Rosh Hashanah

https://aish.com/pivotal-shofar-blasts-throughout-jewish-history/? > Holidays > The High Holidays > Rosh Hashanah > The Shofar
Pivotal Shofar Blasts throughout Jewish HistorySeptember 20, 2022 | by Rabbi Mordechai

The shofar has become the voice of the Jewish people at different occasion throughout history.

Don Aguilar’s Incredible Shofar Concert
While unverified and undocumented, is nevertheless a widespread legend amongst Jews and is cited by the author Eliyahu Kitov in his famous Book of Our Heritage.

This story is supposed to have occurred in 1497, five years after the expulsion of Spain’s Jews. The Jews who remained in Spain were converts to Christianity, many of whom secretly practiced some Judaism in secret. These crypto-Jews were known as conversos, anusim (Hebrew for “those coerced”) or by the derogatory term, Marranos. One of these conversos was a musician, Don Aguilar.

He announced that on Sunday, the 5th of September, he would personally lead an orchestra in Barcelona in a novel concert of his own composition. The piece he wrote would be a celebration of native peoples and their cultures. Exotic instruments from around the world would be utilized in the composition. Many secret Jews came to the concert because that date was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, and one of the “exotic” instruments was a ram’s horn.

The horn was played by another converso, who sounded the traditional notes of the shofar blowing in synagogues throughout history and around the world, Tekiah, shevarim, teruah, tekiah.1 Most of the audience appreciated this virtuoso performance of a “primitive” and unfamiliar instrument. However, for the secret Jews in the audience, Don Aguilar’s “music” gave them their first chance in years to fulfill the commandment of hearing the Shofar.2

I cannot attest to the historicity of this story, but I can attest to many examples of Jews going to extraordinary lengths to preserve their heritage under every condition, as we shall see.

WATCH Defiance: The Astonishing Shofar Blowing During the Spanish Inquisition
Shofar in Auschwitz
Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Meisels discusses his Rosh Hashanah experience in Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944:

“The experience of one transport that left Auschwitz is seared in my memory. With the grace of God, I was miraculously able to bring a shofar into the camp. On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, I went from block to block, shofar in hand, to sound the tekiyot3. This put my life in danger, and I had to avoid the Nazis and malevolent Kapos.4 I thank God that due to His mercy and compassion I was privileged to sound the shofar that Rosh Hashanah some twenty times, coming to a hundred blasts in total. This revived the spirits of the shattered camp inmates and gave them some peace of mind knowing that at least they could observe one mitzvah in Auschwitz – that of shofar on Rosh Hashanah.

“I can still hear reverberating in my ears the sobs that burst forth from those thousand people during the tekiot. I especially remember the trembling voice of the well-known Chassid who announced the sounds before I blew them. He was Rabbi Yehoshua Fleischman, may God avenge his death, from Debrecen, Hungary, who called out the notes in a piercing wail, tekiah, shevarim-teruah, tekiah. I could barely concentrate…



“The boys who were locked in the block and were about to be sent to the crematoria found out that I had a shofar. I heard shouts and entreaties emanating from their block imploring me to come to them and sound the one hundred blasts of the shofar so they could fulfill this precious mitzvah (commandment) on Rosh Hashanah in their last moments of life, before they would be martyred and sanctify the Name of God.

“I was beside myself and completely confounded, because this involved a tremendous risk since it was nearing twilight, a dangerous hour, and the Nazis would be coming to take them. If the Nazis were to suddenly show up while I was in there with the youngsters, no doubt they would take me to the crematoria as well. The Kapos, so famous for their ruthlessness, would not let me escape. I stood there weighing the situation and trying to decide what to do. It was very doubtful that I should take the risk to blow the shofar for the boys in such a dangerous situation, and it was not clear that the risk would be justified even if there were some doubts about the danger. But the youths’ bitter supplications were heart-piercing. ‘Rebbe, rebbe! Please for the sake of God have pity on our souls. We beg you to enable us to observe this mitzvah in our last moments.’ I stood there immobile. I was all alone in my decision….

