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The Shofar is an Instrument of Prayer - Parashat Nitzavim 5778 - September 7, 2018

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Rabba states, just like you blow the shofar on Rosh HaShana, so too you say verses of Kingship, Remembrance and Shofarot. G-d says, “Say before Me verses of Kingship so that you will make me King over you. Say before Me verses of Remembrance so that the reminiscences that come before me will be remembered for your good. Say before Me verses of Shofarot so that you will pay attention and look forward to the Judgment Day and the Messianic Times. And with what? With a Shofar. (T. Rosh HaShana 34b)

We will blow the shofar during the Rosh HaShana musaf after each of the three middle blessings. The shofar is an instrument. At first glance, the blowing of the shofar would seem to represent an interruption in the musaf. By what justification do we interrupt the Amidah and blow the shofar in the musaf?

Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch addresses this issue. He explains that during the travels of the Jewish People in the desert, the shofar was blown on two occasions other than Rosh HaShana.
Moshe would sound one long sound when he wanted to gather the Jewish people to give them an instruction. This sound was a rallying point. It served to focus the Jewish people together on one issue – Moshe’s instruction. The Torah says that when Hashem gave us the Torah at Har Sinai, there were sounds of the Shofar. These sounds were intended to rally the Jewish people around the Divine revelation. In the Messianic time, as well, Hashem will sound the shofar to gather the peoples of the earth around one purpose.

There is another series of shofar blasts described in Torah – one long sound, followed by a broken sound, followed by one long sound – what we call tekiah, teruah, tekiah. When the Jews were travelling in the desert, Moshe would sound this pattern of notes to break camp. These sounds represent the process of breaking and re-establishing camp – rallying together for a unified instruction, movement of the group through upheaval to a new place and advancement of the group in a unified direction.

Based on this explanation, what is the significance of the shofar blast on Rosh HaShana?
The first long uninterrupted blast of the shofar is a call to organize your mind around a single thought. One should respond to the sound by removing oneself from worldly occupations and disparate interests and focusing on the task at hand – introspection and turning towards G-d. 
The broken sound of the shofar unsettles the listener and humbles one before Hashem. Like traveling in the desert, the sound represents the questioning of one’s preconceptions and hardened prejudices. The sound signifies the inner turmoil of a life examined.

The final long uninterrupted blast of the shofar is a call to reorganize after disintegration and cast out on a new and focused path before the Almighty. It signifies embarking on a new mission.
What, then, is the function of the shofar after each of the three blessings of the musaf? In these blessings we explore our relationship with Hashem as our King (malchiyot), our Judge (zichronot) and the one who proclaims truth (shofarot). After each blessing, the shofar serves to reinforce these explorations. With the first long blast, we focus our thoughts on each idea. With the second broken sounds, our personality is in disarray and disorganized – we have suffered disequilibrium. We have forgotten to serve Hashem and to appreciate His blessings.  We have failed to remember that there is no action that goes unjudged. We have failed to set aside time to study Torah. With the final long blast, equilibrium is restored and we proceed in a new direction before Hashem. Each of the beracha-shofar combinations serves to review and reflect on an idea, re-organize and re-integrate our thoughts and set out on a more enlightened path before Hashem.

The shofar is an instrument of prayer.  It serves to bolster the impact that each of these fundamental ideas have on us.  Its role in the Rosh HaShana musaf is neither extraneous nor an interruption – its role is essential. 

In the coming hour and in the coming year, may we use prayer and the shofar to strengthen ourselves in our relationship to Hashem and may Hashem hear our prayers and bless the Jewish People.


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