Commentaire sur Rosh Hashanah 4:11

יום טוב של ר"ה. במקדש היו תוקעים – [They would sound the Shofar in the Temple], for the Sounding of the Shofar is not “work,” but the Rabbis made a decree against this lest someone take it in his hand and remove it four cubits in the public domain [and hence violate the law against carrying in the public domain on Shabbat] but in Temple, this decree was not made, for there is no prohibition against the Rabbinical law of being out of harmony with the celebration of the day in the Temple.

Introduction This mishnah deals with blowing the shofar on Shabbat. It is somewhat unclear why blowing the shofar on Shabbat should be prohibited at all. After all, as we shall see, some places did blow the shofar on Shabbat. It seems to me that there may have been a desire among the sages to prevent the celebration of Rosh Hashanah from overshadowing that of Shabbat. In the Talmud they provide a midrashic reason why one shouldn’t blow the shofar on Shabbat.

אבל לא במדינה – Not in Jerusalem and not in the country. And Maimonides explains that all of Jerusalem is called מקדש/Temple/Sanctuary, and the rest of the land of Israel is called the country.

If Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah fell on Shabbat, they would blow the shofar in the Temple but not in the country. There are two different explanations for “Temple” and “country.” Some commentators explain “Temple” to refer to all of Jerusalem and “country” to refer to anywhere outside of Jerusalem. According to this interpretation, they allowed the shofar to be blown in Jerusalem because there they would know whether the new moon had been sanctified. In other words, they would know for certain whether it was Rosh Hashanah. Outside of Jerusalem they couldn’t be sure, so they wouldn’t blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Assumedly, at this period there were already two days of Rosh Hashanah so that they could blow the second day. The other explanation is that “Temple” refers to the Temple itself, and “country” refers to all places outside of the Temple. They allowed the shofar to be blown in the Temple because rabbinically prohibited activities are allowed on Shabbat in the Temple. However, this interpretation does not fit particularly well with the mishnah which we shall learn tomorrow.

בכל מקום שיש בו ב"ד – even if they are not established/fixed other than by chance that they came there and sound the Shofar.

After the destruction of the Temple, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakai decreed that it should be blown [on Shabbat] in every place where there was a court. This begins a series of decrees made by Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, one of the leaders of the rabbis after the destruction of the Second Temple. The other decrees will appear in the following mishnayot. Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai decreed that the shofar should be blown on Shabbat in all places where a rabbinic court, according to some a Sanhedrin, sat. This in essence bequeathed the authority of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem on all subsequent courts, no matter where they sat.

אלא ביבנה – where the Great Sanhedrin was there in its days, and also in every place where the Great Sanhedrin was exiled to, but not in the Jewish courts of twenty-three.

Rabbi Eliezer said: Rabban Yohanan ben Zakai decreed for Yavneh only. They said to him: both Yavneh and any place where there is a court. Rabbi Eliezer disagrees with the broad application of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai’s decree (takkanah) and limits it only to the court in Yavneh. Rabbi Eliezer may be claiming that it is only Rabban Yohanan’s personal authority that allowed him to make such a decree. Other courts, which will not be able to count Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai as one of them, will not have such authority. The other rabbis reject Rabbi Eliezer’s statement. The decree bestowed authority on all subsequent courts and not just on the one in Yavneh. We might say that the authority is vested in the office and not in the individual rabbi, charismatic and learned as he may be.

אמרו לו וכו' – there is a difference between [the teachers who state] : “they said to him” and the First Tanna, for the First Tanna holds that every place where there is a Jewish court, and even one by chance; whereas the “they said to him” hold that both Yavneh and any place that has a fixed Jewish court like that in Yavneh [can sound the Shofar], but not a Jewish court by chance. And the Halakha is according to the “they said to him.”

ועוד זאת היתה ירושלים – Our Mishnah is deficient and should be read as follows: In Jerusalem they would sound the Shofar throughout the city as long as Jewish court sits in the Temple, for the Jewish court sits until the sixth hour of the day (i.e., 12 noon, when the number of hours of daylight and nighttime are equal), but in Yanveh, they wouold not sound the Shofar throughout the entire city, bu t only in the presence of the Jewish Court. And this is how Jerusalem was greater than Yavneh, etc.

Introduction This mishnah is a direct continuation of yesterday’s mishnah.

