Jewish tradition informs us that Rosh Hashanah is the day when God created Adam and Eve, crystalizing the celebration of inclusion of mankind into God’s universe and setting the stage for an annual assessment of success or failure in bringing God’s master plan to fruition (Talmud Bavli Rosh Hashanah, 10b).
The primary goal of Rosh Hashanah is to anoint God as sovereign King. A king’s greatest measure of majesty comes when his subjects freely, intelligently and enthusiastically choose to serve him. The question is: How do we achieve a successful outcome? In addition to prayers, the centerpiece of the holiday is the blasting of the shofar, which brings us to our next question: How are the 100 blasts of a primitive instrument such as the shofar on Rosh Hashanah—one which is barely capable of shifting its tone—capable of declaring the sovereignty of God as King?
- First, the use of the shofar reminds us of the willingness of the patriarch, Isaac, to be sacrificed on Rosh Hashanah, but was replaced as an offering to God by a ram (Genesis, 22:13). In doing so, we are reminded of our own capacity for self-sacrifice and our unique way of exerting kindness toward our fellow man.
- Second, like trumpets sounded at the modern-day coronation of a mortal king, (such as King Charles III of England in May 2023), the shofar announces the kingship of God.
- Third, the shofar reminds us of the eternal voiceless call sounded by the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel that have echoed through millennia and into eternity, testifying to the soul’s endless desire and man’s aching heart to repent and return to God.
Rosh Hashanah is a time to ask God, Master of the Universe, to inclusively grant each of us—our respective families, and the world at large—a year of peace, prosperity and eternal blessing. Amen!
Mordechai Plotsker runs a popular 10-minute nightly shiur on the parsha with a keen interest on the invigorating teachings of the Berditchever Rav, the Kedushas Levi. Shiurenjoyment.com.
Plotsker resides in Elizabeth with his wife and children, and can be reached by email at [email protected].
