Monday, September 18, 2017

The Sound Of The Shofar

לע"נ אלימלך בן ר' מנחם מנדל מלכיאל


What really satisfies a person in life? Those ideas that are beyond the senses, that are invisible and incomprehensible. Things that we just "hear about" but can't be put into words because they are beyond words and nevertheless we and all of existence are satiated by them. 

One of these sublime ideas is the shofar. We can't fully comprehend what the shofar does. We just hear the sounds and it makes an indelible impression on our souls. It then gives us life the whole year as it says in the gemara [Rosh Hashana 16b] "Any year when we blow at the beginning - nothing bad happens at the end" [כל שנה שמריעין בתחילתה אין מריעין  בסופה]. 

The blowing of the shofar relates to Hashem Himself, as it says "ה' א-להים בשופר יתקע". He blows constantly. But our souls only hear it on Rosh Hashana through our blowing. Then we merit to connect to His blowing, as it says "אשרי העם יודעי תרועה".