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May 22, 2012
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May 21, 2012
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May 18, 2012
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May 17, 2012
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May 15, 2012
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May 10, 2012
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May 9, 2012
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Jewish World Review
Sept. 26, 2008
/ 26 Elul 5768
The shofar and the Echo of Sinai
By Rabbi Yonason Goldson
The sound of freedom resonates in the call for unity
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The Israeli army stands on alert, poised to attack. Opposing the Jewish force is an uncompromising enemy claiming sovereignty over the land that has been the cornerstone of Jewish tradition for centuries. Neither reason nor diplomacy has had the slightest impact upon the enemy's outlook, permitting no other recourse than a full-scale military offensive.
These were the headlines only a few years ago, and circumstances in Israel are not so different now. But the same conditions prevailed more that three thousand years old, when the Jewish people crossed the Jordan River to occupy the land that had been first promised to their patriarchs five centuries earlier.
To establish and preserve an ethically and spiritually elevated society, the Jews could not live along side peoples steeped in immorality. And so Joshua, the leader of the Jews, sent forth his message to the inhabitants of the land: if they agreed to renounce murder, theft, idolatry, and adultery, then they could live together with the Jews as neighbors; if they were unwilling to accept these terms, then they were free to leave; but if they refused either option, then they should prepare for war.
With few exceptions, the Canaanite nations chose war over either conformance to an ethical code or repatriation elsewhere.
The first military encounter drew near with the encampment of the Jewish army opposite the fortified city of Jericho. Intimidated by the size of the Israelite camp, the residents of Jericho shut themselves inside the great walls that surrounded the city and prepared for the Jewish onslaught.
UNCONVENTIONAL RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
The Jews, however, employed an unorthodox strategy. For six consecutive days the Jewish army marched around the perimeter of the city; and on the seventh day, when the Jews sounded the shofar, the walls of the city sank into the ground, enabling the Jewish soldiers to swarm into the city and easily conquer the astonished inhabitants.
Since the Almighty does not perform miracles haphazardly, why did Jericho have to fall through divine intervention? Could the Jews not have defeated the city conventionally, as they had in the desert and would in their subsequent battles? And what is the special significance of their victory coming about through the blowing the shofar?
The battle of Jericho followed only a few days after the Jewish people's entry into the Land of Israel. Throughout the preceding forty years, the Jews had lived in the desert, fed by the manna from heaven, guided by the pillar of fire, and protected by the clouds of glory. But from the moment they crossed over the Jordan River, all the open manifestations of the divine presence departed instantaneously and left them to live according to the natural laws of the physical world.
From that time forward, the Almighty concealed His presence, requiring us to seek Him out by recognizing the intelligent design behind the intricate workings of nature. Instead of allowing ourselves to become numb to the wonders that surround us, it is our obligation to find inspiration in the multifaceted miracle that is Creation.
The great danger of physical existence, however, is that we easily forget that we are essentially spiritual beings. All the gratification offered by that the material world seduces us, while our own mastery over the world we live in makes us arrogant. And when we convince ourselves that success and prosperity reside in our own might and the strength of our own hands, we lose our appreciation for our place in the community of Man and come to believe that there is no power or authority greater than ourselves.
THE BATTLEFIELD OF THE SOUL
And so, at the moment of their transition from supernatural to natural existence, the Jewish people received a dramatic reminder that even within the natural course of events, success or failure depends not upon military armaments or tactics, but upon our own sense of place in the natural order. As the Jews circled the walls of Jericho, the call of the shofar summoned them back to when they stood together at Sinai, as one man and with one heart, to accept upon themselves the mission that defines the Jewish people as a nation, to strive together toward spiritual and moral self-perfection.
Tragically, we often fail to take the call of the shofar to heart. Rather than fostering appreciation and unity, we respond to our successes with disregard for both our fellow Jews and our national destiny, so that lasting success slips repeatedly through our fingers.
Jewish history illuminates our failures in the harshest light. The glory of the first Temple gave way to civil war and national humiliation. The accomplishments of the Hasmoneans devolved into the murderous reign of Herod and the Roman occupation. The golden age of Spanish Jewry culminated in the Inquisition and the Edict of Expulsion. And the pillars of the Jewish communities of Europe splintered before the wanton violence of the Crusades and vanished amidst the ashes of the Holocaust.
Today, more than ever, when Israel continues to face military aggression from every side, and when militant secularism and religious extremism threaten people of faith throughout the world, Rosh HaShonah offers every one of us a priceless opportunity. When we hear the call of the shofar, let us hearken back to the time when Jewish national identity was forged at Sinai and remember that, ultimately, our success depends not upon the strength of our hands but upon our commitment to our identity and our commitment to one another.
JewishWorldReview.com regularly publishes uplifting articles. Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.JWR contributor Rabbi Yonason Goldson teaches at Block Yeshiva High School in St. Louis, MO, where he also writes and lectures. Visit him at http://torahideals.wordpress.com .
© 2008, Rabbi Yonason Goldson
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