Rosh HaShana Blessings from the Temple Institute
Elul 29, 5765 / October 3, 2005
Tonight Rosh HaShana begins, the anniversary of the birthday of man. This is the time when G-d sits in judgment on all of Adam's descendants, all of humanity. All of creation passes before Him "like a shepherd who oversees his flock;" both individuals and nations alike. This is the time when G-d decrees upon the coming year. The main commandment of the Divine service on this day is the sounding of the ram's horn, the shofar, as it is written, "it is a day of blowing the horn to you" (Numbers 29:1). One aspect of this shofar-blowing is to wake us up from our spiritual slumber. It is an allusion to all those who are "sleeping" – those who spend their days without examining the consequences of their actions. The call of the shofar urges them to arise from their slumber, crying out "Awake!" Examine your deeds; repent and remember your Creator.
Our shofar-blowing today is different from the manner in which the service was conducted during the time of the Holy Temple. In those days, the shofar was blown together with blasts of the silver trumpets. The shofar that was blown in the Holy Temple was itself very special: it was plated with gold. Our sages teach that on Rosh HaShana, a golden shofar was blown, and on fast-days and days of travail, a shofar of silver. (Mishna, Tractate Rosh HaShana 3,3. To view a photograph of these gold and silver shofarot please click here.
On a deeper level, we can reflect upon what these two shofarot represent for us today. The gold-and-silver ram's horns express the indefatigable hope of the Jewish people at the conclusion of a difficult year. It has been a year in which we have experienced terrible destruction; the obliteration of the 25 flourishing Jewish communities of Gush Katif and northern Samaria and the forced expulsion of 10,000 Jews from their homes. Terrorism has been rewarded and our enemies now declare openly that the destruction of the state of Israel is within their reach. It has also been a year in which natural disasters around the world, and most recently in the United States, have wrought havoc upon many innocents.
In times of the Temple, a silver plated shofar as well as silver trumpets were sounded on fast days, and to call out to G-d during times of trouble, travail and war. This shofar symbolizes this past year. We cried out a great deal during this past year; many prayers were offered at the Western Wall, the remnant of our Holy Temple. We believe that no prayer goes unanswered. Every prayer goes and finds its place on high, and there it will accomplish in the future, even if it appears to us that it has gone unanswered. There is no such thing as even a single prayer that goes unanswered. One of the special prayer services held this past summer regarding the Disengagement was attended by hundreds of thousands. Jerusalem's Old City had not seen numbers such as these seen since the festive pilgrimage during the days of the Second Temple. During the course of this prayer service, trumpet blasts were sounded from the silver trumpets constructed by the Temple Institute.
Now, after the destruction of the communities of Gush Katif and the Northern Samaria, we are all yearning to yet hear the shofar of good tidings, that which emanates from the shofar of gold.
This is the concept of the shofar that was blown by Israel in the Holy Temple on Rosh HaShana. The gold-plated shofar represents the herald-blast of the Redemption, as we recall in the High Holiday prayers for Rosh Hashana, when we beseech G-d: "Sound the great shofar for our redemption…and bring us to Zion Your city with song, and to Jerusalem, Your Holy Temple with everlasting joy."
Two fervent prayers accompany this shofar blast: The first – may we merit true freedom! To be a free people in our own land. May this truly become the state of the Jewish people who dwell in security in every corner of their own land, with pride of nationhood, subservient to no one.
And the second prayer: that we should merit to begin the construction of the third Holy Temple, which will be built by us all. United as one man, we shall go out to the stone quarries and carry back great stones to raise the walls of the Temple that have lain desolate for thousands of years. We shall ascend to the Lebanon, and bring cedars from there, to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
As the year 5765 draws to a close, and the new year arrives with all of its blessings, we lift our hearts to Heaven and offer this prayer: May G-d grant that the shofar-blast we shall hear this Rosh HaShana shall mark the end of our travail and the beginning of our Redemption. And as the fate of every nation, and every individual, is decided on this Rosh HaShana, you, our dear friends, shall be in our prayers here in Jerusalem. The main aspect of the High Holiday prayers that are offered up by Israel during Rosh HaShana are centered around the welfare and spiritual advancement of the entire world, as reflected in the words "May every living thing know that You are its Creator."
May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a Sweet New Year,
Rabbi Chaim Richman
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500