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Why do we blow the shofar in Elul? Should a woman make an effort to hear it?
In Brief
When and why do we blow the shofar in Elul?
Ashkenazic communities sound the shofar after shacharit (morning prayers) throughout the month of Elul. Sephardic communities often do so during or after selichot (penitential prayers).
Hearing the shofar blast in Elul is a custom, not an obligation. It is a spiritual wake-up call to instill awe of God in our hearts and encourage us to do teshuva (repent) in the month leading up to the Yamim Nora’im.
Are women included in this custom?
The reasons behind the custom clearly apply to women as well as men, and there is no specific exclusion for women. Most women, however, do not hear the shofar in Elul, since most women do not attend selichot or daily minyan.
Tzitz Eliezer explains that the custom applies to communities, not individuals. Therefore, if a person does not hear the shofar blast after shacharit or in another communal setting, there is no need to seek out an opportunity to make it up. Still, a person might choose to do so, and a woman should feel free to blow shofar for herself and others in Elul.
In Depth
Rav Ezra Bick, Ilana Elzufon, Shayna Goldberg, and Laurie Novick, eds.
The Origin of the Custom
The earliest mention of shofar blasts in the month of Elul is found in Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer:
פרקי דרבי אליעזר מו
ר’ יהושע בן קרחה אומר … ובראש חדש אלול אמר לו הקב”ה [=הקדוש ברוך הוא] (שמות כד, יב) “עֲלֵה אֵלַי הָהָרָה “והעבירו שופר במחנה, שהרי משה עלה להר שלא יטעו עוד אחר עכומ”ז [=עבודת כוכבים ומזלות] והקב”ה [=והקדוש ברוך הוא] נתעלה אותו היום באותו שופר, שנאמר (תהלים מז, ו) “עָלָה אֱלֹהִים בִּתְרוּעָה,” ועל כן התקינו חכמים שיהיו תוקעים בשופר בראש חדש אלול בכל שנה ושנה.
Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer 46
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karcha says: … On Rosh Chodesh Elul the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him [Moshe] “Ascend to Me to the mountain,” (Shemot 24:12) and they blasted the shofar in the camp, for Moshe had gone up to the mountain, so they would not stray after false gods anymore. And the Holy One, blessed be He, was exalted on that day with the blast of that shofar, as it says, “God has been exalted with the blast.” Therefore, the sages established that we blow the shofar on Rosh Chodesh Elul each and every year.
The midrash relates that when Moshe ascended Har Sinai on Rosh Chodesh Elul, the shofar was sounded in the Israelite camp to prevent the people from going astray.
Moshe spent forty days on the mountain, from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur, when God forgave the people for the sin of the Golden Calf and gave Moshe the second set of tablets.1
Why begin this journey of forgiveness with a shofar blast? The shofar heralds the revelation at Mount Sinai and giving of the Torah, reminding us of God’s presence and our covenant:
שמות יט:טז
וַיְהִי בַיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בִּהְיֹת הַבֹּקֶר וַיְהִי קֹלֹת וּבְרָקִים וְעָנָן כָּבֵד עַל הָהָר וְקֹל שֹׁפָר חָזָק מְאֹד וַיֶּחֱרַד כָּל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בַּמַּחֲנֶה.
Shemot 19:16
It was on the third day when morning came, there were thunder and lightning and a thick cloud on the mountain, and an exceedingly loud shofar blast, and all the people in the camp trembled.”
Moreover, as the verse quoted from Tehillim suggests, the shofar engenders a feeling of awe that we are meant to associate with God’s being “exalted.” Moshe ascends the mountain and the shofar signifies that God is on high.
Though the midrash refers specifically to Rosh Chodesh Elul, many congregations have the custom to blow shofar more often. Sefardic congregations typically blow shofar during or immediately after selichot, which they recite every night or early morning dring Elul. Ashkenazic congregations often follow Rema, and blow shofar every day following shacharit, some also adding blasts at ma’ariv:
הגהות הרמ”א אורח חיים תקפא
הגה: ומנהג בני אשכנז …מראש חודש ואילך מתחילין לתקוע אחר התפילה שחרית
Rema, Shulchan Aruch OC 581
The custom of the people of Ashkenaz is…from Rosh Chodesh and on we begin to blow (the shofar) after the shacharit prayer.
