Rabbi Zvi SobolofskyThe Call of the Shofar

The blowing of the shofar plays a prominent role in Halacha and in Jewish History. There are two occasions when we are commanded to sound the shofar. In last week's parsha we read about the mitzvah of tekias shofar on Rosh Hashanah, and in this week's parsha we are instructed to blow the shofar on Yom Kippur of the fiftieth year, signifying the beginning of Yovel. There are two historical events associated with the blowing of the shofar: first, a mighty shofar blast was sounded as Hashem descended on Har Sinai to give us the Torah. Second, we yearn for the sounding of the shofar that will signify the ingathering of our exiles and the ultimate redemption.

Although Tekias shofar on Rosh Hashannah and on Yom Kippur of Yovel are two different mitzvos, they are connected. Chazal derive numerous halachos based on the premise that these mitzvos are related to one another. The shofar of Har Sinai and of the final redemption are also linked to one another. In our musaf on Rosh Hashanah we reference pesukim that mention the shofar. Specifically, it is the pesukim of the shofar at Har Sinai and the shofar of the future that make up the primary theme of the bracha of Shofaros on Rosh Hashana. Is there an underlying theme that connects the mitzvos of shofar and the historical events associated with the shofar blowing?

In Parshas Behar the shofar sounds as a calling for all of the servants to return home as free men. The transformation at Yovel is not only physical, but also spiritual. The Torah bemoans the state of servitude for we are "servants of Hashem, not of other human beings." The essence of Yovel is the ability to begin again as servants of Hashem, and this is precisely what occurs on Rosh Hashanah. During the year, we become enslaved to many "masters"; we are slaves to the pursuit of worldly matters. On Rosh Hashanah we are given the opportunity to break these bonds and become free once again. Chazal emphasize that only one who is involved in the pursuit of Torah is truly free. Although we were physically freed from slavery on Pesach, a freedom that doesn't have a commitment to the service of Hashem merely substitutes servitude to Pharoah with a life of bondage to physicality. True freedom was only attained when the Torah was given to us amidst shofar blasts on Shavuos. The Jewish People is still in a state of servitude due to the constraints that our current reality puts on or avodas Hashem. When the shofar will sound heralding the final redemption, our freedom will be complete and we will once again become exclusively "servants to Hashem."

What is it about the sound of the shofar that symbolizes freedom in the spiritual sense? Chazal note that the sound of the shofar sounds very similar to the noise made by a donkey. The Gemarah even discusses the halachic implications of one who heard the shofar, yet does not even realize it was a shofar and mistakenly thought it was a sound emanating from a donkey. Is it totally coincidental that a shofar and a donkey emit almost an identical sound? Historically, there have been several events involving a shofar and a donkey. Akeidas Yitzchak began with Avraham and Yitzchak traveling on a donkey and culminated with the offering of a ram in the place of Yitzchak. A major theme of tekias shofar revolves around the merit of the akeida, and we invoke this merit as we blow the shofar of a ram. The shofar of Har Sinai was the culmination of yetzias Mitzrayim. The events leading up to leaving Mitzrayim began with Moshe returning to Mitzrayim from Midyan and the Torah tells us explicitly that he travelled on a donkey. The shofar of the final redemption heralds the coming of Moshiach who the Navi foretells will arrive riding on a donkey. What is the meaning of this connection between a shofar and a donkey that repeats itself so often?

A first-born donkey is holy, thus making a donkey the only non-kosher animal that can attain kedusha. Although externally a donkey is not kadosh, it has an inner holiness that is masked by its outside features. Simiarly, Chazal describe how every Jew ultimately wants to do Hashem's will; although we appear to be servants of the outside world, our true allegiance is to our real Master. The shofar is a mitzvah that we perform using our internal strength; rather then using our external body parts, we blow from our innermost selves and declare our desire to be servants of Hashem. At Har Sinai, and at the end of days, the Jewish People declared and will declare again that like the donkey and the shofar, our innermost beings are holy. Like the slave who is freed from his external yoke on the Yom Kippur of Yovel, each of us is freed on Rosh Hashanah from the multiple forms of servitude that prevent us from reaching our innermost potential. As we continue the countdown to Shavuos, i.e. the shofar of Har Sinai, let us prepare to hear the shofar of Moshiach heralding a world totally dedicated to avodas Hashem.

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