Shofar Erev Rosh Hashana

In the final year of his life the Minchas Elozor took the shofar on Rosh
Chodesh Elul and tried the horn to see if it was in OK condition. Hershelle
was in the room then and was very visibly excited with the shofar and its
sounds; he asked his zeide for "noch ein blooz," one more blast, which his
zeide gladly obliged. From then on, for the next month, this became a
ritual; the Rov blowing once for little Hershelle. On Erev Rosh Hashonoh
Hershelle was there awaiting his daily blast, but he was disappointed.
"Haynt iz Erev Rosh Hashoone, Haynt bloozt men nisht, morgen vet men bloozen
asach mool in shil," his zeide told him. The child knew no Chochmes. He
kicked and screamed, telling his zeide "Nor Ein Blooz! Nor Ein Blooz!" After
a while his zeide had rachmones on his favorite eynikel and took the shofar
and blew one blooz.
On Rosh Hashoneh before Tekios the minhag in Munkacs was that the Rov spoke.
That year the Rov went up before the aron kodesh, opened the ark and said:
"Ribono Shel Olam, Ich darf tshiveh tuhn, ich hub over geven af an halochoh.
It's written that on ERH one mustn't blow shofar, yet I did. He began to sob
uncontrollably and called out: Ribono shel olam, do you know why I
transgressed that halochoh? it was because my young (grand)child lay on the
floor and begged me and cried that I should only blow one blooz for him. My
heart melted, I couldn't bear to watch him cry like that, so I blew once for
him, despite the fact that I shouldn't have. Tatte, how can you stand by and
see how millions of your children are down on the floor and cry out to you,
Tatte eyn blooz - TeKa BeShofar Godol LeChayruseynu, Even if the time is not
right for it yet, the time for Moshiach has yet to arrive, but your children
cry out to you, how can you stand idly by?!"


When Reb Baruch told the story he cried, and recounted how at that time the
crowd cried along with the Rov, the Tekios were delayed, and for a long time
they could not "come to themselves, loud wailing was heard throughout the
shul." (Such stories can always be told, and one can always learn from
them.)