Around 65 years ago there lived a Jew by the name of Zvi Hirsh Friedman in a town called? Zubzek? near Lodz in Poland. Reb Zvi Hirsh was a learned person and a G-d fearing person. He used to work very hard to earn a living as someone who transported merchandise from one town to the next using a horse and wagon. At night time he would spend his hours studying Torah by candlelight in the attic so as not to disturb his 3 children.
The residents of Zubzek knew Reb Zvi Hirsh as a very kind and generous person, and anytime anyone needed help in their town Reb Zvi Hirsh was there. The children of his town loved him especially so as on Shabbos he would give out candies in the Synagogue along with his famous smile.
Reb Zvi Hirsh served as the Baal Tokea (the Shofar blower) in his Synagogue and as a result he had a special hobby of collecting Shofar’s. Throughout the year as he would travel to different locations he would pick up good quality Shofar’s from various sources and places. When it came to Rosh Hashanah he would always choose the ones that made the best sounds to blow with. As you can imagine over the years he built up quite a collection of Shofar’s from many different types, long ones, short ones, black, brown, white, high pitched, low pitched, etc.
The Smuggled Shofar
When WW2 came and the Nazi’s came along, the day arrived when all the Jews of his town were rounded up and sent to concentration camp as was the fate of the Jews of the rest of Europe. At the time of the deportation each person attempted to hide a valuable or two to smuggle into the camp with them. Some hid gold and silver, some hid watches or personal artifacts, some hid holy books, but Reb Zvi Hirsh chose to hide a small Shofar which had once belonged to a famed Rabbi from Central Poland in the lining of his clothing.
Zvi Hirsh was sent to work on building train tracks for the Nazi’s. This was brutal work which was done under inhumane and vicious conditions. When the going got tough Reb Zvi Hirsh could be seen sticking his hand into his clothing and touching his Shofar which reminded him of better things and who he was and this was the way that he kept going.
Then the month of Elul arrived, a month in which many have the custom to sound the Shofar daily in order to prepare for the High Holidays. Reb Zvi Hirsh was desperate to somehow blow the Shofar despite the tremendous danger that it entailed. He shared his idea with his fellow slave laborers who all shared in his yearning and excitement, but were stuck on how to figure out a safe plan to hear the Shofar while under the watchful eyes of dozens of Nazi’s who at the slightest whim would whip and beat the Jewish workers.
Eventually they came up with a plan, and the next day on the first morning of the month of Elul as soon as they felt that for a moment the guards had lapsed ever so slightly in their deadly watch, they all gathered around Reb Zvi Hirsh in a circle and worked extra hard banging and making a lot of noise as they worked, and in the middle stood Reb Zvi Hirsh who blew the Shofar in a soft tone so that they could hear as they pounded away. They were not discovered and being happy at their success they were able to continue this feat every day of the month of Elul in preparation for Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah in the camp
Rosh Hashanah arrived and Reb Zvi Hirsh was determined to blow the Shofar and not give up on the prayers of the day. He was blessed with a great memory and he remembered virtually all of the Rosh Hashanah Prayers.
They all went out to work and they pounded away as Reb Zvi Hirsh stood in the middle of all of the workers and sung the melodies of the Rosh Hashanah prayers as they in turn attempted to muffle his prayers with the pounding of their sledgehammers. Their hearts stirred as he sung the various prayers and melodies to soulful tunes and melodies as they cried and aroused their hearts in between each bang and crack. When the perfect moment arrived and the guard duty had slacked Reb Zvi Hirsh pulled out the Shofar and with some extra banging from them he blew the Shofar blasts of Tashrat, Tashat, and Tarat.
While those Tekios may have not been similar to traditional Tekios in a Synagogue, they nevertheless caused an internal arousal and uplifting like they never experienced on any other Rosh Hashanah. (Reb Zvi Hirsh survived the war and moved to Israel with his family and continued blowing Shofar for many years.)
Our own Din and Noise
While incomparable to the lives and story that we just told, we too live in a world which has a heavy din, noise, technology, influences, and so much more which almost seem to override our lives and often threatens to drown out and blur who we really are and who we ought to be. Nevertheless on Rosh Hashanah we seek to hear the Shofar and its message and listen to something deeper that is beyond the din, activities, and whirlwind life that is out there and attempt at reconnecting with our inner being and true self (which is the true meaning of Teshuvah).
This din and noise of this past year has been tremendous, many major events have happened, there was a catastrophic earthquake, a major oil spill, a terrible economy, perhaps we all know people who have suffered from the economy, a flotilla to Gaza, there are midterm elections around the corner and the endless political chatter, there is a Mosque being built near Ground Zero and a wealth of other major events which have happened this past year which are a never ending flow of information, discussion and news and noise.
