4 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022
for openers
The Message of the Shofar
F
or a large portion of
the Jewish world, Rosh
Hashanah involves
praying in synagogue, feeling
solemn, and (maybe) having
thoughts about
apples and
honey. However,
in reality, if
you tap into
the spiritual
potential
of Rosh
Hashanah, it
can be a day that gives you
a type of clarity unrivaled
by anything else you have
ever experienced. With the
right things in mind, Rosh
Hashanah can be a day that
sets you up for a year of
inspiration, motivation and
genuine happiness.
The shofar gives us a
clear vision of what our
thought process should be
throughout the day. It is a
call to attention that wakes
us and shakes us up to the
truth: G-d runs the world
and is King over everything
in it. The Rambam explains
that we first blow a long
unbroken blast called a
tekiah to remind ourselves of
the continuity and unity in
the physical world that we
are seeking to find in what
appears to be a hectic and
unconnected place.
Afterward, we blow a
broken blast called a teruah
to reveal how fragmented,
fractured, and distorted our
world views (and lives) tend
to be. The teruah symbolizes
the fissures lying deep within
ourselves. It also represents
our inability to connect the
dots and recognize that there
is purpose and order in the
world.
Lastly, we blow a tekiah
again. This time, it is not
to remind ourselves of
the unity, continuity and
planning behind everything
in G-d’s world. Instead, now
that we have been woken
up to the way the world
really is (a unity of working
parts interacting with one
another due to planning
and purpose) and have been
reminded of the way we
previously viewed it (broken
and disconnected from a
spiritual source), we take this
newfound truth and express
it back out again in the most
profound sound you might
ever hear.
In a nutshell, the shofar
gives us the real mindset of
Rosh Hashanah: It reminds
us that G-d is out there
rooting for us, guiding
us, running the show, and
helping us see the unity and
beauty in everything.
Bob Barocas is the author of Legacy
of Light: Revealing the Torah’s Eternal
Relevance (Adir Press / Feldheim), a
mentor and speaker for RJX/MEOR
Rutgers and a contributing writer for
Chabad.org.
Bob Barocas
PURELY COMMENTARY
Anti-Israel Views
on Campus
As more synagogues and
temples are enhancing their
security and instituting
membership security
assessments, we see that
universities and high schools
are still breeding ground
for anti-Israel, anti-Jewish
sentiment.
Many of these young
people are prodded by the
likes of Jews for Justice in
Palestine, American Muslims
for Palestine, Nazi National
Socialists, etc.
It is imperative we
encourage our high school
and college students to listen,
be aware and document
Jew- and Israel-hatred in
their classrooms and school
environments.
— Ed Kohl
West Bloomfield
More to the Story:
Eilu v’ Eilu
I am grateful for the very
warm and laudatory article
in last week’s issue noting my
recent retirement from Beth
Ahm, which summarized
my various volunteer and
staff roles in the Metro
Detroit Jewish community
since moving here in 1988
(“A Lifelong Learner,” Sept.
8, page 30). The writer
succeeded in distilling a
lot of information into her
piece, and I appreciate how
much she was able to convey
to your readers.
I would like to mention
two projects that meant a
great deal to me which did
not get mentioned in the
article:
For me, the crown
jewel of my work in this
community was Eilu v’ Eilu,
the pluralistic adult learning
project of the Michigan
letters
continued on page 6