Called to Judgment

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The first sound is called in Hebrew tekiah, which means to sound a horn, but it also means to drive a stake firmly into the ground. In other words, it signals to us that we must firmly establish in our hearts the truth that God is the one and only King and true Judge. The next set of sounds is called shevarim, which literally means breakings. This is hinting at the breakdown of the klipah created by our ego which claims that we are independent of God. However, after the ego is shattered we once again blast the sound of tekiah, now expressing the establishment of the soul. We now know that we are strong and confident, standing in the loving presence of God. God's judgment actually affirms our power to make a difference, the truth that we matter and that He loves us.

Listen to the sounds of the shofar.

The sounding of the shofar accompanies three themes that we express in the prayers on Rosh Hashanah: Malchiot (kingship), Zichronot (memories) and Shofrot (shofars). Malchiot means that God is the King. He is our King, He rules over us all because He created the world and He created us. This world is His Kingdom and we are His subjects.

Zichronot means memories. Even though He is our King and next to Him we may feel comparatively minute, Zichronot reminds us that we are great in the eyes of God. He remembers us and watches over us. God, so to speak, takes note of everything we do because each and every one of us is significant and noteworthy to God. He is our King and we are His subjects, not His objects. He is like a King who cares about us and therefore, we are the subject of His rule and love. He only wants whatever is in our best interest, unlike a tyrant or dictator who treats his people like objects to be used for his own interest and pleasure. Zichronot affirms that God remembers us and never forgets us. Even though there are times in our lives when we feel forgotten, that's only from our perspective. God always remembers us, watches over us and cares.

The third theme expressed in the Rosh Hashanah prayers is Shofrot, which literally means "sounds of the shofar," but symbolically refers to the sounds of the shofar heard at the giving of the Torah at Sinai. This affirms our belief that God not only loves us and cares about us, but He gave us a way to love Him and care about the manifestation of His presence on earth; through the Mitzvot we are able to love and bond with Him. This is the meaning of the teachings of the Torah and the ultimate purpose of fulfilling the Mitzvot.

When the people heard the blast of the shofar at Sinai they were simply blown away (forgive me for the pun). The Midrash [collection of interpretations of the Torah] teaches that the immensity and the intensity of the revelation were so overwhelming that everyone simply died on the spot. Therefore God, so to speak, sent angels to push the souls of the Jews back into their bodies and revived them. Although we were totally devastated by the revelation of God, He gave us the strength to maintain ourselves in His presence.

These are the same dynamics at work on Rosh Hashanah. On the one hand, we feel frightened and threatened, and on the other hand, there is something very affirming to know that the King cares, that our choices matter to God, and that His judgment will guide us towards choosing the greatest good, a life of Torah and Mitzvot, so that we can enjoy the greatest pleasure--to love and bond with God.

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