Shana Tova ~ Happy New Year for 5786

On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we blow the shofar (which is made of a ram's horn) to call the people to repentance. But the shofar doesn't call only to men and women. In the prayer book for Rosh Hashanah, the shofar is said to create angels who carry our message of repentance to the heavenly throne. 

God himself also uses the shofar. At Mount Sinai, God spoke to all Jews alive at the time and all generations of Jews to come through the sound of the shofar. Likewise, it is said, at the coming of the Messiah, a great shofar will sound that will free all who are in bondage and gather all Jews to Jerusalem.

We could use such a powerful shofar blast today to free the hostages that Hamas has held – and beaten and starved and abused – for the past two years. But the theologians say (or some of them) that the time of miracles is past because God has made space for us to make our own miracles. And so we shall. Because we must.

For all of us, may this year be much sweeter than last year.