[Jewish] [Mindful Torah] Psalm for Thursday: Psalm 81, verse 4

[Rabbi Steven Nathan]

Blow the shofar (ram's horn) at the new moon, and again at full moon to
call a festival!
In ancient times the shofar was used as an instrument to announce
festivals, Shabbat and special occasions. We also know that shofarot
(pl.) were used in the time of Joshua to bring down the walls of
Jericho.

Today, the shofar is primarily used as part of the Rosh Hashanah/New
Year ritual and to announce the end of Yom Kippur, the Day of
Atonement. It is also customary to sound the shofar every morning
during Elul, the month preceding Rosh Hashanah. Both during Elul and on
Rosh Hashanah itself, the shofar is a spiritual wake up call reminding
us to do teshuvah (return/repentance).
The two times we are told to sound the shofar in this psalm are at the
time of the new moon and the full moon. It is assumed by some that this
refers to the Rosh Hashanah, which is the new moon of the month of
Tishri, and Sukkot (feast of booths) that takes place on the full moon
of the same month.
Rosh Hashanah takes place when the moon cannot really be seen and,
according to rabbinic tradition, marks the creation of the world, as
well as the time of renewal and repentance.
Sukkot takes place when the moon is full and was a festival of
Thanksgiving for the fall harvest in ancient Israel. Today it is simply
a festival of joy and thanksgiving in a more general sense.
The sukkah, or temporary dwelling, in which people eat and sometimes
sleep during the festival, is also meant to remind us of the fragility
and ephemeral nature of our existence. Just as a strong storm could
topple the sukkah, so too we do not know what the next moment in life
is bringing. Hence the importance of celebration.
I consider Sukkot to be the quintessential mindfulness holiday, as it
focuses on celebrating the moment and being grateful for what we have
right now. Yet, it is interesting that the moon is completely full when
we are both giving thanks for what we have and also acknowledging the
uncertainty of life. Contrast this with Rosh Hashanaho when we are
meant to be introspective and focuse on forgiveness and
self-assessment. At that time there is barely a sliver of the moon
visible.
At both of these times the psalmist commands us to sound the shofar,
which is both the sound of joy and a call to awareness. Perhaps
sounding the shofar when the moon is new is meant to awaken us
precisely because there is no light in the night sky. It calls us to do
teshuvah, but it also reminds us that the work we need to do is
internal. We do not need an external light to do teshuvah, but we do
need an internal wake up call. In addition, it calls us away from
sleepiness and complacency, which could be associated with the darkness
of the the new moon.
On the other hand, Sukkot is a time of pure celebration. We give thanks
for the bounty that we have. However, it is also a reminder that what
we have may be gone tomorrow, so there is even more a reason to thank
God and to celebrate. The full moon of Sukkot allows us to see clearly
all we have even during the night, a time which is often associated
with fear and uncertainty. The Sukkot moon allows us to bask in the
glow of the moment and truly give thanks. Here the shofar (which today
is no longer sounded on Sukkot) is not an internal wake up call, but a
communal call to joy, thanksgiving and celebration. The full moon at
night literally shines on all that we have and all we should be
grateful for.
As we navigate our way through life we experience many Rosh Hashanah
type moments as well as many that are similar to Sukkot.

There are times when, like at the time of the new moon, we are in the
dark, we are afraid, we do not know what is going to happen. At those
moments we need to wake us up to what we need to do at that moment so
we can let go of the habits and behaviors that keep us separated from
God and humanity. The shofar reminds us to be conscious that we are
part of the Divine one-ness of the universe and so we need not be
afraid of the dark.
There are also moments when we are surrounded by plenty, as at Sukkot.
Yet, sometimes we get so caught up in ourselves and our plight that we
forget about all that we have to celebrate and for which we should be
grateful. At these times we also need something to remind us of all we
have and call us to thanksgiving, joy and gratitude.
Both scenarios are lessons in mindfulness. Both remind us to be in the
moment, to acknowledge what is and to celebrate the moment. It reminds
us to let go of our judgments. We may label a particular moment or time
as difficult, painful or bad. Yet, even, or perhaps especially, at
these times we need to find the ability to acknowledge and be grateful
for what we have. This is often difficult, but it is still necessary if
we want to be aware and present in the moment and avoid getting caught
up in the story of our pain.

The sound at the shofar at both times call us back to our Source, to
the One. Each does this in its own unique way, but each is just as
essential living a life filled not only with laws and rules, but with
joy, celebration and gratitude.




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Posted By Rabbi Steven Nathan to Mindful Torah at 5/06/2010 11:04:00 AM
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