SHOFAR - FILLING THE EMPTINESS
SHOFAR - FILLING THE EMPTINESS
Posted by RabbiCohen on Sep. 3, 2021 / Subscribe 0
Dear Friends,
One of my rabbinic colleagues wrote this week, “This year I feel like a shofar. Hardened on the outside. Hollow on the inside.” I know how she feels. It has been a tough, tough year. And as I have built up a tough, outer shell for protection and resilience, I have also have ached with the emptiness of spending so much time away from community and needing to put precaution first. I miss simple things, like seeing smiles, now hidden behind masks. I suspect some of you feel the same way.
I so look forward to seeing the congregation at Rosh Hashana services this week.
On Rosh Hashana, we blow four different notes into the shofar –
• Tekiah – a call to attention
• Shevarim – three blasts, symbolic of crying
• Teruah – nine quick blasts, symbolic brokenness and of a wake-up call
• Tekiah Gedolah – a long blast, symbolic of fullness and wholeness
When we hear the Shofar this Rosh Hashana, the Tekiah will call us back together as community meeting in person. The Shevarim will acknowledge the emptiness that we might feel. Teruah will symbolize our brokenness, but also our resolve for the future. And Tekiah Gedolah will give us hope for fullness and wholeness in the coming year. In Hebrew, the same word “nefesh” means both breath and soul. By blowing into the shofar, we figuratively and literally fill up the emptiness inside.
In the coming year, may each of us be strong and resilient, but filled with the nefesh, the breath of optimism, joy and community.
L'Shana Tova and Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Debbie Cohen