The Shofar We Won’t Blow - High Holidays 5787 101

And you would be right.

The shofar is probably the most recognizable symbol of Rosh Hashanah. We blow it in shul, children make shofar projects in school, holiday cards are covered with pictures of shofars, and rabbis spend weeks reminding everyone: Whatever else you do, make sure you hear the shofar!

So here's some breaking news:

This year, on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, we will not blow the shofar.

Not once.

'Don't worry. We didn't lose it. The rabbi didn't forget to order one. And the shofar blower isn't taking the day off.

This year, the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, and when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, we do not blow the shofar.

Now that deserves an explanation.

The Torah commands us to hear the sound of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Biblically, that mitzvah applies even when Rosh Hashanah occurs on Shabbat. But our Sages were concerned that someone who didn't know how to blow the shofar might pick one up and carry it through a public domain to bring it to an expert for instruction. Carrying in a public domain is one of the activities prohibited on Shabbat.

So, to protect the sanctity of Shabbat, our Sages instituted that when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, the shofar is not sounded outside the Holy Temple.

Think about that for a moment.

One of the most important mitzvot of one of the most important days of the year—and we put the shofar down.

There is a powerful lesson here.

We often think that getting closer to G-d is about doing something. Pray. Give charity. Light Shabbat candles. Put on Tefillin. Help another person. Study Torah. Come to shul. Do another mitzvah.

And, of course, it is.

But sometimes our greatest connection to G-d comes not from what we do, but from what we choose not to do.

Normally the shofar cries out, “Hashem, we want to be close to You!”

This year, on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, our silence says the very same thing.

Chassidic teachings take this idea even deeper. The shofar isn't simply missing because of a technicality. The spiritual accomplishments that we normally achieve through blowing the shofar are accomplished this year through the holiness of Shabbat itself.

In other words, sometimes the loudest shofar is the one we don't blow.

And perhaps that is an especially important message for the world we live in today.

We live in a very noisy world.

Everyone has something to say. And thanks to our phones, we can say it instantly. Someone annoys us—we respond. Someone sends a message—we answer. Someone posts something—we give it a thumbs-up, thumbs-down, or immediately add our two cents. Someone says something about someone else—and before you know it, we've forwarded it to three WhatsApp groups.

Sometimes we need to blow the shofar.

And sometimes we need to know when not to.

Sometimes the greatest victory is the angry response we didn't send.

The piece of gossip we didn't repeat.

The argument we decided wasn't worth winning.

The grudge we finally stopped carrying.

The questionable opportunity we walked away from.

The extra few minutes we didn't spend staring at our phone, so that we could actually look at the person sitting across the table from us.

The Torah doesn't only teach us what to do. It also teaches us the holiness of restraint.

As we enter the Jewish year 5787, perhaps each of us should ask ourselves two questions.

What is the shofar I need to blow this year?

What mitzvah have I been meaning to begin? Whom can I help? What relationship needs repairing? Is there someone I need to call? Is there more time I can make for my family, for Torah, for prayer, for charity, for another Jew? What can I add to make myself, my family and my corner of the world a little better?

And then ask:

What is the shofar I must not blow?

What can I leave behind in 5786? What reaction can I hold back? What bad habit doesn't deserve to come with me into the new year? What negativity can I stop giving a voice to?

Sometimes changing our lives requires doing something new.

And sometimes it requires having the strength not to.

But before anyone gets too excited and says, “Great! Rabbi Kievman just told me I don't need to hear shofar this year,” hold on!

We absolutely will blow the shofar this Rosh Hashanah!

We don't blow it on Shabbat, the first day of Rosh Hashanah. But on Sunday, September 13, the second day of Rosh

Hashanah, we most certainly do.

So if the title of this article gave you an excuse to sleep late all weekend—nice try!

Come to shul. Hear the shofar. Bring your children. Bring your parents. Bring a friend. Even if you haven't been to synagogue in a long time. Even if you don't know the prayers. Even if your Hebrew isn't very good. Even if you don't consider yourself particularly religious.

The shofar doesn't use words either.

It is simply the cry of a Jewish soul reaching out to G-d.

And perhaps that is why it speaks so powerfully to every one of us.

This year, Rosh Hashanah 5787 begins Friday evening, September 11, 2026, and concludes Sunday night, September 13. The first day is Shabbat, and the shofar will therefore be sounded on Sunday.

I encourage you to attend your local Chabad or synagogue and experience Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and all the High Holidays to their fullest.

Of course, you are always welcome to join us at The Family Shul. This year, our High Holiday services will be held at the Auditorium of AWK-8 in West Aventura, with plenty of room for the entire Jewish community. Open seating is completely free of charge, so that no Jew should feel that cost or synagogue membership stands between them and the opportunity to come to shul. Upgraded reserved seating is also available.

We'll have inspiring services, a soul-stirring Chazan, a great children's program and Kiddush lunch. Whether you're with us every week or haven't stepped into a shul in years, it would be our honor to have you and your family join us.

Our community Rosh Hashanah dinners will take place at a nearby location and advance reservations are a must. The scrumptious meals will, of course, include apples dipped in honey, traditional round Challah, gefilte fish, Kugel, meats, all the delicious holiday foods—and if we’re lucky enough, my mother of blessed memory's most amazing Tzimes recipe!

This is also a good time to order your Lulav & Etrog set or reserve for any of our other holiday meals. We will be serving lunches and dinners throughout Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, as well as an Erev Yom Kippur meal and Yom Kippur break-fast. The Chabad Chayil Sukkah will also be open to the public throughout Sukkot.

For more information, reservations and the complete High Holiday schedule, visit: ChabadChayil.org/High-Holidaysor call: (305) 770-1919.

As we prepare to welcome 5787, I wish you and your family a Shana Tova Umetuka—a happy, healthy, good and sweet New Year.

May Hashem bless each and every one of us with a year filled with health, happiness, nachas, prosperity, peace and revealed blessings. May we have the wisdom to know which shofars in our lives need to be blown, and the strength to know which ones are better left silent.

And may this year be your best year ever!

About the Author:

Rabbi Kievman together with his wife are the ambassadors of The Rebbe to Highland Lakes, FL. They are the founders of Gan Chabad Preschool, your local CTeen & CKids chapters, CHAP - an afterschool program for Jewish children in Public Schools and direct Chabad Chayil. He’s the rabbi at The Family Shul and can be reached at: (305) 770-1919 or rabbi@ChabadChayil.org. You can also support the community with your partnership at: ChabadChayil.org/Partner.