Temple Shalom
of Central Florida
A Message from Rabbi Zev
The shofar holds the secrets and wisdom of the Yamim Noraim (the High Holy Days) and the key directive of the season: teshuvah. The literal meaning of the word teshuvah is turning, or return, and signifies coming back to an original state. The shofar is a symbol of return.
The Shofar Teaches Us a Few Things
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The curve in the shofar teaches us that life is not always linear but rather a path with twists and turns. In our lives we should be able to turn, to look back, to return and to review so that we can make repairs and amends. We need to be flexible, willing to bend and turn, rather than digging in our heels, resisting change, and being so focused on what’s straight ahead that we can’t yield to a new perspective.
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The cry of the shofar commands our attention, cutting through the fog of our complacency, keeping us from being on “auto-pilot”.
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The four blasts that are sounded during the Days of Awe remind us that part of the human condition is the process of going through constant cycles of wholeness and brokenness, incorporation and breakdown. The shorter, broken blasts are referred to as wails, crying, and sighing. However, those blasts are preceded and followed with longer, integrated blasts, concluding with a strong, sustained blast. No matter what has happened during the past year, the shofar reminds us, in the very sound and quality of the blasts, that we can always return to wholeness, to shalom.
On Rosh Hashanah we hear a series of blasts that reflect this back to us. What’s beautiful about the shofar is that rather than reading and writing and talking about the journey of teshuvah, we actually hear it. It resonates deeply and engages us in the work in ways we would not be able to experience otherwise. We need to remember that the wholeness and brokenness blasts are all mixed in together and shows us what needs repair. The shofar expresses all the pain and joy, the truly humbling experience of being human. We begin the year from a place of unity and “at-one-ment.” Then, as the year unfolds, we experience fractures and brokenness. But the wholeness at the other end, when we emerge yet again in another year, will be stronger, longer–Gedolah. Our relationships are fortified, even though they have sustained hardship.
This year, as we enter the Yamim Noraim, may we continue to turn and return. May we continue our cheshbon hanefesh, our self-checking, in ways that reveal our authentic selves. And may we take our cues from the shofar–for it contains everything we need to know.
From my family to yours, we wish for you that this New Year 5785, be a healthy, happy, and sweet new year and may you be inscribed in the Book of Life and Blessing…
Shanah tova u’metukah, u’gamar chatima tova
Rabbi Zev Sonnenstein