Courtesy of Ilene Burak
Rosh Hashanah
Best wishes
for a happy,
healthy New Year.

May the New Year
keep us united,
give us hope and
bring us peace.

. Mon-Wed 10-6, Thurs-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-6, Sun 11-6
Ilene Burak has been a shofar blower at Mishkan Shalom for seven years.

bimah to help others fulfi ll the mitz-
vah meaningfully versus those who are
blowing shofar for the performance
and attention.

“It’s knowing why you’re doing it,
who you’re doing it for,” Cooper said.

“You understand the signifi cance, the
gravity, the mitzvah that you are help-
ing everyone in the kahal (community
council) to perform.”
Hearing the shofar, according to
Cooper, should drive people to com-
plete teshuvah, repentance; the vibra-
tions of the horn resonate deeply
throughout a space. Th e sound some-
times moves Cooper to tears.

Th e emotional resonance of the
instrument is shared by the shofar
blowers. Th e preparation for the phys-
ical act of blowing shofar helps give
way to an opportunity to be emotion-
ally present during the High Holiday
services, an opportunity to facilitate
communal and personal spiritual
refl ection.

“I pick something each year to focus
on,” Goldberg said. “And then when
I’m blowing the shofar, it’s as if I am
expelling my sins from the year and
taking in a new breath, taking in a new
spirit.” JE
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