While Tur (below) refers to blowing the shofar in Elul as a rabbinic enactment, Shulchan Aruch does not even mention blowing the shofar in Elul,2 and the blowing is widely considered a custom, as we see in Rema.
Reasons for the Custom
Tur provides two explanations for the custom to blow shofar on Rosh Chodesh Elul and throughout the month:
טור אורח חיים הלכות ראש השנה סימן תקפא
התקינו חז”ל שיהו תוקעין בר”ח [=ראש חודש] אלול בכל שנה ושנה וכל החדש כדי להזהיר ישראל שיעשו תשובה שנאמר (עמוס ג’) אם יתקע שופר בעיר [ועם לא יחרדו] וגו’ וכדי לערבב השטן
Tur OC 581
The Sages enacted the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Chodesh Elul every year, and the entire month, to warn Israel to repent, as it says “If a shofar is blown in the city [will the people not quake?!], (Amos 3), and also to befuddle the Satan.
Let’s explore each of these explanations:3
I. Warning Israel to Repent
How does the shofar remind us to repent? Rav Yosef Karo explains that the verse in Amos that Tur quotes demonstrates the emotional power of the shofar blast:
בית יוסף אורח חיים תקפא
דמשמע שקול השופר גורם להחריד האדם מפחד ה’ ומהדר גאונו
Beit Yosef OC 581
It is understood that the blast of the shofar causes a person to quake from fear of God and from the glory of His might.
While Rambam does not mention the custom of blowing shofar in Elul, he too connects shofar blasts to a jolt that promotes teshuva:
רמב”ם הלכות תשובה ג: ד
אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁתְּקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה גְּזֵרַת הַכָּתוּב רֶמֶז יֵשׁ בּוֹ כְּלוֹמַר עוּרוּ יְשֵׁנִים מִשְּׁנַתְכֶם וְנִרְדָּמִים הָקִיצוּ מִתַּרְדֵּמַתְכֶם וְחַפְּשׂוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיכֶם וְחִזְרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה וְזִכְרוּ בּוֹרַאֲכֶם. אֵלּוּ הַשּׁוֹכְחִים אֶת הָאֱמֶת בְּהַבְלֵי הַזְּמַן וְשׁוֹגִים כָּל שְׁנָתָם בְּהֶבֶל וָרִיק אֲשֶׁר לֹא יוֹעִיל וְלֹא יַצִּיל, הַבִּיטוּ לְנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם וְהֵיטִיבוּ דַּרְכֵיכֶם וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם וְיַעֲזֹב כָּל אֶחָד מִכֶּם דַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לֹא טוֹבָה.
Rambam Hilchot Teshuva 3:4
Even though blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashana is a Torah decree, it also contains an allusion. Namely, “Wake up you sleepers from your slumber and the unconscious from your stupor and search your ways and return in repentance and remember your Creator!” These are the people who forget the truth in the transience of time and waste all their years in futility and emptiness which does not have purpose and will not save them, look at yourselves and improve your ways and your actions and each one of you should leave your evil ways and thoughts that are not good.”
Rambam likens the shofar of Rosh ha-shana to a blaring alarm reminding us that time is limited, and we must seize the moment to evaluate our actions and return to God. Notwithstanding Tur’s use of the word “warning,” the shofar’s call to teshuva in Elul may be more gentle in nature than the blasts of Rosh Ha-shana. Aruch Ha-shulchan explains teshuva over the month of Elul in romantic terms:
ערוך השולחן אורח חיים סימן תקפא:א
ועל כי השופר הציל את ישראל מהחטא וחדש אלול הוא חדש המעותד לתשובה שהוא החדש האחרון מהשנה וקודם ימי הדין וחכמי המוסר רמזו עליו מקרא דאני לדודי ודודי לי שהראשי תיבות אלול כלומר שעתה העת שיהיו כל מחשבותי לדודי וכשאעשה כן אז גם דודי לי שישגיח עלי לטובתי וגם השופר מסוגל לתשובה…ולפיכך נהגו כל ישראל לתקוע בשופר אחר התפלה כל החדש הזה
Aruch Ha-shulchan OC 581:1
Because the shofar saved Israel from sin and the month of Elul is a month intended for teshuva, for it is the last month of the year and before the Days of Judgment. The sages of musar hinted at this from the verse “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine” whose initial letters form the word “Elul,” which is to say that now is the time when all of my thoughts should be toward my Beloved, and when I do this, then my Beloved is also mine, for He watches over me for my benefit. Also, the shofar is capable of [eliciting] teshuva…Therefore all of Israel have adopted the practice of blowing the shofar after prayer for this entire month.
