Skip to main content

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


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.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow - Rabbi Owen's Operational Dinner Remarks - Monday, September 17, 2018

You may have noticed that we have two new huge street-side banners on White Station Road. One of them says, “Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow”. What do we mean by this? How does learning prepare for leading? The distinctiveness and difference of the Jewish People is a theme that appears regularly and intensely throughout the Yom Kippur prayers. On Yom Kippur afternoon, we read the section of the Torah dealing with immorality. The Torah says, “Do not act in the ways of the land of Egypt in which you lived; and do not act in the ways of the land of Cana’an to which I, Hashem, am taking you – and do not follow their customs. Follow My laws and guard My customs to walk in these ways – I am Hashem your G-d.” The Torah is teaching that Egypt and Cana’an represent spiritually harmful elements of each culture in which the Jewish People will find themselves over the centuries and instructs us to separate from the temptation to assimilate these ideas. The Jewish People dwell alone. Hashe...

Honor and Glory - Parashat Termuah 5780, February 28, 2020

This week’s  parasha , Termuah, and next week’s parasha , Tetzave, introduce Hashem’s command regarding the plans for the  mishkan  and its vessels – including the clothing worn by the  kohanim . One of the vessels that Hashem commands to be built is the  menorah  – the candelabra. The description of the plans for the menorah are described in Parashat Terumah and the description of its service is described in Parashat Tetzave. In Parashat Tetzave, the Torah says, “and they will take for you pure olive oil pressed to be lit to raise an everlasting candle.” Each evening the  kohanim  were obligated to light the candelabra with enough oil to last the night. In the morning, the  kohanim  were obligated to fix and relight the  menorah , as necessary, thus ensuring that the candelabra would constantly be lit. The Rambam – Maimonides – explains, based on a later verse, that the  mitzvah  to light the candelabra in the mishk...

Building Appropriate Fences - Parashat Ki Seitzei 5778, August 24, 2018

Among the many mitzvot described in this week’s parasha , Parashat Ki Tetze, is the law of the ma’ake – a fence. “When you build a new house, you shall make a guard rail for your roof, so that you shall not cause blood to be spilled in your house, that the one who falls should fall from it.” In this verse, the Torah commands us to build a fence around any exposed high area, such as a flat roof or deck, that is commonly used by human beings. Viewing this law as a positive commandment, the Rambam teaches that one must make a blessing when constructing a ma’ake . The law of the ma’ake is one of many Torah laws that teach us to protect human life. Positive commandments such as ve’nishmartem me’od et nafshotechem (and you shall greatly guard your physical life) and ve’rapo yerape (and you shall surely heal) reveal the Torah’s appreciation of man’s vulnerability and the lengths that we must go to foster human safety. Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik extends this concept of bui...