כל עיר שהיא רואה – [which sees] Jerusalem, except for those who dwell in a river-bed/ravine, for even though it is close, they would not sound the Shofar in it.

There was another way in which Jerusalem was greater than Yavneh, that in every city which could see [Jerusalem] and hear and was near and could get to Jerusalem, they used to blow [on Shabbat], whereas in Yavneh they used to blow in the court only. In Yavneh they blew the shofar on Shabbat only in the place where the court sat. However, in Jerusalem they would blow the shofar on Shabbat not only in Jerusalem but in all of the surrounding areas as well. This distinction between Jerusalem and Yavneh may have been an attempt to preserve the uniqueness of the authority of Jerusalem and its court. While Yavneh may have received some of the authority of Jerusalem, it was still not as great. The beginning of the mishnah implies that there was another way in which Jerusalem was greater than Yavneh, besides that listed in the Mishnah. The Talmud asks what this was, and answers that in Jerusalem they would blow the shofar on Shabbat both in front of the court and not in front of the court. In Yavneh the shofar was blown on Shabbat only in front of the court. This may be a way of saying that while the court in Yavneh was authoritative, the city did not have inherent sacredness, as did Jerusalem.

ושומעת – except for those who dwell at the top of the mountain.

וקרובה – except for those who dwell outside the [Sabbath] limit.

ויכולה לבא – except for when a river separates it.

לולב ניטל במקדש שבעה – as it is written (Leviticus 23:40): “…and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.”

Introduction In the previous mishnah we learned of a decree that Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai made after the destruction of the Temple. The next two mishnayot contain other such decrees. If this mishnah seems familiar it is because we just learned it in Sukkah 3:12. The below commentary is the same as that found there. Leviticus 23:40 reads, “On the first day you shall take...and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.” The beginning of the verse states “on the first day” and the end of the verse says, “seven days.” From here the rabbis derived that the mitzvah of taking the lulav is for a different amount of time in different places. They read the second half of the verse as applying to the Temple, “before the Lord your God.” Hence, the lulav was taken up for seven days in the Temple. Outside of the Temple, or according to other commentaries, outside of Jerusalem, the lulav was taken for only one day.

ובמדינה יום אחד – as it is written (Leviticus 23:40): “On the first day you shall take [the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, [and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days].”

In earlier times the lulav was taken for seven days in the Temple, and in the provinces for one day only. When the Temple still stood the lulav was taken in the Temple (or in Jerusalem) for seven days and outside of the Temple for only one day, as explained in the introduction.

ושיהא יום הנף – The day of the waving of the Omer.

When the temple was destroyed, Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai decreed that the lulav should be taken in the provinces for seven days in memory of the Temple, However, when the Temple was destroyed, there was a problem. If people only observed the commandment for one day, they would soon forget that originally the commandment was observed for seven days, at least in some places. Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, one of the leading rabbinic figures after the destruction of the Temple, decreed therefore that the lulav should be taken up for seven days, in memory of the Temple.

[He also decreed] that on the whole of the day of waving it be forbidden [to eat the new produce]. Having related one of the decrees that Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai made after the destruction of the Temple, the mishnah now relates another, similar decree. We need to note a little bit of background to understand this. On the second day of Pesah, when the Temple still stood, the Omer offering of barley was harvested and brought to the Temple and waved by a priest. After this day, it was permitted to eat from the new grain harvest (see Leviticus 23:9-14). Since people outside of Jerusalem would not know precisely when the Omer had been offered, they would wait at least half of the day before they would eat from the new harvest. When the Temple was destroyed and they could no longer offer the Omer, the rabbis derived from the Torah that the new produce could be eaten as soon as the second day of Pesah began. In other words, without an Omer sacrifice the day itself allowed the new harvest. Again, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai perceived a problem. If people would eat from the new harvest immediately on the 16th of Nissan, when the Temple is rebuilt they would forget that they need to wait until the Omer is offered. Therefore he decreed that the new produce could not be eaten for the entire day. It is interesting to note that the rabbis who lived close to the destruction of the Temple believed that it would speedily be rebuilt. Just as they began working on the rebuilding of the First Temple only 70 years after its destruction, rabbis who lived in the first and early second century probably assumed that their Temple would also be rebuilt in a short time. However, after the Bar Kokhba revolt was crushed, it probably began to dawn on many that the realistic chances of the Temple being speedily rebuilt were not good. The hopes of course never died, but this type of legislative activity making decrees lest the Temple be rebuilt quickly, were more characteristic of the pre Bar Kokhba period.

