, as everyone knows, when the King comes, He is certain to inspect the ranks.
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