Rabbi Weinberg's Elul Thought for the Day

Friday August 21

Chodesh Tov! The sound of the shofar on this first day of Elul was piercing.  

The Gemara in Rosh Hashana 11b says: 

בתשרי עתידין ליגאל, אתיא שופר שופר, כתיב הכא תקעו בחדש שופר, וכתיב התם ביום ההוא יתקע בשופר גדול. 

In Tishrei the Jewish people will be redeemed. This is derived by means of a verbal analogy between one instance of the word shofar and another instance of the word shofar. It is written here “Sound a shofar at the New Moon” (Psalms 81:4), and it is written there “And it shall come to pass on that day, that a great shofar shall be blown” (Isaiah 27:13).

The Elul/Tishrei Shofar is intrinsically linked to the Shofar of Mashiach!  The shofar sound not only captures our tears and our prayers and the stories of our past, but also captures our hopes for the future.  Our future is a bright one filled with redemption for us and the world!  May Hashem answer all of our tefilot l’tovah. May Hashem accept all of our prayers and make them for the good, granting us a wonderful inspired month ahead that will springboard us into a safe and healthy new year of 5781 filled with mazal and bracha!  Shabbat Shalom.