Our Teshuvah Confuses Him
The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 16a) tells us that there are two sets of shofar blasts—דמעומד ותקיעות דמיושב תקיעות. This has the effect of confusing the Satan so he’s unable to prosecute us.
The sefarim ask regarding this, isn’t the purpose of the shofar to awaken us, as we have learned in the Rambam?! Why does the Gemara cite another reason? They explain that these two reasons are really the same. They work together. When a Yid is awakened to his core, and he attains brokenness, humility, and regret before Hashem—this itself confuses the Satan and prevents him from speaking ill of the Jewish People.
Cherishing Humility
In truth, Rashi on the above Gemara alludes to this point when he writes, “[It is] to confuse the Satan so he cannot indict. When he hears how the Jewish People cherish the mitzvos, he is silenced [an unable to speak badly of us].”
What does Rashi mean by “cherishing the mitzvah”? Is it expressed when a Yid owns thirty shofros, because he loves the mitzvah so much?! Does it mean that we’re extremely scrupulous with every single shofar blast—but we remain the very same people, not improving one iota?! Is this what Rashi means by cherishing the mitzvah of shofar?!
Surely, Rashi is referring to the underlying purpose of blowing shofar—the broken Yiddishe heart that is achieved through it!
Every Yid Loves Submitting to Hashem
A Yid stands at שופר תקיעת and he admits in his heart: Yes, I have strayed... I plead with You, Ribbono shel Olam, help me! I know that if I won’t change, it won’t be good for me. I want to leave behind the deeds of my past... I know that this isn’t right.
This humility and brokenness during שופר תקיעת bring forth great feelings of cherishment in a Yid. He loves experiencing these feelings, because this is part of the essence of a Yid. Every person connects to things that are part of his essence—just as a person who’s musically inclined loves to sing all the time. A Yid is naturally drawn to humbleness, and he truly enjoys that feeling of being broken before of Hashem.
This is what Rashi refers to when he says that the Satan is confused by our cherishment of mitzvos. Yidden enjoy doing mitzvos that humble them. And when the Satan within a Jewish heart is confused, the Satan of the entire creation is likewise confused and silenced—it’s the very same kelipah.
And it this feeling of brokenness and awakening that confuses the Satan. We blow one set, and then another, until we’re truly awakened to teshuvah and change... and this is what confuses the Satan and silences him.
The Satan’s Fear Is Justified
Once we understand this central and basic purpose of shofar, we will see that all the deeper and more esoteric reasons are really built out of this. It’s all one nekudah—the mitzvah of shofar must bring us back to the Ribbono shel Olam. Similar to other mitzvos, there’s the central and basic meaning of the mitzvah, and then there are deeper inyanim that are taught to us by the tzaddikim throughout the millennia.
An example of the way they’re all interconnected is in the Yerushalmi, which teaches us that the shofar blast scares the Satan, because he thinks that it is the blast of the great shofar of Mashiach. One may ask, hasn’t the Satan learned by now that this is something else?! Why is he alarmed every year anew?
But if we understand that the central purpose of the shofar is to arouse us to teshuvah, to break our hearts... we will understand that every moment of awakening and kirvas Elokim literally chokes the kelipah! It deprives it of its very life! Imagine what an entire shul filled with Yidden who experience such an awakening can do.... Of course the Satan thinks that the Final Redemption has arrived—for this is precisely what Mashiach’s times will be like: Jewish hearts will be constantly and permanently awakened to Hashem.
If we can only carry over this feeling of awakening to our lives, we will surely merit to hear גדול שופרeht of Mashiach with the השלימה גאולה speedily in our days.
