Throughout the month of Elul, every day except Shabbos, we blow a short series of shofar blasts in preparation for Rosh Hashanah. Yet, we are taught that on the day before Rosh Hashanah we do not blow the shofar. The traditional reason given is to establish a separation between the blowing of the shofar in the month of Elul, which is an enactment of the Rabbis, and the Torah mandated mitzvah to blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Yet, an additional reason is also cited: “in order to confuse the Satan.” This mysterious phrase begs further exploration.
The name Satan in Jewish tradition is associated with the primordial snake in the Garden of Eden, representing the evil inclination. Nothing confuses the Satan more than breaking free from the web of complacency and thoughtless routine. Blowing the shofar for an entire month — or in fact any spiritual act performed with regularity, let alone mundane actions — can also take on the dead weight of routine. Not blowing the shofar on the very day before Rosh Hashanah “confuses the Satan,” who thinks we have fallen once again into thoughtless routine. Observing a pregnant pause in our patterned action allows us to regroup our energies and gather our intentions for sounding the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. This teaching is critical for approaching the New Year with presence of mind and openness of heart.
It is interesting to note that before we blow the shofar for the first time on Rosh Hashanah we recite a series of six verses. The acronym formed by the first letter of each of these six verses spells out the phrase Kra Satan, “rip up [destroy] Satan.“ Here we see an additional allusion to “confusing the Satan,” who counts on people not fighting back against its inertial forces of negativity and defeat. Before we blow the shofar, we declare in no uncertain terms that it is our greatest desire to rid ourselves of any residue of the dark and debilitating energies associated with unadulterated ego and small mindedness. Then, through the empowering sound of the shofar, we break through the forces of negativity that hold us back from manifesting our full potential.
However, although we have just explored the Satan’s specific relationship to the blowing of the shofar, we still have not adequately addressed the question of the Satan’s connection to Rosh Hashanah in general. In order to more fully understand the role Satan plays on Rosh Hashanah, we will need to delve deeper.
Numerically, the Hebrew word for “Satan” equals 359. The word “nachash” (the primordial snake in the Garden of Eden) equals 358. Kabbalah teaches that in tabulating the numerical value of a word, the number one may be added to represent the word as a whole. Therefore “Satan” and “nachash,” both equaling 359, may be viewed as alternate names for the same negative energy. It is important to note that it was on Rosh Hashanah itself that the snake tempted Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden. Subsequently, Adam also ate from the tree, and as a result, both were exiled from Eden. The spiritual counterbalance to the primordial snake and Satan is of course the Mashiach, whose name also fittingly equals 358 (or 359 when adding an additional one for the word).
These primordial energies of good and evil, represented by the snake and the Mashiach, are matched up once again in the story of Jacob and Esau; particularly in the incident when Jacob wrestled with Esau’s angel, who, according to tradition, was none other than Satan himself.
Jacob’s very name alludes to this primordial battle between archetypal energies and inclinations, for he was born holding onto Esau’s heel. The word “heel” is first mentioned in the Torah after the snake convinced Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God “curses” the snake and concludes by describing the eternal battle between humanity and the snake (evil inclination): “He [man] will pound your head and you [the snake] will bite his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
The archetypal image of Satan biting at humanity’s heel comes to life in Jacob holding onto Esau’s heel, determined to prevent Esau from “biting his heel.” Jacob’s wrestling match on that auspicious night was indeed a fight to the eschatological end: Satan versus the Messianic spark within Jacob (each one of us), that spark of potential which had been waiting Jacob’s (our) entire life to be awakened.
An important clarification must be made at this point: in Judaism, Satan is not an evil force independent of God, competing with Him for the throne of glory. The role that Satan, the snake and the evil inclination all play throughout history is not one of their own making, but a role that God Himself has ordered them to play. God has decided that in order for human beings to have free will and truly fulfill their destiny of having been created in His image, there must be a force within the fabric of creation to seduce, tempt, and try them so that they can grow and evolve through trial and error. Thus, the battles between Jacob and Esau, and between the Mashiach and Satan, are struggles that God has set up to stimulate humanity’s spiritual ascent. Indeed, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh teaches that the numerical value of the two words “Jacob” (182) and “Satan” (359) equals, amazingly, “Israel” (541), the name Jacob received for winning the wrestling match! The dynamic tension, deep engagement and ultimate integration of these two energies actually allowed a new dimension of Jacob to be revealed, allowing him to become Israel.
On Rosh Hashanah, we also engage in a wrestling match with the negative forces in the world represented by Satan, as well as our own inner evil inclination, including all our fears and our unfulfilled potentials. On an even deeper level, Rosh Hashanah is an optimal time for us, just like Jacob, to wrestle with God as we try to understand all those existential questions that so desperately need answering. The sounds of the shofar are powerful and potent allies to help wake us up and defeat all our enemies, without and within, allowing us to break through in ways we may never have imagined.
