The shofar is main symbol of Rosh Hashanah. Is it just a primitive trumpet? Or is there a much greater story to be told?

During the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, notice there are three distinct sounds:

Tekiah -- one long, straight blast

Shevarim -- three medium, wailing sounds

Teruah -- 9 quick blasts in short succession

Let's examine each of these shofar sounds, and see how they relate to the different themes of Rosh Hashanah.

THE TEKIAH SOUND

Rosh Hashanah is the day of appreciating who YAHUVEH is. We then internalize that understanding so that it becomes a living, practical part of our everyday reality. YAHUVEH is all-powerful. YAHUVEH is the Creator. YAHUVEH is the Sustainer. YAHUVEH is the Supervisor. In short, YAHUVEH is King of the Universe.

But for many of us, the idea of a "king" conjures up images of a greedy and power hungry despot who wants to subjugate the masses for his selfish aims.

In Jewish tradition, a king is first and foremost a servant of the people. His only concern is that the people live in happiness and harmony. His decrees and laws are only for the good of the people, not for himself. (see Maimonides, Laws of Kings 2:6)

The object of Rosh Hashanah is to crown YAHUVEH as our King. Tekiah -- the long, straight shofar blast -- is the sound of the King's coronation. In the Garden of Eden, Adam's first act was to proclaim YAHUVEH as King. And now, the shofar proclaims to ourselves and to the world: YAHUVEH is our King. We set our values straight and return to the reality of YAHUVEH as the One Who runs the world... guiding history, moving mountains, and caring for each and every human being individually and personally.

THE SHEVARIM SOUND

At the moment the shofar is blown, we cry out to YAHUVEH from the depths of our soul. This is the moment -- when our souls stand before the Almighty without any barriers -- that we can truly let go.

THE TERUAH SOUND

On Rosh Hashanah, we need to wake up and be honest and objective about our lives: Who we are, where we've been, and which direction we're headed. The Teruah sound -- 9 quick blasts in short succession -- resembles an alarm clock, arousing us from our spiritual slumber. The shofar brings clarity, alertness, and focus.