Le monde est jugé en quatre périodes: à Pessa'h, pour les produits [De la déclaration de la Torah: apportez l'omer devant Moi à Pessa'h afin que je bénisse le grain dans les champs pour vous, nous en déduisons que nous sommes jugés pour les produits à Pessa'h]; sur Shevuoth, pour les fruits des arbres [(Ceci est dérivé) de la déclaration de la Torah: Apportez devant moi les deux pains sur Shevuoth afin que je bénisse les fruits des arbres pour vous. (Le plant de blé est appelé un «arbre», c'est-à-dire (Genèse 2:17): «Mais de l'arbre de la connaissance, du bien et du mal, etc.» Ceci, selon le point de vue que l'arbre dont Adam a mangé était un plant de blé.]; à Roch Hachana, tous ceux qui sont entrés dans le monde passent devant lui comme des moutons, [qui sont faits pour passer par une entrée étroite pour recevoir la dîme, deux ne pouvant passer pour un], c'est-à-dire (Psaumes 33 : 15): "Il façonne leur cœur comme un seul; Il considère toutes leurs actions." [L'intention est: "Le Fashioner voit leurs cœurs tous ensemble et comprend toutes leurs actions. Car même s'ils passent devant Lui un par un. , ils sont tous «compris» en un «regard».] et sur Succoth, ils sont jugés pour l'eau [(Ceci est dérivé de la déclaration de la Torah: Versez de l'eau devant moi lors de la fête (de Succoth)].
Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
בארבעה פרקים – in the year
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
Introduction
This mishnah lists four points of the year in which the world is judged as to the outcome of certain essential aspects of life. As we shall see, three of them are connected to agricultural holidays and events, whereas the fourth, the judgment on Rosh Hashanah, is more of a moral/religious judgment.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
בפסח על התבואה – For since the Torah stated (Leviticus 23:10) bring before me the Omer on Passover in order that I may bless you [with] grain in the fields, and from this we know that on Passover, grain is judged.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
At four set times the world is judged: On Pesah in respect to the produce. In the land of Israel, the grain harvest begins around Pesah time. Indeed, this is why the Omer offering, which is brought from the first barley harvested, begins to be offered on the second day of Pesah. The mishnah teaches that on Pesah the world is judged as to how successful the produce harvest will be.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
ובעצרת על פירות האילן – As the Torah stated (Leviticus 23:17), bring before me two loaves on Atzeret/Shavuot, in order that I may bless you [with] the fruits of the trees, and wheat is called a tree by the All-Merciful , as it is written (Genesis 2:9): “And the tree of knowledge of good and bad,” according to the one who said that the tree that the First Man ate was wheat.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
On Shavuot in respect to the fruit of the tree. On Shavuot the harvest of the fruits of the tree begins. Specifically, this seems to be when grapes begin to ripen. Hence, according to the rabbis this is when the world is judged as to the harvest of fruits which come from the tree.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
כבני מרון – like rebels (after surrender brought before a court martial – see Talmud Rosh Hashanah 18a) - like these lambs which we remove through a small opening one after another to tithe them, and two cannot exit at the same time.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
On Rosh Hashanah all the people of the world pass before Him like a division of soldier [a numerus], as it says, “He who fashions the hearts of them all, who discerns all their doings” (Psalms 33:15). This is the central section in this mishnah, the reason why this mishnah is here in Rosh Hashanah. This is the source where we learn for the first time that on Rosh Hashanah the world is judged. The image that the mishnah creates is that all the people of the world, perhaps even non-Jews, come in front of God one at a time and God inspects them. He is like their general and they are his soldiers, standing at attention and being judged by Him. The word “numerus” was interpreted by Saul Lieberman, the premier Talmudic scholar of the past century, as referring to an army division. The version in the mishnah was understood by later talmudic scholars who did not know Greek, as “kivne meron”, understood to refer to the sheep on the Meron mountain. This led to the well-known image of people passing in front of God like sheep passing in front of a shepherd. The point of the prooftext is that God who is the creator of the human heart, also looks at what a person does and judges each one according to his deeds.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
היוצר יחד לבם – This is how it should be understood: The Creator and that is the Holy One, blessed be He, sees the uniting of their hearts and understands all of their deeds, and even though they pass before Him one by one, nevertheless, all are reviewed with one glance (Rosh Hashanah 18a).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
And on Sukkot they are judged in respect of rain. In the land of Israel, the rainy season begins on Sukkot. Hence, on Sukkot the people of the world are judged as to how much rain will come. To this day, on Sukkot Jews begin to pray for rain and add into the Amidah an acknowledgement that God causes the wind to blow and the rain to come down. Rain and prayers for rain is a topic to which we will return when we learn tracate Taanit.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
ובחג נידונין על המים – since the Torah states (Leviticus 23:37; Numbers 29:24, 33,37): pour before me water on the Festival [of Sukkot].
