Those of you who have experienced the sound of the Shofar (pronounced SHOW-fur) during the high holy-day period, know when the Shofar is blown, there is something very moving. It is one of those experiences that words cannot describe, but there is a spiritual expression that is uniquely indescribable.
Made of the hollowed horn of an animal — usually a ram — the Shofar is blown on Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew for beginning of the year), the first of the 10-day period that marks the Jewish New Year and on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar — Yom Kippur (day of atonement). It is this sound that concludes the holy period of renewal and atonement.
What is it about this simple sound that makes it so powerful?
Unlike all creatures, humans are unique in that when we communicate with each other, we articulate our thoughts in detail and nuances of speech. Yet, just like other mammals, once in a while, we express ourselves with sound and no words. For example, laughter, even unaccompanied by words, can be the greatest expression of joy. The same rings true of crying and other wordless expressions of emotion. If you have ever been in a stadium where the entire crowd is shouting, you know how powerful this wordless expression can be.
The reason is that while our ability to speak generally is what helps us to communicate, there is a part of us that cannot be expressed in words.
On Rosh Hashanah, which begins this year on Sept. 24, we listen to the simple yet powerful, sound of the Shofar. This undiluted and pure sound resonates with the part of our being that transcends words. During the sound of the Shofar, we connect with this simple, yet powerful inner sound — the sound of our inner soul.
As we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, we pray that the simple sound of our living souls will be heard. May the new sound penetrate our collective consciousness so that we can reach higher — much higher — to the language that carries the possibility of true peace on earth.
Rabbi Levi Cunin