290 thp: shofar — adlek. 



''With tlio s(niii<l of Mic trumpet the IjokI will reveal the period and 

 appointed time, Avlien He Avill blow the trumpet and go in tin; whirl- 

 winds of the south; then »hall the wicked kingdom of I'idom be de- 

 stroyed. 'God is exalted Avith a triumphal shout." 



"O Lord, with the sound of the tnimpet wilt Thou blow ujjon the 

 holy mountain 5 the beautiful dwellingof Zion an ilt Thou exi)and; Mount 

 Seir shall be rent; the fixed stake shall be i)lu('ked up and removed. 

 God is exalted with a triumphal shout.'" 



This is followed by a hymn composed of the various passages (to be 

 discussed later on) in the Bible, in which the use of the shofar is 

 mentioned. The sounding of the <'ornet theren])on follows. 



The liturgy of the German and Polish Jews contains the ten reascms 

 for sounding the shofar stated by Saadia Gaon.* 



T\;d)bi Saadia observes that God commanded us to soniid the cornet 

 as alluding to the following sid)jccts: 



First, Because this day is the beginning of the creation on which 

 God created the world and thus began to reign over it; and as it is 

 customary at the coronation ol' kings to sound the trumpets and cornets 

 to ])roclaim the commencement of their reign, \vc, in like mantier, ]»ub- 

 licly ]U'oclaim, by the sound of the cornet, that the ( -reator is our king, 

 and thus says David, '' With trumpets and the sound of the cornet 

 shout ye before the Lord." 



Second. As the New Year is the tb-st of the ten i»enitentiaJ <lays, 

 we sound the cornet as a prochimation to admonish all to return and re- 

 ])ent, wluch if they do not, they can not plead ignorance, as having been 

 fully informed. Thus also we tind earthly kings ]»Td)lish their decrees 

 that none may ]»lead ignorance thereof. 



Third. To remind us of the law given on Mount Sinai, as it is said. 

 Exodus XIX, IC, "and the voice of the cornet was exceedingly loud," 

 and that we <mght to bind ourselves to the i)erformance thereof, as our 

 ancestors did, Avhen they said, "All that the Lord has said, will we do, 

 and be obedient." 



Fourth. To remind us of the ])rophcts wlu* arc comi)arc(l to watch- 

 men blowing the trumi)ets as mentioned in l<j/,ekiel xxxiii, 4, "Whoso- 

 ever heareth the sound of the cornet and taketh not Avarning, and the 

 sword cometh and taketh him aAvay, his blood shall be upon his own 

 head, but he that taketh Avarning shall save his life." 



Fifth. To remind ns of the destruction of the Holy Temple, and the ter- 

 rifying alarm of the enemy's Avairiors shouting to battle as mentioned 

 in .lei'cnuah iv, l'.>, "because thou liast heard, (di my soul, the sound of 

 the trumpet, tlie alarm of war," and theiel'ore, when Ave hear the sound 

 of the cornet, avc ought to bi'sccch the Almighty to rebuild the Holy 

 Temple. 



"S.aadia bcii .Iosoi»l\, SHi'-'Ul', one of the f^rcat .Je\A'isli (scholars of tlii> iiiiddh' a<]^e8. 

 He trauslatcd the Uihle into Arahio and wrote niauy inijuntant works. 