כולו אסור – to eat from the new [grain] and the reason is explained in the Chapter [three, Tractate Sukkah, Mishnah 12] “The Stolen Lulav”/"לולב הגזול".

ונתקלקלו הלוים בשיר – of the daily offering of the time between the beginning of the decline of the sun and sunset (i.e., at 3:30 pm), and they did not recite the Song at all, because most times, the witnesses would come before Minhah; therefore, they ordained the Song of Yom Tov with the daily offering of the time between the beginning of the decline of the sun and sunset. And regarding the daily offering of the morning, where most of the time, the witnesses have not [yet] come and they did not know if the day would be sanctified or not, they did not ordain the Song/Psalm of Yom Tov, but rather the Song/Psalm of the weekday would be recited. And at the same time, when the time arrived for the offering of the daily offering of the time between the beginning of the decline of the sun and sunset, and the witnesses had not yet come, and the Levites did not know if they should say the weekday Song/Psalm or the Song/Psalm for Yom Tov, and they did not say a Song/Psalm at all.

Introduction There are two more decrees mentioned in this mishnah, both which have to do with the testimony concerning the new month.

נוהגין אותו היום קודש – that when it became dark on the night after the twenty-nineth of Elul, they had the practice of [making it] holy, lest witnesses should come tomorrow and that the Jewish court would sanctify it and it be found that this was in the nighttime of the night of Yom Tov, and similarly, regarding the next day, all day long until Minhah. But if the witnesses came close to Minhah, the Jewish court would sanctify the [New] Month and it would known that they acted well [regarding it] by declaring it holy. And if the witnesses came from Minhah onwards, even though the Jewish court does not sanctify it today (i.e., Rosh Hashanah), they would intercalate Elul and sanctify it for the morrow. Nevertheless, we treat it with holiness and it is prohibited to [do] work, lest perhaps they would disregard it the next year and do work on it all day. And they would say: Last year, we treated it as holy for no reason, and from Minhah and beyond, we returned and treated it like a weekday.

Originally they used to accept testimony with regard to the new moon during the whole day. Originally, it didn’t matter when during the day the witnesses came to testify that they had seen the new moon there testimony was always accepted.

שאפילו ראש ב"ד בכל מקום – for it was necessary for him to separate from the place of the scholar’s meeting place to another place, and the essence of he Mitzvah of [Sanctification] of the Month is dependent upon him, as it is taught in the Mishnah [in Chapter Two, Mishnah 7] above that he as head of the Jewish court says, “It is sanctified.” Nevertheless, it was not necessary for the witnesses to walk after him other than to the place of the scholar’s meeting place, where the Sanhedrin would sit, they should go, and the Sanhedrin would sanctify it without the Head of the Jewish court.

On one occasion the witnesses were late in arriving, and the Levites went wrong in the daily hymn. The problem with accepting witnesses all day is that when witnesses successfully testify they turn the current day into Rosh Hodesh, or in the case of Tishri, Rosh Hashanah. If they come late in the day, it may be difficult to correctly observe the special Rosh Hodesh rituals because time is simply running. The mishnah relates that this happened one time. The witnesses came late in the day and the Levites in the Temple sang the wrong Psalm. The Levites would sing a Psalm while the Tamid (Daily) sacrifice was being offered. There was a different song depending on whether it was a regular day or whether it was Rosh Hodesh. In the morning they sang the regular Psalm for that day, and then because the witnesses hadn’t yet come they sang the same Psalm for the afternoon Tamid. When the witnesses came, it turned out that they never sang the correct Psalm.

They therefore decreed that testimony should be accepted only until the afternoon [sacrifice]. They therefore decreed that the testimony of the witnesses would only be accepted until minhah time, which was the time when they would offer the tamid sacrifice (see Pesahim 5:1).

If witnesses came after the afternoon sacrifice that day should be kept as holy and also the next day. This section refers to Rosh Hashanah, which is not only Rosh Hodesh but also a sacred holiday. On Rosh Hashanah they would observe the thirtieth day of the previous month as a holiday meaning they wouldn’t work. If witnesses came before minhah, then that day would count as Rosh Hashanah, and the next day would not be Rosh Hashanah. If they came later than minhah, then that day would not have counted as Rosh Hashanah (even though they already refrained from work) and the following day will be observed as Rosh Hashanah. This is the origins of the custom to observe Rosh Hashanah for two days.

