We’re finally there. We listened to the sounds of the teruah. But if our minds are blank–did we miss the mark?
The shofar.
That mystical, magical artifact we all have a love–hate relationship with. On the one hand we wait all year for it. We squish into alleys and tight spaces, pack bags of nosh to keep the kids quiet, all so we can hear those long–awaited sounds.
On the other hand, many of us don’t know what to make of those sounds once we finally hear them. We feel something, but can’t quite put it into words. Or we want to feel something, but don’t know what to aim for.
First Question – What Does Teruah Actually Mean?
There’s a pasuk we say in davening: “Ashrei ha’am yodei teruah” Blessed is the nation that knows the Teruah. Isn’t that a strange statement? What is there to know about the Teruah? Well, here’s something surprising. The word Teruah actually is used to describe a joyful shout, a cheer of celebration.
It’s completely different than the whole nail–biting, guilt–soaked panic we usually bring with us to shofar blowing. Yes, the sound of the shofar is actually the sound of cheer. Why would the sound of the Shofar, the sound we associate with judgement be called cheer?
Second Question – What Is The Shofar Actually Doing?
Hashem created a world that is always alive, always moving. And we are no different. Every action we take, every word we say and every thought we think moves us somewhere.
We’ve committed ourselves to a life of constantly moving toward one destination: a deeper, more connected relationship with Hashem and staying away from anything that gets in the way of that. We are either moving towards ideals like Emes, Yichud, and Ahava, or towards the static of Kinah, Sheker, and Ga’avah.
This is the essence of Teshuva. It’s making the choice not to stay stuck. It means choosing to check our direction and allowing ourselves to be moved back into alignment. To let the music of life move through us until we find ourselves back in step with Hashem, steadily moving towards our destination.
Perhaps that’s why Hashem gave us a mitzvah built around sound.
The Sound That Moves Us
Sound isn’t only something we hear. Sound is also movement. When something makes a sound, it creates tiny vibrations that travel through the air. Those vibrations reach our ears and our brain recognizes them as sound.
Sound moves. And when sound is powerful enough, it moves us. If we let it.
This is the secret that Klal Yisroel knows about Teruah. We don’t just listen to the Shofar, we allow its sound to move through us, bringing us back on track towards our goal.
Rosh Hashanah isn’t asking us to reinvent ourselves. It’s asking us to check our direction. Are we moving toward greater connection or greater separation? Greater truth or greater distraction?
So this year, as you stand in shul, (or in a severely overcrowded alleyway, twisting yourself into positions you didn’t know you were capable of), all to hear those sacred sounds, close your eyes, feel the sound and let it bring you back to what you know in your bones to be true. Allow yourself to talk to Hashem, and ask Him:
Hashem, allow these sounds to move through me and realign me to where I want to be. To remove the obstacles keeping me from you and to open me up to feeling you more closely than ever before. Let these sounds stay with me even when I leave this place, so that every choice I make will be one that keeps me connected to You.
Because, that is my ultimate goal, and the greatest source of my pleasure. This is the cheer of the Teruah.
Wishing us all a year of experiencing Hashem’s presence and connection with us as a deeply felt sense of home.
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