BS”D

The cavernous room falls silent
Shining eyes gaze
The moment we’ve been building up to
The dam within the soul is ready to be unleashed

He lifts the twisted horn to his lips
The look reminiscent of another hoary age
His eyes shut, summoning an otherworldly strength
For, “He who blows, blows from within”
Let the revival of the universe now begin

A shrill wail begins to rise; its intensity builds, deepens
A tremor ripples in the hearts of the congregation
“Wake up, Yidden!” it calls, “Lost children, where have you been?”
It beseeches in a call to action

“Return to your essence, your root and Source as before”
Lift your voices as well, hear your soul as it implores
“Straying children, how long before you realize how close you can be
To the single Truth, to eternity?
How long until you recognize your King?”

The cry persists, sinking in slowly deeper
Until there is no one, nothing else
The soul is divested of its barriers and masks
Naked and awed before the Master of the Universe

Time is suspended, the moment is cosmic
“For past, present and future are all one before Him”
The dance of creation becomes static in a balance
Its existence is judged, what life-force it shall receive
Discerned and considered as a flock passing before its shepherd

The shofar’s cry for mercy stimulates compassion on High
Echoing, rebounding, from below to above
Drawing down life from above to below
Together, we are partners in sustaining Creation

The shofar coronates G-d in His sublime majesty
But without the people’s submission, a “king” is not
You are endowed with a choice, it is in your hands
Will you join the King’s most cherished service?
You now stand before the throne

Elevate the world with His will and wisdom
Open its eyes to its Divine task and Conductor
A person cannot evade his duty forever
“Man is a small world” – the power of one with impact immeasurable

“Upon the mountain…the voice of the shofar grew increasingly stronger”
Where our allegiance to G-d as a people began
Through each generation passing, every year grinding on
The timeless shofar raises its voice once more
“Dear children and servants, can you hear Me?

“Come home – ad mosai!? – to where you belong
Hold your light high, in the night, to shine”
We respond, “Please open the door to our broken heart’s prayer
Bring us home speedily, with the ultimate light of Redemption”

All this charged emotion, all these wondrous thoughts
Are concealed, buried deep in a wordless, piercing cry
Anything but silent, stormy as a tempest
Yet for a yearning soul, humbled heart and receptive mind
The shofar’s message is beyond words