תִּקְע֣וּ בַחֹ֣דֶשׁ שׁוֹפָ֑ר בַּ֝כֵּ֗סֶה לְי֣וֹם חַגֵּֽנוּ׃
בלאָזט אַ שופֿר אום ראש-חודש, אין האַלב חודש צו אונדזער יום-טובֿ.
Zera Kodesh
3 "Blow the horn on the new moon" (Psalms 81:4) has the initials for the word Shabbat (שבת) because, behold, the horn (shofar) is a matter of freedom as is cited: "And you shall sound the shofar [in proclamation of the Jubilee]" (Leviticus 25:9); "and you shall call out freedom [for all (Hebrew) bondsmen], "Yovel" (Jubilee) [lit., "the shofar"] (Leviticus 25:10), for each individual. The shofar is blown to signify freedom because freedom is something without diminution because when a person is enslaved he is in a mode of shrinkage and cannot act and behave as he wishes; only as a free person is he "expanding" and the shofar when being blown instructs to do so from a place of constriction (mouthpiece) and the sound emerges in the place of expansion, and this teaches about freedom from all kinds of servitudes, and this is: "In distress I called (Psalms 118:5)"... (following words tillהכתוב unclear) that scripture establishes in regards to serving Him with the reading of the Shmah. For the service of Him whose name shall be praised is to be done in awe/fear and love. The fear/awe is like a constriction/self discipline and not like the experience of freedom for it was his will that a person should refrain from behaving like this. It is indeed not his wish to behave like this but he abrogates his preference because he is afraid, but when he is on the levels of love he experiences freedom and greatly benefits and celebrates in the performance of the commandments of Him, whose name shall be praised, and is very happy and joyous regarding them until he will do them for no reason or without coercion other than his wanting to do so. He would in his love for Him, who shall be praised, and His commandments do them - and then he will perform them from an aspect of freedom and expansion. And so, also, is the matter of Shabbos from the aspect of freedom and expansiveness for on a daily basis it contained creation that was generated by way of constriction which brought the revelation of creation. And on the holy Shabbos there was no creation for it (Shabbos) is characterized by “Ein Sof”(without limit, another name for G-d), may He be blessed. It is free of any type of constriction and because of that on the holy Shabbos there can be no creation on Shabbos as it is is from the aspect of freedom. Moreover, Shabbos does not have any kind of vessel/instrument/container and is even more expansive from the aspect of space in comparison to the shofar. The sound expands after exiting the shofar and demonstrates freedom and brings a huge influence of grace/mercy. This grace/mercy is characterized by being free of any kind of constriction and manifests only expansion and so it was explained that just as grace/mercy is called “benevolence” for it is a matter that is without measure, similarly, is medicine called restoration as it is coming from a world that is called “prepared” as the graces/mercies are in readiness there, without any limitation. The aspect of power/self discipline is from the view of constriction and so an ill person is called “austere/lacking” as it says in (מ"א meaning unclear, could be midrash aggadah) "Blow the horn on the new moon" (Psalms 81:4) and the book of Torah will be a(n umbilical) cord/line of the law and has the gemmatria of the initial letters of: “We beg You! With the strength of Your right hand’s greatness untie the bundled sins”. (Prayer Ana b’koach in the siddur) for with shofar and Shabbos is freedom guarded/preserved/guaranteed as discussed earlier and the mercies/graces overcome from the aspect of:”for great is His steadfast love toward us” (Psalms 117:2) and the citation:” the strength of Your right hand” which is grace/mercy and “untie the bundled sins” which is bound up in constriction in the aspect of power/strength. “Untie” means that even the attribute of power/strength will be sweetened and come to expansion and through this will be revealed the mode of “freedom” and the holy sh’china (immanent presence of G-d in this world) shall be elevated. She is the concluding letter Heh (5th letter of the aleph beis) of the Name (of G-d) that is spelled with a Yud, a Heh, a Vav and a Heh. It is further written (Amidah prayer in siddur for a blessing of a year of prosperity):”Bless us with…” this year. Year has the gemmatria of s’fira (attribute) This (“Zot”) is the Heh that was just defined as the sh’china and she is called “Zot”. And we pray regarding the holy sh’chinah that she should shower them with blessing which means this attribute that is called “Zot”. And all manner of crops should be abundant because of the influence, as already mentioned in the aspect of the “benevolence” of Your right hand and it’s many crops beyond the line of the law.