If truth be told, my decision was probably at variance with the strict law which rules that you do not endanger yourself, or even put yourself slightly at risk, to perform the mitzvah of shofar….”5

At the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Israel, survivors recounted that Rosh Hashanah. Menachem Brickman, a boy from Lodz taken to Auschwitz when the ghetto was liquidated, described the experience:

The sound of eternity has burst forth even in Auschwitz.

“Suddenly, a sound—a sharp, ongoing sound that hits me. All at once I become tense and listen to the sound, which casts me back to my father’s house. But the sound is already gone… For a moment I think it was an illusion. A shofar? A shofar being blown in Auschwitz. But the thought races through my head. If there’s a shofar, maybe there is still hope. I turn to one of the men and ask him in Yiddish, ‘Vas iz dos?’ (What is this?) ‘A shofar,’ he tells me. ‘It’s Rosh Hashanah today.’ Rosh Hashanah, I think to myself. A shofar being blown on Rosh Hashanah. Right under the Nazis’ noses. Something about the blowing instills in me renewed hope. The sound of eternity has burst forth even in Auschwitz. I keep wondering who blew the shofar and how he managed to smuggle a shofar into Auschwitz. It seems like a tremendous miracle to me. A small light in the dark of night.”6

Clandestine Shofar in Palestine during the British Mandate
During the British Mandate over Palestine, the British wanted to quash any Jewish nationalism and Jewish claims to the Land of Israel. One of the most dramatic examples of shofar blowing was performed by Rabbi Moshe Segal (1904-1985) during the British Mandate. He describes it in his memoirs:

“In those years, the area in front of the Kotel (the Western Wall) did not look as it does today. Only a narrow alley separated the Kotel and the Arab houses on its other side. The British Government forbade us to place an Ark, tables or benches in the alley; even a small stool could not be brought to the Kotel. The British also instituted the following ordinances, designed to humble the Jews at the holiest place of their faith: it is forbidden to pray out loud, lest one upset the Arab residents; it is forbidden to read from the Torah; it is forbidden to sound the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The British Government placed policemen at the Kotel to enforce these rules.

“On Yom Kippur of that year [1930] I was praying at the Kotel. During the brief intermission between… prayers, I overheard people whispering to each other: ‘Where will we go to hear the shofar? It'll be impossible to blow here. There are as many policemen as people praying...’ The Police Commander himself was there, to make sure that the Jews will not, God forbid, sound the single blast that closes the fast.

“I listened to these whisperings, and thought to myself: Can we possibly forgo the sounding of the shofar that accompanies our proclamation of the sovereignty of God? Can we possibly forgo the sounding of the shofar, which symbolizes the redemption of Israel? True, the sounding of the shofar at the close of Yom Kippur is only a custom, but "A Jewish custom is Torah"! I approached Rabbi Yitzchak Horenstein, who served as the Rabbi of our ‘congregation,’ and said to him: ‘Give me a shofar.

‘What for?’

‘I'll blow.’

‘What are you talking about? Don't you see the police?’

‘I'll blow.’

“The Rabbi abruptly turned away from me, but not before he cast a glance at the prayer stand at the left end of the alley. I understood: the shofar was in the stand. When the hour of the blowing approached, I walked over to the stand and leaned against it.


“I opened the drawer and slipped the shofar into my shirt. I had the shofar, but what if they saw me before I had a chance to blow it? I was still unmarried at the time, and following the Ashkenazic custom, did not wear a tallit (prayer shawl). I turned to person praying at my side and asked him for his tallit. My request must have seemed strange to him, but the Jews are a kind people, especially at the holiest moments of the holiest day, and he handed me his tallit without a word.

