24 Sep ROSH HASHANAH: UNDERSTANDING THE SHOFAR’S CALL

The Midrash (Vayikra
Rabba) teaches that on
Rosh Hashanah, G-d
sits on the “throne of
judgment,” ready to
carefully judge and scrutinize every individual.
But when we sound the shofar, G-d rises from
the “throne of judgment” and sits on the “throne
of compassion.” It is thus through the sounding
of the shofar that we avoid strict judgment and
earn G-d’s mercy for a favorable sentence.
How does this work? How does the sounding of
the shofar have such an effect?
The Ran (Rabbenu Nissom of Gerona, Spain,
1320-1380), in his commentary to the Rif
(Masechet Rosh Hashanah), cites a different
passage in the Midrash explaining the origins
of Rosh Hashanah. The Midrash tells that Adam
and Hava were created on the first of Tishreh,
and already on that day, they committed the sin
of partaking of the forbidden fruit. G-d judged
them on that day, forgiving them and allowing
them to live. And so every year henceforth,
this day – the first of Tishreh – is the day of
judgment, when all people on earth are judged
for the coming year.
But if this is the case, then we should expect
to find the shofar mentioned somewhere in

the story of Adam and Hava’s sin and their
judgment. After all, if our observance of Rosh
Hashanah – in which the sounding of the shofar
plays such a prominent role – is rooted in the
judgment of Adam and Hava after they ate from
the forbidden tree, we would naturally assume
that their judgment also involved a shofar.
Sure enough, although neither the text of the
Torah nor the Midrashim makes an explicit
reference to the shofar in the context of
Adam and Hava’s sin, we indeed find a subtle
reference. The Torah tells that after Adam and
Hava’s sin, they heard Hashem’s voice. Rav
Shlomo Kluger (Ukraine, 1785-1869) explains
that as this day was Rosh Hashanah, Hashem
sounded the shofar for Adam and Havah. The
sound they heard was the sound of the shofar.
Indeed, the Torah says that Adam and Hava
were frightened by the sound – “Va’yira’u”
– and Rav Saadia Gaon (882-942) writes that
one of the purposes of the shofar sound is to
instill within us fear, to make us frightened of
the judgment we are now facing.
If so, then we can gain new insight into
the significance of the shofar sound – and,
specifically, what the shofar is saying to us.
The Torah tells that G-d then called out to
Adam and Hava and asked, “Ayeka” – “Where
are you?”
Of course, G-d knew where Adam and Hava
were. The question of “Ayeka” is – “Where
have you brought yourselves!” “Look how far
you have fallen!” “What happened to you?”
“How could you have done this?”
This is what the sound of the shofar is calling
out to us: “Ayeka!” It is asking: “Another year
has gone by. Where are you? How much have
you accomplished and achieved over the past
year? Look how far you are from where you
could be! How could you have failed to use all
the opportunities presented to you!!”
This is how the sounding of the shofar has the
effect of “moving” Hashem from the “throne of
judgment” to the “throne of mercy.” This is not
just a “magical” effect. When we understand
what the shofar is saying to us, and we
internalize its message, then we earn Hashem’s
compassion. When Hashem sees that we are
looking into ourselves, recognizing where we
have gone wrong and trying to improve, He
compassionately pardons our sins and judges
us favorably, giving us another chance for the
coming year.
Just before beginning the shofar blowing, the
Toke’a (one blowing the shofar) recites the
Beracha over the Misva: “Baruch…Li’shmo’a

Kol Shofar” – “to hear the sound of the shofar.”
But the word “Li’shmo’a” actually means
more than “hear.” It means to understand,
to perceive, just as “Shema Yisrael Hashem
Elokenu Hashem Ehad” does not mean that we
should just “hear” that Hashem is one – but that
we need to fully comprehend and internalize
this belief. Likewise, the Misva of the shofar is
not simply to hear the sound, but to understand
what it’s saying to us, to hear the call of
“Ayeka,” and to think seriously about where we
are, what we should be doing better, and how
we are going to change in the new year.
If we understand this sound properly, and
respond accordingly, then we will be worthy
of Hashem’s unlimited compassion, and a year
of good health, happiness, peace and prosperity
for ourselves, our families, and all Am Yisrael,
Amen.