Play that Funky Music, White Boy

This is a learning about the shofarot, a little late for this Rosh Hashanah, but maybe just a little early for next Elul. I have added some explanatory comments in parenthesis.

From the pritzker ed. of the zohar, 1:114b

"Come and see: Similarly, on Rosh Hashanah - when judgment looms over the world - he (the satan) stands poised to accuse. So Israel must arouse (divine compassion) with a shofar, arousing a sound blended of fire (gevurah), water (chesed), and air (tiferet), becoming one (the breath that sounds the shofar is warm, moist air, symbolizing the combination of the three sefirot just mentioned), trumpeting that sound from the shofar. The sound ascends to the throne of judgment(shekinah), impinges on it and ascends. As soon as this sound arrives from below, the voice of Jacob (tiferet) is attuned above, and the blessed Holy One is aroused to compassion. For just as Israel arouses below a single sound blended of fire, water, and air, issuing as one from the shofar, so too above (binah) a shofar is aroused, and that sound blended of fire, water, and air harmonizes - one issuing below, one above: so the world harmonizes compassion prevails (based on the principle that any action in this world is met by an equal or greater reaction from the higher worlds). Then the accuser is confounded. Whereas he expects to accuse the world and prevail in judgment, once he sees compassion aroused, he becomes confounded, his strength sapped, unable to do anything. So the blessed Holy One judges the world compassionately. For if you say that judgment is eliminated, not so! Rather, compassion joins judgment(tiferet unites with Shekinah), and the world is judged compassionately. ....So the blessed Holy One judges Israel compassionately, pities them, and makes Himself available throughout those ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to receive all those who return to Him...."