Shofar of Moshiach

Shofar of Moshiach

The Shofar of Moshiach is the Great Shofar that will be sounded at the time of the Geulah (Redemption), mentioned in the verse "And it shall come to pass on that day, that a great shofar shall be blown, and those lost in the land of Ashur and those banished in the land of Mitzrayim shall come and bow down to Hashem on the holy mountain in Yerushalayim." And as we say in the Shemoneh Esreh prayer, "Sound the great shofar for our freedom."

In the Sources

The Midrashim relate regarding the horns of the ram of Yitzchak, which Avraham Avinu offered as a sacrifice during the Akeidah (binding) of Yitzchak, that the sound of the left horn was heard at Matan Torah (Giving of the Torah) at Mount Sinai, as it says, "And the voice of the shofar grew increasingly stronger," while the right horn, which is larger than the left, will be used to sound in the future, as it says "And it shall come to pass on that day, that a great shofar shall be blown."

The commentators discuss how it is possible that the horns of a ram that was a burnt offering completely consumed for Hashem were preserved for later use. They also question how it would be permissible to use these horns given the prohibition of me'ilah (misuse of sacred items).

Being a great shofar, its sound will reach those lost and banished in the lands of Ashur and Mitzrayim, causing them to be awakened to the point of ascending to the Land in the ingathering of the exiles from these countries.

In the Gemara in Sanhedrin, a Baraita is brought regarding events that will occur in the world during "the week when the son of David comes," the seven years preceding the coming of Moshiach. There it states that "in the sixth [year] there will be sounds." Rashi explains this refers to the sounds of the shofar blowing, as it says, "a great shofar shall be blown."

In Chassidic Teachings

Our Rebbeim explained at length the inner meaning of the great shofar and elaborated on details and specifics in the verses about it. They also explained the connection between the shofar of the days of Moshiach and the shofar blowing of Rosh Hashanah and the spiritual service they entail.

The "Great Shofar" Compared to Other Shofars

Shofar of Rosh Hashanah (Now)

Through the shofar blowing, we draw down the innermost aspects of G-dliness that transcend any relation to worlds (sovev kol almin), and we awaken Hashem's pleasure in the creation of the worlds.

Shofar of Rosh Hashanah in the Second Beis Hamikdash (Shabbos)

This awakens the inner pleasure, the inner aspect of Kesser (the lowest level of the Emanator).

Shofar Blowing in the First Beis Hamikdash

This was an even higher level.

Shofar of Yom Kippur of the Yovel Year

This was even more lofty. Yet even for this shofar blowing, it says "you shall sound a shofar blast" ("shofar" without qualification, not "great shofar").

Shofar of Matan Torah

Regarding the shofar of Matan Torah it says, "And the voice of the shofar grew increasingly stronger." The voice was great, but it was not a great shofar.

Great Shofar

We have learned that the Great Shofar is loftier even than the shofar blowing of the Yovel year in the First Beis Hamikdash, and even than the shofar at Matan Torah.

As mentioned above from the Midrashim, the shofar of Matan Torah was the left horn of the ram from the Akeidah of Yitzchak, while in the future, the right horn will be blown (which is larger than the left horn).

"A Great Shofar Will Be Blown"

The Great Shofar Specifically

The purpose of blowing the great shofar that will be blown on that day is to awaken teshuvah among "those lost in the land of Assyria" (those who did not withstand the test of wealth) and "the dispersed in the land of Egypt" (those who did not withstand the test of poverty), who have descended very low and been swallowed up within Assyria and Egypt. For this purpose, specifically a great shofar is needed. For at the giving of the Torah, the Jewish people were close to G-dliness (even before the sound of the shofar), and therefore even an ordinary shofar was sufficient to awaken them. But to awaken those who are lost and dispersed, an ordinary shofar is not enough, and even the shofar of the giving of the Torah is not enough; rather, the awakening must come specifically through a great shofar.

"WILL BE BLOWN" - With No Mention of Who Will Blow It

The reason why regarding an ordinary shofar it is written "and the L-rd G-d will blow the shofar," where "L-rd G-d" are names of the Holy One, blessed be He (and when these names "L-rd G-d" have the vowelization of Elokim, they are even more elevated), but regarding the great shofar it simply states "will be blown" without specifying who is blowing it.

This is because this blowing comes from a level that is higher than even the name Havayah, a level that cannot be grasped by any letter or hint at all. For this blowing comes from His blessed Essence and Being that is beyond even the level of "Anochi" (the most concealed of all concealed levels).

Specifically Because They Are in Distress - Lost and Dispersed

The reason it states "a great shofar WILL BE BLOWN," where the language "will be blown" (with the letter tav vowelized with a kamatz) indicates that it will blow of its own accord, is because the revelation of the great shofar to awaken those who are lost and dispersed will happen by itself, without any awakening from below at all.

