By Rachel Landsberg, JCAN NYC member
The season of sounding the shofar is upon us: Soon we will be hearing one hundred blasts of the shofar as we usher in the New Year on Rosh Hashana. The shofar wakes us from our slumber and compels us to do teshuva — to return to ourselves, to recommit to repairing our world, to mend our mistakes from this past year. These blasts harken back to important communal moments when the shofar was sounded: the Israelites standing at Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments; the shofar joining other instruments in a symphony of celebration, praise and joy; heralding the new moon or messaging the dangers of an impending war; a signal of redemption and liberation yet to come.
Interestingly, the blessing that is recited over the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashana does not make reference to the act of blowing itself but rather to the act of hearing:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹקינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ לִשְׁמֹֽעַ קוֹל שׁוֹפָר / Blessed are You God Who commanded us to hear the sound of the shofar.
We are commanded to listen to the voice of the shofar.
The Shulchan Aruch, a code of Jewish law compiled in the 16th century, begins its section on the laws of blowing shofar with the following statement:
שׁוֹפָר שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה מִצְוָתוֹ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה כָּפוּף כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּכְפְּפוּ אֶת לִבָּם לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בַּתְּפִלָּה.
‘For optimal fulfillment of the mitzvah, the shofar that is sounded on Rosh HaShanah should be curved, as a reminder that people should bend their hearts towards the Holy One Blessed Be God in prayer.’ According to the Shulchan Arukh, the sounding of the shofar helps us bend our hearts and moves us closer to God. That act of listening has a profound impact on us, allowing us to feel God more fully, which in turn, paves the way for us to find our words, our prayers, and our intended future actions.
The message of the shofar and its emphasis on listening, can be particularly instructive this New Year. First, let us use the various sounds of the shofar - the broken cries; the loud, jubilant blasts; and the decisive wake up calls to action – to help us listen to and reflect on the past year and set intentions for the coming year in our climate work.
Where did we make a difference, collectively and individually? What risks did we take?
What were the defeats? Where did we fall short?
How can we build on our experiences from the past year to inform our climate work this year? What new things would we like to try?
How can we use community and our Jewish values to ground us in the work and to sustain our efforts in the coming year?
Second, let us use the sound of the shofar to reframe what it means to engage others – around the upcoming election, around climate, around other substantive issues that we face at this moment. The opening words of the Shulchan Aruch can guide us in centering the act of engaged listening - rather than talking - in our interactions. We can decide to draw closer to others and listen, even those with whom we disagree, rather than turn away. We can bend our hearts towards the spark of the Divine that is found within all of us, and reach for commonality and connection despite any differences. The Shulchan Aruch suggests that when we allow ourselves to bend our hearts, open ourselves up and truly listen, we are able to find the words or prayers or actions that will help propel us forward.
May we merit a new year filled with blessings, with hope, with determination, with community and with deep, engaged listening as we continue in the holy work of building a sustainable future and world for all of God’s creatures.