An awesome event occurred once in Spain after the Expulsion. Many of the Jews had accepted Christianity under duress. Having held high government offices and having attained great wealth, they found it difficult to forsake all they had toiled for, and the prospect of wandering great distances in famine and destitution struck terror into their hearts. They therefore publicly abjured their faith, but remained inwardly loyal to the G-d of their fathers -- whose precepts they secretly strove to fulfill to their utmost capacity.
There was one among them by the name of Don Fernando Aguilar, who was conductor of the royal orchestra in Barcelona. The days of Elul arrived; the days of judgment were approaching and Don Fernando's soul yearned to hear the sound of the shofar on Rosh Hashana. His yearning was shared by many of his brethren.
What did he do? He announced that on a certain day (the date of Rosh Hashana), he would present a concert featuring instrumental music of various peoples.
Many of the Marranos came to hear the sound of the shofar and they did! Many varied compositions were played by the performers, among them also the shofar sounds: tekiah, shvarim and truah, in full keeping with the prescribed order of the mitzva of shofar, under the very direction of Don Aguilar himself without any of the clergy aware of it.
It has been said: No one ever succeeded in confounding the Satan through shofar sounds as did Don Aguilar. All the emissaries of the Satan were present; the leading figures in the hierarchy and the Inquisition -- they all heard and saw, but knew nothing.
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