“I wrapped myself in the tallit. At that moment, I felt that I had created my own private domain. All around me, a foreign government prevails, ruling over the people of Israel even on their holiest day and at their holiest place, and we are not free to serve our God; but under this tallit is another domain. Here I am under no dominion save that of my Father in Heaven; here I shall do as He commands me, and no force on earth will stop me.

“When the closing verses of the concluding prayer – ‘Hear O Israel,’ ‘Blessed be the name’ and "The Lord is God’ -- were proclaimed, I took the shofar and blew a long, resounding blast. Everything happened very quickly. Many hands grabbed me. I removed the tallit from over my head, and before me stood the Police Commander, who ordered my arrest.

“I was taken to the… prison in the Old City, and an Arab policeman was appointed to watch over me. Many hours passed; I was given no food or water to break my fast. At midnight, the policeman received an order to release me, and he let me out without a word.

“I then learned that when the chief rabbi of the Holy Land, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, heard of my arrest, he immediately contacted the secretary of High Commissioner of Palestine, and asked that I be released. When his request was refused, he stated that he would not break his fast until I was freed. The High Commissioner resisted for many hours, but finally, out of respect for the Rabbi, he had no choice but to set me free.

“For the next 18 years, until the Arab conquest of the Old City in 1948, the shofar was sounded at the Kotel every Yom Kippur. The British well understood the significance of this blast; they knew that it will ultimately demolish their reign over our land as the walls of Jericho crumbled before the shofar of Joshua, and they did everything in their power to prevent it. But every Yom Kippur, the shofar was sounded by men who know they would be arrested for their part in staking our claim on the holiest of our possessions.”7

Shofar of Liberation
The next shofar is one of liberation and exaltation and took place at the Western Wall, but this time on June 7th, 1967, during the Six Day War. Below is a transcript of a live radio broadcast of that dramatic and joyous occasion:

“Yossi Ronen (reporter for Israeli Army Radio): We are now walking on one of the main streets of Jerusalem towards the Old City. The head of the force is about to enter the Old City.

[Gunfire.]

Yossi Ronen: There is still shooting from all directions; we’re advancing towards the entrance of the Old City.

[Sound of gunfire and soldiers’ footsteps.]

[Yelling of commands to soldiers.] [More soldiers’ footsteps.]

The soldiers are keeping approximately 5 meters between them. It’s still dangerous to walk around here; there is still sniper shooting here and there.

[Gunfire.]

We’re all told to stop; we’re advancing towards the mountainside; on our left is the Mount of Olives; we’re now in the Old City opposite the Russian church. I’m right now lowering my head; we’re running next to the mountainside. We can see the stone walls. They’re still shooting at us. The Israeli tanks are at the entrance to the Old City, and ahead we go, through the Lion’s Gate. I’m with the first unit to break through into the Old City. There is a Jordanian bus next to me, totally burnt; it is very hot here. We’re about to enter the Old City itself. We’re standing below the Lion’s Gate, the Gate is about to come crashing down, probably because of the previous shelling. Soldiers are taking cover next to the palm trees; I’m also staying close to one of the trees. We’re getting further and further into the city.

[Gunfire.]

Colonel Motta Gur announces on the army wireless: The Temple Mount is in our hands! I repeat, the Temple Mount is in our hands!

All forces, stop firing! This is the David Operations Room. All forces, stop firing! I repeat, all forces, stop firing! Over….

Yossi Ronen: I’m driving fast through the Lion’s Gate all the way inside the Old City.

Command on the army wireless: Comb the area, discover the source of the firing. Protect every building, in every way. Do not touch anything, especially in the holy places.

[Lt.- Col. Uzi Eilam blows the Shofar. Soldiers are singing ‘Jerusalem of Gold’.]

Yossi Ronen: I’m walking right now down the steps towards the Western Wall. I’m not a religious man, I never have been, but this is the Western Wall and I’m touching the stones of the Western Wall.

Soldiers: [reciting the blessing: Blessed are You Lord God King of the Universe who has sustained us and kept us and has brought us to this day!

