“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh – Rosh Hashanah 5787
29 Elul 5786/ September 11, 2026
INSPIRED HEARING
This past Shabbos, our family was blessed to celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of our dear son Shimshon Dovid. In honor of the Bar Mitzvah, I am sharing part of the derasha he shared:
The well-known Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva (3:4) regarding the mitzvah of Tekias Shofar states:
“Even though Tekias Shofar is a g’zeiras hakasuv – we do it because the Torah commands us to – there is a “hint” of a practical reason why we blow shofar. The shofar serves as a wakeup call, as if to say “Wake up those who are sleeping and search your ways and do teshuvah and remember your Creator…”
The Rambam is saying that throughout the year we get caught up in a lot of nonsense. The shofar is like a spiritual alarm clock to remind us to focus on what’s really valuable in life.
The Rambam’s Mishnah Torah is a Halacha Sefer and generally doesn’t write reasons why we perform mitzvos.
Why regarding shofar does he feel the need to tell us a reason? It’s especially hard to understand because the Rambam began by saying that we do the mitzvah because the Torah commands us to.
The Pasuk recited on Rosh Hashanah night from Tehillim states, “Tiku bachodesh shofar – Blow the Shofar when the moon is renewed… because it is a law for Yisroel; a judgement for the G-d of Yaakov” (Tehillim 81:4).
The Brisker Rav noted that the Pasuk mentions two different aspects of the mitzvah of shofar. On the one hand it is a law for Yisroel. But, on the other hand, it is also a judgment for the G-d of Yaakov.
We see that there are two parts to the mitzvah of shofar. It’s a law we perform without understanding the reason, like the Rambam wrote that it’s a gezeiras hakasuv. But it’s also a judgment in that we understand the reason, as the Rambam said that it serves as a spiritual alarm clock.
Rav Chatzkel Abramsky zt”l noted that the Torah in Parshas Pinchos refers to Rosh Hashanah as “Yom Teruah yihyeh lachem – a day of teruah it will be for you” (Bamidbar 29:1). The Torah doesn’t merely say one should blow shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Rather it says that it should be a day of shofar blowing. But that seems to be inaccurate. It’s not possible for one to blow shofar the entire day. The shofar is only blown during select parts of Mussaf. So how can it be called a day of shofar blowing?
The Torah is teaching us that the whole day must be transformed and influenced by the shofar blowing. A core part of the mitzvah of shofar is to be inspired and emotionally moved throughout the holiday because of the shofar blowing. The whole day must be elevated because of the shofar blowing.
L’havdil,
On Super Bowl Sunday, they don’t just start the game at 6:00 at the time of tipoff. They make it into a major ordeal by building up incredible hype. They talk about it for weeks. Then the actual day of the Super Bowl is called Game Day. The entire day is transformed because of the game. It’s all they talk about and focus on. There’s more focus on the hype then on the game itself….
Similarly, the entire Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah is elevated and defined by the mitzvah of tekias shofar.
Based on this idea from Rav Chatzkel we can understand why the Rambam here doesn’t only say we blow shofar because the Torah tells us to but also adds a reason. Becoming excited and inspired by the shofar is a vital part of the mitzvah.
In Parshas Emor the Torah says that Rosh Hashanah is “Zichron teruah – a remembrance of the shofar blowing” (Vayikra 23:24).
The Netziv similarly explains that when the shofar is blowing it must be apparent that it’s not being blown just because one likes the sound. It must be clear that the Shofar serves as a reminder to us that we need to, not only physically hear the shofar, but that it should penetrate within our hearts as well.
How does this connect to a bar mitzvah?
Let me share a story that hopefully never happened:
A family was on their way to a vacation; their car completely packed with suitcases. After a few hours of driving, the atmosphere in the car was tense. The kids were rowdy and restless, and the parents were at wits end. They had been traveling down the seemingly endless highway for hours, passing nothing but a continuous blur of bare trees.
But then, the father announced that their exit was not too far ahead, and everyone should be on the lookout for Exit 13. The car quieted down as everyone searched for Exit 13. When the first Exit 13 sign came into view everyone began pointing excitedly, “There it is!” “We’re finally almost there!”
New signs kept coming into view and the excitement in the car was building – two miles, one mile, a half mile, and then….
Exit 13 in all its glory!
The father stopped the car, and everyone jumped out and stood in front of the sign. They stopped a passing car and asked the driver to take pictures of them huddled in front of the sign. They enjoyed a delicious BBQ supper in front of the sign. As they ate, they reminisced about the lengthy trip, and how excited they were to be there.
When they finished the meal, they packed everything up and got back into the car. With a final look at the sign, they slammed the van doors shut. The father then pulled the van back onto the highway and drove further down the highway past Exit 13.
What a ridiculous story! The family finally arrived at the exit but failed to realize what that meant. They celebrated finding the exit but didn’t comprehend its message.
What’s the use of finding the exit if you don’t follow it?
If someone celebrates a Bar Mitzvah with a beautiful reception but then returns to his daily life and the whole event becomes just an expensive memory, he’s like the family who arrived at the exit sign but didn’t get off the highway.
A Bar Mitzvah must be an exit, where a person gets off the road he was on until now to get onto a better road with a better, higher-level destination.
Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch notes that the sound of the shofar is produced by blowing air into it. Air is a natural resource, and we naturally exhale hundreds of times a day. However, exhaling air will not produce a sound from the shofar. To produce its piercing sound the blower must conscientiously channel and focus his breath into the shofar.
This is part of the message of the shofar: It is possible to go through life “inhaling and exhaling,” by passively allowing things to follow their natural course, or, at most, by being mildly reactive. But living that way will never produce a meaningful sound. It is only when one utilizes those natural resources by focusing and channeling them, investing time and effort to inhale with ambition and exhale with vigor, that he can produce productive sounds in the world.
This is a pertinent message for life generally. Like the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, it’s not enough to go through the motions. A person has to hear the shofar’s message so that it inspires him. So too, a Bar Mitzvah celebration is about the growth that happens when the bar mitzvah boy becomes fully obligated in mitzvos.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Shana Tova & Gut G’bentscht yahr,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum
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