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Rosh Hashanah 2 On a Rosh Hashanah which fell on Shabbos - R' Levi Yitzchak of Berditchiv rose and said: "Lord of the Universe, today You judge each person for the coming year, and grant him life or condemn him to death. But, on this Rosh Hashanah You are forced by Your own Torah to grant a good and healthy life to all Your people in coming year. After all, on Shabbos You have decreed in Your Holy Torah that it is prohibited to write. How then can You fulfil 'On Rosh Hashanah it is written down'? There is no way for You to inscribe anyone in the Book of Death, because writing is forbidden. On the other hand, You may certainly inscribe us all in the Book of Life, because when there is pikuach nefesh (danger to life) the prohibition on writing does not apply." Rabbanu Sadia Gaon lists ten points of which we are reminded when the Shofar is blown: 1. This is the first day of creation, when Hashem became King over the world. We blow before Him as we would for any newly installed King. 2. Rosh Hashanah is the first of the Asseres Y'mei Teshuvah - Ten Days of Repentance. We therefore blow to remind us of this period of grace and amnesty before Him. In this way we are reminded to undertake the process of return to Hashem. 3. To remind us of Har Sinai when a great Shofar was heard. So that we too can undertake to fulfil the Torah and Mitzvos as our forefathers did. 4. To remind us of the words of the Nevi'im - the prophets - whose voices call us to repentance 5. So that we recall the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash which was destroyed with a trumpet blast from the enemy. In this way we are reminded to pray for its return to Jewish sovereignty and complete rebuilding. 6. By blowing the horn of a ram we are reminded of the sacrifice of Yitzchak and his father Avrohom. So too, we must make ourselves ready to sacrifice ourselves for Hashem's sake. 7. The natural response to the sound of the Shofar is one of fear and concern. On this day Hashem desires that we should be standing before Him as before a King. The Shofar is blown to put some fear and concern into us. 8. On the great Day of Judgement a Shofar will be sounded 9. When the Jewish people are gathered together by Hashem from all over the world to our Land, the great Shofar will blow. 10. With the blowing of the Shofar we reaffirm our belief in Techias HaMeisim the revival of the Dead for then too the Shofar will be blown. This year the first day is a "zichron Teruah" - a remembrance of blowing rather than a "Yom Teruah" - a day of blowing. Shabbos is a sufficient reminder of all the above. It is therefore not necessary to blow.