The shofar of Rosh Hashanah — the tchum is not crossed for it [i.e., It is forbidden to go outside the tchum in order to bring a shofar or to go to hear the blowing], and a mound (that has fallen on it) is not dug up (to extract it). It is forbidden to climb a tree, to ride an animal, or to swim (for its sake). And it may not be cut, both with something interdicted because of shvuth ("resting") [such as a knife] or with something which is interdicted by negative commandment, [as with a saw, which is an absolute labor in woodworking. Some understand it in the opposite manner: "something interdicted by reason of shvuth" — a sickle, which it is not the practice to cut (objects) with. "something interdicted by negative commandment" — a knife, which is used for cutting.] But if he wishes to put water or wine therein, he may do so, [and we do not say that he is amending an object thereby.] We do not stop the children [who have reached the age of chinuch (mitzvah training)] from blowing it [even on Shabbath, in order to train them for mitzvoth, that they gain practice in blowing for the yom tov of Rosh Hashanah], and one may (even) practice with them. [And there is no reason to decree lest he come to carry it four cubits in the public domain, for he is not preoccupied with a mitzvah, but just practicing, and they decreed lest he come to carry it four cubits in the public domain only at a time when he was obligated in the blowing of shofar, when, being preoccupied with fulfilling his obligation, he might forget the Sabbath.] And one who (merely) practices (blowing the shofar) does not fulfill his obligation. And one who hears from one who practices does not fulfill his obligation.
Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
אין מעבירין עליו את התחום – to walk outside of the [Sabbath] limit (i.e., two thousand cubits in every direction) so that one can bring a Shofar or to walk to hear the Tekiot.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
Introduction
This mishnah contains a few more rules concerning the shofar.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
בדבר שהוא משום שבות – such as to cut it with a knife.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
[For the sake of] the shofar of Rosh Hashanah one is not allowed to go past the [Shabbat] border, nor remove a pile of rocks, nor climb a tree, nor ride on an animal, nor swim on the water. In this section there is a list of activities that are rabbinically (derabanan) prohibited on Shabbat. That is to say, they are prohibitions that are less significant than those prohibited by the Torah. Nevertheless, the mishnah states that one does not transgress these prohibitions in order to be able to blow the shofar. For instance, if one needs to go past the Shabbat border limit (2000 cubits outside of the city) to get a shofar or to hear one blown, one should not do so. If the shofar is under a pile of rocks, one may not clear them away in order to get to them. One may not climb a tree if the shofar was in a tree (this is beginning to sound like a famous Dr. Seuss book I would not hear it under rocks, I would not hear it in a tree). Nor may one ride an animal or swim in water to get to the shofar. The important issue here is the principle one does not transgress any commandments in order to hear the shofar.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
בדבר שהוא משום לא תעשה – such as to cut it with a saw which is a complete [form of] work of engraving on a tree; and there are those who teach the opposite: something that is due to Sh’vut/engaging in an occupation forbidden by the Rabbis as being out of harmony with the celebration of Shabbat/Festivals – a sickle/scythe which is not the used to cut something . Something that is [forbidden] due to [it being] a negative commandment, is a knife which is how it is used.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
One may not cut it, neither with an instrument forbidden because of shevut, nor with an instrument forbidden by a negative commandment. Should one need to cut the shofar in order to make it usable for blowing, one may not do so, neither with a type of knife prohibited derabanan on account of shevut (mandated resting) nor with a type of knife prohibited deoraita from the Torah. A knife that is typically used to cut something like a shofar would be prohibited from the Torah, while one not typically used for such purposes would be prohibited derabanan, a lesser prohibition.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
אם רצה ליתן לתוכו יין [יתן] - and we don’t say repairing – from where is it [prohibited].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
But if he wants to pour wine or water into it he may do so. One may pour wine or water into the shofar in order to improve its sound. This is not considered to be a violation of the Shabbat and Yom Tov prohibition of “making a vessel.”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
אין מעכבין את התינוקות – who arrived at [the age of] education, and even on Shabbat, in order to educate them in the commandments, so that they would educated in sounding the Shofar on the Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
They need not prevent children from blowing the shofar [on Rosh Hashanah]; on the contrary, they may help them until they learn how to blow. Children are not obligated to hear or blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Since they are not obligated, we might have thought that they should not blow the shofar at all because the shofar is a form of work on Rosh Hashanah. The mishnah dispels this notion and states that not only do we not stop children from blowing the shofar, but we encourage them to practice and we teach them until they know how to blow. The Talmud adds that even on Shabbat we can help them practice.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
ומתעסקים בהם – and there need to make a decree [against this], lest they come to bring it four cubits in the public domain, for he is not busily engaged in the commandments but rather is merely practicing with them (Talmud Rosh Hashanah 32b). And they did not decree lest he would bring it four cubits in the public domain other than at the time when he is obligated in the sounding of the Shofar, for since he is busily engaged to fulfill his religious obligation, he would forget Shabbat.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
One who is just practicing has not fulfilled his obligation, and the one hears [the blast made] by another when practicing has not fulfilled his obligation. Since the previous section discussed practicing, this mishnah concludes by teaching that practicing does not count as blowing the shofar in order to fulfill one’s obligation. A person who on Rosh Hashanah blows the shofar as practice has not fulfilled his obligation because he did not have the proper intention. Similarly, one who hears the shofar from a person practicing has not fulfilled his obligation, because one must hear the shofar being blown by someone who intends to fulfill his and others’ obligation.
