A young man finished his service in the Israeli navy. He served on a submarine as an expert in Morse code.
Shortly after he was discharged he began looking for a job.
He saw an advertisement in a newspaper that the army was looking for a Morse code expert to be in charge of a number of submarines.
The ad gave an address and time for interested applicants.
The young man showed up at the office at the end of the window of allotted time. The office was hot and crowded with many people who had waited a long time to be seen.
To add to the ambience, some soft music was playing in the background.
The young man waited a few moments, bypassed all those sitting in the waiting room and went into the commander’s office. A few minutes later he emerged with the commander who told all in the waiting room that they were dismissed as the latecomer was getting the job.
All present were up in arms.
They were actually livid.
They had sat in the waiting room for ages sad then this upstart waltzed in and jumps the line and gets the job.
The Commander asked for their attention and explained his decision.
He told all those present that you all heard what he heard.
The music playing in the background was actually in Morse code. It instructed anyone who understands it to skip the line and proceed immediately to my office.
This young man was obviously proficient in Morse code and did what he was told.
That’s why he gets the job!!
This time of year there is music in the air.
It is the sound of the Shofar.
One can just hear the notes, or one can hear the deeper message.
The shofar is calling us to wake up.

It’s not an alarm clock which awakens us from physical slumber.
It is a haunting sound which should move us in the inner core of our beings.
To change. To grow. To see others. To hear others.
This week’s Torah portion is Ki Tetze and it teaches us some practical wisdom which is very useful to help us in this time of year to access these changes.
One of the verses in the Parsha states that “when there will be a grievance between people…they should go to the judges”
Rashi explains these words with an interesting twist. If two people have a grievance with one another, they will surely end up in a lawsuit against each other.
Because, as Rashi says, peace never comes out of an argument.
What is Rashi trying to teach us?
Rashi is emphasizing that the grievance, or the argument, is actually the source of the problem.
Two parties may have a difference of opinion.
There may be a discussion over a property line, or an amount of money that is still owed.
How does one go about resolving the challenge?
If it’s an “argument” it will end badly. It will end in a lack of peace. Because each side only sees their own point of view. Each one only hears their own side.
This will then go from a small disagreement into a tsunami of anger which will overwhelm them all.
Each side digs their heals in stubbornly pressing their case - until there is no choice left but to go before the judge.
They will receive justice, but they have sacrificed peace in the process.
The challenge is to be able to settle the dispute with compromise, hearing each others points and finding a common ground that will solve the situation without destroying the opponent.
In these weeks leading up to Rosh Hashanah, the notes of the shofar tremble in the air.
We can heed the call to assess ourselves and some of the sticky situations we might find ourselves and see if we can find solutions through peaceful means.
One of our son’s in law is a talented artist.
He painted a painting of the blasts of the Shofar.
You might wonder how one can paint sounds.
He did it by using a long line to indicate the Tekiah blast, three lines to symbolize the Teruah and broken lines to portray the Shevarim.
When you look at it closely, it looks like Morse code.
The Shofar is calling us to wake up and hear it’s call to find the opportunities to peacefully repair the schisms in our life.
That’s the most beautiful music.
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!