Sound Bites: Freedom

The shofar of Rosh Hashanah symbolizes freedom of the souls from the evil inclination. There could be no better exemplar of such freedom than the Avts who sampled the World to Come already in this world. This other-worldly perception feeling unfettered from the shackles of the evil inclination was experienced by the three Avot and is preserved through the three distinct sounds of the shofar (the initial Tekiah followed by the Teruah and the concluding Tekiah). While it may seem farfetched for us to aspire to the singular levels of spiritual freedom attained by the Avos, in truth any Jew who decides to follow in the footsteps will merit freedom from the evil inclination.
Just as the Avot mastered their evil inclination, assisted by the sound of the shofar. Even temptation to commit the most severe of all sins – idolatry, prohibited marriages, murder and evil talk – can be curbed as we attain renewed freedom on Rosh Hashanah.(Sefat Emet: 5664)