After the destruction of the temple Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai decreed that testimony with regard to the new moon should be received during the whole day. After the destruction of the Temple there was no more need to worry about the Levites singing the wrong song. Therefore, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai restored the rule to its original state, and allowed the acceptance of testimony for the entire day.

Rabbi Joshua ben Korha said: this further did Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai decree, that not matter where the head of the court might be, the witnesses should have to go only to the place of the assembly. According to Rabbi Joshua ben Korcha there was yet another decree made by Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai. Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai decreed that when the witnesses came to testify all they had to do was come to the place of assembly, which is where the court sat. They did not have to chase after the head of the court if he was in another place. This decree seems to be another way of saying that the authority of the court is determinative and not the individual authority of its leader.

אבות – “The Shield of Abraham.”

Introduction The Amidah prayer said at Mussaf on Rosh Hashanah is the longest and most unique Amidah of the year. It contains the three blessings which begin every Amidah “patriarchs”, which concludes ‘magen Avraham’; “powers”, which concludes ‘mehayeh hametim’; and “the sanctification of the day”, which concludes ‘hael hakadosh’, or ‘hamelekh hakadosh’ between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The Amidah ends with the same three prayers with which it always ends, “blessing of the Temple service (begins with R’tzeh) and “thanksgiving” (begins with modim) and the blessing of the priests (sim shalom it is called the blessing of the priests because it begins with the priestly blessing). There are three middle blessings, but the rabbis in our mishnah disagree about what these are. There are actually four topics which are mentioned in these three blessings. The first is the sanctification of the day, a blessing said on every festival. The other three are unique to Rosh Hashanah. They are “kingship (Malkhuyot)”, “Remembrance (Zikhronot)” and “Shofarot.” Each of the sections contains the recitation of relevant biblical verses, along with a liturgical composition and a concluding blessing. In our mishnah the rabbis argue about the composition of these three middle blessings. We should emphasize that they agree concerning the content, and they agree that there are three and not four blessings. They also all agree that we blow the shofar three times during the Amidah. They also agree that “kingship” is not a separate blessing. In the points of agreement are far greater than the points of disagreement. They disagree only concerning which blessing “kingship” is combined with, and when precisely we blow the shofar. You might want to look at a Rosh Hashanah Mahzor while studying this mishnah.

גבורות – “You are mighty”

The order of blessings [in the Musaf Amidah of Rosh Hashanah]:
He says “patriarchs”, “powers” and the “sanctification of the name” and includes the kingship verses with them and does not blow [the shofar]. The sanctification of the day and blows [the shofar], the remembrance-verses and blows [the shofar], and the shofar-verses and blows [the shofar]. Then he says the blessing of the Temple service and “thanksgiving” and the blessing of the priests, the words of Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri. According to Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri the special kingship verses are combined with the “sanctification of the day” blessing but the shofar is not blown during this blessing. He then recites the sanctification of the day blessing (kedushat hayom) and finally the other two special Rosh Hashanah blessings remembrance and shofarot. He blows the shofar during all three of these blessings. He then completes the Amidah in the normal fashion.

קדושת השם – “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isaiah 6:3)

Rabbi Akiva said to him: if he does not blow the shofar for the kingship-verses, why should he say them? The kingship-verses are one of the three sections of the Amidah that are unique to Rosh Hashanah. According to Rabbi Akiva, it wouldn’t make sense to recite these verses without blowing the shofar.

קדושת היום – you have chosen us

Rather he says: “patriarchs”, “powers” and the “sanctification of the name” and includes the kingship verse with the sanctification of the day and blows the shofar, then he says the remembrance-verses and blows, and the shofar-verses and blows. Then he says the Temple service and “thanksgiving” and the blessing of the priest. Therefore, Rabbi Akiva suggests a different order. First he should recite the normal three blessings which begin each Amidah, without any deviation. Then he includes “kingship” with the sanctification of the day blessing, and blows the shofar as well. Then he recites the other special Rosh Hashanah blessings remembrance and shofarot. He then completes the Amidah in the normal fashion. Our Rosh Hashanah Mussaf Amidah today follows that of Rabbi Akiva.

