The Great Shofar

Today is the 87th yartzeit of Rav Kook Zt’l. I thought it would be appropriate to share some words of wisdom he shared in his drasha on Rosh Hashanah in Beis Knesses HaChurva in 1933.

Today is the 87th yartzeit of Rav Kook Zt’l. I thought it would be appropriate to share some words of wisdom he shared in his drasha on Rosh Hashanah in Beis Knesses HaChurva in 1933.

We find that the tefillah for the geula is accompanied with the tefillah of  תקע בשופר גדול לחרותינו or והיה ביום ההוא יתקע בשופר גדול. What is the idea behind the Shofar HaGadol? Why specifically do we daven for the blowing of a big shofar as opposed to a regular one?

Rav Kook explains that we can understand the shofar of Mashiach by understanding the main 3 halachos regarding the shofar of Rosh Hashanah:

1. The mitzvah to blow shofar is on the shofar of a ram.

2. If one does not have a rams horn, any other kosher animal horn is kosher.

3. A horn of an animal used for avoda zara or of a non-kosher animal is passul and you may not make a bracha on it, but if you use it, your obligation is fulfilled.

The function of the shofar of Mashiach is to awaken us and push us to do the ratzon Hashem thereby bringing the full geu…