The opportunity to do teshuva is a Divine kindness that allows us to draw close in a loving relationship with God. The shofar in Elul is perhaps like ‘playing our song,’ to remind us of that love.4 Even though one should do teshuva after any sin, Elul is a particularly auspicious time of favor for teshuva, when Israel repented for the sin of the Golden Calf, and when God lovingly accepted their teshuva and renewed the intimate relationship with them.5
II. Confusing the Satan
Tur’s second explanation for shofar in Elul, confusing the Satan, is itself confusing. The phrase “kedei le’arbev et ha-Satan,” “in order to befuddle the Satan” – first appears in the Talmud (Rosh Ha-shana 16b) to explain why shofar is blown both before and during mussaf on Rosh Hashana. The Satan here usually is understood as a heavenly prosecutor, kategor, ready to recite the litany of Israel’s crimes as God sits in judgment. Rashi explains how blowing shofar affects him:
רש”י ראש השנה טז:
כדי לערבב[השטן]. שלא ישטין כשישמע ישראל מחבבין את המצות מסתתמין דבריו:
Rashi Rosh Ha-shana 16b
In order to befuddle [the Satan]. That he not prosecute [against the Jewish people] when he hears that Israel cherish the mitzvot, his words are stopped up:
When the Satan sees that Israel go beyond minimum halachic requirements and cherish the commandments, he is left dumbfounded, effectively dropping his case against us. Perhaps not just the extra blowing, but the teshuva it inspires is enough to confuse the Satan about his purpose.6
This idea might also explain the custom not to blow the shofar Erev Rosh Hashana. The pause differentiates between the voluntary blasts of Elul and the obligatory blasts of Rosh Hashana.7 At the same time, it may reflect that we are secure in our knowledge that our teshuva is well underway, and that has already confused the Satan.8
Missing Shofar in Elul
Since the shofar is typically blown after minyan or selichot in Elul, people who do not attend minyan or selichot—including the vast majority of women — often do not hear it. Is that a halachic problem?
Drawing on the explanations given for blowing shofar in Elul, Tzitz Eliezer argues that this custom is communal, and does not apply to individuals.
שו”ת ציץ אליעזר חלק יב סימן מח
שתקנת התקיעה היתה רק בציבור ולא ביחיד ומטעמא דכל דתיקנו מעין המאורע תיקנו, ותקנת התקיעה הרי היתה מפני שככה התנהגו בשעה שעלה משה להר בר”ח [=בראש חודש] אלול, ושמה כתוב מפורש שהעבירו שופר במחנה משה עלה להר, ובמחנה פירשו בציבור, ולא ביחיד, וגם לטעמא שהמשכת התקיעה בכל החדש הוא כדי להזהיר על התשובה … ג”כ [=גם כן] הרי למדים זה ממ”ש [=ממה שכתוב] אם יתקע שופר בעיר והעם לא יחרדו ובעיר הרי ג”כ [=גם כן] פירושו בציבור, ולא ביחיד. … ויתכן להסביר זאת גם בסברא שהתעוררות מקול שופר מקבלים רק כששומעים קול השופר בציבור, והתעוררות כזאת לא באה כשתוקעין ביחיד בינו לבין עצמו…
Responsa Tzitz Eliezer 12:48
For the enactment of blowing [shofar in Elul] was only communal and not for the individual, for the reason that every enactment was enacted in line with the event [it was based on]. The enactment of blowing was because that’s how they acted when Moshe went up to the mountain on Rosh Chodesh Elul, and there it is written explicitly that they sounded the shofar in the camp and Moshe went up to the mountain, and the camp means in a communal setting, and not in private. So too, for the reason that continuing for a month is to warn about teshuva… we also learn this from what is written “will a shofar be blown in the city and the nation not tremble?” ”In the city” also means in the community, and not in private…Perhaps one can also explain this logically, that we receive arousal [to teshuva] from the blast of the shofar only when we hear the shofar blast in a communal setting, but arousal of this sort does not occur when one blows in private.
