A Shofar Blower’s Intention: The special act of Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the shofar. The emphasis – the purpose of the sacred act is to perfect our listening – listening to this peculiar, haunting sound. The blessing that is reserved for this occasion is all about the act of listening. It is not a blessing for a successful act of making sound or for the success of the shofar blower: " We bless the Creator who makes us holy by instructing us to hear the sound of the shofar." When I make this blessing before blowing the shofar, as I’ve been doing for many years, I feel honored and privileged. With the horn in my hands I feel tremendous responsibility. Months of rehearsing still don’t allay my terror of spoiling the moment by a weak or worse set of calls. I want, more than anything, for the sound of the shofar to vibrate in souls. And when the sounds are clear and strong, I feel worthy, up to the task, proud of my service, honored by my role. As the people listen to the shofar, I listen to them. And when the congregation, as one, exhales afterwards, I know I am competent, and I feel our shared prayer, as we each listen to each other breath in and out, as loud and as silent as a shofar. May we be blessed to deeply listen to each other, always. Rabbi David Kline  (my dad and teacher)

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Posted in Hebrew Vocabulary, Holidays, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur