On Rosh Hashana, Jews listen to the sound of the shofar, which is a ram’s horn blown in a particular manner. Although this ritual has biblical roots, its symbolism is equally important. The great medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides explained that the sounds of the shofar carry a message to each one of us. The high-pitched notes are saying, “Awaken, you sleepers, from your sleep! Arise, you slumberers, from your slumber! Examine your actions and repent.”
Indeed, this is a message we all must hear once in a while. When we sleep we think that our dreams are reality. In fact, the deeper our sleep, the more realistic our dreams are. So often we get caught up in the illusions of life. We think that our reality is all that there is. We become entrenched in our own opinions and habits to the extent that we discount all else. Our reality seems to us to be the only true reality. This can, of course, not be true. No one has complete monopoly of what is true or realistic. We are all humans and thus subject to making mistakes and bad judgments.
So to be awoken from our self-induced slumber and shown a new and deeper sense of reality should be a wonderful experience. In fact, however, this type of enlightenment is something most of us resist. Much as when we are sound asleep, unless we are having a nightmare, we are naturally resistant to waking up.
The sound of the shofar is meant to jolt us out of our often false sense of reality and see the world from a spiritual and divine perspective. The shofar makes us realize that reality lies beyond the physical universe and that there is much more to life than the outer veneer we perceive — it opens our eyes to the subliminal sphere.
When we see reality from that vantage point, everything seems different. Our priorities change as well as our view of others. We are able to see the world and our actions in it the way they really are. Maimonides goes on to say that each person should view the world as being in the balance, half the scale being full of meritorious deeds and half with guilty actions. The actions of just one person can tip the scale and make the world an infinitely different place.
This concept is wonderfully inspiring. One can never know where the tipping point is and who is going to be the one to cause it. Every major event that takes place is an accumulation of smaller actions. We must constantly see the bigger picture and realize that one additional act of ours can create the tipping point. If it is a positive act it can cause immeasurable good, but the opposite is also true.
Once we crawl out of our own illusionary reality, the true consequences of our actions can dawn upon us and we become aware of the huge responsibility each and every one of us has toward others and toward the universe.
It also makes us aware of our responsibility to the Creator who wants us to make this world a place He is comfortable with calling home.
Rabbi Levi Brackman is executive director of Judaism in the Foothills
and the author of
numerous articles on a whole range of topics and issues, many of which can be found on his website
RSS
