The shofar and the hidden inner voice of Yisrael

בענין תקיעת שופר בכסה.

Concerning the blowing of the shofar "ba'keseh" (at the concealed time of the month).

The Sefas Emes addresses why the shofar of Rosh Hashanah is blown at the start of the month, when the moon is hidden — "ba'keseh l'yom chageinu."

דאיתא במדרש בפסוק ה' אלקיו עמו ותרועת מלך בו שאמר בלק לבלעם אם אין אתה יכול להם מפני משה רבם עשה לדור שלאחריו והשיב ותרועת מלך שגם יהושע מריע ומפיל חומה.

For it is brought in the Midrash on the pasuk "Hashem his God is with him, and the trumpet-blast (teruah) of the King is in him" (Bamidbar 23:21): that Balak said to Bilaam, "If you cannot prevail against them because of Moshe their teacher, act against the generation that comes after him." And he answered, "and the teruah of the King" — that even Yehoshua sounds the teruah and topples a wall.

Bilaam could not curse Bnei Yisrael while Moshe led them, so Balak urged him to target the next generation; but Bilaam saw that even after Moshe, Yehoshua too wields the power of the teruah — the shofar blast that brought down the walls of Yericho.

דע"י תקיעת שופר בז' ימים הפילו חומת יריחו שהיתה סוגרת ומסוגרת והיא הי' יסוד של א"י.

For through the blowing of the shofar over seven days they toppled the wall of Yericho, which was "shut and sealed," and which was the foundation of Eretz Yisrael.

Yericho's tightly sealed wall, the gateway to the Land, fell through seven days of shofar blasts — showing the power of the shofar to breach what is most fortified.

והוא ענין תורה שבע"פ כי מרע"ה הי' בחי' תורה שבכתב עין בעין נראה כבודו ית' בתוכינו וזה ה' אלקיו עמו.

And this is the matter of Torah she'b'al peh (the Oral Torah); for Moshe Rabbeinu was the aspect of Torah she'b'ksav (the Written Torah) — "eye to eye His glory was seen among us," and this is "Hashem his God is with him."

Moshe represents the Written Torah, a revelation as open and direct as seeing "eye to eye" — corresponding to "Hashem his God is with him," holiness manifest and visible.

ובחי' תורה שבע"פ הוא בהסתר כמ"ש וחיי עולם נטע בתוכנו.

And the aspect of Torah she'b'al peh is in concealment, as it is said, "and eternal life He planted within us."

The Oral Torah — embodied by Yehoshua and the generations after Moshe — is hidden and internal, a life "planted within" that works from the inside rather than through open revelation.

והפנימיות בכחה להפיל החומה ולהסיר כל הקליפות ולהאיר מתוך החשיכה.

And the penimiyus (inner dimension) has the power to topple the wall, to remove all the kelipos (husks/shells), and to illuminate from within the darkness.

This hidden inner power is precisely what breaks down barriers, strips away the concealing "husks," and brings light out of darkness — as the shofar brought down Yericho's wall.

וזהו עצמו העדות על בנ"י כמ"ש במ"א שמזה נעשה אח"כ חג הסוכות.

And this itself is the testimony (eidus) regarding Bnei Yisrael, as we have written elsewhere, that from this Chag HaSukkos is afterward made.

This concealed inner power is the very testimony to the holiness of Bnei Yisrael, and (as explained elsewhere) it is the source from which the joy of Sukkos later flows.

ועל זה הענין כתיב הקול קול יעקב שנאמר זה כשהתלבש עצמו בבגדי עשו ואעפ"כ הפנימיות קול יעקב הגביר הקדושה וביטל כוחו של עשו.

And concerning this matter it is written, "the voice is the voice of Yaakov" (Bereishis 27:22), which was said when he clothed himself in the garments of Esav, and even so the penimiyus — the voice of Yaakov — strengthened the holiness and nullified the power of Esav.

Even when Yaakov was outwardly disguised in Esav's clothes, his inner essence — his "voice" — prevailed, empowering holiness and neutralizing Esav. So too the hidden inner power of Bnei Yisrael overcomes external forces of impurity.

ועי' בר"מ פ' אמור.

And see the Ra'aya Mehemna on Parshas Emor.

The Sefas Emes refers the reader to this section of the Zohar for further treatment of the theme.

ובאופן זה נברא האדם שהוא דמות וציור כל העולם.

And in this manner man was created, for he is the likeness and image of the entire world.

The human being is a microcosm, mirroring the structure of the whole world, with the same relationship of outer body and inner essence.

והאברים החיצונים הגוף והידים.

And the external limbs are the body and the hands.

In a person, the body and hands represent the outer, physical dimension — corresponding to the "garments of Esav."

והקול הוא הפנימיות שצריך להטות כל האברים להקול והדיבור שעל שם זה נק' מדבר.

And the voice is the penimiyus, which must bend all the limbs toward the voice and the speech — and on account of this man is called "medaber" (a speaking being).

The voice and speech are the inner self, and a person's task is to direct all his outer limbs and actions in service of that inner point — which is why man is defined as the "speaking" creature, the one ruled by his inner voice.

וכן המה בנ"י בכלל העולם.

And so are Bnei Yisrael within the world as a whole.

Just as the voice is the inner essence of a person, Bnei Yisrael are the inner essence — the "voice" — of the entire world.

ותרועת מלך פרש"י הרצון של המלך הוא בהם פי' כדאיתא במד' נעשה אדם במי נמלך בנשמתן של צדיקים.

