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You Are the Sound of the Shofar
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This Rosh Hashanah ritual is crafted around the practice of sounding the shofar.  It invites you to create a safe space to express your longing for a child by allowing yourself to express sounds that are similar to the shofar blasts.  You may want to perform this ritual in a peaceful, quiet place where you are alone and free from distractions. 

One of the central rituals of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar. There are a number of different perspectives on why we blow the shofar. One idea is that the shofar comes to wake us up to become better people and be more cognizant of our actions.  The loud noise of the shofar can jolt us and propel us toward action.  

However there is another understanding of the meaning of the shofar blasts, which describes it as being a mother’s cry as she worries about and longs for her child.  The mother of Sisera is described in the Book of Judges as someone who is in distress since her son has not yet come home from war.  Sisera, an army general who is the enemy of the Jewish people, is already dead when the text discusses his mother.  However, she does not seem to know that yet.   The verse states:

(Judges 5:28)
And she wailed bitterly
Va’yitabev Em Sisera
 וַתְּיַבֵּ֛ב אֵ֥ם סִֽיסְרָ֖א

If the shofar blasts are meant to mimic the sobs of Sisera’s mother, then there is a deep and intrinsic connection between the sound of the shofar and of a parent longing for a child.  Though the mother of Sisera may have already birthed her child, he is gone and so her heart is longing.  A parent who has not yet met their child and is struggling to grow their family also has a heart that is longing.

There is powerful healing in using one’s voice and allowing oneself to wail.  By emulating the shofar, you can release some of the deep-seated pain you might be holding inside and that may feel constricting and overwhelming.  This ritual offers you the opportunity to release some of that pain though your voice. 

I invite you to find a place in your home where you can be completely alone.  You may choose to do this ritual when you are the only one home, or in a room where nobody can hear you.  You are looking to find a place where you can be alone in order to remove any feelings of inhibition and allow yourself to use your voice without reservation. 

Once you have found the perfect place, I invite you to take three deep breaths.  You can start expressing your voice with the shofar blast called the tekiah .  A tekiah is one long, continuous sound.  When you feel ready, use your voice and make one long continuous sound. You may find that what your body releases is a cry, or a scream, or a note from a song.  Whatever comes, welcomes it. 

When your tekiah is complete, I invite you to try the next shofar blast, the shevarim . The shevarim consists of the three consecutive blasts that are shorter than a tekiyah.  When you feel ready, take a breath and then allow these three sounds to come from inside of you. Allow any sound that comes and welcome their expression. 

When you feel ready, try working with the next shofar blast, the teruah .  The teruah is a series of 9 very short consecutive blasts. Allow these short but powerful sounds to emerge from within you.  Do not feel bound by the number nine, but simply allow yourself to go for as long as you need. 

The final blast is the tekiah gedolah .  The tekiah gedolah is a tekiah that is even more elongated. This sound is the final blast after a long series and encompasses all of the others within it.  Before you express this blast, take a deep breath and see if there are any particular moments from your fertility journey that are rising up.  Are there any feelings you have about your journey that you are not able to express through words? Perhaps you can express them through your shofar blast. When you feel ready, allow the tekiah gedolah to emerge from within you. 

After expressing these shofar blasts, you may want to do something nurturing for yourself and allow yourself to rest.  You may want to journal, listen to music, go for a walk in nature, or engage in any other activity that will allow you to process the ritual you just engaged in. 

When you hear the shofar blasts this year, think about the thoughts and feelings that arose for you.  They can serve as guides as you arise to greet the new year.
Booklet Section: Introduction
Source: Uprooted

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