Jerusalem Post author reflects on humor and the shofar on Rosh Hashanah
In Israel, the Jerusalem Post published an essay by Nathan Lopes Cardozo on the significance of humor, repentance, and the sound of the shofar during Rosh Hashanah. The author views the holiday as a time when a person once again places God at the center of life, reflects on their actions, and asks for forgiveness.
Cardozo writes that the desire for repentance may be accompanied by an awareness of one’s own weaknesses and a return to familiar mistakes. In his view, humor helps people retain the ability to move forward when they encounter the contradictions and incomprehensibility of life.
Humor and human aspirations
The author calls humor a way to endure sadness and accept the absurdity of human existence. He notes that people often strive for more than everyday circumstances allow, yet gradually adapt to reality. According to Cardozo, recognizing the gap between aspirations and reality can help preserve inner freedom.
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In the text, Rosh Hashanah appears as an opportunity to take a critical look at human ambitions, including the pursuit of money, status, honor, and possessions. At the same time, as the author writes, Jewish tradition does not call for despair: it includes festive meals, songs, and ceremonial attire.
The shofar and the limits of language
Cardozo pays particular attention to the shofar. In his interpretation, the sound of the shofar expresses that for which words are insufficient: it is a primordial call directed to God, whose essence people are unable to fully comprehend.
The author also compares religious experience with a child’s perception of fairy tales, where the impossible is possible. He believes that spiritual life is more connected with the journey and aspiration than with the final attainment of a goal. This is why, Cardozo writes, the sound of the shofar can for a moment unite the seriousness of the holiday with hope for the possibility of the impossible.
