What is the purpose of the sounding of the shofar on the fir

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Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

What is the purpose of the sounding of the shofar on the fir

Post by Isaac Fried »

In Lev. 23:24 we read
בחודש השביעי באחד לחודש יהיה לכם שבתון זכרון תרועה מקרא קודש
KJV: "the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation"
It seems to me that what is meant here by זכרון ZIKARON is a call for the nationwide synchronization of the calendar; to mark the mid-year point, half way to the coming first month, and the holiday of passover.

Compare also Lev. 25:8-10
וספרת לך שבע שבתות שנים שבע שנים שבע פעמים והיו לך ימי שבע שבתות השנים תשע וארבעים שנה והעברת שופר תרועה בחודש השביעי בעשור לחודש ביום הכיפורים תעבירו שופר בכל ארצכם וקידשתם את שנת החמישים שנה וקראתם דרור בארץ לכל יושביה יובל היא תהיה לכם
KJV: "And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you"
The sounding of the shofar is here on the tenth day apparently to avoid confusion with the annual sounding on the first day.

Isaac Fried, Boston University
Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: What is the purpose of the sounding of the shofar on the

Post by Isaac Fried »

The complete subject is
What is the purpose of the sounding of the shofar on the first day of the 7th month?

Isaac Fried, Boston University
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