It was during the month of Elul, and Rav Levi Yitzchok was searching for a baal tokei’a for Rosh Hashanah. Yidden from all over flocked to R’ Levi Yitzchok to beg for the zechus to blow shofar for him.

R’ Levi Yitzchok took aside each applicant and asked, “What are your kavanos during the teki’as hashofar?” And each individual enumerated the lofty and holy machshovos to which he would be mechaven.

The Chasam Sofer beautifully explains one of the reasons that we have the shofar is to inspire Am Yisroel to accept ol malchus Shomayim -- the yoke of the Heavenly Kingdom. What is the yoke of the Heavenly Kingdom? That is the responsibility of Torah and mitzvos.

The Talmud Yerushalmi states that when the first set of tekios are blown before Mussaf, the Soton is somewhat alarmed. When we once again blow the tekios that the chachamim instituted during the tefillas mussaf, the Soton becomes terrified. The early commentaries ask: How is it possible that the chachamim instituted the extra blowing of the shofar during tefillas mussaf seemingly adding on to the original mitzvah? We know that there is a Torah prohibition of adding on to the mitzvos.

In contrast to the way we fulfill all the other mitzvos in the Torah, an interesting difference has been noted in our performance of the mitzvah of tekias shofar. With every other mitzvah, we reveal the mitzvah that we are about to perform. However, by the mitzvah of shofar we cover the mitzvah, and the shofar is not revealed until we are actually ready to perform the mitzvah. Why is this so?

The question is presented though: If the bas kol rings out throughout the world and we can all hear the sound of the shofar, how is it possible that one doesn’t tremble?

The great gaon and tzaddik Harav Sholom Schwadron used to compare this to a man who came from a little village that was very primitive. The village had no running water and the villagers were totally unaware of any technological advances in the world around them.

The days of Elul are extremely powerful. After Bnai Yisroel transgressed with the Chet Ha’Egel, the Sin of the Golden Calf, and the Luchos were broken, Moshe Rabbeinu had to ascend to Har Sinai and daven for Bnai Yisroel to be forgiven. He went on Rosh Chodesh Elul and remained there for forty days until the tenth day of Tishrei, Yom Kippur, which signified the completion of the kapparah. It was at the end of this period that Hashem told Moshe, “p’sul lecho shnei luchos avanim karishonim – care for yourself two tablets of stone, like the first ones.”

The Medrash Rabbah in Vayikra relates: R’ Abba Brei, the son of R’ Pappi, and R’ Yehoshua, said in the name of R’ Levi: “Kol yemos hashanah yisroel oskin b’melachtan ub’Rosh Hashanah notlin shofroseihen v’tokin lifnei hakodosh baruch hu. v’hu omed meikisei din l’kisei rachamim umismalei aleihem rachamim -- All the days of the year Bnai Yisroel are engaged in their work. On Rosh Hashanah they take their shofar and they sound it before Hashem.
Hashem gets up from the Chair of Judgment and moves to the Throne of rachamim and is filled with compassion for Bnai Yisroel.”

That is the reason why R’ Chanina ben Tradyon asked, “Where do I stand in regard to olam haba?” Similarly, that is the rationale for the response given by R’ Yosi, “Were you ever in a challenging situation?” The implication was, “Did you ever carry out an exemplary mitzvah, with pure intent and no ulterior motive?”

This is explained by the Rambam in his Pirush Mishnayos on Makkos concerning the mishnah of R’ Chananya ben Akashya, who stated, “Hashem wanted to grant Klal Yisroel merit; therefore He gave them Torah and mitzvos in abundance.”

HaGaon Moran Harav Shach questions this strange exchange. In light of the mesiras nefesh that R’ Chanina exerted in order to disseminate Torah to the masses at a time when it was absolutely forbidden by the Roman empire, why did R’ Chanina find it necessary to ask R’ Yosi whether he merits olam haba?