DAY 788: The Elul #ShofarChallenge – Calling Ourselves To Be Our Best Selves

August 27, 2014
By bethmordecai
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DAY 788: The Elul #ShofarChallenge – Calling Ourselves To Be Our Best Selves

Dear Hevreh,

Today is the second day of Rosh Hodesh Elul, the beginning of the month which proceeds the High Holidays and thus helps us prepare ourselves to make the High Holidays a meaningful experience. Each day of Elul, Jews are called upon to blow the shofar, our ancient instrument for inner change. By blowing the shofar each day we create an opportunity to hear what its piercing call is trying to tell us (or remind us) on how to be our best selves. Each day this month the shofar reminds to make every moment count.

As part of our collective preparation for the High Holiday season, we will use the power of the shofar to help remind ourselves what we need to do to make this upcoming year the best one of our lives. Perhaps there is that nagging feeling of frustration, or sickness, or anger that seems like it will never go away. Well, perhaps by blowing the shofar — not only with our lips but with our hearts as well — we can cultivate the love, understanding, and patience we need to flourish as human beings and as Jews.

So I call upon each of us to find a moment to take the #ShofarChallenge — to find a shofar (I’m happy to provide you with one!) and record yourself blowing it while offering the following intention:

In honor of the month of Elul, I call upon the sound of the shofar to remind me to…

and then fill in the blank with whatever you want/need to work on this High Holiday season.

After recording your blow of the shofar, upload it to YouTube (or send it to me) with the hashtag #ShofarChallenge so that we can make this virtual expression of our personal hopes a shared experience.

To start us off, you can hear my #ShofarChallenge by viewing the video below:

May the sound of the shofar enter our hearts and fill it with the strength we need to become our best selves.

Kol Tuv,

Rabbi Ari Saks

Photo taken from — http://www.piney.com/Shofar.html

Category : Holidays Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
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