"You shall sanctify the Yovel (fiftieth) year [with
the blowing of the shofar], declaring emancipation of slaves
throughout the land" (Vayikra 25,10). On the Yovel
year a shofar blast signals the freeing of all Jewish
slaves. Three times a day a Jew prays in Shemoneh
Esrei, "May You blow the great shofar for our freedom."
The shofar will once again be used as an instrument to
proclaim freedom at the end of days with the advent of
Moshiach and the emancipation of the entire world. What is
the connection between the shofar and freedom?
A Jew has only one Master: Hashem. One of the most dramatic
demonstrations of this concept involves the nirtzah, a
Jewish slave who willfully extends his slavery until
Yovel. The Torah commands that his ear (that heard on
Har Sinai that we should only be slaves of Hashem) be nailed
to the door posts. In an allegorical sense, these posts
testify to Hashem's infinite power, for they witnessed the
slaying of the firstborn when the Jews were taken out of
Egypt. Through this powerful gesture, we hope that the
nirtzah will begin to understand who his real Master
is.
After such an act of rebellion, how can the nirtzah
bring himself completely back to Hashem?
Chazal explain that the shofar calls us to become total
slaves of Hashem by joyfully accepting all Divine actions,
even His punishments (Zohar, Pinchas 31b). Therefore
the Torah links the freeing of the nirtzah at Yovel
to the blowing of the shofar, in order to instruct slaves
how to return to Hashem.
The message of the shofar of Yovel, the shofar of
Moshiach, and the shofar of Rosh Hashanah are all the same:
return to Hashem through complete acceptance of His ways.
Once we are His slaves, we are protected from all other
forces and, as a result, we will have attained absolute
freedom.
Bent and Straight
An item used to perform a mitzvah is more than a cold
ceremonial object. Its very structure tells us something
about the nature of the mitzvah, and the intentions that one
should have in mind during its performance.
When the gemara cites a dispute regarding if a shofar
should be straight or bent, it is clearly reaching beyond the
simple aesthetic parameters. The alternatives tell us how to
view ourselves in relation to the mitzvah.
Divine honor is significantly magnified when man completely
humbles himself before Hashem. The use of a bent shofar shows
that our hearts are bent before our Creator.
Others maintain that since Rosh Hashanah is a day of
tefilloh, we should lift our hearts up to Hashem. The
use of a straight shofar shows that our hearts are directed
straight to Shomayim (Rosh Hashanah 26b.)
The halachah follows the first viewpoint, and the custom is
to use a bent shofar on Rosh Hashanah (Shulchan Oruch
586:1). If possible one should obtain a shofar which is
naturally curved. A shofar which was originally straight and
was bent via human processing may not be what the gemora
was referring to when it required a "bent shofar"
(Glosses of Rav Yitzchok Bamberger on the Tur
586).
Defense and Prosecution
The type of animal that a shofar may be taken from, also
reveals the nature of the mitzvah. The optimum shofar to use
is that of an ayil (a one-year-old sheep). This
reminds us of the Akeidoh, where an ayil was
sacrificed in place of Yitzchok Ovinu (Rosh Hashanah
16a).
In general our Sages advise that one should try to fix a
transgression with the same limb or item that the sin used
(Shemos Rabba 23:3). The spiritual damage that was
caused by the original act is to a certain extent rectified
by using the same item for a mitzvah. Since the Golden Calf
was one of the most serious transgressions in the history of
the Jewish people, we would think that a cow's horn would be
one of the first choices for mitzvas shofar.
Surprisingly, the halachah is just the opposite. "All shofars
are kosher with the exception of a cow's horn, for a
prosecutor cannot become a defense attorney." The same item
which brought us to prosecution for idol worship cannot turn
around and be used to provide us with merit on Rosh Hashanah
(Rosh Hashanah 26a). Should an item that we
transgressed with be used for a mitzvah or not?
Every relationship has its highs and lows, and certainly any
effort to compensate for the lows is seen as a noble gesture
by the offended party. However the guilty party must be wary
of two situations. He should not bring up the misdeed during
times of intimacy, for this spoils the atmosphere of extreme
closeness. Similarly he should not "show off" the object of
transgression, for this reflects an insensitivity as to the
gravity of his act.
Since the shofar is used to bring the prayers of the Jewish
people before Hashem it has the same status as the vessels
used for Divine service in the Beis Hamikdosh, where
the relationship between the Jewish people and Hashem is most
intimate. It is therefore improper to use a shofar from a
cow's horn and rekindle memories of our past transgressions.
