To be broken the right way

 

After we finish blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashana we say a posuk from Tehillim “Ashrei Haam Yodei Teruah – Fortunate is the nation who knows the Teruah.” The Meforshim ask: shouldn’t it have said “the nation that blows the Teruah? What does it mean to know the Teruah?

 

The Shem Mishmuel explains that the broken-up teruah sound represents a person feeling broken from Teshuva.

 

There are two ways to feel broken. One is the feeling that all is lost and that there is no hope. This will just lead to paralysis and despair and will not bring real Teshuva. A jew knows that being broken from our past aveiros (transgression) means to on the one hand feel regret and pain but at the same time have hope and to be confident that Hashem will for sure forgive us and take us back. 

 

This is what it means to be a Yodei Terua – to know the Teruah. The Yidden have mastered the art of the Teruah. We are a nation that knows how to experience these days of Elul, Rosh Hashana, and Yom Kippur with a deep appreciation for the gift of Teshuva, returning to Hashem with love and yearning in a positive and upbeat way.

Back Back