El shofar de Rosh Hashaná —el tchum no se cruza por él [es decir, está prohibido salir del tchum para traer un shofar o ir a escuchar el sonido], y no se excava un montículo (que ha caído sobre él) (para extraer eso). Está prohibido trepar a un árbol, montar un animal o nadar (por su bien). Y no puede cortarse, tanto con algo prohibido por shvuth ("reposo") [como un cuchillo] o con algo prohibido por mandamiento negativo, [como con una sierra, que es un trabajo absoluto en la carpintería. Algunos lo entienden de la manera opuesta: "algo prohibido por razón de shvuth"—una hoz, con la cual no es práctica cortar (objetos). "algo prohibido por mandamiento negativo"—un cuchillo, que se usa para cortar.] Pero si desea poner agua o vino en él, puede hacerlo, [y no decimos que está modificando un objeto con eso.] No detenemos a los niños [que tienen alcanzó la edad de chinuch (entrenamiento de mitzvá)] al soplarlo [incluso en Shabat, para entrenarlos para mitzvoth, para que puedan practicar soplando para el yom tov de Rosh Hashaná], y uno puede (incluso) practicar con ellos . [Y no hay razón para decretar no sea que venga a llevarlo cuatro codos en el dominio público, ya que no está preocupado con una mitzvá, sino que solo practica, y decretaron que no venga a llevarlo solo cuatro codos en el dominio público en un momento en que estaba obligado a tocar el shofar, cuando, al estar preocupado por cumplir con su obligación, podría olvidar el sábado.] Y aquel que (simplemente) practica (tocar el shofar) no cumple con su obligación. Y quien escucha de alguien que practica no cumple con su obligación.
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
Introduction
This mishnah contains a few more rules concerning the shofar.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
בדבר שהוא משום שבות – such as to cut it with a knife.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
אם רצה ליתן לתוכו יין [יתן] - and we don’t say repairing – from where is it [prohibited].
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
