Why Joshua Blew Shofars at Jericho and Not Moses' Silver Trumpets

Another interpretation of "Make for yourself" (Numbers 10:2): from what is yours. "Make for yourself" — you make them for yourself and not for others; you use them, and no other uses them. You may know this, for behold, Joshua his disciple did not use them, but rather shofars. When they came to wage war against Jericho, seven nations gathered within Jericho, as it is said, "And you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the citizens of Jericho fought against you — the Amorite and the Perizzite [and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite], the Hivite and the Jebusite" (Joshua 24:11). But were the citizens of Jericho seven nations, that it says "the citizens of Jericho: the Amorite," and so forth? Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani said: Jericho was the door-bolt of the Land of Israel. They said: If Jericho is captured, the whole land is captured. Therefore the seven nations gathered into it. What is written? "And the people shouted, and they blew with the shofars" (Joshua 6:20) — this teaches that even Joshua his disciple did not use them. And do not say this only of Joshua, but even of Moses our teacher himself: while he was yet alive they were hidden away. Rabbi Isaac said: Behold, when Moses came to depart from the world, he said, "Assemble to me [all the elders of your tribes and your officers]" (Deuteronomy 31:28). And where were the trumpets, that he did not say "Blow on them and let them assemble"? Rather, while he was yet alive they were hidden away. Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: to fulfill what is said, "and there is no authority on the day of death" (Ecclesiastes 8:8). Thus "Make for yourself" — and no other uses them all your days.