In 2022, in an iconic Jewish late night TV moment, actors Mayim Bialik and Max Greenfield explained the shofar to a bewildered James Corden on “The Late Late Show with James Corden.” Much to our delight, the clip resurfaces every High Holiday season. It was, to our knowledge, the first late night shofar moment since 2016, when Stephen Colbert blew a shofar and then got a whiff of its scent and said, “Haven’t the Jewish people suffered enough?”
But we finally have a new moment to add to the late night television shofar appearances. Last night Gal Gadot appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to promote her new film “The Runner.” After discussing what it’s like having four daughters (“No drama whatsoever”), Gadot’s love of Madonna (she once dressed as Madonna during a performance that made the head of her Israeli middle school say “oy vey”), and how her new movie involved so much running that Gadot broke her foot, Kimmel transitioned to the upcoming Jewish holiday.
“So the Jewish New Year is coming,” he says to Gadot. “Do you celebrate?”
“Of course, every year,” she replies, going on to explain the tradition of eating apples and honey and sharing that she loves gefilte fish, but only for the horseradish. Then, Kimmel reveals that she’s brough a shofar — two shofars, in fact, one for her and one for Kimmel. “You used to play the clarinet or trumpet or something,” she says, “so that should be easy.”
And honestly? He does a pretty good job for a first timer. Not as good as the third grader who blew the shofar at my congregation last High Holidays, but you know, fine. Gadot seems pretty pleased with her performance as well.
“It’s very soothing,” Kimmel says, which may be the first time anyone has ever said that about a shofar blast.
“The idea is really nice,” explains Gadot about the shofar, “because it’s for everybody. The mitzvah — the good deed — is to hear the shofar, and it’s basically supposed to awaken the soul for a good year for everybody.”
“We could use a good year,” says Kimmel, and, well, you can’t argue with that.
New Year, More Kveller. A few dollars keeps Kveller joyfully, honestly free.
