Words From The Rabbi Valerie Cohen

rabbi@bethisraelms.org

September Divrei Ha Rav

A poem to prepare us for the High Holy Days:
The Sounding of the Shofar: Beyond Words
-Author unknown

Let me tell you about the meaning of the
Shofar:
There is a sound beyond sound,
A time and a place where words are not
necessary.
A cry, a scream, a whimper or a sigh
need no explanation.
Without a word we recognize them
and understand their meaning
We are silenced by their presence.

Professor Saul Lieberman, zichrono l'vrachah
Once said that the Shofar is a prayer without
words.
But how can one pray without words?
Aren't words the very essence of prayer?
Don't we say:
May the words of my mouth
and the sayings of my heart
Be acceptable to you…?

On Rosh Hashanah
We pray in the purest way possible.
Normally we use our throats, our tongue,
our teeth and our lips to formulate words of
prayers.

On Rosh Hashanah,
When we focus on our spiritual well-being,
And on life itself,
We use only our breath,
our spiritual essence, to pray.
We sound the shofar
By breathing in and breathing out.

Words are our means of communications.
And yet how often are words
Misunderstood and misconstrued?
How often are words a weapon?
How often do we fail to understand even our
own words?

We are commanded to hear the sound of the
Shofar.
To listen carefully
And hear the inarticulate sound,
the still small voice of Gods' presence,
expressed not in words but in the cry of our
soul.