Shofar during Passover Sacrifice

I have written about the relevance of shofar to Passover in this blog and in Chapter 3-6 of Hearing Shofar: The Still Small Voice of the Ram's Horn. Here is another example, from Babylonian Talmud Pesachim 64a:

Pesach is slaughtered in three groups... The first group entered and filled the Azarah (Temple Courtyard); they locked the doors and blew the Shofar - Tekiah, Teruah, Tekiah.... The first group left and the second entered; when the second group left the third entered. The latter groups did like the first did.

The following excerpt from A Virtual Passover* sheds more light on the Paschal sacrifice and its relationship to Shofar.

When God instituted Passover, He stipulated strict guidelines governing the selection and manner of killing, cooking, and eating the Paschal Lamb... The lamb was to be a male, one year old, without blemish. (Exodus 12:5) Because the English rendering of lamb is in fact representative of a Hebrew word that may refer to a lamb or kid, one year old goats were also acceptable provided they also met the other requirements.

Unlike many symbols of Passover whose meanings were later assigned in the Rabbinic Period, the Lord Himself gave the meaning of the Paschal sacrifice. In the words of Moses, “And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.” (Exodus 12:26-27)

It is thus clear that from the very origins of Passover, the Paschal sacrifice was to be the central focus. During the Second Temple Period (516 b.c.e. – 70 c.e.), it remained so and was given even heightened significance as the tradition developed to perform the sacrifice at the Temple... [This] sacrifice unique was that it was actually performed by the household representative rather than the Levites at the Temple...

Because of the large crowds that would inevitably gather in Jerusalem and at the Temple Mount during Passover, several measures were taken to accommodate all who wished to participate. [Israelites] would enter the Temple grounds and form rows facing identical rows of Levites. The gates would be closed and the shofar sounded. The Israelites would then slaughter the lamb or kid-goat, and the Levites would catch the sacrificial blood in gold or silver bowls. They would quickly pass these bowls down a brigade-like line and the priest nearest the altar would sprinkle blood from each bowl onto the base of the altar.

After the destruction of the Temple in 70 c.e., the Paschal sacrifice was discontinued. Over time it gradually lost its prominence in the Seder so that today it is represented by several items of the Seder. These items include the roasted shankbone, the egg, the Afikomen, and the Hillel sandwich.

Here it is described by another writer:

Passover in Temple Times

The construction of the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem lent new significance to the festival of Passover. A Talmudic passage (dating from the period of the Second Temple [515 BCE - 70 CE]) describes the Temple ritual on the 14th of Nisan. The description reflects the procedure in the time of the First Temple:

The paschal lamb was slaughtered in three groups… when the first group entered and the Temple court was filled, the gates of the Temple were closed. A tekiah, teruah, and again a tekiah were then blown on the shofar. The priests stood in rows, and in their hands were basins of silver and basins of gold. … An Israelite slaughtered his offering and the priests caught the blood. The priest passed the basin to his fellow priest, and he to his fellow, each receiving a full basin and giving back an empty one. The priest nearest to the altar tossed the blood against the base of the altar. While this ritual was performed the Levites sang the Hallel [Talmud Pesachim 64a].

There are several biblical references indicating that this procedure was also followed in Solomon's Temple.

Following the rededication of the Temple by King Hezekiah, the priests are described as tossing the blood of the paschal lamb upon the altar (II Chronicles 30:16). The Levites and priests are also described as having "praised God day by day [Hallel], singing with loud instruments to God" (11 Chronicles 30:21).

At my Seder, the sacrifice is also represented by a shofar.

Talmud: http://www.dafyomi.co.il/pesachim/points/ps-ps-064.htm, viewed 2012-Feb-10

Virtual Passover: http://avirtualpassover.com/sacrifice.htm, viewed 2012-Feb-10
Image: http://www.thesanhedrin.org/en/index.php?title=File:Korban.jpg, viewed 2012-Feb-10

The Virtual Passover essay cites Klein, Mordell ed., Passover (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1973) pages 26-27 as the source for the description of the sacrifice.

Passover in Temple Time excerpt from, Rabbi Ronald H. Isaacs, Every Person's Guide to Passover (Jason Aronson, Inc), /www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Passover/History/Biblical.shtml, viewed 2012-April-07