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SHOFAR

The sounding of the shofar serves as the centerpiece of the services of Rosh Hashana. The rabbis of the Talmud considered the ability to sound the shofar a skill and not "work" in the halachic sense of the latter word. The sounds of the shofar are relatively simple ones - a long flat note called tekiah; a breaking, wailing, three note sound called shvarim; and a nine-note staccato sound called truah. In the time of the Temple the shofar was sounded daily to the accompaniment of the sound of the silver trumpets of the Levites. The difference in the Temple service between the daily sounding of the shofar and that of Rosh Hashana was that on Rosh Hashana the trumpets ceased their sounds early so that the shofar alone could be heard. During the rest of the year it is reversed, with the shofar sounds ceasing earlier so that only the trumpet sounds are heard. The shofar was made of the horn of a ram, an ibex, or other kosher split-hooved, cud-chewing animals, though the horns of cows; bulls and bovines were never used. Throughout the centuries the person sounding the shofar in the synagogue considered it to be a great honor to be chosen to do so. Thus, the piety and public reputation of the person sounding the shofar became as much a factor in choosing the one who would sound the shofar as his actual skill in being able to sound the notes correctly. Jews are a very particular people when it comes to bestowing honors in the synagogue.

The sound of the shofar is meant to inspire contemplation, self-analysis, repentance and commitment to Torah values and observance. In the words of Maimonides, the shofar serves as our spiritual wake-up call. Its shrill tones warn us of the dangers of complacency and spiritual vacuity. It sounds the alarm that life is precious and not to be wasted upon frivolity and materialism. It also tells us that life is composed of a tekiah - a long flat note of tranquility and serenity when things are apparently going well for us, but that it also contains periods of time of shvarim and teruah - broken, harsh notes of reality, disappointment and even tragedy. All of these notes comprise human existence and are representative of the national life of Israel as well. The demand to serve God and man, to be moral and righteous, to observe tradition and raise a knowledgeable and proud Jewish generation is absolute, no matter what sounds may now emanate from our personal shofar of life. The sound of the shofar also reflects the human cry of anguish, frustration, even defeat. It declares in its broken notes that many times in life we are powerless and that arrogance of ideas and behavior have no place in a moral life. Thus the rabbis declared that the reason that we have one hundred sounds from the shofar on Rosh Hashana is because Sisera's mother wailed a hundred times over her son's defeat and death. It is this wail of human agony, even coming from the wicked, that the shofar memorializes and internalizes within us on the Day of Judgment.

It is traditional that the service of the shofar on Rosh Hashana end with a tekia gedolah - a long drawn-out tekiah. It has become customary for the person sounding the shofar to prove his mettle and wind capacity when sounding this final note of the day. The tekiah gedolah represents the shofar of Jewish redemption, of messianic better times. The prophet Isaiah promised us that on the day of human deliverance the shofar gadol - the great shofar of redemption and hope will be sounded. It will mark the conclusion of the ingathering of the Jewish exiles, of the security of Israel, of a better and more civil, peaceful world for all of humankind. The great long tekiah is the harbinger of that great shofar that promises ultimate deliverance and respect. It expresses the undying optimism and faith of the Jewish people in the fulfillment of all of the great, even grandiose, promises of our prophets. The final note of Rosh Hashana is one of hope and confidence in the better tomorrow and in the bountiful blessings of God. Hence the final note of the shofar service is called the tekiah gedolah - the great and magnificent sound of destiny and eternity.

May we all be blessed with a happy, healthy, productive and peaceful new year.

Berel Wein