Rabbi Goren blowing the shofar

Rabbi Shlomo Goren (Chief Rabbi of the IDF): Blessed are You our God, who comforts Zion and builds Jerusalem]

Soldiers: Amen!

[Soldiers sing ‘Hatikvah’ next to the Western Wall.]

Rabbi Goren now recites a prayer for fallen soldiers [Soldiers and reporter weep in the background]

Rabbi Goren sounds the shofar, with the sounds of gunfire in the background.

Rabbi Goren: This year in a rebuilt Jerusalem! In the Jerusalem of old!8

The shofar of Inquisition-era Spain represents the eternal Jewish spark that cannot be extinguished and the flame of Judaism within every Jew that has enabled our continuity despite everything.

The shofar of Auschwitz is a cry of faith in God from the depths of the soul - even in the depths of hell.

The shofar at the Kotel under the British Mandate is the shofar of defiance and determination, two features of the Jewish people that were instrumental in building the State of Israel.

The shofar at the liberation of the Old City is a shofar of triumph and joy as the Jewish people return home and rebuild our ancient homeland and capital city.

The final shofar is not of history but of the future. In the central prayer of Jewish liturgy, the Silent Prayer, also known as the Eighteen Blessings, we say “Sound the great shofar for our liberty, and raise a banner to gather our exiles, and gather us together quickly from the four corners of the earth. into our Land. Blessed are You, God, Gatherer of the dispersed of His people Israel.” What is this “great shofar” to which the prayer refers?

I believe that the “great shofar” is composed of all the smaller shofars of our history – from Spain, Auschwitz, Jerusalem, and every synagogue in the world – all which will be joined together into the “great shofar” which will, in the words of the Bible, “proclaim liberty throughout the land for all its inhabitants thereof.”

Tekiah is a long blast; shevarim, three shorter blasts; truah, nine shorter blasts.
Eliyahu Kitov, Book of Our Heritage, Feldheim Pub; Revised Edition, 1978
Plural of tekiah
Non-German, Jewish and non-Jewish camp guards and enforcers
Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Meisels ztz”l, Introduction to Responsa Mekadshei Hashem (Chs. 5-8)
Included in the Hebrew CD-ROM Rabbinic Prefaces, Michlalah-Jerusalem, Esther Farbstein
Moshe Halevi Segal, Dor VeDor, Maarachot Publishing, 1985. Zeev Golan, Shofars of Rebellion, Machon Jabotinsky, 2006
Report of Yossi Ronen, Galei Tzahal, Radio Broadcast, Archives of the Avi Yaffe Recording Studio, Jerusalem.




https://aish.com/coronating-the-king-4-ways-to-prepare-for-rosh-hashanah/?
Coronating the King: 4 Ways to Prepare for Rosh 
We may not be invited to King Charles coronation, but we’re all eagerly wanted at a more prestigious coronation – the installation of the ultimate King on Rosh Hashanah.

Immediately upon his mother’s passing, Prince Charles became King of England and the wheels of tradition were set in motion for his coronation ceremony, although it won’t take place for several months. The death of Queen Elizabeth and the transition of power has gripped not only citizens of the United Kingdom, but people around the world.

What is so intriguing and captivating about the royal family that draws such enormous attention, focus, and even obsession?

Dr. Donna Rockwell, a clinical psychologist who specializes in celebrity and fame, suggests that the answer is the royal family's strict adherence to procedure and tradition. She explained: “Life by its very nature is tumultuous and dislocated... [T]he royal family represents order, discipline, stability and a sort of calmness in communication with one another that actually physiologically settles a person.”

Dr. Rockwell believes the royal family represents an escape from an unsettling world: "So in the same way, I think that when an adult is feeling a sense of inner chaos, it's comforting, even neurologically speaking, to be able to observe something of structure," she said.  "The universe is profoundly chaotic so whenever we can anchor ourselves into a sense of order and safety, really, we tend to relax. And that generates the reward center of the brain."