זכרונות ותוקע שופרות ותוקע – It is derived from Biblical verses, as it is written (Leviticus 23:24): “a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts.” And the Rabbis expounded upon this that the word זכרון/remembrance – means Zikhronot; תרועה/loud blasts – are Shofarot, and the Bible states (Numbers 10:10): “They shall be a reminder of you before your God; I, the LORD, am your God.” What do the words, “I, the LORD, am your God” come to teach us? It teaches that in every place where there is Zikronot and Shofarot, there should be Malkhuyot with them.

אר"ע וכו' – And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Akiba.

מעשרה מלכויות – three verses from the Torah and three from the Writings, and three from the Prophets and one from the Torah that completes this.

Introduction As the core of the three special Mussaf Amidah blessings, “malkhuyot (kingships)”, “zikhronot (remembrances)” and “shofarot” we recite verses from the Torah that use the roots of these three verses. Our mishnah contains several debates concerning the quantity and order of these verses.

שלש שלש – one of the Torah, and one of the Writings and one of the Prophets; But the Halakah is according to Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri.

They do not recite less than ten kingship [verses], ten remembrance [verses], and ten shofar [verses]. According to the first opinion, each section must include ten verses. This is the current practice. We recite three verses from the Torah, three from the Prophets and three from the Writings and then we conclude with a final verse from the Torah.

מלכיות וזכרונות ושופרות של פורענות- such as (Ezekiel 20:33): “[As I live -declares the Lord GOD ] – I will reign over you with a strong hand…”; (Psalms 78:39): “For he remembered that they were but flesh…,” (Hosea 5:8): “Sound a ram’s horn in Gibeah…” and others similar to them. For remembrance is an individual [matter], such as (Nehemiah 5:19): “O my God, remember to my credit [all that I have done for this people!” Even though it is for good, we don’t mention it. And such is the Halakha.

Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri says: if he said three from each set he has fulfilled his obligation. Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri holds that as long as one has recited three verses, assumedly one from each of the three sections of the Tanakh, he has fulfilled his duty.

רבי יוסי אומר אם השלים בתורה יצא – In the Gemara (Talmud Rosh Hashanah 32b) it explains that this is the matter of Rabbi Yosi as such, and he completes [with a passage] from the Torah, but if he completed with [a passage from] the Prophets, he has fulfilled [his religious obligation]. And the Halakha is like Rabbi Yosi.

They do not mention kingship, remembrance and shofar verses of punishment. The words for “king”, “remember” and “shofar” sometimes appear in connection with punishment. These verses should not be used as part of the liturgy, for what seems like obvious reasons.

He begins with [verses] from the Torah and concludes with [verses] from the prophets. According to the first opinion, he begins by reciting verses from the Torah and ends with verses from the Prophets. In between the two, he recites verses from the Writings.

Rabbi Yose says: if he concludes with [a verse] from the Torah he has fulfilled his obligation. Rabbi Yose seems to say that while he should conclude with a verse from the Prophets, as was stated in the previous opinion, nevertheless if he concludes with a verse from the Torah he has discharged his obligation. However, the Talmud understands Rabbi Yose as saying that it is actually preferable to end with a verse from the Torah. Due to this understanding of his words, the accepted halakhah is that we conclude with a verse from the Torah.

השני מתקיע – the person who recites the Musaf prayer sounds the Shofar and not the one who recites the Morning Service Amidah prayer. And during the time of religious persecution, they ordained this, for they had decreed not to sound the Shofar, and there those lying in wait for him all six hours of the time of the Morning prayer service; for that reason, they moved the Tekiah/sounding of the Shofar from the Morning Service to the Musaf Service.

Introduction On days upon which Mussaf is recited (festivals and Rosh Hodesh) there are two people who function as the “shaliah tzibbur”, prayer leader the first does Shacharit and the second does Mussaf. Our mishnah determines which of these people blows the shofar and which of them recites the Hallel.

ובשעת ההלל – because we do not recite Hallel on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, as it is taught, that at the time of Hallel, that is to say, on the other days of Yom Tov when we recite Hallel.

The one who passes before the ark on the festival of Rosh Hashanah: the second one blows the shofar. On Rosh Hashanah, the shaliah tzibbur for Mussaf is the one who blows the shofar. It is interesting that the mishnah needs to dictate this. It seems that at some early point in the development of Jewish liturgy, the Shacharit Amidah for Rosh Hashanah also included liturgy in which it would have been appropriate to blow the shofar. In our current liturgy, there is no place in the Shacharit Amidah to do so, and hence it is quite obvious that the shaliah tzibbur for Mussaf blows the shofar.

