On May 6, 2023, the world watched as King Charles III was formally crowned the King of England. It was a ceremony filled with grandeur, wealth, history and pageantry. At the time, many of us reflected on the imagery as a way to visualize what the coronation of Melech HaMashiach might one day look like; an event of even greater splendor and spiritual significance.
But now, as we stand just days before Rosh Hashanah, there is something else we can learn from that royal event; something timely and deeply meaningful.
One of the most striking features of King Charles’ coronation was the sounding of trumpets. They were not merely decorative or traditional. They served a specific, powerful purpose: to declare, to announce, and to proclaim the arrival and sovereignty of the King.
Rav Saadya Gaon famously offers ten reasons for the mitzvah of Tekias Shofar. The very first, as quoted by the Avudraham, is that Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary of creation, the day on which Hashem became the King of the world. And what do you do at a coronation? You sound the trumpets.
“Bachatzotzros v’kol shofar hariu lifnei HaMelech Hashem – With trumpets and the sound of the shofar, call out before the King, Hashem” (Tehillim 98:6). Rosh Hashanah is not just a Day of Judgment. It is the Day of Coronation. On this day, we don't merely observe Hashem as Sovereign; we actively proclaim it.
At times, people feel unsure how to emotionally respond during Tekias Shofar. Are we supposed to be solemn, afraid, inspired, hopeful?
The Vilna Gaon, in Sefer Kesser Rosh, provides an answer that might surprise us: "Tzarich l’hiyos b’rov simcha u’chedvah—One must feel great joy and happiness at the sound of the shofar.” Why? Because it's a coronation.
Just as the citizens of a country rejoice on the day they crown their king, so too we, Klal Yisrael, rejoice as we declare Hashem Melech HaOlam. The Gaon’s own student, Rav Chaim Volozhiner, recorded how his Rebbe was filled with joy during Tekias Shofar. The Gra experienced the Shofar not with anxiety, but with exaltation. We are not only subjects. We are children. And when we blow the Shofar, we affirm our bond with the King Who is also our compassionate Father.
So this year, as the Baal Tokeia lifts the Shofar to his lips, picture the royal scene in Westminster Abbey. Imagine the solemn majesty, the reverent silence, the thunder of trumpets, and then imagine something infinitely more powerful.
Not a human king. But Avinu Malkeinu. Our King. Our Father. And we are not distant spectators. We are loyal subjects, beloved children, and active participants in the coronation of the King of Kings.
