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1500 (5787-01) 25 Elul 5786 (Sept.7, 2026) "The Price for Blowing the Shofar in Shul" “My dear husband, others in your situation travel to England, and some even as far as America, and they return with substantial sums. Yet for you, going from Meah She’arim to nearby Zichron Moshe is as though you were traveling to the end of the world!” Why this week? Rosh Hashanah falls in this Shabbat and Sunday
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The Price for Blowing the Shofar in Shul During the month of Elul [1], the deep blue skies of Jerusalem seemed to be drawing closer to the earth. In the early hours before dawn, the skies of Jerusalem were filled with clouds of morning dew, refreshing the city, softening its soil, and bringing relief and renewed vigor to its inhabitants after the oppressive heat and dryness of summer. Every day, at the break of dawn, the permeating melodies of the Sephardic Selichot (penitential prayers) being recited in Jerusalem's many synagogues could be heard. Frequently they were punctuated with the penetrating sounds of shofar blasts, awakening sleepers from their slumber and summoning them to return in repentance before the exalted and mighty King, in preparation for the approaching Day of Judgment. Most of Jerusalem families had already secured places for themselves in the synagogues of their neighborhoods. Some of the prayer leaders of the larger synagogues had even left their homes to rest and recuperate before the sacred service that awaited them. Among all the holy congregations who were busy preparing for the Days of Awe, the prayer leaders and shofar blowers stood out in particular. Each one was practicing the task assigned to him, as well as preparing himself to be worthy of the role. One of them was
Rabbi Shlomo-Chaim Stern, a veteran shofar blower whose family had held
the position in the main synagogue of the Hasidic community in the Me'ah She'arim
neighborhood since the day it was founded. A tenth generation of expert shofar
blowers who currently held the position he had inherited from his father, he
was a throwback to previous generations, when nearly everyone understood that
"the reward for a mitzvah is the mitzvah itself." his
true happiness came solely from having been granted by the Almighty the ability
and talents to bring merit to the public through his mitzvah fulfillment. Whenever someone would caution him to take better care of his health so that he would have the strength to blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, he would sigh deeply and respond: "Am I truly worthy of being counted among the public shofar blowers? I only do it because the congregation insists that I continue in my role. If so, surely the merit of the community will protect me, and 'Heaven will grant strength to the weary.'" As you probably surmised by now, Shlomo Chaim had never once considered asking for payment for his sacred service, much less accepting it, even though his financial situation was far from good. But then, in the month of Elul in the year 5668 [1908], Chaim Shlomo's wife learned that the administrator of the large synagogue established in the new neighborhood of Zichron Moshe were looking for a suitable shofar blower, and that they were offering to pay twenty pounds-a tremendous sum in those days. The thought of an unexpected addition of a substantial amount of money, especially during the holiday season when household expenses were so great, was irresistibly appealing to her. The growing children had been begging for a pair of shoes for two years already, food was meager, and so on. So she began urging her husband to accept the position. Shlomo Chaim pleaded with his wife: "What difference will these few pounds make? The Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) itself says that one does not see blessing in money earned in this way. And how could I leave the position I inherited from my father of blessed memory, who prayed and blew the shofar in our synagogue for thirty years? Will we not have to answer for that on the Day of Judgment for such a thing before the One Who dwells on High?" But his wife did not relent. "How can I face my family during the holidays? The children are growing up, and soon they will reach marriageable age, yet they do not even have a single respectable garment to wear when they go out. "My dear husband, look at what important and distinguished people do. They travel to England, and some go as far as America, and they return with substantial sums. Yet for you, going from Meah Shearim to nearby Zichron Moshe is as though you were traveling to the end of the world!" "I cannot pretend to be like the distinguished people you speak of," Shlomo Chaim replied. "I am not important, and in truth I am not even worthy of serving as a shofar blower even without payment. But rest assured that the Al-mighty will certainly help us as the new year approaches-- without England, without America, and even without Zichron Moshe." His wife however, refused to give up.. She enlisted the help of several respected Hasidim from her husband's shul (synagogue), and asked them to try to persuade him to follow her advice. At the same time, she secretly contacted the officials of Zichron Moshe that her husband, the well-known, experienced, and deeply religious shofar blower, would be willing to accept the position. Eventually, after the combined efforts of his wife and the congregants who had joined the campaign to pressure him, Shlomo Chaim softened his resistance. He agreed to take the job, even though he still did not want to. On the first day of Selichot week, Rabbi Shlomo set out for Zichron Moshe to lead the morning prayer and blow the shofar there, so that the