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Rabbi Hershel Schachter
Tekiat Shofar to Elevate
Tefillah to Ze’akah
ne might find it surpris- and supplicate to You in this House” regular, daily obligation of tefillah
ing that the tekiot blown (Melachim I 8:33). is converted into an obligation of
Oduring chazarat haShatz ze’akah during an eit tzarah. Indeed,
on Rosh Hashanah do not consti- Even when one finds himself at a the Ramban likens the blowing
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tute a hefsek (break) in the middle distant location, he should face the of the shofar during Mussaf to the
of the Amidah. Beit HaMikdash when praying. blowing of the chatzotzrot following
In this way, the tefillah gains each of the additional six blessings
Instead, it seems that these two acceptance, as Shlomo continued: added to the chazarat haShatz on
ְ
ָ
entities blend together as one. We ה ָּ ת ַ תָנ ר ׁ ֶ ש ֲ א ם ָ צ ְ ר ַ א ך ֶ ר ּ ֶ ד ךי ֶ ל ֵ א ּול ְ ל ַּ פ ְ ת ִ ה ְ ו a public fast. The shofar converts
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can better appreciate the intimate תינב ר ׁ ֶ ש ֲ א תִי ַּ ב ַ ה ְ ו ָּ ת ְ ר ַ ח ָּ ב ר ׁ ֶ ש ֲ א רי ִ ע ָ ה ם ָ תֹוב ֲ א ַ ל the tefillah of Rosh Hashanah into
ָ
connection between tekiat shofar ך ֶ מׁ ְ ש ִ ל, “And they shall pray to You ze’akah. This is the Gemara’s intent
and chazarat haShatz based on by way of their Land that You gave in describing tekiat shofar with the
an analysis of the efficacy and to their forefathers, and [by way of] phrase, י ִ מ ָ ּ ד םיִנ ְ פ ִ ב ְּ כ אּוה ןֹור ָּ כִז ְ ל ִ ּ ד ן ָ וי ֵּ כ.
acceptance of tefillah. the city that You have chosen, and
[by way of] the House that I built for The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah
The Gemara (Berachot 32b) Your Name” (8:48). 26b) which discusses which is
teaches, “From the time that the the optimal shape of the shofar, a
Beit HaMikdash was destroyed, Nevertheless, the Gemara continues, bent or a straight one, should be
the heavenly gates of prayer were “Even though the gates of tefillah understood similarly. The Gemara
locked.” The Gemara’s source is: םַּ ג have been locked, the gates of tears relates this question to the optimal
י ִ ת ָּ ל ִ פ ְּ ת ם ַ תׂ ָ ש ַ עֵּ ו ׁ ַ ש ֲ א ַ ו ק ַ עְז ֶ א י ִּ כ – “Though have not been locked.” If one prays posture that one should maintain
I would cry out and plead, He shut with such sincerity that he is brought when he prays on Rosh Hashanah
out my prayer” (Eicha 3:8). Based on to tears during his prayers, that because it is through the shofar that
this Gemara, we have the practice higher form of tefillah is answered, one beseeches G-d. According to
of omitting the phrase, ל ַּ ב ַ ק ְ ת ִּ ת even if the Beit HaMikdash is in one Tannaitic opinion, the more a
ןֹוה ְ תּוע ָ בּו ןֹוה ְ תֹול ְ צ – “May the prayers a state of churban. The Targum person “straightens his mind,” the
and supplications be accepted,” translates the phrase, הֶי ְ הִי ה ָ עּור ְּ ת םֹוי
from the kaddish after Shacharit ם ֶ כ ָ ל, as ןּוכְ ל י ִ הְי א ָ ב ְּ בַי םֹוי – “it shall be better. Thus, a straight shofar and
an erect posture are preferable. We
on Tisha B’Av, since our tefillot are a day of crying for you.” The shofar
not answered to the same extent blasts are described as sounds of follow the opinion that the more
as they would be if there was a Beit crying because tekiat shofar can one “bows his mind” the better.
Accordingly, a bent shofar and a
HaMikdash. elevate the tefillah to one offered
with tears, to a level of ׁשֵּי ֶ ׁש ה ָּ ל ִ פ ְּ ת bowed posture should be used to
This is because the Beit HaMikdash תֹוע ָ מ ְ ּ ד ּ ה ָּ מ ִ ע. This is what is gained by reflect an attitude of submission.
is not only the place for the offering blowing the shofar in conjunction
of korbanot; it is also the central with Malchuyot, Zichronot and Thus, tekiat shofar combines with
location for acceptance of tefillah. Shofarot, and that is why, according the tefillah, and together we offer a
The Beit HaMikdash is termed “Beit to Rashi, joining these two mitzvot ze’akah on the eit tzarah of the Yom
Tefillah” in the verse, ה ָּ ל ִ פ ְּ ת תי ֵּ ב י ִ תי ֵ ב י ִּ כ is a fulfillment of a mitzvah d’oraita. HaDin (Day of Judgement).
םי ִּ מ ַ ע ָ ה ל ָ כ ְ ל א ֵ ר ָּ קִי – “for My House Through this combination, the
will be called a House of Prayer for tefillah is elevated to a status of 1 Hilchot Ta’anit 1:1.
all the peoples” (Yeshayahu 56:7). ze’akah (cry). 2 Milchamot, Rosh Hashanah 11a in dapei
Indeed, when Shlomo HaMelech haRif.
offered his beautiful tefillah upon Similarly, the Rambam writes, in 3 Mishnah, Ta’anit 2:3-5.
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the dedication of the First Beit reference to a public fast during
HaMikdash, he made no mention of an eit tzarah (difficult time), that Rabbi Hershel Schachter is Rosh
the offering of korbanot, but instead it is a mitzvah d’oraita ַ עי ִ ר ָ ה ְ לּו קֹעְז ִ ל Yeshiva and Rosh Kollel at Rabbi Isaac
ָ
emphasized: תִי ַּ ב ַּ ב ךי ֶ ל ֵ א ּונְּנ ַ ח ְ ת ִ ה ְ ו ּול ְּ ל ַּ פ ְ ת ִ ה ְ ו תֹור ְ צֹוצ ֲ ח ַּ ב – “to cry and to sound Elchanan Theological Seminary of
הֶּז ַ ה, “And [Your people] shall pray the chatzotzrot (trumpets).” The Yeshiva University
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