Si uno sopla en un agujero [en el suelo], o en un duth [un lugar rodeado de particiones en el suelo], o en un pitam [un gran recipiente de tierra] —si escuchó el sonido del shofar, ha cumplido con su obligación [es decir, si alguien parado fuera del hoyo oyó el sonido del shofar sonado en el hoyo (para aquellos en el hoyo siempre cumple con su obligación, siempre escuchando el sonido del shofar)]; Si escuchó una reverberación, no ha cumplido su obligación. Del mismo modo, si uno pasaba detrás de la casa de oración o si su casa estaba cerca de la casa de oración y oía el sonido del shofar o la lectura de la Meguilá.—si tenía intención [de cumplir su obligación], la cumple; si no, no lo cumple. [Y aunque el soplador de shofar no lo tiene en mente para cumplir con su obligación, estamos hablando aquí del sexton de la casa de oración, que tiene en mente a todos los que lo escuchan para cumplir con su obligación. Por lo tanto, aunque no tenía a este transeúnte específicamente en mente y no lo sabía, cumple con su obligación. Pero si uno toca el shofar para que un individuo cumpla con su obligación, cada uno debe tener la intención apropiada (respectivamente).] Aunque este escuchó y el otro escuchó, este tenía intención y el otro no.
Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
בור – pit in the ground
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
Introduction
This mishnah teaches two halakhot: 1) one must hear the sound of the shofar and not an echo of the sound of the shofar; 2) when hearing the shofar one must have intention to hear it for the sake of the fulfillment of the commandment. The mishnah illustrates cases where one may have heard a shofar blast and nevertheless not fulfilled his obligation
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
דות – a place surrounded by barriers on the ground.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
One who blows into a pit or a cistern or a jug, if he heard the sound of the shofar, he has fulfilled his obligation, but if he hears the echo [also], he has not fulfilled his obligation. Here someone blows a shofar into an echo-producing chamber, such as a pit, a cistern or a jug. The mishnah rules that in order to fulfill his obligation he must be sure that he heard the sound of the shofar and not the echo of the sound of the shofar. There is a geonic commentary on this mishnah, according to which the mishnah refers to a time of persecution when the Romans outlawed the public observance of commandments. They hid their shofar blasts to avoid the authorities.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
פיטם – a large earthenware utensil
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
And also one who was passing behind a synagogue or if his house was next to the synagogue and he heard the sound of the shofar or of the megillah [being read], if he directed his heart (had, then he has fulfilled his obligation, but if not he has not fulfilled his obligation. Even though this one heard and this one heard, this one directed his heart and this one did not. This section teaches that when hearing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, or Megillat Esther on Purim, one must have the intention of hearing them in order to fulfill the commandment. A person might be walking behind a synagogue and hear them blow the shofar and then think to himself, “Great, I’ve just fulfilled my commandment” (and no need to go to shul today!). The mishnah rules that the act of hearing the shofar is not sufficient. One must have the intention to hear in the fulfillment of a commandment. The final section of the mishnah notes how strongly this commandment is connected to intention both the one who walked behind the synagogue and the one who actually went to the synagogue heard the same exact thing, yet one has fulfilled his obligation and one has not. Tomorrow’s mishnah will contain the central rabbinic statement as to the role that intention plays in halakhah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
אם קול שופר שמע – he who stands outside the pit, and heard the sound of the Tekiah of the person sounding the Shofar in the put, for those who were in the pit, always fulfill their religious obligation, for they always hear the sound of the Shofar.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
אם כיון לבו – to fulfill [their religious obligation]
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
יצא – and even though they the person sounding the Shofar did not intend to fulfill [his religious obligation], here we are speaking of the Cantor of the synagogue who sounds the Shofar that he intends to fulfill [the religious obligation] of all those who hear the sound of his Tekiah. Therefore, even though that he did not intend to fulfill [the religious obligation] of this [person] who passes the back of the synagogue and did not know of him, he has fulfilled [his religious obligation]. But the person who sounds the Shofar to fulfill an individual’s religious obligation, we require that the listener and the person who causes to hear (that blows) have the intention [to perform a religious act] (see Talmud Rosh Hashanah 28b).