On days when Hallel is said, the first one recites the Hallel. On days on which Hallel is recited, the Shaliah Tzibbur for Shacharit is the one that recites the Hallel. Today we practice this by having Hallel fall in between Shacharit and Mussaf.

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.

Introduction This mishnah contains a few more rules concerning the shofar.

בדבר שהוא משום שבות – such as to cut it with a knife.

[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.

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.

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.

אם רצה ליתן לתוכו יין [יתן] - and we don’t say repairing – from where is it [prohibited].

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

סדר תקיעות שלש – one for Malkhuyot, one for Zikhronot and one for Shofarot.

Introduction The final mishnah of Rosh Hashanah deals with the order of the shofar blasts. In the commentary on this mishnah I will note some of the ways in which the halakhah has developed over the centuries.

של שלש שלש – Tekiah/Teruah/Tekiah for each ne, for it is stated that there are two Teruot in the Bible on Rosh Hashanah, and one Teruah on the Yom Kippur of the Jubilee [year], as we derive "שביעי" "שביעי" in an analogy (see the Bartenura to Mishnah Rosh Hashanah, Chapter 3, Mishnah 5 – which compares Leviticus 23:24 and Leviticus 25:9), to give what is stated with this one (Leviticus 23:24) with that one (Leviticus 25:9). And the Teruah that is mentioned on Yom Kippur of the Jubilee [year] we assign it to Rosh Hashanah, hence we find that on Rosh Hashanah there are three Teruot – and the two Teruot that are mentioned in [the Biblical text of Leviticus 23:24) for Rosh Hashanah we assign them to Yom Kippur, hence it is found that there are three Teruot on Yom Kippur. And every Teruah [sound], there is a simple [Tekiah] before it and a simple [Tekiah] after it, as it is taught in a Baraita: From where do we learn that we have a simple [Tekiah] before it? We are taught (Leviticus 25:9): “Then you shall sound the horn loud [תרועה] ….” And from where [do we learn] that there is a simple [Tekiah] after it? We are taught (Leviticus 25:9): “…you shall have the horn sounded [throughout your land].” Hence there is a causing of the sound to pass over a certain space/a proclamation (see Talmud Rosh Hashanah 34a) at the beginning and at the end with a Teruah in-between them. And the language of a simple העברה/proclamation implies that there is a causing of the sound to pass over a certain space/a proclamation after the simple [Tekiah]. Hence for the three Teruot of Rosh Hashanah, there are six Tekiot, and hence you have three sets of three each.

The order of the blasts: three sets of three each. There are nine core blasts of the shofar during the Mussaf Amidah three during each section, malkhuyot, zikhronot and shofarot. Each set consists of one tekiah, one teruah, followed by another tekiah. A set therefore consists of a teruah, preceded by and followed by a tekiah.

שעור תקיעה – the measure of all the Tekiot which are six Tekiot [total].

The length of a teki’ah is equal to three teru'ahs, and the length of a teru'ah is equal to three yevavot. A tekiah is a longer blast than a teruah and a teruah is a longer blast that a yevavah, which is a short staccato blast. In the Talmud there is a doubt about whether a teruah consists of a few medium length notes or a greater number of staccato notes. Today we call the few medium length notes “shevarim” and we call the shorter notes “teruah.” Since it is unclear which we should do, we do both (Jews love to compromise). We also do one set that is “shevarim-teruah” because a teruah may include both the shevarim and the teruah. This doubt concerning the doubt about how the blasts are to be done is the main way in which the original nine blasts have been expanded. The service also includes sets of shofar blasts that are not done throughout Mussaf.

כשלש תרועות – hence it is found that the measurement of one Tekiah is like one-half a Teruah.

If one prolonged the first teki'ah so that it went directly into the second, it counts only as one. At the end of one set of blasts is a tekiah. There is also a tekiah at the beginning of another set. If the shofar blower starts a tekiah at the end of one set and continues to blow long enough that it could have counted for the tekiah at the beginning of the next set, then it only counts as one tekiah. Each shofar blast must be integral and a doubly long blast counts only as one.

