Ceremony and Celebration Family Edition, The Hagim, Rosh HaShana, It Once Happened
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Once it happened in the days of Rav Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook, the chief rabbi of pre-State Israel, that a group of workers, under pressure to complete a building in one of the neighbourhoods of Jerusalem, worked on Rosh HaShana.
People living in the area sent word to Rav Kook, expecting him to order them immediately to stop. Instead, he sent a representative to blow shofar for the workers.
They stopped working to listen. Some began to cry. When the blowing was completed, they decided of their own accord not to continue working on the holy day. Some ran home, changed their clothes, and joined Rav Kook at his yeshiva for the rest of Rosh HaShana.
❖ Points to Ponder
- Why do you think Rav Kook chose to approach these workers in this way rather than ordering them to stop working?
- Why do you think the shofar had this impact on the workers?
- What Rosh HaShana lessons can we learn from this story?