Sunday, September 16, 2012

102: THE HUMAN CRY: THE SOUND OF THE SHOFAR


Tonight at sunset began the Feast of the Trumpets. I received an email from a friend that I wanted to share an excerpt:


"Tonight, on this sacred and momentous night, as the haunting call of the Shofar cries out to the world to prepare for HIS coming judgement, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kipppur) along with his imminent return, I feel a deeper sense of urgency to listen, to HEAR the shofar and let it pierce not just my ears, but my heart. As the events of these the "last days" in which we live continue to remind us that time is short, may we hearken to the soul stirring call of HIS Shofar, pleading with us to prepare and repent and to break down the walls around our hearts that would prevent us from doing so.
...............................


"There is one form of communication that comes from a place so deep within our souls that words cannot easily manipulate or control. Crying bursts forth involuntarily when we are touched to the very core of our being as a result of shock, tragedy or joy. Crying is the primal voice of the soul that bursts through to the surface.

The sound of the Shofar represents the human cry.Each note signifies a different emotion and the Shofar is meant to penetrate the deep recesses of a person’s soul and spiritually express the thoughts and feelings that words alone cannot describe.

What is it about the sound of the Shofar that elicits such a response? One of the basic concepts of Judaism is that the inner will of every soul is to connect with God in the deepest way possible. This desire does not always manifest itself readily because of a wall of resistance created by the evil inclination that inhibits the heart from breaking through. It is the blast of the Shofar that breaks down this wall. Like the fortifications surrounding Jericho, the Shofar cuts through all obstructions and frees us to do what is truly in our hearts – to love and connect with God. That freedom is fully expressed on Rosh Hashana, the day in which we are so acutely aware of our inner selves that no power or force can interfere with.

There is therefore no more appropriate way to announce the Jubilee Year, when all slaves were released, than with the clarion call of the Shofar. The instrument which liberates our soul from its shackles each year on Rosh Hashana has an unparalleled ability to inspire and is therefore the perfect way to “proclaim freedom throughout the land for all its inhabitants.”
written by Rabbi Tuly Weisz

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wish there were still those who believed in this--

can you imagine being released from slavery?

I mean, really, truly?

Interesting--

trying to process this as a LDS--

Anonymous said...

I love this!

Thank you for posting this!

This is exactly what I needed to hear!

I am printing and saving this post!

The Lord has begun to help me knock down the walls that I have, I am not sure how I got them in the first place but I am feeling more. I am not at the place where I cry a lot yet but I want to feel more emotion and a deep connection to my Heavenly Father, and my family but I am not sure how. I have always been so even tempered no real lows or no real highs, I have wondered why some people feel so deeply and I do not. The thing about me though I have always loved helping people, this has always been very important to me. I have loved being a good friend and show what compassion I was able to express. I do feel when I am doing these things but I am not very expressive in my feelings and I do not know why or even how sometimes and I can tell it has left some people comfortless. I know there is a more powerful way to live if only I had more ability to express more emotion. I do think the Lord is able to use emotion to help in so many different ways and I want more access to this spiritual gift so I can serve in more Christ-like ways.

Lately, I have felt so good, I think it is the Lord helping me to show more gratitude for my blessings and expressing it to those whom I am grateful for. I feel excited about future plans of being with distance family, I feel so much real joy when my family is finding sources of real happiness in serving others and I feel my heartbreaking more when those close to me are hurting. It has not always been so deeply felt by me but it is lately, I know it is the Lord helping me open up to the relationships I hold dear. He has changed me and I hope He helps me even more to feel even deeper. I love the loving ways He is helping me be able to be more expressive in my feelings. My prayers are being impacted, I am so much more expressive to my Heavenly Father and I feel closer to Him. I am able to hear His voice clearer. I feel Him guiding me to do things that have helped my family and others(at least that is what they have expressed to me). I am so glad I am able to help and serve in more Christ-like ways. I am so thankful that those I am trying to serve let me do the things I feel the Lord telling me to do, I really do hope all of us are being edified. I hope I have not scared any of them!!! I might have but I hope they forgive me as I am trying to do my best to be all that the Lord wants me to be. I love it when Heavenly Father will guide me to know what can do to try to lift burdens. I am not sure if everything I have done has actually helped those I am trying to help comfort but I keep on doing what I feel impressed to do. Today my joy is made more full for the portion of the gift of spiritual feeling that has been given to me thus far.

I love reading about the compassion of Jesus. He was able to feel deeply and express it to those around Him and because of this it helped those people even more when their need was greatest. I want this Godly spiritual gift. I want to feel the type of compassion and love Jesus did. God is the source of all good things and He is perfect in the way He administers to His Children, I hope to act in more God-like ways and express and feel how He does.

Oops! Looks like I have carrying on a little too much in this reply but I am glad I did!

Again, thank you for sharing! :)

R. said...

Great post!

Anonymous said...

In sho far as I can tell, this blog is grrreat. Happy feasting.