שעור תרועה כג' יבבות – three sounds in general of all of them. And there are those who explain that each trembling/staccato is three powers of all of them, hence, it is found that the measure of a Teruah is nine powers of all of them, and it is logical.

One who has blessed [recited the Amidah] and then a shofar is given to him, he sounds a teki'ah teru'ah teki'ah three times. As we stated above, the shofar blasts are integrated into the Amidah. However, the obligation to blow the shofar is independent of the obligation to recite the Mussaf prayer. Therefore, if one does not have a shofar while reciting the Amidah, and then gets one later on, he should blow the shofar even though he has already recited the Amidah.

ומשך בשניה – The Tekiah that comes after the Teruah stretches like two, in order to fulfill [his religious obligation] of the two that he had to do one after another, a simple [Tekiah] that comes after [the Teruah] of Malkhuyot, and the simple [Tekiah] that comes after [the Teruah] of Zikhronot.

Just as the shaliah tzibbur is obligated, so every single individual is obligated. Rabban Gamaliel says: the shaliah tzibbur (communal prayer causes the whole congregation to fulfill their obligation. The final section contains an extremely important debate concerning the function of the shaliach tzibbur, literally translated as “the agent of the community.” According to the first opinion, every person is individually obligated to recite the entire Amidah. The Talmud comments that according to this opinion, the function of the shaliach tzibbur is to fulfill the obligation for a person who doesn’t know how to recite the Amidah. One who knows how to recite the Amidah cannot have his obligation fulfilled on his behalf by the shaliah tzibbur. According to Rabban Gamaliel the shaliach tzibbur’s recitation of the Amidah fulfills the obligation of the entire community. The question then must be asked why should the other members of the community even bother reciting the Amidah? The answer given is that while the rest of the community recites the Amidah, the shaliah tzibbur has time to prepare to recite the Amidah. Congratulations! We have finished Rosh Hashanah. It is a tradition at this point to thank God for helping us finish learning the tractate and to commit ourselves to going back and relearning it, so that we may not forget it and so that its lessons will stay with us for all of our lives. Mishnah Rosh Hashanah had two main sections, one about the sanctification of the new month, Rosh Hodesh, and the other about Rosh Hashanah itself. The Jewish calendar and its connection to the moon should remain an important way in which we connect ourselves to the cycles of nature, to the waxing and the waning of the new moon. In modern times, women have reclaimed Rosh Hodesh as a woman’s holiday. I hope that learning this mishnah has aided in these celebrations and as a reminder to everyone that Rosh Hodesh is not just the recitation of Hallel but is a monthly renewal of our calendar. Rosh Hashanah remains one of the central holidays in the Jewish calendar. I hope that by learning the Mishnah we can help return to the holidays roots which are a reminder of God’s kingship and God’s salvation. And again, as always, congratulations on learning another tractate of Mishnah. We are getting close to having finished half of the Mishnah. May you have the strength and time to keep on learning more! Tomorrow we begin Taanit.

אין בידו אלא אחת – to interrupt one Tekiah for two, we don’t interrupt.

מי שברך – He who prayed the Musaf nad made nine blessings.

כשם ששליח ציבור חייב – whether [speaking of] the blessings of Rosh Hashanah or whether the prayers of the entire year, one does not fulfill his [religious] obligation other tahan with a prayer that a person recites on his own. Hence, each individual person who is expert and knows how to pray does not fulfill his [religious] obligation other than through his own prayer, whether on Rosh Hashanah or on the rest of the days of the year. And the emissary of the congregation does not go down before the Ark other than to fulfill [the religious obligation] of those [people] who are not expert.

שליח ציבור מוציא את הרבים ידי חובתן – Whether one is expert or whether one is not expert, whether [speaking] about the blessings of Rosh Hashanah whether the prayers of the entire year [the emissary of the congregation fulfills the religious obligation of the group]. And why does the community pray silently, in order that the emissary of the congregation can arrange his prayer. But the Halakha is like the Sages regarding the blessings of he entire year, where the emissary of the congregation does not fulfill [the religious obligation] on whomever is not expert [in reciting the prayers]. But regarding the blessings of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and of the Jubilee year, which have nine long blessings and not everyone is expert in them, the Halakha is according to Rabban Gamaliel, for such as he fulfills [the religious obligations] of those who are not expert, so too, he fulfills [the religious obligations] of those who are expert in their prayers.