A few weeks ago, millions of phones across Australia suddenly began screaming.

It was not a cyberattack, nor was it a malfunction. Australia was testing a new national emergency warning system called AusAlert. For about ten seconds, phones across the country sounded a loud siren designed to warn people of fires, floods, tsunamis and other emergencies.

What caught my attention was one particular feature of the system which is designed to sound even if your phone is on Silent Mode or Do Not Disturb.

Which makes sense. Because what good is an emergency alarm if it respects your desire not to be disturbed?

The entire purpose of an alarm is to wake you up and to interrupt whatever you were doing. That is its only job.

Just like the Shofar that was sounded in synagogues all over the world today.

Today, we enter the Hebrew month of Elul. And every morning throughout this month of preparation for the High Holidays we blow a ram’s horn, which functions much like an ancient alarm.

There is something unique about sleep that is unlike almost any other human experience.

When you are sleeping, you do not know that you are asleep.

If I know I have done something wrong, at least I know there is something to repair. If I feel guilty, uncomfortable, or dissatisfied with where I am spiritually, at least I am feeling something.

I may not yet be ready to actually change, but at least a part of me is awake, still paying attention.

But sometimes we are spiritually asleep. We are not struggling with our Judaism and we are not angry at G-d. We are not rebelling.

We are simply asleep.

Life gets full. Work. Family. Bills. Messages. Appointments. News. Responsibilities. Days become weeks and weeks become months. We get so busy taking care of everything that feels urgent in our life we don’t stop to ask: What is........

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