While none of us will be invited to King Charles coronation, all of us are not only invited, but eagerly wanted, at a greater, more prestigious coronation. The installation of the ultimate King, the King of Kings, will take place in just a few days on Rosh Hashanah.

We associate Rosh Hashanah with judgment, but the Torah itself never mentions this theme. Rosh Hashanah corresponds with the creation—not of the world, the first day of creation, but with the birth of man, the sixth day. As the Machzor says, “Zeh hayom techilat ma’asecha, this is the day it all began.”

How do we commemorate our being brought into this world? The answer is through annually coronating God as King and Sovereign over us, the world and everything in it. The Vilna Gaon explains that the shofar on Rosh Hashanah serves in the role of trumpets at the King’s coronation, producing blasts of joy, celebration, and allegiance.

If connecting with the procedure and tradition of human royalty bring calm and comfort, all the more so when we coronate and celebrate God’s Monarchy with our rich practices and customs and with it accept the order, discipline, and stability that a life of loyalty to Him provides.

Rosh Hashanah has its own majesty and pageantry. The transfer to white Torah covers and curtain over the synagogue’s Ark, the reverberating sounds of the shofar, and the stirring traditional melodies – are nothing short of grand, regal, and royal.

Here are four things to keep in mind for this week’s Coronation of the King of Kings:

1. Loyal Member of the Kingdom
While a coronation is about establishing and celebrating a monarch, it generates a period of evaluation and judgment.  Following the coronation, the re-established monarch takes stock of His kingdom, evaluating the role and service of everything in it.  On Rosh Hashanah, everything in the world comes before the King to be assessed and considered.

In anticipation of the coronation, ask yourself if you are fulfilling the purpose for which you were created?  Are you living a mission-driven life, advancing the vision and values of the King?  Are you making the unique contributions that only you can make?

2. My Father, My King
In our case, the King is also our Father.  While the image of God as Monarch intimidates, imposes and instills fear and judgment, the description of Him as our Father reflects His love, affection, and fighting on our behalf.  While both are true, we refer to Him first as our Father reflecting that we are blessed to feel the closeness that He is our Father.

3. Don’t Sleep Through the Coronation
The custom is not to nap on Rosh Hashanah day.  On Coronation Day we should be so excited and exhilarated, so joyous and celebratory that we have no time or interest to take a doze.  But more significantly, being royalty demands that we don’t sleep through life, let it pass us by or be carried by momentum.

On Rosh Hashana we are meant to remain awake and aware, fully conscious, and present, not only physically, but spiritually.

4. Coronation and Community
Dr. Rockwell notes that the royals have the ability to make us feel like we’re part of one big happy family.  When we connect and care about the other members of the Kingdom, it brings honor to the King.  King Solomon taught (Proverbs 14:28) that the glory of the King is revealed when the masses are unified in their acceptance of His sovereignty.  Prepare for Coronation Day by connecting with fellow subjects of the King, showing them care and concern, feeling a sense of unity, a shared history and a shared destiny.

In the Rosh Hashanah prayers we recite, “And those from afar will hear and will come, and they will bestow on You the crown of kingship.”   “Afar” can be a geographic description or a spiritual one.  Even if you feel disconnected and far away, coronation is the time to come close and reconnect.

The royal website states that the coronation ceremony “has remained essentially the same over a thousand years,” so we can expect many of the same events from Queen Elizabeth's coronation to occur at the coming one for King Charles, even though more than 90% of the current population was not alive to see it.

In a world of constant upgrades and improvements, it is important to remember that new is not necessarily better and there are traditions that are meant to remain unchanged.  We are blessed to be heirs to a uniquely rich tradition, one that goes back much further than 1,000 years.  While our coronation ceremony remains unchanged, may each of us use this time to change for the better.

https://aish.com/three-ideas-to-help-you-prepare-for-rosh-hashanah/?src=ac
Three Ideas to Help You Prepare for Rosh Hashanah
by Rabbi Shaul Rosenblatt
September 10, 2023
Rosh Hashanah is the time to dream. Here’s how.
The predominant feeling of Rosh Hashanah is love, not fear. It’s a day of deep connection, not a day of stress and tension. It’s a day to feel God’s presence in our lives more than any other day of the year, except for Yom Kippur.

