Shofar
Photo: Alex Kolomviski
The Shofar blast of hope
The Talmud connects the shofar blasts to Siserah, sworn enemy of Jewish people
The first time the shofar is mentioned in the torah it is in the context of war, Bamidbar 10:9 regarding sounding the shofar during times of war. In addition, the Mishna Rosh Hashanah 3:1 identifies the shofar as a ram’s horn, from the battle of Jericho. What function does the shofar perform? What emotion does it convey?
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The Talmud Rosh Hashanah 33b attempts to define the meaning of Teruah. The Aramaic translation of Teruah is Yevavah, crying. This is based on Judges 5:28 where Siserah’s mother looked out the window and started crying. This is astounding that the Talmud connects the shofar blasts to the sworn enemy of the Jewish people.
Under the leadership of Devorah and Barak, the Jewish people won a decisive victory over Siserah, an Assyrian general. Siserah had been killed in battle but his mother didn’t know it. She peered out the window looking for him, looking for a sign from him, and burst into tears.
This is the feeling of uncertainty that we have on Rosh Hashanah. The books of life and death are open in front of us. We don’t know what the judgment will be. We are in judicial limbo. However, the shofar is more. It leads us out of our dilemma.
The third chapter of Mishna Rosh Hashanah deals with the laws of the shofar, and then to the laws of the blowing of the shofar, and finally deals with the story of the war with Amalek in the Torah, where the Mishna says that when Moshe raised his hands the Jewish people began to win and when he lowered them they began to lose.
But the Mishna tells us that it wasn’t the hands that caused anything, but rather when his hands were raised the Jewish people looked to the heavens and renewed their faith in God.
This was the secret that allowed the nation of newly freed slaves to vanquish an experienced army. Our ultimate success relies on God. The shofar reflects our feelings of uncertainty at the start of the New Year, but it also directs us to where our salvation lies, the trust in God.
As we blow the shofar this year, let us be inspired to trust in God and be led from uncertainty to salvation.
Rabbi Fred Hyman is the rabbi of Congregation Kodimoh, Springfield, MA
Courtesy of the Orthodox Union Take Five for Torah program
