Drive-by shofar makes Elul great

The mitzvah of hearing the shofar daily is integral to the month of Elul, which occurs from now until Rosh Hashanah. And it isn’t easy, not being able to go to shul whenever we want.

So, in partnership with Chabad House, the SA Jewish Report is planning drive-by initiatives that will enable the community to hear the shofar with ease.

“We want to make sure that every member of our community has the opportunity to hear the shofar this year,” says Sackstein. “We submitted various ideas to Professor Efraim Kramer, who has been overseeing our community’s health and safety protocols, and he has approved two of them.”

The first is the drive-in shofar, an initiative which has involved many of our shuls in designating at least one Sunday in the coming weeks on which the shofar is blown every half hour on the shul grounds.

“People can arrive in their own vehicle, wind down the window, and hear the shofar like a drive-in movie,” says Sackstein. “No one may leave their car, but they will be able to hear the shofar being blown from the safety of their own vehicle.”

The second planned initiative involves the sounding of the shofar at different locations in our community – from the back of a convertible motor car. Sackstein says a map of the community is being prepared, with various roads and locations identified as central locations at which to sound the shofar on Sunday mornings during the month of Elul.

Shuls have been asked to provide volunteers willing to assist, with Chabad also training 50 additional volunteers for the purpose. Over Yom Tov itself, these volunteers will venture to various locations within our community on foot to blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.

“The sounding of the shofar can’t be overstated,” says Rabbi David Masinter, the director of Chabad House in Johannesburg. “It’s a coronation ceremony and by blowing, we ask Hashem to be our king yet again. It’s a deep cry from the heart in which we commit to better our ways and come closer to Hashem. All the blessings for the year ahead come to us through the shofar.”

There has never been a more important time to hear the shofar than in 2020, says Masinter.

“It’s more crucial than ever. We’re calling for volunteers able to help our community fulfil this incredible mitzvah, and asking those who know someone who needs to hear the shofar blown to let us know. We want to reach every Jew in our community.”