"And the teruah of the King" — Rashi explains: the will (ratzon) of the King is in them. The meaning, as brought in the Midrash on "Let us make man" — with whom did He take counsel? With the neshamos of the tzaddikim.

The "teruah of the King" expresses that Hashem's will and desire reside within Bnei Yisrael. The Midrash teaches that before creating man, Hashem "consulted" the souls of the tzaddikim — His whole purpose in creation was for their sake.

דכל מה שברא הקב"ה בעולמו לכבודו ברא וזה ע"י בני ישראל שנקראו צדיקים כמ"ש ועמך כולם צדיקים והמה זוכרין את הבורא ית' ומעידין עליו בכל יום.

For all that the Holy One created in His world, He created for His honor — and this is through Bnei Yisrael, who are called tzaddikim, as it is said, "and your people are all tzaddikim" (Yeshayahu 60:21); and they remember the Creator and bear witness to Him each day.

Creation's purpose is Hashem's honor, and that is realized through Bnei Yisrael, called tzaddikim, who keep Hashem in mind and testify to Him daily through their avodah.

[ויתכן שזה עצמו רמז שמיעת קול שופר שאפילו אין לישראל רק זכות שמע ישראל כדאי הם להינצל כמ"ש רש"י בפ' שופטים במאמר משוח מלחמה.

[And it may be that this itself is the hint of hearing the sound of the shofar: that even if Yisrael had only the merit of "Shema Yisrael," they would be worthy to be saved, as Rashi writes in Parshas Shoftim in the words of the kohen anointed for war.

The Sefas Emes suggests that the mitzvah of hearing the shofar alludes to "Shema Yisrael" — and just as Rashi teaches that the merit of saying Shema alone suffices to save Bnei Yisrael in battle, so too this merit avails them on Rosh Hashanah.

וכמו כן בר"ה יום מלחמה מזכירין קולן של בנ"י].

And likewise on Rosh Hashanah, a day of battle, the "voice" of Bnei Yisrael is invoked.]

Rosh Hashanah is itself a kind of war — against the prosecuting forces — and the shofar recalls the merit of the inner "voice" of Bnei Yisrael, their Shema and their bearing witness.

וע"י שעלה לפניו ית' זה הזכות של בנ"י ברא את העולם כמ"ש לתת שכר טוב לצדיקים שמקיימים את העולם כו'.

And because this merit of Bnei Yisrael arose before Him, He created the world, as it is said, "to give good reward to the tzaddikim who sustain the world," etc.

It was the foreseen merit of Bnei Yisrael that moved Hashem to create the world at all — a world brought into being so the tzaddikim who uphold it could receive their reward.

ולכן צריכין לקבל מלכות שמים בר"ה שבכל שנה הקב"ה נמלך בנשמתן של ישראל כנ"ל.

Therefore we must accept the malchus Shomayim (the kingship of Heaven) on Rosh Hashanah, for every year the Holy One "takes counsel" with the neshamos of Yisrael, as above.

Since creation is renewed each year through the souls of Bnei Yisrael, our task on Rosh Hashanah is to accept Hashem's kingship anew — the very thing that re-establishes the world.

והמה חפצים לקבל החיים לכבודו ית' ובאופן זה הקב"ה מחדש החיים בכל שנה.

And they desire to receive life for His honor, and in this manner the Holy One renews life each year.

When Bnei Yisrael want life specifically in order to honor Hashem, He responds by renewing the gift of life for the coming year.

וכאשר מבקשין מלוך על כל העולם כו' צריך להיות עיקר הבקשה על עצמינו שכל אדם מישראל נק' עולם בפני עצמו.

And when we request, "Reign over the entire world," etc., the main request must be upon ourselves — for every individual of Yisrael is called a world unto himself.

The prayer that Hashem reign over the whole world must begin with oneself: since each Jew is a complete "world," accepting His kingship within one's own self is the heart of the request.

וכפי מה שמקבלין על עצמינו כך נמצא מזה הארה לכל הכלל.

And according to what we accept upon ourselves, so is there from this an illumination for the entire klal (community).

The measure to which each person accepts Hashem's kingship over himself determines the spiritual light that radiates out to the whole nation.

כי הפרט תלוי בכלל.

For the individual (prat) is dependent on the collective (klal).

The individual and the community are bound together; what each person accomplishes affects the whole, and vice versa.

ולכן כמו כן ע"י הרשעים מרגישין הצדיקים שא"י לקבל על עצמן בשלימות ולכן מבקשין מלוך כו'.

And therefore, likewise, because of the wicked, the tzaddikim feel that they cannot accept Hashem's kingship upon themselves in completeness; therefore they pray, "Reign…," etc.

Because the individual is bound to the whole, even the tzaddikim cannot fully accept Hashem's malchus while wickedness remains in the world; hence the prayer that Hashem reign over all, removing every obstacle to His complete sovereignty.

ודו"ק ותבין:

Examine this carefully and you will understand.

The Sefas Emes invites the reader to reflect on the interdependence of the individual and the community that he has laid out.

Summary: The shofar of Rosh Hashanah expresses the hidden inner power of Bnei Yisrael — the "voice of Yaakov" and the penimiyus of the Oral Torah — which topples walls, removes the kelipos, and shines light out of darkness, just as Yehoshua's shofar felled Yericho. This inner "voice" is man's true self and the inner essence of the world; it is the merit of the tzaddikim for whose sake creation was made and is renewed each year. Therefore on Rosh Hashanah we accept Hashem's kingship, beginning with ourselves — for each Jew is a world entire — knowing that the individual and the klal are bound together, so that we pray for Hashem to reign over all.