Emuna: Our Two-Pronged Elul Preparations

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel, Harav Avraham Shapira, Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel.

As we know, the month of Elul is one of arousal to teshuvah [the return to the straight and true Torah path]. The source for this is that before the second set of Tablets were given to Moshe Rabbeinu on Mt. Sinai on Yom Kippur, the shofar was sounded daily throughout the preceding month of Elul. The Rosh and the Tur cite the Pirkei D'Rebbe Eliezer, which states that the Sages mandated that we sound the shofar every day during Elul – in commemoration of the daily Mt. Sinai blasts we heard over the course of more than a month preparing us to receive the Torah for the second time.

That the shofar was sounded during the time of the giving of the Second Tablets tells us of another fundamental aspect of what the shofar means to us. The above-cited Pirkei D'Rebbe Eliezer states:

"On the first day of Elul, G-d told Moshe, 'Ascend to Me on the mountain' (D'varim 10,1) and sound the shofar in the camp – for Moshe climbed the mountain, in order that they not sin again as they did with the Golden Calf, and G-d 'ascended' that same day with the shofar, as is written, 'G-d was exalted with a teruah shofar blast, G-d with the shofar sound' (Tehillim 47,6). And therefore the Sages instituted that we blow the shofar every year [beginning on] the first day of Elul."

And the Tur adds that the purpose of blowing the shofar in Elul is to warn Israel that they must do teshuvah, as is written: "Can it be that a shofar would be sounded in the city and the populace would not be frightened?" (Amos 3,6)

We thus see that two principles are represented in the sounding of the shofar: repentance and fear of the judgement – two different things. The main reason that the Sages instituted nearly a month of daily shofar blasts is certainly to arouse us to repent for the sins that we committed – but in addition, the fact that the shofar was sounded when we received the Torah teaches us that the shofar's task is also to warn us against failing the tests that the Torah places before us. We must not again fall into the trap of the Golden Calf! This second aspect is part of the fear of the Heavenly judgement.

That is to say: We must know, in every generation, that in addition to the very act of repentance, we must also have fear and trembling of the very judgement. For the Prophet Amos said that people cannot but tremble when the shofar is sounded. We must always be prepared to make an accounting of our deeds! 

And especially when Israel appears to be on trial, and we can sense that it is a time of severe judgement – everyone must examine himself and his deeds, and see if and where he is lacking. As the Gemara teaches: "The reason why the Torah passage of Nazirite follows that of the Sotah (Wayward Wife) is to tell us that whoever sees a Sotah in her guilty, wretched state, should take a Nazirite vow against consuming wine" (B'rachot 63a).

The sounding of the shofar before the giving of the Second Tablets teaches us yet another lesson: Forty days before the Giving of the Torah is not too early to prepare for it! Rather, even then one must check his deeds and make sure he is worthy of receiving the Torah. And so throughout this month of Elul, when we hear the shofar, we must review our status and deeds, and the memory of the fear of judgement that we experienced when receiving the Second Tablets must be renewed. This fear is crucial, because it is part of receiving the Torah in purity. As the Sages stated: "The reason why G-d created thunder is to straighten out [via the fear it instills] the crookedness of our heart."

And the recent events in which our terrorist enemy has managed to snuff out additional precious Jewish lives must also arouse us, all of us, to a general and individual accounting for our deeds and where to improve. Let us pray that, inter alia, in the merit of the shofar, we succeed!