Rosh Hashanah: The Deeper Meaning of the Shofar

There are multiple reasons for why we blow the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah. One idea is that just as when we coronate a king we blow trumpets, so too on Rosh Hashanah, we crown Hashem as king and therefore we blow the shofar. When a king wants to warn his people of a decree, he blows a shofar; on Rosh Hashanah we blow the shofar to ‘warn’ ourselves to do Teshuva. At the time of the giving of the Torah, the shofar was blown; we blow the shofar to remind us of the giving of the Torah and reaccept the Torah on this day. 

The shofar sounds like the sound of war, and its sound reminds us of the destruction of the Holy Temple; on Rosh Hashanah we ask Hashem to build the third and final Holy Temple.

The words of the prophets are compared to a shofar, and on this day we remember the warnings of the prophets who said that we should do Teshuva. The shofar sounds like the sound of war, and its sound reminds us of the destruction of the Holy Temple; on Rosh Hashanah we ask Hashem to build the third and final Holy Temple. Avraham offered up a ram instead of his son Yitzchak whom he was willing and ready to sacrifice. We ask Hashem that He should answer our prayers in the merit of Avraham, and learn that we too should be ready to sacrifice our lives to Hashem. The sound of the shofar awakens our hearts to do Teshuva. Because the shofar will be heard on the day that the Messiah arrives, we blow the shofar as part of our prayer that this should happen speedily in our days.

Emotions

In Parashat Emor¹, the Torah describes Rosh Hashana as זִכְר֥וֹן תְּרוּעָ֖ה. The Ramban, Rashbam, and Chizkuni explain that the purpose of blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah is that Hashem should remember us. Rav Soloveitchik explains that this shows how the Mitzvah of shofar does not only include a physical act of blowing, but also includes an emotional reaction. The emotions which may surface when the sound of the shofar is heard can differ from person to person. Some might feel regret for their past misdeeds. Others might feel a deep sense of yearning to connect with their true self and their Creator. Perhaps one might feel joy at being presented with this priceless opportunity to meaningfully reflect and fulfill this great Mitzvah. Others might feel a sense of belonging knowing that they are hearing the same shofar sound as the rest of the Jewish people. It is important that when we hear the sound of the shofar it is not only a physical experience but also an emotional one.

From Constraints to Freedom

Although it might seem obvious that we blow the shofar from the small opening (rather than the larger opening), the Sages go out of their way² to explain that this is the way that we blow the shofar. Another law is delineated, and rather than just saying that the shofar needs to be a tefach long, the Gemara says that if someone were to hold the shofar in a fist, both sides need to be visible. What is the significance of all of these laws? This cone-like quality of the shofar symbolically represents how we are trapped within our own constraints, whether it be surrounding health, money, or relationship problems. Through the blowing of the shofar and our judgment on Rosh Hashanah, we go from being trapped to being set free. This can also explain why immediately before blowing the shofar we say the verse “From the straits I did call upon G-d; G-d answered me with expansiveness”. (The Ritva and the Ran note that the Gemara links the halachic restriction against reversing the shofar to this verse.) (Rabbi Yonatan Emmett, The Shofar.)

Repentance: The Eye of a Needle

Significantly, the air in the shofar travels heavenward. So too, must our climb to joy occur through our desire and actions to become closer to Hashem and repent. We are the ones who have to start the process of repentance. Just as the air travels through the shofar by the air being breathed into the shofar, so too must we be the ones who initiate the process of repentance. Hashem promises us that we need to open up the size of the eye of a needle, and then Hashem will do the rest and draw us close to him (Rabbi Yonatan Emmett, The Shofar).

To conclude, there are many reasons why we blow the Shofar. The blowing of the shofar is not simply a commandment which requires a physical act, but it is also one which requires an outpouring of emotion. The shofar parallels our growth as people, who go from a place of constraints to a place of freedom. In order to repent, we need to take the first step, and open our hearts up to Hashem the size of the head of a needle; if we do this, Hashem will help us with the rest.

¹ Vayikra 23.24

² Rosh Hashanah 27b