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September 18, 2009
Awakening the soul connection
The various shofar blasts convey messages that can penetrate the psyche of the listener.
ESTHER TAUBY
There are many explanations for the shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah – this special once-a-year mitzvah anticipated by Jews the world over, in preparation for the High Holidays. However, the official reason for blowing the shofar is that it is a commandment from the Torah. "As I have commanded you, the first day of the seventh month shall be a holy occasion for you. You shall not perform any mundane work. It shall be a day of shofar sounding for you." (Numbers 29:1) From this we learn that the shofar (made of a ram's horn) should be blown on the first day of the seventh month (counting from the month of Nissan, this is the month of Tishrei). With the blowing of the shofar, we proclaim G-d's sovereignty as He is crowned anew each Jewish New Year as King of the Universe. Many of the prayers on Rosh Hashanah are based on this theme.
The additional prayer (musaf) on Rosh Hashanah is comprised of three parts: Malchiot (sovereignty), Zichronot (remembrances) and Shofrot (shofars). On this auspicious and holy day, G-d says to us, "Speak to me in verses whose themes are sovereignty, so that you crown Me King over you; remembrances, so that I will remember you for good; and with what? With a shofar." (Rosh Hashanah 34b)
Blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah accomplishes many things. One thing is that hearing its sounds awakens in the soul the power to serve G-d with vitality and exuberance. As well, the simple shofar sound enlivens in the soul a sense of unity of the Jewish people. If the mitzvah of shofar entailed an intellectual understanding of the inner messages of the sounds, this would create various divisions of Jewish people based upon cognitive abilities. However, by fulfilling the mitzvah of shofar, simply by hearing the shofar sounds, the entire tapestry of souls of the Jewish people shines equally. Even someone who is hearing impaired and cannot hear physically can fulfil the mitzvah, as their soul can hear the shofar's message.
The shofar blowing rectifies our souls. How is this accomplished? Simply by hearing the sounds from the shofar. We make a blessing before blowing the shofar alone for ourselves or we answer "amen" to the blessing if we are in a synagogue.
The sound of the shofar, which is like a voice, has an intimate message for the soul. The sound conveys its message to the soul's very root. Even though the listener may have no direct grasp on the meaning of the message, the message penetrates into the psyche of the listener and rectifies the powers of their soul.
The Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidism, gave the following analogy to illustrate the effects of blowing the shofar:
Once there was a king who had an only son. He was beloved and very smart. One day the king and prince decided it would be beneficial for the prince's education to travel to faraway lands to learn the wisdom and ways of the people who lived in those lands. The king gave the prince a large amount of money for this expedition and bid him farewell. As the journey wore on, the prince spent all the money on luxuries he was used to in the palace and other indulgences. Eventually he had nothing left and was so far from home that nobody knew who he was.
Distraught, the prince decided to return home. He had forgotten his native language after being away so long and, when he finally arrived back to the capital city of his kingdom, he could not even explain to anyone who he was or where he wanted to go. No one paid any attention to his gestures. Upon his arrival at the palace, he let loose a wordless scream so his father would recognize his voice. The king immediately sent for his only son and they had an emotional reunion. The king forgave his son and was overjoyed to see him again.
So too, the Jewish soul, is G-d's child. This child was sent off into the foreign environment of this material world for its own edification, accomplished by learning Torah and fulfilling its commandments. But by indulging in the delights of this world, the soul becomes increasingly estranged from its native milieu and is gradually drawn into an environment that does not recognize G-dliness nor is it concerned with it. It eventually forgets the language of holiness and purity.
At some point, it remembers who it is and where it comes from and cries out to G-d. This is the wordless blast of the shofar, which utters the innermost voice of the soul in its regret for its past deeds, its longing for its Divine home and its desire to rededicate itself to its Father. When G-d hears this cry, it arouses His mercy and He forgives the soul, restoring it to its former intimacy with Him.
The leading Jewish sage of the 10th century, Rabbi Saadia Gaon, listed some meanings of the shofar blowing and taught that the sounds of the shofar ought to call to mind some important events. These include the creation of the world, the beginning of a new year, the revelation on Mount Sinai, the binding of Isaac and the destruction of the holy Temples in Jerusalem. Its hauntingly beautiful sounds have the ability to inspire us to fear and awe of G-d, fear and awe of the Day of Judgment, and belief in the future Ingathering of the Exiles, among other things.
The Talmud teaches that Rabbi Berachya taught in the name of Abba, "G-d says improve your actions. From the Hebrew word shapru, which has the same root as shofar, connoting improvement and beauty. So, just as with the shofar, one blows in from one side and sound comes out from the other side, so too do all the accusers of the world stand before Me and accuse you of being unworthy of mercy. I hear their accusations from one side and remove them from the other side, G-d says."
The shofar is sounded 100 times on each day of Rosh Hashanah. These sounds are in varying combinations made up of three types of sounds from the shofar. Tekiyah, an unbroken blast, is meant to sound like a loud trumpet being blown to get everyone's attention before an important announcement. Shevarim, consisting of three short blasts, is meant to sound like someone moaning in pain or like they do when they have heavy worries. Teruah is made by blowing nine short rapid blasts in succession. This is known as an ululation. It is meant to sound like someone sobbing in a tragic situation and having difficulty catching his breath.
By blowing these sounds, we are connecting our souls on a very deep and primitive level where no words are necessary, to their source, to our creator, the One and Only G-d, who created us with souls that are housed in physical bodies in order to serve Him with physical actions. G-d hears our soul's cries and forgives us for any transgressions committed over the past year. With the shofar blasts, we also stir up His mercy on behalf of anyone who may face Divine judgment.
The two days of Rosh Hashanah are considered to be one extended day. This year, the first day of Rosh Hashanah is Shabbat (beginning on Friday evening, Sept. 18). Our sages ordained that if Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, the shofar is not sounded (this year my husband gets a day off from blowing shofar for our shul) and is instead sounded on the second day. One reason for this is that, on Shabbat, we are on a very lofty spiritual level and do not need the physical instrument of the shofar to connect our souls to G-d.
Therefore, this year, when we pray on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, on Shabbat, in our elevated state, asking G-d to judge us favorably and have mercy on us and then, on the second day, when we connect our souls to our Father and King with the added dimension of the shofar blasts, may we merit to be written in the Book of Life for a year of health, happiness, peace and prosperity.
Esther Tauby is a local educator, writer and counselor.
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