SEPTEMBER 7 • 2023 | 43

SPIRIT
TORAH PORTION
Universal Prayers
T

he two most com-
mon symbols of Rosh 
Hashanah are the apple 
with honey and the shofar. 
Dipping the apple in sweet 
honey expresses our hopes for 
a sweet year, and the arresting 
sound of the shofar signifies our 
uneasiness as we wonder 
what the new year will 
bring.
Why was the apple 
specifically chosen for this 
symbolic role on Rosh 
Hashanah?
Rabbi Yehoshua 
Fishman, former principal 
of Yeshiva Bais Yehudah 
here in Detroit, explained 
that we eat apples because 
of their remarkably large 
variety. One source I saw 
says that there are 7,500 
different species of apple. 
We pray on this holiday not 
only for ourselves and our com-
munity, and not even for the 
Jewish people, but for all the 
different species of people. We 
stand before Hashem as rep-
resentatives of all humankind, 
beseeching Him to bless the 
Earth with peace and prosperity. 
The apples on our table symbol-
ize our wishes for the innumer-
able species of humankind for 
whom we wish a sweet, happy 
year.
This universalist theme finds 
expression also in the shofar 
blowing. Two kinds of sounds 
are blown with the shofar: 1) 
the straight teki’a sound, which 
expresses confidence and tri-
umph; 2) a variety of broken 
sounds, which resemble weep-
ing: shevarim, teru’a and the 
shevarim-teru’a combination. 
Rav Hai Gaon (Babylonia, 
10th-11th century) explained 
that the different kinds of bro-
ken sounds represent different 
types of crying. In ancient times, 

every community adopted a 
tradition for which crying sound 
to blow — the shevarim, teru’a 
or shevarim-teru’a — but it was 
later decided to combine these 
different traditions and to blow 
all three sounds in every com-
munity. 
The explanation is that 
Jews do not cry alone. 
As we stand in judgment 
before the Almighty, anx-
ious about the coming 
year, we cry not just for 
ourselves, for our family 
or for our community, 
but rather for the entire 
Jewish people and for 
the entire world. We cry 
every form of crying that 
is cried. 
As individuals, we cry 
about our concerns and 
needs, but also about the 
very different concerns and 
needs that other people have. As 
a community, we cry about the 
pressing issues and dilemmas 
that we face, but also about the 
pressing issues and dilemmas 
faced by our Jewish brothers and 
sisters, and by all mankind. 
Our shofar blowing on Rosh 
Hashanah must be a joint 
prayer, a joint cry. We pray and 
cry for ourselves, but also for 
people around the world, no 
matter where they are, how 
they live and what difficulties 
they face. We must all pray and 
cry together. Just as the apple 
signifies our hopes for a sweet, 
blessed year for all humanity, the 
shofar blasts express the many 
different forms of pain that 
exist and our fervent prayer that 
Hashem heal all wounds of all 
kinds and bless the entire world 
with peace, health, joy and 
prosperity. 

Dov Loketch is rabbi of Congregation 

Agudas Yisrael Mogen Avraham in 

Southfield.

Rabbi Dov 
Loketch

Parshat 

Nitzavim/

Vayelekh: 

Deuteronomy 

29:9-31:30; 

Isaiah 61:10-

63-9.

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