It's the idea that God, while ultimately one, expresses different attributes. And one of the most profound shifts happens when we, humanity, turn towards Him in sincere prayer.

Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Naḥman opens up this idea with a powerful verse from Psalms 47:6: “God ascends with a blast, the Lord with the sound of a shofar.” (A shofar, of course, is that ram's horn we blow on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – a primal, stirring sound.)

But what does it mean that God "ascends?" Rabbi Yehuda sees it as a shift in how God judges us. When the Holy One, blessed be He, sits on the throne of justice, He ascends in… well, justice. He begins the proceedings with the divine attribute of justice. This is reflected in the verse: “God [Elohim] ascends with a blast.” Elohim, you see, is one of God's names, but it also represents that very attribute of strict justice.

Think of it like this: the universe has laws, and when those laws are broken, there are consequences. That’s the world seen through the lens of Elohim.

But then something amazing happens.

When Israel – when we – take our shofars and sound them before the Holy One, blessed be He, He rises from the throne of justice… and sits on the throne of mercy. The text spells it out: “The Lord with the sound of a shofar.” Here, the name used for God is not Elohim, but the Tetragrammaton – often translated as "Lord" – which represents the attribute of mercy.

So the sound of the shofar, a sound of repentance, of return, literally moves God from a place of strict judgment to a place of compassion. It's a powerful idea, isn't it?

Vayikra Rabbah 29 goes on to ask when this shift occurs? And the answer is profound in its simplicity: "In the seventh month." The seventh month on the Jewish calendar, of course, is Tishrei – the month of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the High Holy Days, a time of intense reflection and repentance.

It's during this time, when we collectively turn our hearts towards God, that the shift from justice to mercy becomes most potent. It's not magic, of course. It's about the power of genuine change, of heartfelt remorse, to transform not only ourselves, but also the very way we are perceived by the Divine.

So, as we approach these High Holy Days, let's remember the power we hold. The power to sound the shofar, not just with our lips, but with our lives. The power to move from justice to mercy, both in the eyes of God, and, perhaps more importantly, in our own hearts.