                      Sound the Great Shofar
September 1992                                           Elul 5752

                      by Gary M. Cooperberg

       As I sound the shofar every morning during Elul at Machpelah in Hebron I am
acutely aware of the holiness which surrounds me.  The horn from the ram which our Father,
Abraham, sacrificed in place of his beloved son, Isaac, soon will sound the announcement of
the arrival of Mashiach.  Living in Hebron makes the expectancy of that imminent event very
real.  
       How ironic it is that the Jewish State rather than depending upon the promises of
our G-d to our Father, Abraham, by clearly taking all Jewish Land off of the negotiating table,
sends representatives all over the world to try to reject His gifts to us as a method to achieve
peace with implacable enemies! 
       We blow the Shofar every morning to arouse us out of our complacency.  Our day
has come at last!  Everything has been prepared for redemption if we will but wake up and
grasp the power given to us by the Creator of the Universe.  
       In the centuries of our Exile Jewish giants of monumental faith in G-d and Jewish
destiny would face a world in which they were at best a tolerated minority, and at worst an
object of ridicule, torture and annihilation, and yet cling steadfastly to the faith of their fathers. 
They knew that the fate of the world hung upon that faith and they would not let any challenge
take it from them-- they would rather perish in flames with their faith intact rather than live in
palaces bereft of this precious commodity.  When they sounded the Shofar during Elul and on
Rosh HaShannah, all who heard it would tremble in genuine awe of the great responsibility we
Jews shoulder for this world of ours.
       The Torah they kept intact for us is the blueprint for redemption.  They sacrificed
everything they had in order to keep it alive and to pass it on to us.  They believed in the
words and promises written in our holy books, yet they had nothing but their pure faith to
assure them.
       We, on the other hand, have far more to assure us of the fulfillment of Divine
Promises then did our forebears.  We are the generation which has seen many of those
promises already come to pass!  Can it be less than Divine intervention which caused a tiny,
helpless bedraggled and hated people to return to their ancient homeland and reestablish a
Jewish State there?  Is it conceivable that they would put together a Jewish army which would
be reckoned among the best in the world and which gives commands in Hebrew, as well as
issues sidurim and tanachim to every soldier?  Can we not see that every day of our continued
existence is only as a result of the fact that our G-d watches over us day and night here?
       The young men who learn here, at Yeshivat Kiryat Arba, recognize the awesome
privilege and responsibility they have to carry on the legacy of the Jewish people.  When they
hear the sound of the shofar, they know too well that it can also be a call to battle.  To have
your own country requires that you be prepared to defend it.  We, at Yeshivat Kiryat Arba,
are dedicated to keeping Israel strong, in Torah, in physical development of the Land, and in
defense.  We are grateful to have the opportunity to do so, and welcome your participation
and support.  We wish each and every one of you a very happy, healthy and successful New
Year.