Zera Kodesh
Or it could be said: “Blow the horn on the new moon, on the full moon for our feast day” (Psalms 81:4). To understand why we say on Rosh haShanah 3 times: "Today is the birth of the world/existence". What is this matter regarding the 3 repetitions, only, that behold, it was the creation of the world. (So) it calls the “birth of Adam” that was created on Rosh haShanah; for the creation of the world started on 25 Elul (this was on Sunday, translator) and on Friday it was the New Year. And we see that the Human is divided/partitioned into 3x3 parts. For in the (A) brain are 3 forces as (a) at the start the issue falls upon his thought (and brain) to do a thing that his understanding allows him to do and afterwards (b) it occurs to him that there is another mind that would refrain from doing that thing because of some reason and following this he decides to (c) either do or refrain from executing this idea. Further we see that from the brain come 2 forces/strengths: 2 eyes to the right and the left (respectively) and also 2 ears and this teaches us that the strength of the intellect has two powers to be able to distinguish and similarly with the (B) heart which has 3 powers as has been mentioned upon his considering the matter with the understanding of the heart which has these 3 capabilities and so the branches that come from the heart are the 2 hands to the right and the left and the heart in between and also the lower organs that include the (C) liver which also has 3 strength/capabilities in the way it functions and brings forth the 2 thighs and the feet and all of these are compared to the issue of the 9 malchios (verses that have to do with kingship) 9 zichronos (verses that deal with recollections) 9 shofros (verses dealing with the shofar). Of each of these to reflect the 9 powers within the human being that are capable of crowning/declaring as a king Him, whose name be praised over all the organs, and all the worlds that are hinted at by this. And this is also the matter of the 3 fold sanctifications that are declared to increase His holiness in any way or shape or form and that say Kedusha 3 times. Says the holy Ari (R. Yitzchak Luria), may his memory be for a blessing, that in Tishrei creation was conceived in thought and in Nissan by deed. As was discussed earlier: this day is the birth of the world in the aspect of conception in thought and the intent is to introduce the idea of conception that will be covered up/hidden by the birth and revelation. This is the matter of (comparison to) the shofar in connection to which our wise men said re the verse: Sheol, a barren womb, Earth that cannot get enough water (Proverbs 30:16). Now in regards to the matter of the womb and so forth: just as the womb into which is inserted quietly and from which is removed with great fanfare and so on, so does the blower of the instrument insert the sound quietly into the shofar and the sound is unseen and unheard within the horn and only afterwards does the voice come out and is audible and what has been conceived quietly is revealed as if it had been given birth after conception. And so on Rosh haShana the birth/creation is in the aspect of might and the initial letters of the verse: you are eternally mighty, my Lord (second blessing in the amidah prayer) have the gemmatria אל"ד (this can mean: I will birth-translator). And when they say: “The earth is the LORD’s and all that it holds” (psalm 24:1) for the full account (each letter will be spelled as if it is a word of it’s own and then the sum of those letters will be computed) of the letters ארץ has the gemmatria תלד (this can mean: I will give birth-translator) as the birth is in Nissan. And therefore it says:”in Nissan they were redeemed and in Nissan and they will be redeemed in the future” (Talmud Bavli, Rosh haShana 11b) as the importance of the revelation and birth/creation that we wish for is the redemption, as it says:”Yet Zion travailed and at once bore her children” (Isaiah 66:8) And we say: “Today is the birth/creation of the world” (Mussaf prayer of Rosh haShanah) that conception and birth should be in mercy. As it says previously in regards to conception that the seed is brought forth from the intellect by way of the 5 ways/points of view/attributes as is mentioned in the verse: “Yours’ H’ is the greatness, the strength (the splendor, the triumph and the glory” 1, Chronicles, chapter 29:11) till the emanation of “foundation” by which the conception that we wish for is achieved in all extents of continuation only in grace/mercy and the gemmatria of the word “conception/creation” is 6 times (the angel) Michael (gemmatria 101) who stands for mercy/grace and so we say 3 times in regards to the birth/conception that we have discussed further up that the fetus is placed inside his mother 3 by 3, as has been said earlier that the human is made up of 3x3 forces/strengths and during pregnancy is not in expansion and through birth achieves expansion. And we want that this spreading of all these forces/strengths should be 3x3 in grace/mercy; to signify/indicate this we say 3 times:”Today is the birth/creation which is the gemmatria of 6 times Michael to signify the attribute of grace/mercy to achieve the increase of it in the “foundation” that include the attributes and through it the conception as cited further up that this is the reason that we say the 3 malchios and 3 zichronos and 3 shofros which are from the Torah, 3 from the prophets and 3 from the scriptures to symbolize the 3x3 (as already discussed) so that all should be an increase of the mercies and so we say after each iteration of the malchios, zichronos, shofros:”Today is the birth/creation as said before; and that (is the reason to say): “Blow the shofar” so the renewal will be in mercy and the book of Torah will be a(n umbilical) cord and has the gemmatria of the initial letters of: “We beg You! With the strength of Your right hand’s greatness untie the bundled sins”. (Prayer Ana b’koach in the siddur) for the sake of the mercy that is mentioned in:”Blow the horn at the new moon while it (the moon) is hidden on the day of our feast. (Psalms 81:4) the initial letters of which are Chessed (mercy) and strength and these attributes have the initial letters of the mode of “conception” which still has not revealed the substance of the child to be born and the “seeds” that are in the attribute of Chessed and Gevurah (mercy and strength/dominion) and therefore should be a continuation of chessed/mercy that shall manifest itself in the birth/creation as discussed previously.
