As everybody knows, we blow the shofar a lot on Rosh Hashanah. In fact, we blow no fewer than 100 sounds on each day of the two days.
Already the Gemara raised the question of why we blow so many shofar sounds. The Torah obligation can be fully satisfied with just the first set of 30 shofar sounds which we blow before musaf. Why, then, do we blow all the extra shofar sounds?
The Gemara gives a very mysterious answer to this question: כדי לערבב את השטן – “in order to confound the Satan.”
Numerous interpretations have been offered for this remark. Tosafot, a commentary on the page of the Gemara, explains that when the Satan hears the extra sounds, he fears that this is the shofar heralding the arrival of Mashiah, when he will meet his final downfall. He becomes so frightened that he does not have the ability to prosecute against us.
Later commentators ask a strong question about Tosafot’s explanation. Is Satan really worried that the extra shofar sounds mean that Mashiah is coming? We blew the same number of shofar sounds last year, and the year before, and the year before that, and for many, many years. All of a sudden now, this year, Satan thinks that the extra shofar sounds are the sounds of Mashiah? After hearing this number of sounds year after year after year, he’s still worried?!
The commentators give a very powerful answer. They explain that Satan knows something that we don’t.
Satan knows how great the Jewish People are. He knows that we are very capable of repenting and bringing Mashiah. He knows how close we are to our destiny. And so he is always afraid that we’ve gotten there. When he hears the shofar, he is worried that this might be the time of our final redemption. He believes in us more than we believe in ourselves.
On Rosh Hashanah, we all come together to crown Hashem as King over the world. We are chosen for this because we are His special, beloved nation. We are royalty. We are unique. We are His cherished people.
Rosh Hashanah is not only about our fear of judgment. It’s primarily about recognizing our royal stature, feeling privileged to be part of Hashem’s “royal family.” Sure, this privilege carries with is certain obligations and responsibilities. But it is still a great privilege, one for which we should feel especially grateful.
If we have doubts about whether we really our royalty, the Satan reminds us. His fear on Rosh Hashanah shows us just how much potential we have.
As we assemble this Rosh Hashanah to crown Hashem as King, let us recommit ourselves to abide by the standards expected of His “royal family,” and celebrate this unique, priceless privilege that we have been given.