payment he was due to receive for the Rosh Hashanah blasts would not be considered payment for work performed on the festival. However, as soon as he started, it immediately felt wrong. Praying somewhere other than his regular shul, together with the different liturgy used in that synagogue, unsettled him and threw him off balance. His daily routine, which he had accustomed himself to for many years, was completely disrupted; He was unable to focus properly; neither his heart nor his mind was into it. After the prayer service, he returned home troubled. If today was this difficult, he wondered to himself, what will happen on Rosh Hashanah? That night he tossed and turned for hours on his bed, unable to fall asleep. Finally he managed to doze off, but not for long. He saw his father in a dream, who then started speaking to him: "You inherited the shofar and the shofar blowing from me. Guard that inheritance carefully. Remember: according to Torah law, if the mouth of a shofar has been covered with gold, the gold constitutes a separation between the mouth and the shofar, and is therefore invalid for use for the mtzvah on Rosh Hashana." Before dawn, when Rabbi Shlomo Chaim washed his hands and rose from his bed, his mind was made up. His would remain in his own synagogue. He would not exchange his sacred responsibility for the twenty pounds from Zichron Moshe. As soon as he returned from the morning prayer, he asked his wife to cancel the arrangement at Zichron Moshe. This time, she did not argue. Seeing the day and night he had endured, she finally understood what her pressure had done to her righteous husband. "I see that this matter is affecting you deeply -- your heart and even your life," she confessed. "At first I thought it would be good for me and for the family. But now, who knows, what harm I might have caused, G-d forbid? "Do what you believe is right. I am confident that our Father in Heaven will inscribe and seal us for a good and blessed year, even without those twenty pounds." Still, Rabbi Shlomo Chaim was not entirely at peace with his decision. His wife's disappointment touched his heart, and he decided to consult the rabbi of Zichron Moshe, the renowned Rabbi Yitzchak-Tzvi Rivlin, of blessed memory. He hoped that the rabbi would understand his perspective better than the synagogue officials, and would guide him to understand what was best for him to do. He went quickly to the rabbi and told him all his doubts, what had happened to him during the previous two days, and finally, the dream. Then he asked to be released from his commitment. The rabbi was deeply moved by his sincerity and integrity. He nodded and spoke his thoughts. "I don't think this is really a question of Jewish law. If you are asking to be released, then know that you are indeed released, and you are free from this post, exactly as you requested. With God's help, the synagogue will find another shofar blower, although I doubt that he will be as skilled and as God-fearing as you." But if you are asking my opinion," the rabbi continued, "I would advise you to stay and blow the shofar here. What you saw in your dream it must have come from your thoughts during the day. The payment specified for the shofar blowing is totally permissible. First, the shofar is also blown on weekdays throughout the month of Elul. Second, the money is given as a gift. "Besides, can you really say that gold or the money has somehow been added to your shofar and created a physical separation between your mouth and the instrument?" Rabbi Shlomo Chaim was embarrassed by the rabbi's clear words. In a quiet voice, he apologized and said: "Heaven forbid that I would say that the halacha (Torah law) is that money itself creates a separation between his mouth and the shofar. "What I mean is that in my own mind only, this separation exists. I feel that I will not be able to concentrate properly on the necessary kavanot (intentions) that even a lowly Jew such as myself must have when blowing the shofar publicly. What am I supposed to do?" When the rabbi realized that despite his advice Rabbi Shlomo Chaim had firmly made up his mind to return to his Meah Searim shul, he did not try to argue with him any further. Instead, he simply wished him, "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year," and they parted in peace. Rabbi Shlomo Chaim left the rabbi's home relieved and in good spirits. He headed for his own synagogue to inform the officials that he had changed his mind. He would not give up his established position after all; he would blow the shofar for them just as he had for so many years already. On Rosh Hashanah that year, something remarkable happened. Rabbi Shlomo Chaim's shofar blowing was better than ever before. The seven verses recited before the blowing, beginning with "From the narrow place I called upon the Lord" and so forth, emerged with greater power than ever and stirred the hearts of everyone present. What's more, every shofar blast was clear, strong, and flawless. During the shofar blasts sounded during the repetition of the special Rosh Hashana Amidah (standing silent) prayer, a distinguished guest entered quietly. It was none other than the rabbi of Zichron Moshe, Rabbi Yitzchak Tzvi Rivlin, who had come specially to hear Rabbi Shlomo Chaim's shofar blowing. After the service, one of the synagogue officials approached the guest and asked: "Well, Rabbi, what did you think of the shofar blasts?" The rabbi replied: "What is so surprising about it? After all, this shofar blower had already defeated the Satan ('accusing angel') before Rosh Hashana!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Footnotes:
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Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.