"Why do they blow the shofar?...in order to confound Satan"  It is believed
that the many blast of the shofar would confuse Satan and put him on the run!
Hallelujah!  Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy
mountain!  Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord
is coming, for it is at hand.  Joel 2:1
Shofar
The Shofar, the Hebrew term for trumpet, is made from a curved
ram's horn.  The ram's horn represents the ram caught in the
thicket, when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac.  Likewise, it
represents God's gracious substitute for us, Yeshua our Messiah.

The Shofar is not considered a musical instrument, but is blown for
a number of reasons in the Bible.

1. To herald the Lord's descent and the giving of Law at Mount Sinai
(Exodus 19:16,19)

2. To usher in the Feast of Trumpets, known today as Rosh Hashanah
(Numbers 29:1)

3. To herald the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur (Leviticus 25:9)

4. To announce the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:10)

5. To usher in the Ark of the Lord (2 Samuel 6:15)

6. To be sounded when a king was anointed (1 Kings 1:34)

7. To rally troops (Nehemiah 4:18)

8. To announce God's presence and to praise and worship Him
(Psalms 47:5, 98:6, 150:3; Isaiah 18:3, 27:13; Revelation 1:10)

9. To call people to repentance (Isaiah 58:1; Hosea 8:1; Joel 2:1)

10. To sound the alarm for war (Jeremiah 4:19, 21)

11. To sound a warning of danger (Amos 2:2)

12. To call the assembly together to repentance and fasting (Joel 2: 1, 15)

13. Blown by the Lord (Zechariah 9:14)

14. Blown by angels (Matthew 24:31; Revelation 8:2)

15. Blown at the return of Yeshua (1 Thessalonian 4:16)
Calling out to
the Heavenlies!
The Shofar is a trumpet made of an animal's horn, preferably a bent Ram's horn. It can
also be made from the horns of other Kosher animals, including those of a goat or
sheep, but a cow's horn is not acceptable nor are the antlers of a deer or similar
animals who's horns are a solid piece. It also may not be constructed of an artificial
instrument - it must be an instrument in its natural form and naturally hollow.


The Shofar is one of the earliest instruments used in Jewish music, and is traditionally
played during the month of Elul, which is the last month in the Hebrew calendar, and
during the first ten days of the Hebrew year (the days between Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur). A person should hear at least 100 blasts from the Shofar on each day of
Rosh Hashanah. The blowing of the Shofar is the only specific commandment for
Rosh Hashanah.

There are three sounds made with the shofar:

Tekiah - One long blast with a clear tone
Shevarim - Three shorter blasts
Teruah - A series of quick blasts (nine or more)
Tekiah Gedolah - a single unbroken blast, held as long as possible

The significance of the Shofar

The sound of the shofar arouses our souls to repentance. We blow
the shofar to show that we accept God as our king, as it says in
Tehillim (Psalms) 98:6, "With trumpets and the sound of the shofar
make a call out before the King, God".

In Biblical times the shofar was blown to announce an important
event, such as the alarm of war, the coming of peace or to announce
the New Moon. The shofar was heard when we received the Torah
and the ten commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai as it says in
Shemot (Exodus) 19:16, "And it came to pass on the third day in the
morning, that there was thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud
upon the mount, and the voice of the Shofar extremely loud; so that
all the people that were in the camp trembled." Thus when we hear
the shofar we are reminded to strengthen our commitment to the
Torah.

The Shofar reminds us of the ram God brought to Abraham just as he
tied down his son Isaac in preparation for the ultimate sacrifice.