Re'eh
When I Blew Shofar at a Rest Area
Dear Friend,
Several years ago I was traveling with my family from Indiana to New York to celebrate my sister’s wedding. We left the house before dawn, and a few hours into the trip we stopped at a rest area in middle of Pennsylvania for morning prayers and breakfast.
Since it was the month of Elul, after I concluded my prayers, I took out my shofar and blew the customary notes, as is traditionally done during the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah. (No doubt it attracted some stares, but as a religious Jew, I’m used to standing out.)
It was a very picturesque moment; standing there—while still wearing tallit and tefillin—with a background of trees and an open plain, blowing the shofar for my family.
It reminded me of the theme of this month, as taught by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, that the King is in the field. G‑d is out in the open and accessible to us all, more so than at any other point of the year. He leaves the confines of His palace and greets everyone with a smile.
The sound of the shofar is the awakening call for us to come out of our own hibernation and go meet the King. He will be there regardless, so let’s take advantage of the moment.
Eliezer Zalmanov,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
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