Purpose of the Trumpet Blowing/2

Purpose of the Trumpet Blowing

Exegetical Approaches

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Assembly

The trumpets served a purely practical function, signalling the nation to gather for various purposes.

Sources:perhaps R. Saadia Gaon, perhaps RashiRosh HaShanah 26bAbout R. Shelomo Yitzchaki

"וְהָיוּ לְךָ לְמִקְרָא הָעֵדָה וּלְמַסַּע אֶת הַמַּחֲנוֹת" – According to this approach, this sentences serves as a heading for all of verses 2-10, and not just verses 2-7.  Each of the four cases mentioned (and not just the first two where the verses are explicit) is an assembling to either gather or travel.¹

Trumpets in times of war – In times of war, the trumpets played a functional role, serving to announce the state of war so that the troops would gather and head to battle.

Trumpets and the sacrificial service – It is possible that during the wilderness period trumpets were blown to signal the people to gather near the Mishkan (or, perhaps, stand still by their tents)² at the hour when communal sacrifices were offered.  Even after arrival in Israel, when this was no longer practical, the custom of blowing was maintained to mark the ideal that everyone participate in such communal sacrifices.

"נִזְכַּרְתֶּם לִפְנֵי י״י אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְנוֹשַׁעְתֶּם מֵאֹיְבֵיכֶם" – If the trumpet blowing had no religious significance, as this position maintains, this verse is somewhat difficult. Why should a technical call to war elicit Hashem's mercy? These sources might suggest that the remembering of the nation is not a direct result of the trumpet blowing at all and is mentioned in this context only due to the discussion of battle, to reassure the nation that Hashem will remember and aid them whenever they go to war.

"וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לְזִכָּרוֹן לִפְנֵי אֱלֹהֵיכֶם" – This verse is similarly difficult.  This position might explain that the subject of the phrase "וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לְזִכָּרוֹן" is the sacrifices themselves, not the accompanying blowing of trumpets. It is the sacrificial service which will be remembered by Hashem, not the technical signal to gather.

תרועות vs. תקיעות – The two sounds distinguished whether the people were being called to gather³ or to travel.⁴ It is possible that the broken sound of the teruah reflects movement, and was therefore chosen as its signal, while the united blast of the tekiah better matches a gathering in one place.⁵

Biblical parallels

Why limited to priests? Given the purely functional nature of the trumpet blowing, it is not clear why only priests were allowed to blow the instrument.

Placement of the unit – As the trumpets are not considered holy vessels it is understandable why they are not mentioned as part of the vessels constructed with the Mishkan.  They are mentioned now since the nation is about to begin their travels, necessitating their use.

Why was their trumpet blowing only for the first two camps? This position might agree with Baraita DeMelekhet HaMishkan13About Baraita DeMelekhet HaMishkan that, despite the silence in the text, trumpets were blown to signal each of the four camps to march. RambanBemidbar 10:6About R. Moshe b. Nachman suggests that this is implied by the phrase "תְּרוּעָה יִתְקְעוּ לְמַסְעֵיהֶם", explaining it to mean, "שיתקעו כן לכל מסעיהם".

Modern equivalents – This position's understanding of the trumpet calls in Tanakh can be compared to the role played by bugle calls in the army, where different sounds signal troops to   assemble, return to quarters, stand at attention, charge, etc.

Show of Honor

The trumpets served to announce the presence of Hashem.  Just as trumpet calls herald the arrival of a human king, they honor and mark the appearance of Hashem. King of Kings, as well.

Sources:perhaps SefornoBemidbar 10:2-6About R. Ovadyah Seforno,⁶ R"E Samet⁷

Holy or secular vessel – According to Seforno, the trumpets served a ceremonial rather than practical function.

Common denominator – According to this approach, the common denominator between all cases in which the trumpets are blown is that they involve the appearance of Hashem's presence:

• Assembly – Seforno points out that gathering the nation required a trumpet call only because this took place in front of the Mishkan ("וְנוֹעֲדוּ אֵלֶיךָ כׇּל הָעֵדָה אֶל פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד"). As the people moved to stand near the Mishkan, Hashem's abode, trumpets were blown in His honor.
• Travel – Trumpets were blown during travel due to the Mishkan's presence in the camp. Seforno points out that this explains why trumpets were only blown when the first two camps traveled. Since the Levites carrying the Mishkan and its vessels traveled only with these camps, trumpets accompanied their travels but not those of the last two camps.⁸
• War – Since the the Ark and Hashem's Shekhinah accompanied the nation when they went to battle,⁹ trumpets were blown then as well.¹⁰ Here, too, it was Hashem's presence amidst the nation that prompted the trumpet call rather than the practical need for a signal to assemble the nation.
• Sacrificial service – As sacrifices were offered and Hashem's presence descended to accept them, trumpets were blown in greeting.