The shofar may not have the same effect in private, and blowing was not enacted for a private setting. Therefore, a person who does not hear the shofar blown with the congregation does not need to try to find another way to hear it.
At the same time, Rav Yitzchak Weiss of Vrbove (1873-1942) teaches that he has a pious practice to hear the shofar all month, even when he prays without a minyan.
שו”ת שיח יצחק סימן רסד
וזה כמה שנים דרכי להדר לשמוע תקיעות מדי יום יום בחודש הרחמים, אף אם התפללנו ביחידות.
Responsa Siach Yitzchak 264
For some years now, my custom is to go beyond what is necessary to hear the blows avery single day in the month of mercy [Elul] , even if we prayed without a minyan.
In communal settings where there is no regular minyan, such as schools or seminaries, the shofar is often blown at some point when community members assemble – in class, during prayer (without a minyan), and even during public announcements.
Can a woman blow the shofar in Elul?
As this is a matter of communal custom and not personal obligation, there is no clear limitation on who can blow the shofar. If a woman wishes to blow for herself, she can, though, as Tzitz Eliezer suggests, the custom’s full meaning is in a group’s collective awakening to teshuva.
In a synagogue setting, this question depends on each particular community’s customs and sensitivities. Concerns about the general propriety of women taking public roles in the synagogue service could extend to a woman blowing shofar there in Elul. There might also be specific concerns about giving the false impression that a woman can blow the shofar on Rosh Ha-shana on behalf of the congregation. On the other hand, some communities might view having a woman blow shofar for the congregation in Elul as an opportunity to be more inclusive of women.
In communal settings outside the synagogue, there should be no constraint on a woman blowing shofar in Elul when it suits the community.
What can take the place of shofar for those who cannot hear it?
Women customarily make great efforts to hear shofar on Rosh Ha-shana, even though the mitzva is time-bound and women are exempt. In Elul, the shofar calls people to search their ways and do teshuva. This fully applies to women and men alike, yet here many women do not seek out opportunities to hear the shofar throughout Elul.
We have seen that shofar in Elul is a communal custom, and therefore there is no halachic issue with women missing it. Still, the message of the shofar remains an integral part of the work we are supposed to be doing throughout the month of Elul. A person who does not regularly attend minyan might consider making an effort at least once over the month to hear shofar with a group, in order to connect to this experience.
Someone who cannot hear shofar should remember that the shofar in Elul is not an end in itself, but a means to an end: performing teshuva. A useful analogy is when Rosh Ha-shana falls out on Shabbat. In that case, we do not blow shofar on Rosh Hashana, but we do make mention of the blasts and what they mean, and that has value.
Whether or not we hear the shofar, we can redouble our efforts to increase introspection, focus on prayer, and intensify acts of charity and lovingkindness in preparation for the Day of Judgment, doing our own part to confuse the Satan. Chayei Adam expresses this beautifully:
חיי אדם הלכות ראש השנה
… וחייב כל אדם על-כל-פנים להכין את עצמו ליום שיכנס למשפט לפני ה’ בראש השנה שלושים יום קודם, בתשובה ותפילה. ויתן כל ליבו רק בעבודת ה’. ונתנו רמז לזה – “א ני ל דודי ו דודי ל י” (שיר השירים ו’, ג’), ראשי תיבות אלו”ל. ולכן ירבה בכל החודש בתשובה ותפילה וצדקה ….
Chayei Adam, Laws of Rosh Ha-shana
In any event, each person is obligated to prepare themselves with teshuva and prayer for thirty days prior to the day they enter into judgment before God on Rosh Hashana. And they should give their entire heart only to the service of God. And they alluded to this [with the verse] Ani le-dodi ve-dodi li, I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine (Shir Hashirim 6:3) which is an acronym for Elul. Therefore, one should increase one’s teshuva, prayer and charity throughout the month.
ד”ר חנה קטן, ” כמה טוב כעת, וכמה טוב עוד יהיה,” בשבע כ”ו אלול תשע”ח
כל אישה צריכה אלול משלה… שהתשובה חיונית להתפתחות האישית שלנו כעובדי ה’, ושהיא יעילה ומקדמת, היא מכפרת, מטהרת, ומשחיזה את הנשמה האלוקית…יש תשובה של היחיד. ושל האומה. ושל העולם כולו. והעיקר הוא להרגיש ולדעת שבטוב העולם נידון. ושאנחנו מתקדמים, והגאולה אצה לה בדילוגי ענק ואנחנו נסחפים אחריה.
Dr Chana Katan, 'How Good it is Now and How Good it Still will be,' Ba-sheva, 26 Elul 5778
Every woman needs her own Elul…for teshuva is vital to our personal development as servants of God. It is effective and advances us, it atones and purifies, and it sharpens the Divine soul [within us]. The essence is to feel and to know that the world is judged in goodness and that we are advancing. Redemption rushes forward with giant steps, and we are swept up behind her…
Notes
תענית ל:
יום הכפורים – משום דאית ביה סליחה ומחילה, יום שניתנו בו לוחות האחרונות.
Ta'anit 30b
Yom Ha-kippurim– because it includes forgiveness and pardon, the day on which the second tablets were given.
3. A Scriptural hint to the practice is brought in Sefer Ha-minhagim, and cited in Darchei Moshe 581:
ספר המנהגים (טירנא) אלול, ימי הסליחות
מנהג כשר לתקוע מראש חדש אלול עד זכור ברית שהוא ערב ראש השנה, ואז מפסיקין מלתקוע וחוזרין ותוקעין בראש השנה זהו ל’ יום. וסמך לזה (תהלים פא, ד) תקעו בחדש שופר משמע חדש שלם שהוא ל’ יום….
Sefer Minhagim Elul, The Days of Selichot
It is a fitting custom to blow the shofar from Rosh Chodesh Elul until zechor berit [lit., remembering the covenant], which is the day before Rosh Ha-shana. And then we stop blowing, and blow again on Rosh Ha-shana, and this is thirty days. The hint to this is “Bllow the shofar for the month” (Tehillim 81, 4), understood as a full month, which is thirty days.
5. See also Chayyei Adam on these points:
חיי אדם הלכות שבת ומועדים קלח:א
באהבת הקב”ה את עמו ישראל, הרבה להיטיב אותנו, וציונו לשוב לפניו בכל עת שנחטא. ואף שהתשובה יפה בכל עת, מכל מקום חודש אלול הוא מובחר ומוכן יותר, שמקובל תשובתו משאר ימות השנה. לפי שימים אלו הם ימי רצון מעת נבחרנו לעם…
Chayyei Adam, Laws of Shabbat and Mo'adim 138:1
In His love for His nation Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, was exceedingly good to us and commanded us to repent before Him whenever we sin. Even though teshuva is fitting at any time, still the month of Elul is most optimal and propitious, for teshuva done then is more likely to be accepted than the rest of the year. For these days have been days of favor since the time we were chosen as a nation…
6. Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Likutei Sichot 24.
חיי אדם הלכות ראש השנה
כדי להפסיק בין תקיעות רשות לחובה.
Chayei Adam Hilchot Rosh Hashana
8. Others explain that we do not blow the shofar on erev Rosh Hashana so that the prosecutor will not know which day Rosh Hashana is (Sefer Ha-minhagim Turna).
Sources
To see these sources in context on Sefaria, click here!
The Origin of the Custom
פרקי דרבי אליעזר מו
ר’ יהושע בן קרחה אומר … ובראש חדש אלול אמר לו הקב”ה [=הקדוש ברוך הוא] (שמות כד, יב) “עֲלֵה אֵלַי הָהָרָה “והעבירו שופר במחנה, שהרי משה עלה להר שלא יטעו עוד אחר עכומ”ז [=עבודת כוכבים ומזלות] והקב”ה [=והקדוש ברוך הוא] נתעלה אותו היום באותו שופר, שנאמר (תהלים מז, ו) “עָלָה אֱלֹהִים בִּתְרוּעָה,” ועל כן התקינו חכמים שיהיו תוקעים בשופר בראש חדש אלול בכל שנה ושנה.
Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer 46
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karcha says: … On Rosh Chodesh Elul the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him [Moshe] “Ascend to Me to the mountain,” (Shemot 24:12) and they blasted the shofar in the camp, for Moshe had gone up to the mountain, so they would not stray after false gods anymore. And the Holy One, blessed be He, was exalted on that day with the blast of that shofar, as it says, “God has been exalted with the blast.” Therefore, the sages established that we blow the shofar on Rosh Chodesh Elul each and every year.
שמות יט:טז
וַיְהִי בַיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בִּהְיֹת הַבֹּקֶר וַיְהִי קֹלֹת וּבְרָקִים וְעָנָן כָּבֵד עַל הָהָר וְקֹל שֹׁפָר חָזָק מְאֹד וַיֶּחֱרַד כָּל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בַּמַּחֲנֶה.
Shemot 19:16
It was on the third day when morning came, there were thunder and lightning and a thick cloud on the mountain, and an exceedingly loud shofar blast, and all the people in the camp trembled.”
הגהות הרמ”א אורח חיים תקפא
הגה: ומנהג בני אשכנז …מראש חודש ואילך מתחילין לתקוע אחר התפילה שחרית
Rema, Shulchan Aruch OC 581
The custom of the people of Ashkenaz is…from Rosh Chodesh and on we begin to blow (the shofar) after the shacharit prayer.
Reasons for the Custom
טור אורח חיים הלכות ראש השנה סימן תקפא
התקינו חז”ל שיהו תוקעין בר”ח [=ראש חודש] אלול בכל שנה ושנה וכל החדש כדי להזהיר ישראל שיעשו תשובה שנאמר (עמוס ג’) אם יתקע שופר בעיר [ועם לא יחרדו] וגו’ וכדי לערבב השטן
Tur OC 581
The Sages enacted the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Chodesh Elul every year, and the entire month, to warn Israel to repent, as it says “If a shofar is blown in the city [will the people not quake?!], (Amos 3), and also to befuddle the Satan.
בית יוסף אורח חיים תקפא
דמשמע שקול השופר גורם להחריד האדם מפחד ה’ ומהדר גאונו
Beit Yosef OC 581
It is understood that the blast of the shofar causes a person to quake from fear of God and from the glory of His might.
רמב”ם הלכות תשובה ג: ד
אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁתְּקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה גְּזֵרַת הַכָּתוּב רֶמֶז יֵשׁ בּוֹ כְּלוֹמַר עוּרוּ יְשֵׁנִים מִשְּׁנַתְכֶם וְנִרְדָּמִים הָקִיצוּ מִתַּרְדֵּמַתְכֶם וְחַפְּשׂוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיכֶם וְחִזְרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה וְזִכְרוּ בּוֹרַאֲכֶם. אֵלּוּ הַשּׁוֹכְחִים אֶת הָאֱמֶת בְּהַבְלֵי הַזְּמַן וְשׁוֹגִים כָּל שְׁנָתָם בְּהֶבֶל וָרִיק אֲשֶׁר לֹא יוֹעִיל וְלֹא יַצִּיל, הַבִּיטוּ לְנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם וְהֵיטִיבוּ דַּרְכֵיכֶם וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם וְיַעֲזֹב כָּל אֶחָד מִכֶּם דַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לֹא טוֹבָה.
Rambam Hilchot Teshuva 3:4
Even though blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashana is a Torah decree, it also contains an allusion. Namely, “Wake up you sleepers from your slumber and the unconscious from your stupor and search your ways and return in repentance and remember your Creator!” These are the people who forget the truth in the transience of time and waste all their years in futility and emptiness which does not have purpose and will not save them, look at yourselves and improve your ways and your actions and each one of you should leave your evil ways and thoughts that are not good.”
ערוך השולחן אורח חיים סימן תקפא:א
ועל כי השופר הציל את ישראל מהחטא וחדש אלול הוא חדש המעותד לתשובה שהוא החדש האחרון מהשנה וקודם ימי הדין וחכמי המוסר רמזו עליו מקרא דאני לדודי ודודי לי שהראשי תיבות אלול כלומר שעתה העת שיהיו כל מחשבותי לדודי וכשאעשה כן אז גם דודי לי שישגיח עלי לטובתי וגם השופר מסוגל לתשובה…ולפיכך נהגו כל ישראל לתקוע בשופר אחר התפלה כל החדש הזה
Aruch Ha-shulchan OC 581:1
Because the shofar saved Israel from sin and the month of Elul is a month intended for teshuva, for it is the last month of the year and before the Days of Judgment. The sages of musar hinted at this from the verse “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine” whose initial letters form the word “Elul,” which is to say that now is the time when all of my thoughts should be toward my Beloved, and when I do this, then my Beloved is also mine, for He watches over me for my benefit. Also, the shofar is capable of [eliciting] teshuva…Therefore all of Israel have adopted the practice of blowing the shofar after prayer for this entire month.
רש”י ראש השנה טז:
כדי לערבב[השטן]. שלא ישטין כשישמע ישראל מחבבין את המצות מסתתמין דבריו:
Rashi Rosh Ha-shana 16b
In order to befuddle [the Satan]. That he not prosecute [against the Jewish people] when he hears that Israel cherish the mitzvot, his words are stopped up:
Missing Shofar in Elul
שו”ת ציץ אליעזר חלק יב סימן מח
שתקנת התקיעה היתה רק בציבור ולא ביחיד ומטעמא דכל דתיקנו מעין המאורע תיקנו, ותקנת התקיעה הרי היתה מפני שככה התנהגו בשעה שעלה משה להר בר”ח [=בראש חודש] אלול, ושמה כתוב מפורש שהעבירו שופר במחנה משה עלה להר, ובמחנה פירשו בציבור, ולא ביחיד, וגם לטעמא שהמשכת התקיעה בכל החדש הוא כדי להזהיר על התשובה … ג”כ [=גם כן] הרי למדים זה ממ”ש [=ממה שכתוב] אם יתקע שופר בעיר והעם לא יחרדו ובעיר הרי ג”כ [=גם כן] פירושו בציבור, ולא ביחיד. … ויתכן להסביר זאת גם בסברא שהתעוררות מקול שופר מקבלים רק כששומעים קול השופר בציבור, והתעוררות כזאת לא באה כשתוקעין ביחיד בינו לבין עצמו…
Responsa Tzitz Eliezer 12:48
For the enactment of blowing [shofar in Elul] was only communal and not for the individual, for the reason that every enactment was enacted in line with the event [it was based on]. The enactment of blowing was because that’s how they acted when Moshe went up to the mountain on Rosh Chodesh Elul, and there it is written explicitly that they sounded the shofar in the camp and Moshe went up to the mountain, and the camp means in a communal setting, and not in private. So too, for the reason that continuing for a month is to warn about teshuva… we also learn this from what is written “will a shofar be blown in the city and the nation not tremble?” ”In the city” also means in the community, and not in private…Perhaps one can also explain this logically, that we receive arousal [to teshuva] from the blast of the shofar only when we hear the shofar blast in a communal setting, but arousal of this sort does not occur when one blows in private.
שו”ת שיח יצחק סימן רסד
וזה כמה שנים דרכי להדר לשמוע תקיעות מדי יום יום בחודש הרחמים, אף אם התפללנו ביחידות.
Responsa Siach Yitzchak 264
For some years now, my custom is to go beyond what is necessary to hear the blows avery single day in the month of mercy [Elul] , even if we prayed without a minyan.
חיי אדם הלכות ראש השנה
… וחייב כל אדם על-כל-פנים להכין את עצמו ליום שיכנס למשפט לפני ה’ בראש השנה שלושים יום קודם, בתשובה ותפילה. ויתן כל ליבו רק בעבודת ה’. ונתנו רמז לזה – “א ני ל דודי ו דודי ל י” (שיר השירים ו’, ג’), ראשי תיבות אלו”ל. ולכן ירבה בכל החודש בתשובה ותפילה וצדקה ….
Chayei Adam, Laws of Rosh Ha-shana
In any event, each person is obligated to prepare themselves with teshuva and prayer for thirty days prior to the day they enter into judgment before God on Rosh Hashana. And they should give their entire heart only to the service of God. And they alluded to this [with the verse] Ani le-dodi ve-dodi li, I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine (Shir Hashirim 6:3) which is an acronym for Elul. Therefore, one should increase one’s teshuva, prayer and charity throughout the month.
