The Sounds of Silence

On the day before Rosh HaShanah our tradition instructs us not to sound the shofar.
Instead we listen to the silence.

When Rosh HaShanah falls on Shabbat we do not sound the shofar.
Instead we listen to the silence.

Maybe our tradition is teaching us to pay attention to the silence, to listen to the silence, and to honor the silence.

The silence of a friend who lost a loved one
The silence of a student who doesn’t have a friend
The silence of deep mysterious space
The silence of a student who is afraid to ask a question
The silence of someone is embarrassed to ask for help
The silence of the poor
The silence of peace
The silence in the house when a baby is sleeping
The silence at a play just before something dramatic happens
The silence when the television goes off
The silence when the cell phone battery dies
The silence between two people who are very comfortable with each other
The silence at dawn
The silence in between the shofar notes
The silence of repentance
The silence of compassion
The silence after apologizing
The silence after accepting an apology

Rosh HaShanah is almost here, so we must be silent a while longer, to appreciate the silence and what it means to end it.

Shanah Tova U’metukah!

Rabbi Seltzer

(I want to thank the members of Cardin’s Reform and Conservative minyanim for helping me to make this list)