בחודש השביעי באחד לחודש יהיה לכם שבתון זכרון תרועה מקרא קודש…(אמור כג:כד)

Maran the Sar Shalom of Belz zt”l related that when he lived in Sokol, one Rosh Hashanah, he passed a Beis Medrash where he heard the Baal Tokiya – the one who blows the shofar, splitting the heavens with his blasts and arousing everyone to do teshuva.  Maran explained the reason: It wasn’t in the merit of the shofar blower, nor the Baal Makra – the one who calls out the sounds, since both were simple Yidden.  It must be in the merit of all the Yidden that listened to the tekiyos. 

Maran Reb Yissocher Dov of Belz zt’’l said that in his great humility, his grandfather, the Sar Shalom, didn’t even have a thought that perhaps it was in his merit.