VOLUME 107 NUMBER 9
Elul 29, 5783
September 15, 2023
SPECIAL ROSH HASHANAH EDITION
Candlelighting Time 6:50 PM
Certainly, one of the highlights of Rosh Hashanah is blowing the shofar. We are familiar with the 100 blasts that must be made in a specific way and everyone is always present for this event. And if someone can’t come to shul then arrangements are made so that they will hear the shofar. However, this year we won’t hear the shofar on the first day, Shabbos because the Sages were concerned that perhaps the shofar might be carried and that would be a desecration of Shabbos. The Talmud clearly states that our prayers are heeded in Heaven with the assistance of the shofar. Of course, the question arises that since blowing shofar is so central to the theme of Rosh Hashanah how can we properly observe this Day of Judgment without the shofar? Can we forfeit that important part of the Yom Tov?
R’ Tzadok HaKohen explains that the power of the shofar is that the booming sound that emanates from the shofar is reminiscent of the giving of the Torah that occurred at Mt. Sinai. And the Torah is that which connects us to Hashem. The Talmud states that the Torah was given on Shabbos. Why was is so important that Shabbos should be that day when we received the Torah. Maharal offers the following clarification. Shabbos is a day when we are separated from physical involvement and we are deeply engaged with the spiritual part of our lives. Although we have three delicious meals on Shabbos, we include more in our davening, we sing special songs by the meals and we spend extra time studying because we are not occupied with our work schedule. It is a day dedicated to the pursuit of those matters that will bring us to a new plateau of closeness to Hashem. Torah has the same power since it is essentially spiritual and therefore Torah had to be given on Shabbos.
Indeed, the three meals that we eat on Shabbos allude to three special times of the world. First, the Friday night meal refers to the time of Creation when Hashem brought the entire universe into being ex-nihilo, from a total nothingness into what it presently is. The second meal alludes to the giving of the Torah and the third meal relates to the eventual coming of the Moshiach, when Hashem’s presence will be extensive and expansive. This point is very indicative of the level of even our involvement in the physical part of Shabbos, that it is truly a journey through time and space leading us away from the physicality of this world and guiding us into the tunnel of the spiritual.
Even the three basic prayers of Shabbos also correspond to the above-mentioned time periods of Creation, the Giving of the Torah and the eventual redemption of our nation from the exile that we presently find ourselves to be in. This theme of the Shabbos, which ties together the physical aspect of Shabbos with the spiritual nature of Shabbos serves to further focus on the true elevation that we can experience on Shabbos.
Perhaps we can have a profound understanding that even though we will not blow the shofar on Shabbos nonetheless our spirits can still access the same level of purity and virtue with the impetus of Shabbos assisting us in our efforts to realize the importance of Rosh Hashanah and therefore enrich our prayers on this solemn Day of Judgment. We trust that Hashem in His infinite traits of mercy and kindness will look down upon His children, our people and smile, granting us yet another year of good health, happiness and success in all that we do.
A BYTE FOR SHABBOS AND ROSH HASHANAH
The custom is to eat by the meal at night different foods that allude to blessings that we want to merit during the year. We should realize their importance because the Talmud states that we do them in order to truly merit all those blessings mentioned. Rosh Hashanah is a time when Hashem is close to us and wants to bestow upon us His benevolence. Don’t take this opportunity lightly, use it properly.
GOOD SHABBOS AND GOOD YOM TOV
MAY WE ALL BE INSCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE AND ENJOY ONGOING GOOD HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS
