The sound of silence

A ROSH HASHANA MUSING

This coming first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Shofar will not be blown because it is Shabbat.

We are taught that when the Shofar is sounded, we are meant to internalize its raw, primal sounds and reflect upon our deepest selves – something that exists beyond words, and even beyond music.

There is something profoundly unique about the sound of the Shofar. It is not really a human sound. It is raw, ancient, and almost otherworldly. It speaks to a place within us that words cannot reach.

But this year, the Shofar will be silent.

And perhaps that silence itself can become our Shofar.

When the familiar sounds of the Shofar are absent, I plan to pause for a moment or two and listen—not to what is happening around me, but to what is happening within me.

The world is filled with noise. We are constantly surrounded by voices, conversations, music, phones, messages, responsibilities, and distractions. It is not often that we are given the opportunity to simply be quiet and truly listen to ourselves.

This Rosh Hashanah, when the Shofar is silent, let us use that silence to listen more deeply.

To listen to our thoughts.
To listen to our hopes.
To listen to the places within us that need healing.
To listen to the person we have become—and perhaps to the person we still hope to become.

Maybe the absence of the Shofar is not merely the absence of a sound.

Maybe it is an invitation to hear something even deeper.

This year, the Shofar is optional.
The listening is not.