Rabbi Yerachmiel Yisrael Yitzchak Danziger was the second Rebbe of Alexander, the son of Rabbi Yechiel, the elder Rebbe of Alexander. He was considered one of the greatest Polish Rebbes of his time, with thousands of followers. From a young age, he stood out for his talents and sharp intellect. At the age of five, he traveled with his father to Vurka. When the young Rebbe of Vurka saw the child walking in the courtyard of the Beit Midrash with a siddur in hand, he asked him, “Who taught you the order of the prayers, your father or your teacher?” The child replied, “Neither my father nor my teacher, but the siddur itself.” Rabbi Yerachmiel’s book, *Yismach Yisrael* on the Torah and festivals, is considered a foundational work in Chassidut, particularly in Alexander Chassidut. Rebbe Yerachmiel passed away on the 29th of Tevet, 5680 (1910).
Once, the shofar blower at the Beit Midrash of Rabbi Yerachmiel of Alexander approached the Rebbe and asked him to teach him the mystical intentions and secrets associated with the blowing of the shofar. However, the Rebbe refused. As Rosh Hashanah drew closer, the shofar blower returned and pleaded a second time. "I do not know these secrets and intentions myself," the Rebbe replied, "but I can tell you this: There are ten levels of righteousness among the tzaddikim. Regarding the highest level, we have no understanding, and as for the lowest level, I'll tell you a story:
"A landowner once saw Jews running through the streets and asked his advisor, 'What's happening? Are the Jews revolting against us?' 'No,' replied the advisor, 'Today is Yom Kippur for them, and they are rushing to the synagogues.' The landowner responded, 'But I am a Jew too!' He mounted his horse and rode to the synagogue. Upon entering, he climbed the platform and declared, 'God, I thank You for the past year and pray for the coming year. But I cannot stand this last bit of vitality of Judaism within me!' Then, the landowner returned home."
Rabbi Yerachmiel concluded the story and said, "Even for a Jew like that, you need to have the proper intention when blowing the shofar!"How does all of this connect to the shofar blasts of Rosh Hashanah? The three types of blasts—Tekiah, Shevarim, and Teruah—can be seen as representing a process of descent within the soul as it enters the body and undergoes the stages from the highest tzaddik to the lowest.
Every Jewish child begins as a completely righteous soul, certainly before his arrival into this world. However, as time passes and life's traumas accumulate, the simple straightness of the Tekiah begins to break. First, it shatters into three Shevarim (broken sounds), symbolizing the intermediary person – the person who is no longer identified with the tzaddik, yet not a rasha (wicked). Eventually, these break further into the nine shorter Teruah sounds., At this point, the intermediate person can no longer withstand the pressure and crumbles under the weight of reality, so much so that he begins to hate everything that reminds him of his Jewish essence."
This is the lesson the Rebbe taught the shofar blower and all of us: Instead of isolating oneself in an ivory tower of tzaddikim, we must listen closely to the broken sounds of the shofar. In doing so, the blowing of the shofar becomes an acknowledgment of our personality in all its parts—both the good and the flawed—and a declaration of solidarity and connection with every Jew, no matter their state.
