Awaken to the Sound of the Shofar

The shofar blasts are the essential sounds of Rosh Hashanah which arrives this month right after Labor Day. It is hard to believe, but the time has come to prepare our soul and our minds for the coming New Year. We close out the month of Elul with the sound of the shofar during each morning service and that sound is to prepare us for self-examination and the coming New Year. The shofar in Elul asks us to dip our soul into the well of forgiveness and come out a sweeter human being.
This month is the Jewish month of Elul, a time when we look inside ourselves, examine our past year, and think about what values, hopes and plans we wish to make for the coming year. As we do so, Rosh Hashanah has given us a great gift: a valuable lens through which to look at some of our desires.
The words of our liturgy can serve as a wake-up call, reminding us that the most lasting things in life are those we create for ourselves, that who we are matters more than how we might seem to others, and that growing into the type of person we are capable of becoming – hard-working, honest, smart and compassionate will make us much happier than chasing abstract dreams of wealth or fame.
Many ask what the shofar is teaching us about preparing for the coming year. The notes of the shofar beckon to each of us as we assemble on this Rosh Hashanah. “We have been awakened,” Rabbi Max Arzt wrote, “by the awesome tekiah sounds powerful alarm going off. This is followed by the three plaintive shevarim. Then the nine staccato teruah notes call us to attention.”
1. Tekiah ― one long, straight blast
2. Shevarim ― three medium, wailing sounds
3. Teruah ― nine quick blasts in short succession
When it is blown, traditionally, 100 sounds are produced: 30 right before Mussaf, 30 during Mussaf, and another 40 right after Mussaf, basically because of the uncertainty in the nature of the “Teruah” mentioned above.
The sounds are meant to produce a feeling reminiscent of both sighing and wailing, befitting the aspect of being Omed L’Din, Standing for Judgment, before the Supreme Judge of the World. As the shofar is blown we are called to order to set our minds to the realm of judgment and contemplation of who we stand before.
In Jewish tradition, the Rabbis of the Talmud envision a Heavenly Court that reviews the lifetime of a person upon arrival in the next world. The imagery includes a “scale” to weigh the accumulated good deeds on the one hand and mistakes and transgressions on the other.
There is a Saatan, a Hebrew word meaning prosecuting attorney, (the origin of the word Satan) and a defense attorney. The ultimate Judge, God, considers the case and renders judgment. The Machzor, the High Holiday prayer book, is filled with this imagery. Yearly, in preparation for the final accounting, we take account of our lives, weighing our good and bad deeds, rendering judgment, and trying to repent and change the bad.
Most people see themselves as mostly good and we may wonder what we have done that could be so bad, especially if we measure ourselves against the bad that we see out there in the world. The first question we should ask ourselves is what is it that God would want me to be and can I possibly achieve such a goal. This is the time to think of not all the bad in the world one cannot change but rather focus on the bad that can change within your own heart and actions.
The shofar blast is to awaken our soul to finally take that leap of forgiveness and redemption. Tshuvah comes from within our heart and it begins with the simple act of forgiveness. The unrelenting struggle of anger and betrayal fills our lives and thus in the month of Elul we try to awaken the capacity in our soul to start again to welcome in a new idea of self and the possibility of seeing the world a little differently.
Lastly, we are lifted to the heights of hope as we hear the tekiah gedolah, the prolonged concluding blast of the shofar. This is the chance for us to take stock in what we understand to be important in our lives and to wake us up to what needs to be completed during these days of awe. It is not easy to forgive others, but it relieves such a difficult burden if you let go and offer a heart of good will.
Try to take this month on Rosh Hashanah to see the world a little more clearly. Try to see the good in other people, even those we struggle with. With the sound of the shofar, find it in your heart to forgive others for their transgressions, forgive yourself for your own mistakes, and make an effort to mend and nourish your relationships and connections with others.
L’Shannah Tova
Rabbi Jeffrey Lipschultz is the spiritual leader Beth Judah Temple in Wildwood. He welcomes your comments at dvjewish@rof.net