In our personal lives we have just completed another year of many achievements, some challenges, and days, weeks, and months of whirlwind activities, work, and responsibilities. Often, the days and weeks go by and seem blurred by the amount of obligations, technical needs, and overall responsibilities that we all carry to our families, friends, and community.
Along comes Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the year in the Jewish Calendar which is known as the Head and the Mind of the upcoming year. Rosh Hashanah is a day which has drawn all of us together and a day which we all consider to be sacred and special. What is it? What is the uniqueness that Rosh Hashanah offers and gives us?
A day to step out of life’s whirl
Rosh Hashanah offers us a treasure, Rosh Hashanah is a treasure in that it is a day when we allow ourselves to step back and assess our reality and our lives. The schools are closed, we aren’t working, we turn off our Blackberry’s, Ipad’s, Droid’s, Twitter, Facebook, and all the other vital human needs, and instead we focus on reconnecting with who we are, with our Jewish soul and self, with our inner aspirations and feelings, and we reconnect and recommit to our mission and responsibility as Jews, in our relationship with G-d, with ourselves, with our family, and with our community.
We all have aspirations and wishes of a better, more successful, more meaningful, and more fulfilling life, and Rosh Hashanah is the day to connect to those desires and change them from aspirations to realities.
· Rosh Hashanah is the day that we can reflect on how we can be a better person,
· Rosh Hashanah is the day that we can commit to one or two more steps in our relationship with G-d and with the Mitzvot that he has asked us to do,
· Rosh Hashanah is the day that we can reflect on what kind of spouse and parents we are,
· Rosh Hashanah is the day when we can think about what we do for our friends and community,
· Rosh Hashanah is the day when we can gain the strength to have a strong moral and spiritual footing to say yes and no when needed.
Life as we know it and all the good aspirations never happen by themselves, instead they require firm decisions and commitments, and lots of hard work. But a prerequisite for any change, for any growth, for any commitment, is an honest assessment and evaluation of who we are, and what will work on becoming a better Jew and in turn a better person.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev Story
There was once a fellow who lived in the times of the famous Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev whose father in law had given him a large sum of money for a business transaction which he had now lost. He was extremely upset and he was crying and screaming continuously. Someone advised him to go and speak to the Holy Tzadik the Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev who told him “If you look, I promise you that you will find it, but first you need to sit down and have a hot drink and a piece of cake”. The fellow sits down with his coffee and cake and in the middle of eating he jumps up and runs out the room, only to come back a short while later with the sack of money.
The young man asked Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev how did you know I would find it? It was by my Shtender, where I used to study?. The Berditchiver answered it wasn’t a miracle, rather when I saw you came to see me, I saw that not only had you lost your money but you had also lost your head. The first thing you needed to do was to compose yourself and get your head back and then I was sure you would remember were you had left the money.
Rosh Hashanah is just that, it is a time that we spend together relaxing and praying with our family and community, we do special things to focus on making the New Year a special and sweet year, and it is the day that we focus on finding our heads and souls and connecting with who we really are.
Moments of Focus Throughout the Year
We know that change takes work and a clear head. Studies have been done to find out when the most productive time for people is, when do people think best, when do they have their brainstorms. You know when one of the best moments for brainstorms and solutions are, in the showerJ.
Personally I find my best time of the week to be on Shabbat, when besides spending a lot more quality time with my wife and children, and also community, I also shut down my technology life, my mail, my banks, my bills, and my bills, and my bills, and instead I feel like I have an open mind and a mind that can think of who I am, how the past week was, how the next week should be, and how to constantly improve life and make it better for myself, family, and community. I also find that studying Torah allows me to step back from the whirl of life and whilst delving into something deeper and big, I also gain perspective on life, and the ability to truly focus on who I am and who I need to be.
Guarantee that it will work
So as I end off with the wish for a Shana Tova, I also encourage you to utilize the powerful tools and special moments, that Judaism has given us in helping us be who we are and become better people, through marking Shabbat, perhaps even for an hour or two, or by making a special meal with the family in honor of Shabbat, or with committing to spend some time or additional time studying Torah, Jewish Thought, or participating in a class. I can guarantee and vouch that by doing so we will find ourselves having more inner peace, it will help us in our goals at becoming better people and a more committed Jew, and we will make our own lives and the lives of our family and community infinitely better. By doing so we will not just have Rosh Hashanah to improve our lives but throughout the year we will have lots of special moments to reconnect with our inner self and recharge our soul battery.
By doing so we will exemplify the Jews in the story of Tzvi Hirsh who despite the tremendous pressures, dangers, and noise, did everything they could to hear the sound of the Shofar above the din of sledgehammers and axes and were able to grasp at who they were as Jews.
I end off with the commitment and pledge that we at Chabad are committed to being available to anyone who wants to avail themselves of our services, classes, Shabbat experiences, and personal growth, throughout the year.
With best wishes for a Shana Tova, and for being able to fully utilizing Rosh Hashanah to benefit our lives and the lives of our community.