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The Symbols of Rosh Hashanah
Once again, we have come around to our High Holidays season. The summer has flown and we are so excited to have our sanctuary full again with our prayers and friendship. Hazzan and I are so looking forward to seeing you to wish you and yours a Shana Tova.
There are wonderful reminders of our religion embedded in the many symbols of Rosh Hashanah. Here’s a bit about the Shofar and the honey and apple.
Shofar: The shofar reminds us of the ram that replaced Isaac when Abraham found it caught by the horns in the bush. The ram was said to be created at the twilight of the sixth day, and therefore, it was created on Rosh Hashanah, which our sages equate to the day on which humans were created. The shofar blast sounding from all directions heavenward this day reminds God of how Isaac was saved in the nick of time by its presence. So, also, in blasting the shofar, we are hopeful that God will be alerted to the Jewish people, whose lives also hang in the balance. As with Isaac, we too shall merit God saying, “do us no harm”. And as Abraham quashed his mercy and expanded his strict justice of following the letter of the command, so too we hope God shall do the inverse: to allow mercy to override strict justice.
The shofar reminds us of how we stood at Mt. Sinai and received the Commandments as it blasted louder and louder. It reminds us of redemption, as it will sound to announce the Messiah. Midrash has it that the ram of Abraham was not wasted. It was slaughtered to save Isaac. It’s gut was used to string the harp of King David that played of its own in the middle of the night, to which David composed the psalms. It's hide was used to fashion the mantle of the Prophets Elijah and Elisha. One horn was used and blasted at the time the Israelites received the Torah at Mt. Sinai. The other one was stored away for the announcing of Elijah and the coming of the Messianic age.
The sound of the shofar alerts us and wakes us up to repent. The blast of the shofar calls on God to overlook our misdirection and to emphasize our most noble points. The Shofar helps God "cover over" those less than stellar actions and attitudes we expressed this year. Tiku be Chodesh shofar, blast the shofar at Rosh Hashanah–we say at Kiddush…bekese…so that God shall cover up our sins on this holiday.
Apple: Cut it in half and you’ll find five points of a star on each half, reminding us of ten words, yehi, that brought the world into being–the Ten Commandments, that along with study and action, make the world go round. It reminds us of the ten potencies of God, and ten attributes that we humans have in His image. The apple is a symbol of fertility, as it was under an apple tree that the Israelites continued to grow, even during slavery. Apples are tart, but we cover them with honey. In this way we intend to sweeten our year ahead. We hope that even in the inevitable sour and tart patches that come our way, there will be a sweetness in our growth of character and resilience. Looking at each side of the apple, we are reminded of Yom Kippur, with its five "restrictions" and that its five services are just around the corner!
Honey: The word for honey in Hebrew is Devash, which equals 306 numerically דבש. This same number applies to the name of our merciful God Av HaRachamim, אב הרחמים. We so hope and pray that God shall be merciful and sweet for our year to come. Beth and I wish for only nachas and good health in this coming year, and as we invoke in our intention when we pass around the apple…Yehi Ratzon, May it be Your will our God, the God of our ancestors that you renew for a good year and a very sweet one, Amen.