Kenny (Harrison’s dad, EW) played the Shofar horn, a family tradition in celebration of Rosh Hashanah, during the East Wing morning meeting.
Kenny: Back in the old day, when people had to call their friends, they didn’t have phones.
Chase: So they had to blow the horn?
Kenny: That’s right. And it’s really loud and you know why? Because if you were standing on one mountain and your friend was in another city and you needed to call them, you needed something really loud.
Kenny explained to the children that Rosh Hashanah is a high holiday in the Jewish faith and that it is the celebration of the Jewish New Year. He demonstrated the sound and the three different calls, or sounds, the horn plays: teki’ah, one long blast, shevarim, three broken sounds, and teru’ah, nine staccato notes.
When asked what the instrument was made from, Kenny told the children it was a horn from a ram.
Caitlin wondered, “How do you play it?”
Kenny: It’s more than just blowing. If I just blow it sounds like this: He demonstrates a soft rushing sound of air. But if I hold it and blow a special way, it sounds like this: And we hear a long, clear, loud horn blow.
Sharing with the children that the sound of the horn acts as a “wake up call,” I am reminded of our daily practice with the children of ringing a meditation bowl. The act of quiet listening to end our meetings together with our hands on our heart and stomach provides us with an opportunity to start our daily appointments in a connected and intentional way, similarly to how the Shofar horn’s sound is a New Year’s reminder that we can let go of what no longer serves us, make amends and repairs to relationships in our community, and move forward intentionally with renewed energy. -Teacher Jessica
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