ד”ר חנה קטן, ” כמה טוב כעת, וכמה טוב עוד יהיה,” בשבע כ”ו אלול תשע”ח
כל אישה צריכה אלול משלה… שהתשובה חיונית להתפתחות האישית שלנו כעובדי ה’, ושהיא יעילה ומקדמת, היא מכפרת, מטהרת, ומשחיזה את הנשמה האלוקית…יש תשובה של היחיד. ושל האומה. ושל העולם כולו. והעיקר הוא להרגיש ולדעת שבטוב העולם נידון. ושאנחנו מתקדמים, והגאולה אצה לה בדילוגי ענק ואנחנו נסחפים אחריה.
Dr Chana Katan, 'How Good it is Now and How Good it Still will be,' Ba-sheva, 26 Elul 5778
Every woman needs her own Elul…for teshuva is vital to our personal development as servants of God. It is effective and advances us, it atones and purifies, and it sharpens the Divine soul [within us]. The essence is to feel and to know that the world is judged in goodness and that we are advancing. Redemption rushes forward with giant steps, and we are swept up behind her…
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Hashkafic Q&A
What can take the place of shofar for those who cannot hear it?
Women customarily make great efforts to hear shofar on Rosh Ha-shana, even though the mitzva is time-bound and women are exempt. In Elul, the shofar calls people to search their ways and do teshuva. This fully applies to women and men alike, yet here many women do not seek out opportunities to hear the shofar throughout Elul.
We have seen that shofar in Elul is a communal custom, and therefore there is no halachic issue with women missing it. Still, the message of the shofar remains an integral part of the work we are supposed to be doing throughout the month of Elul. A person who does not regularly attend minyan might consider making an effort at least once over the month to hear shofar with a group, in order to connect to this experience.
Someone who cannot hear shofar should remember that the shofar in Elul is not an end in itself, but a means to an end: performing teshuva. A useful analogy is when Rosh Ha-shana falls out on Shabbat. In that case, we do not blow shofar on Rosh Hashana, but we do make mention of the blasts and what they mean, and that has value.
Whether or not we hear the shofar, we can redouble our efforts to increase introspection, focus on prayer, and intensify acts of charity and lovingkindness in preparation for the Day of Judgment, doing our own part to confuse the Satan. Chayei Adam expresses this beautifully:
חיי אדם הלכות ראש השנה
… וחייב כל אדם על-כל-פנים להכין את עצמו ליום שיכנס למשפט לפני ה’ בראש השנה שלושים יום קודם, בתשובה ותפילה. ויתן כל ליבו רק בעבודת ה’. ונתנו רמז לזה – “א ני ל דודי ו דודי ל י” (שיר השירים ו’, ג’), ראשי תיבות אלו”ל. ולכן ירבה בכל החודש בתשובה ותפילה וצדקה ….
Chayei Adam, Laws of Rosh Ha-shana
In any event, each person is obligated to prepare themselves with teshuva and prayer for thirty days prior to the day they enter into judgment before God on Rosh Hashana. And they should give their entire heart only to the service of God. And they alluded to this [with the verse] Ani le-dodi ve-dodi li, I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine (Shir Hashirim 6:3) which is an acronym for Elul. Therefore, one should increase one’s teshuva, prayer and charity throughout the month.
ד”ר חנה קטן, ” כמה טוב כעת, וכמה טוב עוד יהיה,” בשבע כ”ו אלול תשע”ח
כל אישה צריכה אלול משלה… שהתשובה חיונית להתפתחות האישית שלנו כעובדי ה’, ושהיא יעילה ומקדמת, היא מכפרת, מטהרת, ומשחיזה את הנשמה האלוקית…יש תשובה של היחיד. ושל האומה. ושל העולם כולו. והעיקר הוא להרגיש ולדעת שבטוב העולם נידון. ושאנחנו מתקדמים, והגאולה אצה לה בדילוגי ענק ואנחנו נסחפים אחריה.
Dr Chana Katan, 'How Good it is Now and How Good it Still will be,' Ba-sheva, 26 Elul 5778
Every woman needs her own Elul…for teshuva is vital to our personal development as servants of God. It is effective and advances us, it atones and purifies, and it sharpens the Divine soul [within us]. The essence is to feel and to know that the world is judged in goodness and that we are advancing. Redemption rushes forward with giant steps, and we are swept up behind her…
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