Shofar’s cry inspires renewal among ongoing grief

Simchat Torah 2023 will forever be etched into our memories as a day that changed the Jewish world. The brutal attack by Hamas marked the deadliest assault on the Jewish people in decades, with more than 1 200 lives lost and hundreds taken hostage.

This tragedy transformed a joyous holiday of celebration into a day filled with shock and disbelief, as Jewish communities worldwide grappled with grief, fear, and resilience.

What happened on that day and all that it caused is hard to fathom. If one thinks where we are today, nearly two years later, and all that has happened since, all that is happening, the profound impact of the tragic events continues to resonate.

The ongoing war has reshaped Jewish identity.

After 7 October, we all wanted to do something. I remember vividly the phone calls and meetings, brainstorming what we could do as individuals and/or as a community.

Our community The BASE; together with the Jewish National Fund South Africa; Saul and Batsheva Jassinowsky; Ronit Beleli; Moshe Zulberg; and some very special people started a project specifically geared towards former hostages. Though many understand this project to be about the talks that these brave people have given, the truth is that it’s primarily about giving them a time of healing and respite in South Africa.

Connecting with these brave and resilient people, who mean so much to the entire Jewish world has been a most unbelievable experience.

Working with partners throughout South Africa to make this a reality has been inspiring and positive. So many different types of people, communities, and organisations have come together in solidarity to do what’s so important at this time.

To be kind. To share. To love.

However, through this project, we have also been given a window into a most heart wrenching reality, and this is only one aspect of all that has happened and all that has been affected by the ongoing conflict.

Our tradition teaches the profound opportunity of Rosh Hashanah, an opportunity to have an impact on the human condition. To allow a transformation to occur that has an impact on the past, present, and future.

Prayer is a critical component of this journey, and we need to invest time and effort into making it an impactful experience. When davening – any davening – whether it’s an institutionalised or entirely personal prayer, a most basic requirement is to understand what you’re saying.

But how does one pray when one doesn’t know where to begin, let alone what to say and what one means to say. How do we express our feelings, our concerns, or our yearning for a better tomorrow.

On Rosh Hashanah, the sound of the shofar will once again fill our shuls. Its sound is referred to as the “voice of the shofar” despite its lack of words. It’s a mitzvah that carries deep meaning.

Maimonides writes, “Even though sounding the shofar on Rosh Hashanah is a scriptural decree, it contains an accepted allusion. It’s as if it’s saying, ‘Awaken, those who sleep, from your slumber… Scrutinise your deeds and repent.’” Rooted in the Torah’s command for a “day of blasting”, the shofar urges us to reflect and change, setting a clear path for the future.

The shofar’s sounds are different. The tekiah’s single note; shevarim’s three short blasts; and teruah’s nine quick bursts, reach beyond language, moving the heart.

It disrupts routine, pushing us to examine our actions and align with Rosh Hashanah’s purpose: to crown Hashem King of the world that He created, and realign our role in it. It allows us to activate the themes of G-d’s kingship and remembrance. Its blasts proclaim Hashem’s rule while keeping us grounded.

This awakening is visceral, not just intellectual. The shofar’s cry, like a child’s urgent call to a parent, is simple and emotional, expressing unspoken regrets and yearnings.

The shofar’s wail stirs us to reflect on the deeds that define us, and what legacy we will leave. It bridges past promises with present action, pushing us to live lives in the future that are worthy of divine memory.

The shofar’s call is both personal and universal. It might inspire one person to forgive a grudge and another to volunteer. A community to strengthen its observance of Torah and mitzvos. For a parent, it might mean listening more patiently to his or her child; for a neighbour, extending a hand.

These acts, small or large, echo the shofar’s call to improve.

With its broken notes, we’re reminded that even fragmented lives can find wholeness through teshuvah (repentance), returning to our true selves.

As we hear the shofar, we’re compelled to ask: who are we? Who can we be?

It cuts through distractions, urging us to release fears, grudges, and vanities, and focus on purpose and potential for the future.

“The shofar says, ‘Awake and improve your ways!’” Its sound challenges us to wake up, not just to our flaws, but to our potential.

The shofar allows us moments of complete, authentic vulnerability. These should be embraced and through them, we can accomplish so much more than perhaps any words possibly can.

May this experience usher us into a meaningful year ahead in which reflection turns into action, building better selves, stronger communities, a stronger nation, and a renewed world. Kesiva v’chama.

• Rabbi Aharon Zulberg is the rabbi of The BASE in Johannesburg.