Furthermore, using a cow's horn as a musical instrument is to
a certain extent flaunting the object of transgression
(ibid. according to the commentary of Tosafos;
Shulchan Oruch 586:1).
No Frills
The halachah is that the tekios must be produced
exclusively by a single shofar. Therefore one may not plate
the mouthpiece or the inside of the shofar with gold.
Other places may only be coated with gold if this will not
change the sound of the notes. One may not even add onto the
shofar from another one, since this will cause the sound to
be produced by more than one shofar. The same reason
disqualifies a shofar made of many pieces of shofar glued
together (Shulchan Oruch 586:10- 11).
May a split shofar be used for the tekios? A shofar
which is cracked along a majority of its length may not be
blown, for this is also like two shofars. Some poskim
invalidate a shofar with a small crack, as it is very
likely that the split will lengthen to its entirety. Although
many rule that this problem can be rectified by gluing the
split, some consider this to be adding to the shofar, and
only permit one to seal the crack by heating the shofar
(ibid. 586:8).
Beautifying The Mitzvah
The story is told of a king who owned one of the most
exquisite looking shofars that man's eyes have ever seen. Of
all his belongings he treasured this, and he was heartbroken
when it fell down and was badly scratched.
One day an artisan passed through his kingdom and heard about
the king's prized possession. He took the shofar and, to the
delight of the king, incorporated the scratch into an
exquisite design.
The halachah is that a shofar decorated with such an
engraving may be used on Rosh Hashanah, even if doing so
changes its sound (Mishna Berurah 586:73). This is
because carving a picture or a name is not considered to be
adding onto it. However the custom is not to decorate the
shofar in this way, unless there is a chance that it might
get lost or stolen and an identification mark is needed
(Kaf HaChaim 586:122).
It is preferable not to paint or draw a picture on the shofar
(Shulchan Oruch 586:17). Although the addition is
nominal, some poskim rule that it is significant
enough to be considered an addition which disqualifies it.
Therefore one should remove any stickers or labels from the
shofar before using it.
In a case where there is a doubt if the sound of the shofar
was changed, some poskim are lenient in the case of a
very slight addition (Shulchan Oruch HaRav 586:16 in
the name of the Rosh).
Although the Torah is extremely sensitive not to cause
additional expenses, our Sages found exception in the shofar
of Rosh Hashanah, and required the upper part of the shofar
used in the Beis Hamikdosh to be gold- plated. The
exquisite luster of gold enhanced the majestic atmosphere of
the Beis Hamikdosh, and added a regal air to the Rosh
Hashanah service (Rosh Hashanah 26b-27a).
Shofar On Shabbos
When Rosh Hashanah falls out on Shabbos (like this year), our
Sages feared that someone might carry the shofar in a public
domain and violate a Torah prohibition of carrying on
Shabbos. They shouldered tremendous responsibility, and
canceled mitzvas shofar on Shabbos. The only place where the
mitzvas shofar remained on Shabbos was in the Beis
Hamikdosh, following the general principle that Rabbinic
decrees do not apply there.
When the Temple was destroyed, Rebbe Yochonon ben Zakai
extended this mitzvah to any place which had a beis din
(Rosh Hashanah 29b). The reasoning behind this is that
the Jewish court of law would insure that the prohibition to
carry on Shabbos was public knowledge (Rambam Hilchos
Shofar 2:9). So too in Yerushalayim and all its
surrounding areas, the shofar was sounded in those days.
Connected To The Source
The word "shofar" stems from the Hebrew word shfoferes,
a hollow tube. This implies that a shofar is only kosher
if it already fits this description. A horn which needs to be
hollowed out after it has been removed from the animal, is
unfit for the mitzvah. What is the deeper meaning behind this
halachic requirement?
The ba'al tokeah literally connects himself to Hashem
when he blows into the shofar. As a representative of the
entire congregation, he returns all of the Jewish people back
to the true source of life, the King of Kings. In order for
this hookup to be effective, an undisturbed pipeline is
required. Once connected, we can hope to reap the fruit of
our prayers (heard from HaRav Shlomo Brevda).
By using a preexisting pipe we show that this hookup is
something beyond the capacity of human hands. The only hope
we have is to make use of a prefashioned pipe, and connect
ourselves to Hashem, the true Source of life.
In the merit of mitzvas shofar, may the entire Jewish nation
be hooked up to the Source of all existence, and be signed
immediately into the Book of Life for a year of spiritual and
physical prosperity.
