Of Sirens and Shofars

Sirens interrupt my work, each and every day. My new office is just a block from a fire station,
which insures a daily invasion of high decibel wails. They usually arrive at the worst possible
time, when I most engrossed in work. In short: I cant stand sirens. Today, the fire trucks arrived
just as I started to prepare for the high holidays; and the coincidental timing reminded me that
Rosh Hashanah has its own siren, the shofar. And while we may be fascinated by the dramatic
tones of a rams horn, in actuality we cant stand the siren call of the shofar as well.
Rosh Hashanah is meant to disturb us. The shofar, as Maimonides explains, is a loud alarm
meant to rattle people out of their spiritual slumber. The annual shofar call is to stop us from
getting lost in our daily routines, a yearly reminder that there is more to existence than merely
existing.
It is much easier just to pursue happiness; all you have to do is look for a comfortable, enjoyable
way of life. But the shofar crashes the party and pushes us in uncomfortable directions,
demanding that we reexamine our lives and priorities.
The Bible in the first Chapter of Kohelet says the more knowledge, the more grief; in other
words, ignorance is bliss. But if you can find happiness in ignorance, why do we pursue
knowledge? Because not everything in life is about bliss. There is a difference between pursuing
happiness and searching for meaning; and at times meaning may be the opposite of happiness.
In a 2013 article in the Journal of Positive Psychology, Roy F. Baumeister found that that
happiness without meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self-absorbed or even selfish
life, while the unhappy but meaningful life..(is)...seriously involved in difficult undertakings.The
shofar calls us to the uncomfortable task of searching for meaning by reexamining our lives and
our priorities.
Sadly, the siren sound of the shofar is getting tuned out. People once cared greatly about
finding meaning in their lives, but that perspective is rapidly disappearing. The American Council
on Education has been surveying incoming college freshman since 1966. In 1967, 82.9% of
freshman felt that developing a meaningful philosophy of life was essential; in 2015, only
46.5% felt that was an important objective. (In contrast, in 1967, 43.5% of freshman considered
it essential to be well off financially. By 2015, that number had gone up to 81.9%). These
surveys of college freshman are a reflection of what most of us believe; we would rather ignore
the call to meaning, and live comfortable, sweet, and easy lives. Why listen to the shofars call
when everything is going so well?
The loss of interest in meaning is a concern for the entire world, and a particular problem for
Judaism. If there is a Jewish brand, it is about challenging oneself and taking the road less
traveled. From the very beginning, Jews were looking for a meaningful life, no matter how
difficult it would be. Such is the story of the great leaders of the Bible; Abraham is jailed for
smashing idols, and Moses flees Egypt after saving the life of a slave. As the Talmud puts it, the
righteous have no rest, neither in this world nor in the world to come. The Jewish way is to

imagine that every decision matters, that each action we take can decide the fate of the
universe. This dogged pursuit of meaning is intense and passionate. It is also very much out of
step with the times when only 46.5% of incoming college freshman are interested in developing
a life filled with meaning; after all, the pursuit of happiness is simply happier.
As we sound the shofar in 2016, we have to wonder: is this sound too intense for a society
devoted to comfort?