Rabbi Roodyn

The Rabbis teach us that Rosh Hashana corresponds to Avraham, Yom Kippur to Yitzchak and Sukkos to Yaakov. Avraham, the first Jew earns that title not only through his discovery of Hashem through philosophical and logical enquiry, but he also understands that finite man can actually develop a relationship with Infinite G-d.

Despite extreme social pressure and persecution, Avraham dedicates his life to spreading this truth on pain of death, despite never having received any form of revelation from Hashem. It is this emunah, or faithfulness to the truth regardless of the circumstances that changed the direction of world history forever, expressing his emunah through a lifetime of chessed.

Rosh Hashana is a day of emunah, it is a day when we affirm our allegiance to Hashem and to following in Avraham’s footsteps by making His Name known to all mankind. We do so, despite the realisation that we are small in number compared to the vast population that inhabits the earth. The Shofar blasts, that are so closely associated with Avraham through the ram of the akeida, are a call to arms to this noblest of causes, the pursuit and propagation of the truth.

Rav Hirsch explains in Horeb that the Tekia calls you from your living in an outer world and from the dissipation of your powers and energies to introspection and turning upwards to Hashem. In doings so, it brings you through your innermost self to Hashem. The Shelah adds that the three broken notes of the Shevarim correspond to the three base instincts of humanity that are the source of all bad, kinah (jealousy), taavah (lust) and kavod (the desire for honour). The Teruah bids you to let this newly gained conception of Hashem, a new desire to make amends, permeate the whole of our present inner and outer life, our thoughts, feelings, words, deeds and pleasures, the good things we enjoy in our inner and outer lives today.

The Shofar calls us to immerse ourselves totally in this rock shattering ‘G-d concept’ and to test our thoughts and deeds to see whether each and every one comes up to standard. The Teruah makes us quiver, it softens us, it subdues us before Hashem. Tekiah, on the other hand puts strength into us, gives us courage and lifts us out of a stage of lethargy, out of the disintegration of things past, to a life before Hashem which ever after will be unified, straight and strong.

Therefore, the initial Tekia signifies introspection and rising above ourselves (Teshuva), the Teruah, a purification of ourselves (Tefilla) and the final Tekiya is a determination to follow a more righteous future (Tzedaka).

This is indeed the call of Avraham Avinu to us, his children, to follow in his footsteps and to finish the job that he started, to bring all of mankind to an awareness of and relationship with the One True G-d. This is the single most important message of the next two days.

May we merit to maximise the potential of these days, to truly listen to the voice of the Shofar so that we will soon hear the great Shofar heralding in the era of Moshiach.

Wishing you and yours a kesiva ve chasima tova, inscribed in the book of life for a wonderful, meaningful year ahead.