THE TWO POCKETS AND THE CRY OF THE SHOFAR
by Maureen Kendler z”l:
Teaching Fellow and Lead Tutor LSJS
The cathartic “Avinu Malkeinu” prayer which we recite on Rosh Hashanahasking “our Father Our King” for forgiveness ends on a note of despair, saying “we are empty of good deeds.” It is a moment of supreme humilty, where our self-esteem momentarily shrivels. If the last line of the Avinu Malkeinu was a sound it would be the cry of the shofar, a painful, pleading wail.
Why is the shofar is the key iconic sound of Rosh Hashana? The two source texts in the Torah for Rosh Hashana ( Vayikra (23:24 and Bamidbar 29:1)) refer to this day as Yom Teruah, a day of “blasting” or a day to “commemorate a blast.” But it does not specify which “blaster” of the Jewish orchestra should make this noise: the shofar is not mentioned. And there are two Biblical instrumental candidates for the job. In the Torah and the Temple, a silver trumpet – a hazozrah – makes the teruah and tekiah sounds just as loudly as a shofar .
After a debate in the Mishna (Tractate Rosh Hashana) the shofar won over the trumpet for being blown on the New Year, and the link with the Akeida, the sacrifice of Isaac and the sounding of the shofar on Mount Sinai surely contributed to that decision. Also it is associated with a submissive demeanour, whereas the trumpet has more triumphant, military connotations.. After another discussion recorded in the same section of the Mishnah, the Rabbis chose a twisted ram’s horn over the long, straight horn of the wild goat because the lowly, contorted ram’s horn suits our “Avinu Malkeinu” mood.
But the spirit of the assertive, confident hazozrah is also part of the Musaf service which closes by proclaiming to God “Hayom Te’amtzainu: “You will strengthen us today”, with six verses repeating that message to which we all say “Amen.”
Rabbi Simhah Bunim of Przysucha (1765-1827) wrote:
“A person should have two pieces of paper, one in each pocket, to be used as necessary. On one of them is written, ‘The world was created for me,’ and on the other, ‘I am dust and ashes.”
The Kotzker Rebbe ( 1787-1859) added that the trick is to know which piece of paper to take out and when.”
A friend once told me when he was in high school, the headteacher called him and a classmate into his office. They were threatened with a good hiding. My friend was silent. His classmate talked and talked. When they left the office the classmate challenged my friend:
“Why were you so quiet?” He replied: “Look, we got caught, didn’t we?” His classmate said, “Yes, we got caught, but you’ve got to talk back, keep talking, give yourself a chance to influence the outcome.”
Surely that should be us on Rosh Hashana- our prayers give us that chance to keep talking, keep trying to do we all we can to “influence the outcome.” Maybe we need to fold up the “dust and ashes” paper a little and smooth out the other one that reminds each of us “that the world was created for me.” We must have the belief and self confidence that we can be an agent for good, to stand up straight as well as bow in humility. We have to create and orchestrate for ourselves a shofar-hazozrah duet in which we are both proud and humble at the same time. May we all be given the guidance to know how and when to blow our own trumpet…….. and to cry with compassion at the sound of the ram’s horn.