Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sound the shofar!

OK, in a few minutes we will enter into the Day of Atonement. I will be shutting down the computer until tomorrow night. Israel has closed the border crossings with Jordan and Egypt, the country's airspace is closed to all flights, a closure is imposed on the West Bank. No mode of transportation moves. Nothing is open except the synagogues. It is silent, in expectation of our entering the "gates of repentance" and hopefully being inscribed and sealed in God's Book of Life for the new year.

At the closing prayer service tomorrow night, a blast of the shofar will be heard and will enter the soul of every Jew.

Dean, my dear grandson who lives in Australia, made his very own shofar at a neighborhood Chabad workshop for kids. It is very hard even for an adult to get any sound out of a ram's horn. But Dean has a great gift for blowing the shofar. Listen!

Shalom and gmar chatima tova!

14 comments:

  1. I must confess my ignorance concerning the amazing number of traditions you have there! What I learn from you! :-)

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  2. Dina, I think one day of silence is really edifying. Nice and interesting the video with your grandson sounding the shofar.
    With my classic Blogger template it's not possible to upload a video on the blog from the computer hard-disc: there is the option, but it doesn't work and sometimes the system crashes!

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  3. Aha! So Dean is as musically gifted as his mother.

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  4. How great to see this little guy blowing the shofar! It's touching when children take part in the religious rituals. I remember my children singing the songs about the bible stories.
    I hope that your Children are not affected by the dust storm. My daughter complains about a grey dust storm in Cooktown. They suffer from itching eyes and a dry mouth.

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  5. PEACE BE WITH YOU DINA.

    It is wonderful the way the hebrew religion announces itself in the streets of Jerusalem.
    Here in my canadian city it is different. There are so many religions existing in this city that no one relgion could be announced this way.

    Wow doesn't Dean do a wonderful job on the ram's horn on the familly level of bringing about the day of atonement.

    love light and shalom

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  6. Dean is darling! (He woke Boz out of a deep sleep.)

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  7. Wow - he did a great job with the shofar! I wonder what it would sound like if you joined him on your kazoo?!!
    : - )

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  8. It is wisdom to have silence to contemplate and repentence, before really going full blast into the New Year. Have a good Yom Kippur!

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  9. A blessed Yom Kippur, Dina. I will be supporting you in prayer.

    You should be proud of your grandson - it seems as thought he is keeping tradition alive.

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  10. It is the first time I've heard about the customs for this day. I like it. I think we can all use complete silence, utter solemnity and deep repentance and atonement.

    I do not know the proper greeting for this day so, peace, my dear Dina. God's blessings on you and all your loved ones.

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  11. I never realized (or rather never really gave any thought to that fact) that the whole of Israel was de facto paralyzed and closed to the world on that holiday. It does make sense, but I would have assumed that minimum service was in fact provided (by seculars or people belonging to another religion).

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