Assembly in front of the Ohel Moed – Seforno points out that gathering the nation required a trumpet call only because this took place in front of the Mishkan ("וְנוֹעֲדוּ אֵלֶיךָ כׇּל הָעֵדָה אֶל פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד").  As the people moved to stand near the Mishkan, Hashem's abode, trumpets were blown in His honor.

Travel of first two camps – Trumpets were blown during travel due to the Mishkan's presence in the camp. Seforno points out that this explains why trumpets were only blown when the first two camps traveled. Since the Levites carrying the Mishkan and its vessels traveled only with these camps, trumpets accompanied their travels but not those of the last two camps.¹¹

Going to war – Since the the Ark and Hashem's Shekhinah accompanied the nation when they went to battle,¹² trumpets were blown then as well.¹³ Here, too, it was Hashem's presence amidst the nation that prompted the trumpet call rather than the practical need for a signal to assemble the nation.

Sacrificial service – As sacrifices were offered and Hashem's presence descended to accept them,  trumpets were blown in greeting.

Biblical parallels – This understanding of the trumpet's function is supported by other verses which similarly speak of honoring Hashem as one would a human king,¹⁴ through trumpet calls.  The idea is expressed most explicitly in Tehillim 98:6, "בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת וְקוֹל שׁוֹפָר הָרִיעוּ לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ י״י". See also Divrei HaYamim I 13:8, 15:24 and 16:6 which speak of trumpets being blown in the presence of the Ark.

"וְהָיוּ לְךָ לְמִקְרָא הָעֵדָה וּלְמַסַּע אֶת הַמַּחֲנוֹת" – As this language  implies that the trumpets were used in order to gather and travel (למסע); i.e. to facilitate these actions, Seforno, must reinterpret the phrase, understanding it as if written, "when gathering or traveling" (בנסוע המשכן).

"וְנִזְכַּרְתֶּם לִפְנֵי י״י אֱלֹהֵיכֶם" / "וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לְזִכָּרוֹן" – This approach might suggest that it is the people's acknowledgement of Hashem's presence in their midst that leads to salvation.¹⁵

Why limited to priests? As the trumpets played a religious role, it is logical that it is specifically the priests who were instructed to blow them.

Placement of the unit – If the trumpets were considered holy vessels, one might have expected that they be mentioned along with the other vessels of the Mishkan. This position might respond that as they are only secondary vessels, they are mentioned first here since it was only with the nation's travels and embarking to war that they were to be used extensively.

תרועות vs. תקיעות – As this position suggests that the trumpets served the same role throughout and there was no need for distinct sounds to signal different actions, it is not clear why sometimes Hashem's presence is marked by a tekiah and at others by a teruah.¹⁶

Prayer

The blowing of trumpets functioned as part of the nation's prayer. As the nation went to war, the trumpets accompanied their cries for salvation, and when they returned home they accompanied their offerings of thanksgiving.

Sources:perhaps Ibn EzraBemidbar 10:2-10About R. Avraham ibn Ezra

Common denominator – Ibn Ezra maintains that there must be a common denominator¹⁷ that unites all the cases in which trumpets are blown, leading him to suggest that they all relate to war:

• "לְמִקְרָא הָעֵדָה וּלְמַסַּע אֶת הַמַּחֲנוֹת" – According to Ibn Ezra, the gathering and travel mentioned in verses 2-7 was not related to the wanderings in the wilderness, but to the imminent battle with Canaan. The nation was about to leave Sinai to begin the Conquest, as the end of the chapter attests, "‎וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה קוּמָה י״י וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ"‎.¹⁸ It was for this war that they needed to assemble in formation.¹⁹
• "כִי תָבֹאוּ מִלְחָמָה בְּאַרְצְכֶם" – This refers to future wars.
• "וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַתְכֶם" – Ibn Ezra suggests that this verse refers to celebrations and holidays (like Purim) that were made to commemorate victories in battle.²⁰

