אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁתְּקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה גְּזֵרַת הַכָּתוּב רֶמֶז יֵשׁ בּוֹ כְּלוֹמַר עוּרוּ יְשֵׁנִים מִשְּׁנַתְכֶם וְנִרְדָּמִים הָקִיצוּ מִתַּרְדֵּמַתְכֶם וְחַפְּשׂוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיכֶם וְחִזְרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה וְזִכְרוּ בּוֹרַאֲכֶם. אֵלּוּ הַשּׁוֹכְחִים אֶת הָאֱמֶת בְּהַבְלֵי הַזְּמַן וְשׁוֹגִים כָּל שְׁנָתָם בְּהֶבֶל וָרִיק אֲשֶׁר לֹא יוֹעִיל וְלֹא יַצִּיל, הַבִּיטוּ לְנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם וְהֵיטִיבוּ דַּרְכֵיכֶם וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם וְיַעֲזֹב כָּל אֶחָד מִכֶּם דַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לֹא טוֹבָה.
Even though the sounding of the shofar on Rosh HaShanah is a decree, it contains an allusion. It is as if [the shofar's call] is saying:
Wake up you sleepy ones from your sleep and you who slumber, arise. Inspect your deeds, repent, remember your Creator. Those who forget the truth in the vanities of time and throughout the entire year, devote their energies to vanity and emptiness which will not benefit or save: Look to your souls. Improve your ways and your deeds and let every one of you abandon his evil path and thoughts.
Wake up you sleepy ones from your sleep and you who slumber, arise. Inspect your deeds, repent, remember your Creator. Those who forget the truth in the vanities of time and throughout the entire year, devote their energies to vanity and emptiness which will not benefit or save: Look to your souls. Improve your ways and your deeds and let every one of you abandon his evil path and thoughts.
DISCUSS:
1. In what ways have we been "sleeping"? What are the areas of our lives where we need to "wake up", as Maimonides suggests?
2. In what ways have "vanity and emptiness" shown up in our lives this year? What are some ways we can turn inward and examine ourselves?
Why the Shofar?
אָמַר רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ: לָמָה תּוֹקְעִין בְּשׁוֹפָר שֶׁל אַיִל? אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: תִּקְעוּ לְפָנַי בְּשׁוֹפָר שֶׁל אַיִל, כְּדֵי שֶׁאֶזְכּוֹר לָכֶם עֲקֵידַת יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם, וּמַעֲלֶה אֲנִי עֲלֵיכֶם כְּאִילּוּ עֲקַדְתֶּם עַצְמְכֶם לְפָנַי.
Similarly, Rabbi Abbahu said: Why does one sound a blast with a shofar made from a ram’s horn on Rosh HaShana? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: Sound a blast before Me with a shofar made from a ram’s horn, so that I will remember for you the binding of Isaac, son of Abraham, in whose stead a ram was sacrificed, and I will ascribe it to you as if you had bound yourselves before Me.
בְּמַאי קָמִיפַּלְגִי מָר סָבַר בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה כַּמָּה דְּכָיֵיף אִינִישׁ דַּעְתֵּיהּ טְפֵי מְעַלֵּי וּבְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים כַּמָּה דְּפָשֵׁיט אִינִישׁ דַּעְתֵּיהּ טְפֵי מְעַלֵּי וּמָר סָבַר בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה כַּמָּה דְּפָשֵׁיט אִינִישׁ דַּעְתֵּיהּ טְפֵי מְעַלֵּי וּבְתַעֲנִיּוֹת כַּמָּה דְּכָיֵיף אִינִישׁ דַּעְתֵּיהּ טְפֵי מְעַלֵּי:
The Gemara asks: With regard to what principle do these tanna’imdisagree? One Sage, Rabbi Yehuda, holds that on Rosh HaShana the more a person bends his mind and humbles himself by bending in prayer, the better. Therefore, a curved shofar is sounded as an allusion to our bent minds and bodies. But on Yom Kippur, the more a person straightens his mind and prays with simplicity, the better. Therefore, a straight shofar is sounded. The other Sage, the anonymous tanna of the mishna, maintains the opposite: On Rosh HaShana, the more a person straightens his mind and avoids any crookedness, the better. On fasts, on the other hand, the more a person bends his mind and humbles himself, the better.
DISCUSS
1. What do the tannaim (the anonymous sages of the Talmud) disagree about?
2. What do you think it means to "straighten your mind" versus "bend your mind"?
Write a Letter to Yourself in 5784
Possible prompts:
What are you doing to really make your life matter?
In what ways do you hope to grow in the year to come?
What are some ways of being that you hope to shed this year, and other ways of being that you want to lean into this year?
What are you most thankful for from the past year?
What is one thing you wanted to say out loud this year, but never did?
What are some words of wisdom that you can gift yourself today and in 5784?