Rosh Hashanah Sermon: Hear the Cry, Act with Empathy

Each year we listen to the sound of the shofar.  The rabbis teach in the Talmud that the shofar's sound is to remind us of the sound of crying.  Whose crying?  The crying of the mother of Sisera who waits for her son's return.  Although Sisera was not Jewish, the rabbis teach that the shofar's shrill sound is to awaken us to the feeling of empathy for the pain and loss felt by all humanity.

Rabbi Andy Gordon connects this ancient teaching of the rabbis to our own day.  Our responsibility as Jews and human beings is to reach out to those who are in need, to listen, and to understand as best as we are able.  That's empathy!