Trumpets and war: "וְנִזְכַּרְתֶּם לִפְנֵי י״י אֱלֹהֵיכֶם" – Ibn Ezra reads the verse as if written,"'וזכרתם את ה" (instead of the passive "וְנִזְכַּרְתֶּם") claiming that the trumpet calls in times of war served to remind the people to cry out to Hashem as they went to battle.²¹ Alternatively, one may suggest that the trumpets, whose cry induced fear and trembling, helped focus the people's prayer and repentance. It was this prayer that led them to be remembered by Hashem.²²

Trumpets and sacrifices: "וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לְזִכָּרוֹן" – According to Ibn Ezra, just as the trumpets accompanied prayer before battle, they accompanied offerings of thanksgiving afterwards. Ibn Ezra might explain the words "וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לְזִכָּרוֹן" as he did the phrase "וְנִזְכַּרְתֶּם לִפְנֵי י״י": that the trumpet calls served to remind the people to offer their own prayers of thanksgiving. Alternatively, the purpose might have been to focus the people's attention or simply to make the offering more festive. If so, the statement ""וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לְזִכָּרוֹן" is not the goal of the trumpet blowing, but rather the result of the festive sacrifices.

Biblical parallels – Divrei HaYamim II 13:10-15 contains an explicit example in which trumpets were blown in battle as part of the nation's cries for salvation, "וַיִּצְעֲקוּ לַי״י וְהַכֹּהֲנִים [מַחְצְרִים] (מחצצרים) בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת".  The next verse further describes how this did indeed lead to salvation, "וַיְהִי בְּהָרִיעַ אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וְהָאֱלֹהִים נָגַף אֶת יָרׇבְעָם". See also Divrei HaYamim II 20:27-28 which speaks of trumpet blowing during victory celebrations "בְיוֹם שִׂמְחַתְכֶם". Yehoshafat returns from battle "בְּשִׂמְחָה" and heads to the Mikdash (perhaps to offer sacrifices) "בַחֲצֹצְרוֹת".

"וְכִי תָבֹאוּ מִלְחָמָה בְּאַרְצְכֶם" – This language is somewhat rare in Tanakh, as we would have expected the verse to  state, "כִי תצא למִלְחָמָה" if referring to an offensive war, and  "כִי תָבֹא מִלְחָמָה בְּאַרְצְכֶם" if speaking of a defensive one.  If the verses are speaking first and foremost to the generation of the wilderness, though, the language is logical.  The nation is about to come (תָבֹא) to their land (בְּאַרְצְכֶם) to fight.²³ Cf. Bemidbar 32:6, "הַאַחֵיכֶם יָבֹאוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה", where the same language is used in the context of embarking on the wars of conquest.

Why limited to priests? The priests specifically were tasked with the blowing since it served a religious function and not merely a technical one.

Complement to the "כהן משוח מלחמה" – The priests' role here might have complemented that of the anointed priest whose job it was to encourage the people as they left to war. One priest reassured the nation that Hashem was with him, while others led them in prayer.

"וּבְרָאשֵׁי חׇדְשֵׁיכֶם" – The mention of "New Moons" as one of the times that trumpets are blown with the sacrificial service is difficult for this position, as it is hard to say that this refers to a celebration made on return from battle. This leads R"Y Bekhor Shor to suggest a different relationship between this insatnce of trumpet blowing and teh preceding ones.

Changing Purpose

The trumpets' role changed over time. While they served a purely practical purpose in the wilderness, in future generations they took on a ceremonial role

Sources:RalbagBemidbar 10:1-10Bemidbar Toalot 10:1-10About R. Levi b. Gershom, AbarbanelBemidbar 10:1About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel,

¹ This is obvious with regards to the first two cases which are explicitly about assembly or travel. The points below discuss how this approach reads the blowing of trumpets during times of war and holidays in a similar fashion.

² If so, it would function like the sirens in Israel during Holocaust Remembrance Day or Memorial day which signal the nation to pause and stand in silence.

³ This includes assembly either due to Moshe's call or for the sacrificial service.

⁴ This would include travel in the wilderness or for purposes of war.

⁵ See Haketav VeHaKabbalahBemidbar 10:7About R. Yaakov Mecklenburg and R. Hirsch who explain the etymology of the words, showing how the meaning of each matches its sound and function. The word "" stems from the root "תקע", meaning to thrust or drive into, causing things to stick together, appropriate for gathering.  Teruah, on the other hand, comes from the root "רעע", meaning to break, appropriate for movement..

