Shoftim

Judgment: The Shofar Calls

Adapted from Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudylkov

If a matter of judgment is hidden from you . . . then come up to the place that God will choose. (Devarim/Deuteronomy 17:8)

Our liturgy tells us that on Rosh Hashanah, every creature is judged before the Divine Throne. One can imagine a scene like a modern courtroom in which advocates plead in our favor on the basis of our merits, and accusers argue that we ought to pay for our unrighteous deeds.

How do the accusers get silenced? By the sounding of the Shofar. Medieval superstitions tell us that the sound literally scares away those devils. Hassidic teachers, however, focus on what the sound represents in each of us.

Traditionally, we sound three different calls on the Shofar. Tekiah, a long unbroken call, evokes God's lovingkindness, which our advocates hope to awaken. Shevarim, three strong blasts, evokes God's frightening might, which our accusers hope to awaken. Teruah, nine short blasts, is long-lasting like the tekiah and broken like the shevarim. Teruah represents God's balanced response after hearing the advocates and the accusers.

Yes, we are held accountable for our deeds. God asks us to fix and not repeat the mistakes we have made. Yes, the universe can be a place of lovingkindness. God asks us to draw on our merits and act ethically. The more each of us moves away from our mistakes and towards our best qualities, the more we draw down the heavenly trait of lovingkindness – and the more we judge "from the place of God."

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