Temple Institute Rabbi: ‘Jews Came From All Of Israel To Blow The Shofar On Shabbos’

Rabbi Yisroel Ariel, the leader of the Temple Institute, shared insights with Israel National News regarding the unique occurrence of blowing the shofar at the Temple Institute on Rosh Hashanah, which coincided with Shabbos.

Rabbi Ariel noted, “There was significant interest in participating in the observance of the shofar blowing on Shabbos. Families traveled from various parts of the country, including Tzfas, Bat Yam, Efrat, and Yerushalayim neighborhoods. Some even embarked on long journeys to join the shofar blowing ceremony at the Temple Institute.”

Halacha prohibits shofar blowing on Shabbos to prevent any Shabbos violations related to carrying the shofar to shul. However, Rabbi Ariel claimed that this restriction did not apply to the ceremony at the Temple Institute, which differed from the customary 100 shofar blasts heard in shuls worldwide on Sunday.

Rabbi Ariel shared, “Approximately a hundred individuals participated in the prayer, representing diverse backgrounds, including Sephardim, Ashkenazim, religious Zionists, and charedim. Distinguished scholars from the Mir Yeshiva were also in attendance, engaging in a discourse about the shofar blowing methods in Bavel and Yerushalayim. Ultimately, they sought to elevate the mitzvah, with members of the Mir Yeshiva following Rashi’s described order for shofar blowing. Surprisingly, rabbis from Mea Shearim, who typically do not partake in events with religious Zionists, also attended. Among the attendees was a young boy named Malachi, of Bar Mitzvah age, well-versed in all aspects of the shofar, who came with great enthusiasm, accompanied by his parents.”

Rabbi Ariel recounted the shofar blasts themselves, stating, “A session of the Beis Din was convened to ensure that the shofar blowing occurred during their meeting. During the shofar blowing, seven members of the Beis Din were present and explained the halachic aspects of the blasts to the audience before commencing the shofar sounding. According to halacha, the Beis Din establishes that this day is indeed Rosh Hashanah, and Hashem abides by the earthly court’s decision. Consequently, after the tribunal proclaimed ‘The new month is sanctified!’ three times, the entire assembly responded, ‘It is sanctified!’ and proceeded to blow the shofar themselves.”

The service took place in the ‘Chamber of Hewn Stone’ hall within the Temple Institute, with approximately 71 chairs available for seating. Rabbi Ariel remarked, “The rest of the participants stood. It was genuinely a historic event, marking the fourth occurrence of such an event. We initiated this practice in 2007, continued it in 2018, and decided to do it once again. In the past, our audience was limited, but this time, there was significant interest. I authored a book on this subject titled ‘Shofar and Lulav on Shabbos,’ a book that resonated so strongly that discussions were held in several localities on whether to revive these practices.”

Rabbi Ariel mentioned that a minyan also gathered near the institute, where they conducted their tefillos. “In the Jewish quarter, another minyan of Lithuanian Jews also renewed the mitzvah. Thus, two minyanim in the Jewish quarter observed shofar blowing on Shabbos.”

{Matzav.com Israel}