⁶ Seforno does not address the role of the trumpets with regards to the sacrificial service on holidays and only hints to their role in war.  The approach developed below attempts to apply his understanding of verses 1-7 to verses 8-10 as well.

⁷ See his article, "פרשת החצוצרות" where he elaborates on Seforno's interpretation.

⁸ Cf. Chizkuni who precedes him, "תרועה יתקעו למסעיהם לשני המחנות דוקא ולכבודו של משכן הנוסע אחר שני דגלים אלו".

⁹ See, for example, Bemidbar 10:35, "וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה קוּמָה י״י וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ" or Devarim 23:15, "כִּי י״י אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶךָ לְהַצִּילְךָ וְלָתֵת אֹיְבֶיךָ לְפָנֶיךָ". See Devarim 20:4 similarly, "כִּי י״י אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם".

¹⁰ See Bemidbar 31:6 which speaks explicitly about the combined presence of "כלי הקודש" (understood by the Sifrei to refer to the Ark) and the trumpets in battle: "וְאֶת פִּינְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן לַצָּבָא וּכְלֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ וַחֲצֹצְרוֹת הַתְּרוּעָה בְּיָדוֹ".

¹¹ Cf. Chizkuni who precedes him, "תרועה יתקעו למסעיהם לשני המחנות דוקא ולכבודו של משכן הנוסע אחר שני דגלים אלו".

¹² See, for example, Bemidbar 10:35, "וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה קוּמָה י״י וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ" or Devarim 23:15, "כִּי י״י אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶךָ לְהַצִּילְךָ וְלָתֵת אֹיְבֶיךָ לְפָנֶיךָ". See Devarim 20:4 similarly, "כִּי י״י אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם".

¹³ See Bemidbar 31:6 which speaks explicitly about the combined presence of "כלי הקודש" (understood by the Sifrei to refer to the Ark) and the trumpets in battle: "וְאֶת פִּינְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן לַצָּבָא וּכְלֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ וַחֲצֹצְרוֹת הַתְּרוּעָה בְּיָדוֹ".

¹⁴ See Melakhim II 11:14 for an example in Tanakh of blowing trumpet sin front of human kings.

¹⁵ See Aviyah's words to Yerovam in Divrei HaYamim II 13:12, where he points out that Hashem's presence in their midst will lead Yehuda to victory

¹⁶ R"E Samet suggests that the differing sounds relate to whether Hashem is appearing in the Mishkan, or departing from it.  When the nation assembled near the Mishkan and during the sacrifical service, His presence was there and this was marked by a tekiah.  During times of war and travel, Hashem left the Mishkan to accompany the people.  In such cases, a teruah was blown. He does not explain what about each sound made it appropriate for its specific use.

¹⁷ According to Ibn Ezra, the fact that verse 8 states, "וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לְחֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם" implies that the laws discussed in the previous seven verses are applicable to the future as well.  This leads him to conclude that all four cases mentioned in the unit must be similar.

¹⁸ See also Moshe's  words to Chovav in verse 29, "נֹסְעִים אֲנַחְנוּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר י״י אֹתוֹ אֶתֵּן לָכֶם".

¹⁹ Since the Sin of the Spies delayed entry for forty years, pushing off the Conquest to the Book of Yehoshua, the reader sometimes forgets that the Land of Israel was supposed to be the nation's next stop.  This leads the reader to assume that the assembly and traveling refers to the forty years of wandering. In reality, though, at this point in history there was not meant to be forty years of wandering.

²⁰ Ibn Ezra also brings the Sifrei who understands "בְיוֹם שִׂמְחַתְכֶם" to refer to Shabbat and the verse as a whole to refer to the various occasions when communal sacrifices were brought: Shabbat, holidays and New Moons.

²¹ He writes,"גם תרועה זכר לנפשות לצעוק לשם". This reading might be partially motivated by the philospohical problem of Hashem needing to be reminded of anything.

²² One might go even further to suggest that the command "וַהֲרֵעֹתֶם בַּחֲצֹצְרֹת" is itself a directive to pray, that as the people embark to war, they not only blow trumpets but that they themselves call out (וַהֲרֵעֹתֶם). This is how the Rambam appears to understand the command in his Hilkhot Taaniyot, " מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה מִן הַתּוֹרָה לִזְעֹק וּלְהָרִיעַ בַּחֲצוֹצְרוֹת".

²³ Ibn Ezra himself suggests that this verse is referring to future wars, but even so, he would agree that the first of such wars was the conquest of Canaan.