Rabbi Stuart Weiss explained the symbolism of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah
In Israel, Rabbi Stuart Weiss, in a column for the Jerusalem Post, spoke about the significance of the shofar — a horn blown during Rosh Hashanah. He described its sound as a deeply personal experience: for some, it is the sound of victory; for others, of struggle; and at its core is self-sacrifice.
Names of the holiday
Weiss noted that the name “Rosh Hashanah” does not appear in the Torah. In the Book of Leviticus, the first day of the seventh month is called zichron teruah — a remembrance of blowing the horn — while in the Book of Numbers it is called yom teruah, meaning the day of blowing the horn.
According to the author, the name “Rosh Hashanah” appears once in the Tanakh — in the Book of Ezekiel — but there it may mean the beginning of the year, Yom Kippur, or the month of Nisan. In prayer books, the holiday is also called Yom Ha-Zikaron — the Day of Remembrance.
Reviewing the year
Rosh Hashanah is one of the four Jewish New Years. It is used to calculate ordinary calendar years, sabbatical and jubilee years, as well as dates in legal documents and contracts. The holiday is also associated with the creation of humanity.
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Unlike Passover, Sukkot, Shavuot, Hanukkah and Purim, which are dedicated to specific events, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, in Weiss’s view, encompass the entire year of a person’s life. The author writes that these days encourage people to reflect on their own actions, life direction and impact on others.
The shofar and the common good
The rabbi also recounted a story from his experience serving in a synagogue. According to him, while preparing for a bat mitzvah celebration, a woman named Marlene, whose name, the author specified, was changed, declined kosher catering because of its cost. Her brother Max said that he would not attend the event without separate seating for men and women, even if the food were kosher.
Weiss presented this case as an example of why, in his view, personal demands should not be placed above the spiritual needs of the community. He linked the sound of the shofar to the biblical story of Abraham’s readiness to subordinate his own desires to God’s will and believed that this symbol serves as a reminder of giving up personal aspirations for the greater good.