Kedushat Levi
[The following lengthy paragraph has been omitted in several editions of the Kedushat Levi. I have included it as I am puzzled why some publishers should have taken it upon themselves to omit such an impressive proof of the author’s lofty moral concept of how a Jew can become the personality which reflects that he has thoroughly “digested” what the Torah considers him capable of. Ed.]
“Here I have placed before you this day blessing and curse.” It appears somewhat strange that two opposites such as blessing and curse should have been lumped together by Moses in a single verse, instead of being treated in separate paragraphs, as is the case when the Torah, on two separate occasions in Bechukotai and Ki Tavo, lists the results of obeying or disobeying G’d’s commandments.
In order to understand this let us first explain an important rule concerning the works performed by man, something designed to prevent us from becoming overbearing and taking undue credit when we do serve the Creator by performing the various commandments that He has given us for our benefit. If we were to do that, we would be only a few steps away from generating physical desires that may overwhelm us.
Not only must we not compliment ourselves for our service of the Lord as being a major accomplishment on our part, but on the contrary, we must consider such service as being minimal, and as a result of this we must become conscious of the immense spiritual gap between us and the Creator, so that we wind up with a broken heart when we consider our relative impotence when compared to Him. The more we serve Him, the more will we realize that we are still at the beginning of gaining an understanding of the immensity of a Being that has called into existence the entire universe and keeps in constant touch with all His creatures, being aware of what they do at any place and at any time. If we merely take time out to contemplate that ours is not the only planet that G’d has created but that are millions like it, how can we not feel our relative insignificance in the scheme of things that G’d has created?
We get a glimpse of the feelings generated by servants of Hashem in the celestial regions when we recite daily in our morning prayers that in spite of their knowing that they are beloved, pure and mighty, i.e. כלם אהובים כלם ברורים, כלם גבורים, nonetheless, in spite of their “standing at the heights of the universe,” ברום עולם, they relate to the Creator in awe and dread, i.e. באימה וביראה. If this applies to the leading angels, how much more does it apply to us mortal human beings. It appears from the version quoted in our prayers that these angels did not experience the feelings of their inadequacy until they were actively involved in performing acts of service for the Creator.
Immediately following these lines in the morning prayers, the highest category of angels, the seraphim, chayot and ofanim, are described as having intensified and reinforced their worship by proclaiming the holiness of G’d three times, i.e. קדושה. When we serve the Lord in the proper manner, our spiritual progress will assume the nature of a “chain reaction,” each act of service resulting in a better understanding of the Creator by His creature. Our author sees in the command to serve the Lord by blowing shofar on New Year’s day, (Psalms 81,4) an “invitation” to spiritually improve ourselves, the word שופר from the root שפר, personifying the concept of beautifying, i.e. improving oneself. The word תקיעה, based on the root תקע, meaning “firmly pitching (tent),” see Genesis 31,25 when used with the blowing of the ram’s horn, suggests that this service of the Lord be something firmly embedded in our personality, [not an occasional visit to the synagogue. Ed.] The fact that it is performed symbolically on New Year’s especially, points to the effect it has in renewing our commitment to Hashem. The very idea that we need periodically to “renew” this commitment, suggests that we are still at the “beginning” of our spiritual ascent. This is also reflected in the psalmist urging us (psalms 98,1) to “sing a new song for the Lord.” The נפלאות, wonders, which G’d worked that the psalmist describes in psalms 98, are that He deepens the perceptive powers of His servants, the ones who sing new songs in His praise.
