Shofars in Christian Contexts

[DeanZF]

There seem to be different parts to your trumpet call…



Yes, there are. I want to talk particularly about two parts today. We talked before about the alarm or teruah. Today, two more parts, two more traditions and a story. The first part or word of this traditional call is described kind of like “booo-WAAAAAAAAAH” and often lasts 3-4 beats or seconds. This is a gedola and is often interpreted as being a call to wake up or to arise. At one event we took part in, there was a wonderful shofarist who at one point in the program could hardly contain himself as God told him to blow. He blew powerfully, just that first little “word”, and then blew it again. The large crowd was awed by the power in that blast, but when a woman stood to the microphone and sang equally loud and equally long, “a-WAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE----a-WAAAAAAAAAAAKE”, many of us on the platform began to shiver and shake. It is one of the most powerful of my memories.



The next little word is like the first, but it is three shorter versions, each about 1 second or beat long, kind of like “boo-WAAH---boo-WAAH---boo-WAAH”. These are called “the sighs”, and almost seem to be God’s lament that we do not hear His wake-up call.



Will we hear? Will we pray that others will hear?



Please pray with me, “Blessed art Thou...O Lord our God…”