In this there are two aspects:

Not Through Service

The revelation of the "great shofar" does not come through service at all. They are lost and dispersed, and the shofar comes to awaken them. Specifically because they are lost and dispersed, they are in the ultimate state of constriction and pressure, and this awakens and draws forth the blowing of the great shofar (the drawing down from the level of the most concealed of all concealed), the ultimate expanse. For specifically through "from the straits I called to G-d," specifically through this "He answered me with expansiveness." Like the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov on the verse "A prayer of the poor man when he is faint, and before the L-rd he pours out his speech," that the prayer of the poor man is that before the L-rd he pours out his speech, and also that the prayer of the poor man is more readily accepted.

But even when the drawing down of the revelation of the great shofar comes from above, after the revelation of the great shofar, even those who are literally lost and dispersed have the advantage of human service. For the fact that the great shofar will awaken the Jewish spark within each and every Jew (including the lost and dispersed) and they will want to leave exile and go to Jerusalem and bow before G-d—this is only that through the revelation of the great shofar, the true desire of the Jew himself will be awakened.

For this is the difference between the redemption of the Exodus from Egypt and the future redemption: that in the Exodus from Egypt, the desire of the Jewish people to leave the impurity of Egypt and cleave to Him, blessed be He, was due to the revelation from above. But in the future redemption, the desire to leave exile and come to Jerusalem will be the desire of the Jewish people themselves, and the revelation from above (the great shofar) is only a cause through which the desire of the Jewish people will be revealed. And their service will be from their own selves.

Through Service

Even a Jew whose service is complete, through his work of self-nullification he can awaken and draw down the great shofar. This happens because when he contemplates that in relation to the exaltedness of the Infinite Light (Ohr Ein Sof), even true service is considered as sin, and therefore he feels himself to be lost and cast away, through this the revelation of the great shofar is awakened and drawn down.

Even then (when drawing down the revelation of the great shofar comes through his self-nullification), the term "yitaka" (will be blown, with a kamatz under the tav) is applicable, meaning it will blow itself. Because when one makes oneself poor and destitute—the concept of a poor person being one who has nothing of his own and only receives what is given to him as charity—he recognizes and feels that the revelation that comes through his service is not due to his own superiority (that he has the power to draw it down), but rather due to the kindness of the Holy One, Blessed be He. "Yitaka" means it blows itself, as if the drawing down occurs without any arousal from below at all.

This is the lesson from "on that day, the great shofar will be blown"—it will blow itself. The service must be with self-nullification, recognizing and feeling that all things accomplished through one's service, both regarding oneself and regarding others, are not due to one's own virtues, but rather due to the empowerment from Above. This feeling (that it is not oneself who accomplishes, but that it comes from Above) does not weaken one's service; on the contrary, this feeling causes one's service to be with greater intensity. Because when one's service is connected with one's own existence, the service is limited and defined. Even when one's service is in a manner of "with all your might," it is still "your" might—your own definition of "might"—but through the feeling that what is accomplished through one's service is not due to one's own powers but due to Divinity, one transcends one's own existence and limitations, and one's service becomes beyond measure and limitation.

Similarly, we bring about the revelation of the great shofar through the request "sound the great shofar."

The Beginning of the Revelation of the Great Shofar in Our Time

Beginning in the summer of 5727 (1967), during the great awakening among the Jewish people following the miraculous victory in the Six-Day War, the Rebbe spoke about the fact that not only are we standing in the closest proximity to the fulfillment of the prophecy "And it shall come to pass on that day, that the great shofar shall be blown," but (in several matters) the revelation of that great shofar has already begun. And we see that people who were previously in a state of being "lost and cast away" God forbid, have been awakened to teshuvah (repentance) through the blowing of the great shofar.

The Rebbe referenced a discourse of the Previous Rebbe (from 5703/1943) where he wrote in connection with the First and Second World Wars—whose purpose was to awaken and shake the Jewish people and bring them out of a state of indifference—and the Rebbe writes there that this is the "great shofar" that the Holy One, Blessed be He, blows in order to awaken the Jewish people and bring them to the recognition that the only purpose is (as the verse concludes) "and they shall worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem."

The Rebbe added that particularly since 25 years had already passed since then (5703-5728/1943-1968), and now after the greatest miracles that happened in a war where there were miracles completely beyond nature, where in six days they defeated the armies of several countries, this is truly the matter of the "great shofar" and the preparation for redemption. This is emphasized in the verse before "And on that day, the great shofar will be blown"—"And it shall come to pass on that day, that the Lord will beat off from the flowing stream to the brook of Egypt, and you shall be gathered one by one, O children of Israel"—which indicates God's great affection, that He will take each and every Jew by hand and bring them to the Land of Israel.

As a lesson from this, the Rebbe said that one should be especially aroused in divine service with complete self-nullification (the feeling of being 'lost' and 'cast away'), and to recognize and feel that all matters accomplished through one's service, both regarding oneself and regarding others, are not due to one's own virtues, but rather due to the empowerment from Above. Divine service with the aforementioned self-nullification causes a person to transcend their own existence and limitations, and their service becomes beyond measure and limitation.

External Links

• Discourse "And It Shall Come to Pass on That Day" 5728 (1968) Rosh Hashanah Anthology - 5752 (1992)
• Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Ofen, Commentary on the Discourse "And It Shall Come to Pass on That Day, the Great Shofar Will Be Blown" 5728 (1968) on the Chassidut TV website