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In Nehemiah.8.10, after reading Torah on the first day of the seventh month (Rosh Hashana - Rashi ibid):

וַיָּבִיא עֶזְרָא הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה לִפְנֵי הַקָּהָל ... בְּיוֹם אֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי׃ - On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Teaching before the congregation...

רש"י: ביום אחד לחדש השביעי. הוא יום של ראש השנה:

Ezra commands the congregation to celebrate the day joyfully:

וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם לְכוּ אִכְלוּ מַשְׁמַנִּים וּשְׁתוּ מַמְתַקִּים וְשִׁלְחוּ מָנוֹת לְאֵין נָכוֹן לוֹ כִּי־קָדוֹשׁ הַיּוֹם לַאֲדֹנֵינוּ וְאַל־תֵּעָצֵבוּ כִּי־חֶדְוַת יְהוָה הִיא מָעֻזְּכֶם׃

He further said to them, “Go, eat choice foods and drink sweet drinks and send portions to whoever has nothing prepared, for the day is holy to our Lord. Do not be sad, for your rejoicing in the LORD is the source of your strength.”

However, I don't see the Mitzvah of Shofar mentioned anywhere on that day. Why?

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  • Maybe it was a Shabbos :-)
    – Dov
    Dec 26, 2020 at 23:45
  • 2
    He also doesn't remind them to add Yaaleh veYavo in bentching.
    – Double AA ♦
    Dec 27, 2020 at 0:34

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At that time in the day he or someone else had to have already blown sofar for them. At that point in history Sofar was still blown in the morning for zerizim makdimim.If he was giving them instructions to eat they obviously heard Shofar already because you are not allowed to eat (be Kova Sudah) beforehand. As is the case today most of the people probably didn't know how to blow Shofar in accordance with halacha so they heard it in public venues like the one he was addressing.

The instructions he was giving them was how to act in their private houses when they get home. What he was saying is not so different from a Rav speaking about the attitude towards Rosh HaShanah today.That posuk is commonly quoted and mentioned in droshos about Rosh Hashanah until today. Which Rav or drosha today reminds people to hear Shofar?

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  • You have an interesting hunch, but it is far from being an answer and suits the comment section better. The section clearly says that they were ashamed of not performing Mitzvos. It also says that the reading started with the first light, so no blowing or prayer could precede it. -1
    – Al Berko
    Dec 28, 2020 at 19:04

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