TRUMPETS TODAY. TOMORROW. AND THE NEXT.
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the people of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. – Leviticus 23:23-24
Our Jewish friends and families will usher in their new year this afternoon with the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. Over the next 10 so-called “Days of Awe”, they will reflect on the past year, including sins committed, in preparation of the one to come. These days culminate with Yom Kippur, a day of fasting, where the faithful are emptied of those sins, forgiven with a clean slate. These is a myriad of lessons to be learned from these sacred practices, but this year I am drawn to how the new year begins – with the blowing of the shofar.
The first two mornings of the new year begin with the repeated blowing of the shofar, a ram’s horn, recalling the powerful symbolism of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. After Abraham’s faith was demonstrated, a ram appeared, used in Isaac’s place.
The significance of blowing the shofar extends beyond that story, though. The powerful sound is also meant to wake the Jews up, a rattling of sorts, to reorient life on the year to come. In fact, Rosh Hashanah is also known as the “Feast of Trumpets,” underscoring the sound – the spiritual awakening – associated with the holy occasion.
Trumpets are not a stranger to stories in the sacred text. A trumpet often signified the coming of the Lord, with both awe and fear, announcing the presence of the divine. Trumpets also accompanied the visitation of angels. Trumpets called the faithful to fasting, as well as feasting. Trumpets were even used in battle, most notably in the city of Jericho, as the formidable sound that willed the walls to fall down. Trumpets welcomed in the Sabbath day of rest, a new moon, and the Year of Jubilee.
As Scripture attests, trumpets were used quite often. Surely to begin the new year, but also, in the midst of the everyday. The spiritual awakening taking place this weekend is bound to rouse the faithful. But they, like all of us, will need some stirring up over the course of the year to come. We will need to re-visit, re-orient, and re-center on occasion. We will need to be woken up, again and again. We will need the ongoing presence of God and angels. We will need to be called out, from time to time, to rest, to fast, and to feast.
Many prayers and blessings for our Jewish friends during this holy time. For what these occasions have to teach us. And for how we may come alive in our own ways.
May we listen. To the trumpets of today. And the days and months to come.
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Our Jewish friends and families will usher in their new year this afternoon with the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. Over the next 10 so-called “Days of Awe”, they will reflect on the past year, including sins committed, in preparation of the one to come. These days culminate with Yom Kippur, a day of fasting, where the faithful are emptied of those sins, forgiven with a clean slate. These is a myriad of lessons to be learned from these sacred practices, but this year I am drawn to how the new year begins – with the blowing of the shofar.
The first two mornings of the new year begin with the repeated blowing of the shofar, a ram’s horn, recalling the powerful symbolism of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. After Abraham’s faith was demonstrated, a ram appeared, used in Isaac’s place.
The significance of blowing the shofar extends beyond that story, though. The powerful sound is also meant to wake the Jews up, a rattling of sorts, to reorient life on the year to come. In fact, Rosh Hashanah is also known as the “Feast of Trumpets,” underscoring the sound – the spiritual awakening – associated with the holy occasion.
Trumpets are not a stranger to stories in the sacred text. A trumpet often signified the coming of the Lord, with both awe and fear, announcing the presence of the divine. Trumpets also accompanied the visitation of angels. Trumpets called the faithful to fasting, as well as feasting. Trumpets were even used in battle, most notably in the city of Jericho, as the formidable sound that willed the walls to fall down. Trumpets welcomed in the Sabbath day of rest, a new moon, and the Year of Jubilee.
As Scripture attests, trumpets were used quite often. Surely to begin the new year, but also, in the midst of the everyday. The spiritual awakening taking place this weekend is bound to rouse the faithful. But they, like all of us, will need some stirring up over the course of the year to come. We will need to re-visit, re-orient, and re-center on occasion. We will need to be woken up, again and again. We will need the ongoing presence of God and angels. We will need to be called out, from time to time, to rest, to fast, and to feast.
Many prayers and blessings for our Jewish friends during this holy time. For what these occasions have to teach us. And for how we may come alive in our own ways.
May we listen. To the trumpets of today. And the days and months to come.
Berkeley Preparatory School
Founded in 1960, Berkeley is an independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory day school located in Tampa, FL, for boys and girls in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12. Approximately 1,400 students gather here from the greater Tampa Bay area to form ONE Berkeley.