It is worth recalling an explanation of the Baal Shem Tov on psalms 48,15 where David describes G’d’s leading us forever with the words: הוא ינהגנו על מות, “He will lead us beyond death.” The Baal Shem tov, uses a parable to explain that verse. A father, when teaching his son to walk, ensures that he does not start by running but by taking slow steps. In order to encourage his son to walk more and more assuredly, he gradually distances himself from the son, so that the latter needs to cover more distance before arriving in the embrace of his father. The fact that G’d, i.e. His essence, appears very distant to us encourages us to make greater efforts to solve this mystery by getting closer to Him through serving Him better. This in turn, creates the feeling within us that although we have not achieved our objective in unraveling all the mysteries surrounding G’d, we nonetheless no longer consider our efforts as inconsequential. Every day we feel as if we enter a new chapter in our service of the Lord.
“Here I have placed before you this day blessing and curse.” It appears somewhat strange that two opposites such as blessing and curse should have been lumped together by Moses in a single verse, instead of being treated in separate paragraphs, as is the case when the Torah, on two separate occasions in Bechukotai and Ki Tavo, lists the results of obeying or disobeying G’d’s commandments.
In order to understand this let us first explain an important rule concerning the works performed by man, something designed to prevent us from becoming overbearing and taking undue credit when we do serve the Creator by performing the various commandments that He has given us for our benefit. If we were to do that, we would be only a few steps away from generating physical desires that may overwhelm us.
Not only must we not compliment ourselves for our service of the Lord as being a major accomplishment on our part, but on the contrary, we must consider such service as being minimal, and as a result of this we must become conscious of the immense spiritual gap between us and the Creator, so that we wind up with a broken heart when we consider our relative impotence when compared to Him. The more we serve Him, the more will we realize that we are still at the beginning of gaining an understanding of the immensity of a Being that has called into existence the entire universe and keeps in constant touch with all His creatures, being aware of what they do at any place and at any time. If we merely take time out to contemplate that ours is not the only planet that G’d has created but that are millions like it, how can we not feel our relative insignificance in the scheme of things that G’d has created?
We get a glimpse of the feelings generated by servants of Hashem in the celestial regions when we recite daily in our morning prayers that in spite of their knowing that they are beloved, pure and mighty, i.e. כלם אהובים כלם ברורים, כלם גבורים, nonetheless, in spite of their “standing at the heights of the universe,” ברום עולם, they relate to the Creator in awe and dread, i.e. באימה וביראה. If this applies to the leading angels, how much more does it apply to us mortal human beings. It appears from the version quoted in our prayers that these angels did not experience the feelings of their inadequacy until they were actively involved in performing acts of service for the Creator.
Immediately following these lines in the morning prayers, the highest category of angels, the seraphim, chayot and ofanim, are described as having intensified and reinforced their worship by proclaiming the holiness of G’d three times, i.e. קדושה. When we serve the Lord in the proper manner, our spiritual progress will assume the nature of a “chain reaction,” each act of service resulting in a better understanding of the Creator by His creature. Our author sees in the command to serve the Lord by blowing shofar on New Year’s day, (Psalms 81,4) an “invitation” to spiritually improve ourselves, the word שופר from the root שפר, personifying the concept of beautifying, i.e. improving oneself. The word תקיעה, based on the root תקע, meaning “firmly pitching (tent),” see Genesis 31,25 when used with the blowing of the ram’s horn, suggests that this service of the Lord be something firmly embedded in our personality, [not an occasional visit to the synagogue. Ed.] The fact that it is performed symbolically on New Year’s especially, points to the effect it has in renewing our commitment to Hashem. The very idea that we need periodically to “renew” this commitment, suggests that we are still at the “beginning” of our spiritual ascent. This is also reflected in the psalmist urging us (psalms 98,1) to “sing a new song for the Lord.” The נפלאות, wonders, which G’d worked that the psalmist describes in psalms 98, are that He deepens the perceptive powers of His servants, the ones who sing new songs in His praise.
It is worth recalling an explanation of the Baal Shem Tov on psalms 48,15 where David describes G’d’s leading us forever with the words: הוא ינהגנו על מות, “He will lead us beyond death.” The Baal Shem tov, uses a parable to explain that verse. A father, when teaching his son to walk, ensures that he does not start by running but by taking slow steps. In order to encourage his son to walk more and more assuredly, he gradually distances himself from the son, so that the latter needs to cover more distance before arriving in the embrace of his father. The fact that G’d, i.e. His essence, appears very distant to us encourages us to make greater efforts to solve this mystery by getting closer to Him through serving Him better. This in turn, creates the feeling within us that although we have not achieved our objective in unraveling all the mysteries surrounding G’d, we nonetheless no longer consider our efforts as inconsequential. Every day we feel as if we enter a new chapter in our service of the Lord.