Rosh HaShana
The Gemara brings: Rebbi Yitzchak said, “Why do we blow shofar when we are sitting and then blow again when we stand? In order to confuse or mix up the Satan (לערבב השטן).”
The Ran explains the question, that since we are going to blow by the Shemona Esrei, during the malchiyios, zichronos, and shofros, which is the main chiyuv to blow, why do we blow when we are sitting (before Shemona Esrei)?
The Ran explains “to mix up the Satan” means to subjugate one’s yetzer. Raish Lakish said, “the Satan is the malach hamaves and the yetzer hara.” Also, the passuk says, “when the shofar is blown in the city, will the people not tremble?” We see from here that a shofar causes a person to become afraid thereby helping a person to change and subjugate one’s yetzer. Therefore, we blow again earlier in order to help us tremble thereby subjugating our yetzer.
Tosfos brings from the Oruch in the name of the Yerushalmi, on what ערבב השטן means. By the first blowing the Satan gets a little worried, maybe his term is over. When he hears the second blowing he says this is definitely the shofar of והיה ביום ההוא יתקע בשופר גדול and he’ll be gotten rid of; since l’asid lavo there won’t be any more yetzer hara. The Satan gets mixed up and confused and has no time to prosecute. I heard from my Rosh HaYeshiva shlita in the name of Rav Hopfer shlita that the light of Olam HaBah shines during tekiyas shofar and therefore the Satan is afraid because the time has indeed come.
Rashi brings the Satan won’t prosecute because he hears Bnei Yisroel being מחבב מצוות. By blowing shofar two times they are doing the mitzvah over and over again, showing how important it is to them. Because of this the Satan won’t prosecute!
The Avudraham brings we blow before Mussaf in order to mix up the Satan so he shouldn’t prosecute Bnei Yisroel during Mussaf. (The Yerushalmi explains really the second blowing mixes up the Satan.)
The passuk says, עלה אלקים בתרועה ה’ בקול שופר- first the midas hadin (Elokim) and then rachamim (Hashem). May Hashem help our tekiyos ,מערבבmix up, the Satan according to all pshatim and change the midas hadin to midas harachamim!
