September 2023

Sep 18, 2023 | Blessing of the Month

Wouldn’t you think that the blessing recited before blowing shofar on Rosh Hashana would be about making the sounds? After all, when you say a bracha over an action, such as for lighting Shabbat or festival candles, you are acknowledging the act; “…for being commanded to light candles for ______.”

In contrast, the bracha over shofar is

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לִשְׁמֹעַ קוֹל שׁוֹפָר

baruch atta adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu lishmo’a kol shofar.

We bless You, Adonai our God, Eternal Sovereign, for imbuing our lives with sanctity by commanding us to hear the sound of shofar.

The bracha is in the singular, i.e., the commandment is to hear the sound, the KOL — not sounds — of shofar.

The blower is acting on behalf of the kahal, the listeners, and is included in the commandment to hear. If the blower is distracted, or otherwise not focusing on the action, feh! The blower needs to be attentive to the sounds, to their quality and pacing, while being sensitive to the desired effect the sound should have on the listeners, blower included.

Shana tova!