Rabbi Shlomo Goren: The IDF Chief Rabbi Who Blew the Shofar of Jewish Destiny

Rabbi Shlomo Goren stands as one of the most electrifying figures in modern Jewish and Israeli history — a leader who fused Torah scholarship, national courage, and spiritual destiny into one powerful identity. Born in 1917 in Poland and raised in Mandatory Palestine, Goren grew up in a generation still carrying the weight of exile. Yet even as a young student, he believed Judaism must not belong only to texts and classrooms. It had to live in the fields, in the trenches, and in the heart of a people returning to its ancient homeland.

At 17, he joined the Haganah. While most rabbis guided from the study hall, Goren chose the front lines — marching with fighters, issuing halachic rulings during combat, and shaping the religious framework of a Jewish army still in its infancy. During the 1948 War of Independence, he became the spiritual backbone of the IDF, writing laws of military ethics, establishing kosher standards, and creating the first unified system for Jewish soldiers’ burial and identification. He believed a sovereign Jewish army required sovereign Jewish halacha.

His most unforgettable moment came in June 1967. As Israeli paratroopers liberated the Old City of Jerusalem, Goren pushed forward, shofar in hand, refusing to wait for formal clearance. Dust-covered, wrapped in a tallit, he reached the Western Wall and blew the shofar with a trembling intensity that sent waves through the Jewish world. For millions, that sound symbolized the end of a 2,000-year exile and the rebirth of biblical memory. His declaration, “Har HaBayit beyadeinu!” — “The Temple Mount is in our hands!”, became an instant part of Israeli identity.

In later years, as Chief Rabbi of Israel, Goren remained fearless and often controversial. He championed converts, protected soldiers, defended religious pluralism inside the army, and issued bold rulings that attempted to harmonize ancient halacha with the needs of a modern Jewish state. Whether agreed with or not, his voice was impossible to ignore.

Rabbi Shlomo Goren was not only a rabbi who blessed a country — he was a rabbi who helped build it. His shofar blast still echoes through Israeli memory, a reminder that Jewish destiny is not merely dreamed, but lived, fought for, and reclaimed.