In Jewish tradition, festivals are not randomly chosen days; they are spiritual realities. They are seasons of the human soul built into the fabric of time at the start of Creation. With focus, growth is readily available.

Aish
Rosh Hashanah’s 4-Step Game Plan
READ MORE
The two days of Rosh Hashanah are my favorite days of the year. The opportunity for connection, uplift and insight spills over into the year ahead. It’s your chance to leave the past where it belongs and start again. They are days of spiritual rejuvenation, clarity of purpose, noble intent and inspired vision. Days to dream of a better future for yourself, and for the world. A dream so vivid that it will motivate you to bring it to fruition in the coming year. Rosh Hashanah is the time to dream that dream.

Here are three ideas that will help you take full advantage of Rosh Hashanah.

1. What Does Judgment Day Mean?
Rosh Hashanah is called the Day of Judgment. What does that mean? Many people think that the judgment refers to evaluating the past year. This is mistaken for many reasons. Firstly, if that were the case, there is nothing to be done about the past year. It is unchangeable. So you might as well stay in bed all day.

Rosh Hashanah has nothing to do with who you were in the past year and everything to do with who you plan to be in the coming year.

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Further, the Talmud uses the metaphor of sheep passing before a shepherd to be judged. A shepherd does not judge sheep on their previous performance. He looks at them as they are right now.


Rosh Hashanah has nothing to do with who you were in the past year and everything to do with who you plan to be in the coming year. So give yourself time and space to get into a reflective mood. Find some time to quiet your mind and to consider who you are and who you want to be. Put aside what you think you know about yourself and start with a clean slate.

It’s an opportune time. Unmatched clarity is available to attain on Rosh Hashanah. Be open to it, and use the time to freely introspect about your life’s goals and aspirations.

2. Feeling God’s Love
The Hebrew month before Rosh Hashanah is called Elul. It is an acronym for the phrase is Proverbs, “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me.” Elul is a time to try to feel God’s love for humanity more deeply and more intimately. There is no better way to be prepared for Rosh Hashanah than to know just how much God loves you. That’s the essence of the day.

You can only find that love in your own heart. It’s the birthright of every human being to know and feel this; it is programmed into your soul. If you do not feel it, it’s not a matter of inventing the wheel. You are looking, rather, for a long lost friend. The best I can suggest is spend some time alone with nature; feel God’s greatness,

His wisdom and beauty, and wait to be touched. If it doesn’t happen, keep trying. Connect to the idea that you are God’s precious creation; He loves you and is rooting for you.

3. It’s Unconditional
Throughout the month of Elul until the end of Sukkot, Jews recite Psalm 27 at morning and night. The Psalm is a spiritual work of art. If you take a moment to read through it carefully and slowly (don’t worry, it’s only 14 lines), opening your heart to what it says, you will find it pointing you to a deeper, Godlier place within yourself.

Feeling God’s unconditional love is comforting, hopeful, uplifting and inspiring.

It describes the soul’s yearning for spiritual connection and to be unafraid of what that life may throw at you. My favorite part is the description of God’s ironclad love and commitment – that even if I would behave so disgracefully that my parents would abandon me, God would never leave me. His love for me is unconditional and without limit. There is nothing I can do that would compromise that love. No matter how far I might have strayed, He is waiting with open arms to support and assist me.

This feeling of unconditional love is an incredible platform on which to build your spiritual life. It is comforting, hopeful, encouraging, uplifting and inspiring.

Rosh Hashanah is the time to dream of a better life, for yourself, your family and your world – and spend the year willing it to happen. With the dream of Rosh Hashanah and your committed efforts the rest of the year, anything is possible.