I taught a well-known Gemara today and, as expected, was asked a well-known question. But I thought of a new answer this time.
The Gemara (Rosh Hashana 16a) asks why is it that on Rosh Hashana we blow the Shofar twice, once prior to Musaf and then once during the Amidah of Musaf, and answers that it is in order to confuse the Satan. Rashi explains that when the Satan sees that people love Mitzvoth so much that they are blowing the Shofar more than the Torah expects, he gives up on getting God to listen to the negative things he has to say. It is a bit puzzling according to this explanation why the Gemara says the Satan will be confused, rather than say he will be quieted.
Tosefos takes a different approach in the name of the Aruch an ancient Talmudic dictionary written in Rome. The Aruch quotes the Talmud Yerushalmi as explaining that when the Satan hears the Shofar blowing he fears that it is a sign that the End of Days is upon us and he knows that that will signal his demise, as there is no place for the Satan in Messianic times. That fear confuses and paralyzes him so that he cannot prosecute the people.
The popular question is that Shofar blowing has been happening for thousands of years and in all that time the Satan is still going strong, and Messianic times have not arrives. You would expect that by this point he would learn not to be afraid of the sound of the Shofar. Is he really that dense?
The very simple answer I want to suggest is that the Satan is a bigger believer in God and the coming of the Messiah than whoever asks this question. As much as we are taught the centrality of belief in the Messiah in Judaism and recite the Ani Maamin, that we believe he may come at any time, many of us don't really believe that. We look at the thousands of years that have elapsed and we live our lives assuming that he isn't coming any time soon.
But the Satan believes. He knows that the Messiah is coming. He knows it is no joke and that even if he is delayed he will be here. As such, even if thousands of years have passed this truth has never left the Satan. And even the sound of a Shofar blown by man reminds him of the truth of this inevitability when his time will come to an end.
The Gemara (Rosh Hashana 16a) asks why is it that on Rosh Hashana we blow the Shofar twice, once prior to Musaf and then once during the Amidah of Musaf, and answers that it is in order to confuse the Satan. Rashi explains that when the Satan sees that people love Mitzvoth so much that they are blowing the Shofar more than the Torah expects, he gives up on getting God to listen to the negative things he has to say. It is a bit puzzling according to this explanation why the Gemara says the Satan will be confused, rather than say he will be quieted.Tosefos takes a different approach in the name of the Aruch an ancient Talmudic dictionary written in Rome. The Aruch quotes the Talmud Yerushalmi as explaining that when the Satan hears the Shofar blowing he fears that it is a sign that the End of Days is upon us and he knows that that will signal his demise, as there is no place for the Satan in Messianic times. That fear confuses and paralyzes him so that he cannot prosecute the people.
The popular question is that Shofar blowing has been happening for thousands of years and in all that time the Satan is still going strong, and Messianic times have not arrives. You would expect that by this point he would learn not to be afraid of the sound of the Shofar. Is he really that dense?
The very simple answer I want to suggest is that the Satan is a bigger believer in God and the coming of the Messiah than whoever asks this question. As much as we are taught the centrality of belief in the Messiah in Judaism and recite the Ani Maamin, that we believe he may come at any time, many of us don't really believe that. We look at the thousands of years that have elapsed and we live our lives assuming that he isn't coming any time soon.
But the Satan believes. He knows that the Messiah is coming. He knows it is no joke and that even if he is delayed he will be here. As such, even if thousands of years have passed this truth has never left the Satan. And even the sound of a Shofar blown by man reminds him of the truth of this inevitability when his time will come to an end.
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