From a Pit to an Open Vessel: the Shofar

by Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon

Founder and Boardchaiman, JobKatif

Every year, when we blow the Shofar we actually create a new reality in the world. There is even a discussion in the Mishna in Gemarah Rosh Hashana that talks about what happens when we are unable to blow the shofar. The Mishna on Rosh Hashana 27b says:

“When a Shofar is blown into a pit or some other cavity in the ground…if the sound of the Shofar is heard then (whomever heard it) fulfills his obligation, if the (echo) in the pit is heard (then whomever heard it) has not fulfilled his obligation.”

This is a seemingly peculiar concept– who would be inside of a pit on Rosh Hashana?

Rav Hai Gaon explains that at the time of the Mishna, the Jews were not able to do mitzvot in public.

This is incredible! The Jewish people where so adamant about keeping the mitzvah of blowing the Shofar that they would blow them inside a pit, but if times were so difficult why should the Jews have risked their lives to keep this mitzvah?

The Gemarah on Rosh Hashana 16b says: “Rabbi Yitzchak says: Any year that you don’t blow the shofar at the beginning of the year you will have to blow it at the end of the year.”

To explain this concept, recall that when the nation of Israel used to go out to war, they used to blow trumpets. Therefore Rabbi Yitzchak is telling us if you don’t keep this mitzvah, there will be a war in the near future.

Why would a bad thing happen to someone who doesn’t blow the Shofar?

It seems that blowing the Shofar creates something new in the world, something that wouldn’t exist without the blowing of the Shofar. The warning of possible war is not a punishment, but rather we are being told that war will happen because of  something that wasn’t created. The world would look so different that the nation of Israel would exist in a different reality.

By blowing the Shofar we declare that G-d is King over us. G-d exists in a kingdom that is distant, one that is made up of judgment and punishments, but when we blow the Shofar in this world, we have the ability to bring Him into our hearts and bodies.

This is how His kingdom can be found in this world. This is how our physical bodies transform into vessels for holiness; a body with the kingdom of G-d in it.

We need to open our hearts to allow the kingdom of G-d to enter limb by limb. How do we do this? We simply have to decide the every limb does the will posses G-d. Our hands and feet run to do acts of kindness, the brain yearns to learn Torah, the eyes only look at what is permitted and appropriate to look at, the mouth accepts on itself to eat things that are healthy and kosher, the tongue only speaks words of goodness, the ears listen to only positive and constructive words, etc.

May we open our hearts and our bodies to allow the kingdom of G-d to enter, and turn our bodies to be pure and holy, so that every inch possesses the kingdom of G-d.

Have a happy and blessed new year!