Shofar renews the day of Matan Torah

יום תרועה יהי' לכם.

"A day of teruah (shofar blast) it shall be for you" (Bamidbar 29:1).

The Torah defines Rosh Hashanah as a day of sounding the shofar, the verse the Sefas Emes now interprets.

כי עיקר השופר הוא זכירת יום מתן תורה דכתיב יום אשר עמדת לפני ה' אלקיך בחורב.

For the essence of the shofar is the remembrance of the day of Matan Torah (the Giving of the Torah), as it is written, "the day on which you stood before Hashem your God at Chorev" (Devarim 4:10).

The shofar of Rosh Hashanah recalls the great shofar blast at Har Sinai; its core purpose is to evoke the day Bnei Yisrael stood to receive the Torah.

פרשנו במ"א כי בנ"י זכו להוציא מכח אל הפועל זה היום של קבלת התורה.

We have explained elsewhere that Bnei Yisrael merited to bring this day of receiving the Torah from potential into actuality.

Bnei Yisrael had the unique merit of actualizing the day of receiving the Torah — turning a latent possibility within creation into a living reality.

וזה היום אינו יכול להתגלות תמיד ובר"ה שמתחדש הבריאה מכש"כ שמתחדש כוחן של בנ"י.

And this day cannot be revealed constantly, and on Rosh Hashanah, when the creation is renewed, all the more so is the power of Bnei Yisrael renewed.

The light of Matan Torah cannot shine at all times. But on Rosh Hashanah, when all of creation is renewed, the special spiritual power of Bnei Yisrael is renewed even more strongly.

ויום מתן תורה מאחר שאמרו חז"ל תנאי התנה הקב"ה במעשה בראשית אם יקבלו בני ישראל התורה כו'.

And as for the day of Matan Torah — since Chazal said that the Holy One, blessed be He, made a condition at the time of creation: "if Bnei Yisrael will accept the Torah…"

Chazal teach that creation itself was made conditional upon Bnei Yisrael accepting the Torah — the world's continued existence depends on it.

א"כ בזה היום מתחדש יום מתן תורה וע"י קול שופר יכולין להתדבק ביום הזה.

If so, on this day (of Rosh Hashanah) the day of Matan Torah is renewed, and through the sound of the shofar one is able to cleave to this day.

Since creation is renewed on Rosh Hashanah, and creation hinges on the Torah, the day of Matan Torah is likewise renewed then — and the shofar is the means by which we attach ourselves (deveikus) to that renewed day.

וע"י שבנ"י יודעין ומבררין זה כי כל העולם נברא רק בשביל התורה ומבקשים כתבנו בספר החיים שהוא להתדבק בתורה שנק' עץ החיים.

And through Bnei Yisrael knowing and clarifying this — that the entire world was created only for the sake of the Torah — and asking, "inscribe us in the Book of Life," which means to cleave to the Torah, which is called "the Tree of Life."

By recognizing and affirming that the world exists solely for the Torah, and by praying to be written in the "Book of Life," Bnei Yisrael are really asking to be bound to the Torah, the true "Tree of Life."

ובכח זה נזכר יום מתן תורה בשמים ומתחדש בחירת הקב"ה בבנ"י.

And by this power, the day of Matan Torah is remembered in Heaven, and the Holy One's choice of Bnei Yisrael is renewed.

This clarification and prayer cause the day of Matan Torah to be "remembered" Above, renewing Hashem's choosing of Bnei Yisrael as His people.

כמ"ש שיעלה זכרוניכם לפני ובמה בשופר כנ"ל:

As it is said, "that your remembrance shall ascend before Me" — and by what means? By the shofar, as above.

This is the meaning of the prayer that "your remembrance ascend before Me": the shofar is the vehicle that raises this remembrance of Matan Torah and renews Hashem's bond with His people.

Summary: The essence of the Rosh Hashanah shofar is to evoke the day of Matan Torah. Since creation was made conditional on Bnei Yisrael accepting the Torah, and Rosh Hashanah renews creation, the day of Matan Torah is renewed as well. Through the shofar, and through recognizing that the world exists only for the Torah and praying to cleave to it (the "Tree of Life"), Bnei Yisrael cause that day to be remembered Above and renew Hashem's eternal choice of them.