Rabbinically, there are certain laws in Sounding the Shofar. Generally found in the Shulchan Aruch 586 or Mishnah Berurah 586, there are many situations that my comments on Jewish law may help you.
Art Finkle
Such preparation is not only for
the preparation of the shofar sounding but also the corpus of the holiday, to
begin the process of concentrated, sincere repentance. In addition to the
shofar as a reminder, certain prayers of supplication and repentance are added
to the service.
There are also
localities where they also blow the
shofar at the ma’ariv (evening) prayer
In the Bible and
rabbinic literature
The shofar was used in to announce holidays (Ps. lxxxi. 4), and the Jubilee year (Lev. 25. 9). The first day of the seventh month (Tishri) is termed "a memorial of blowing" (Lev. 23. 24), or "a day of blowing" (Num. xxix. 1), the shofar. It was also employed in processions (II Sam. 6. 15; I Chron. 15. 28), as a musical accompaniment (Ps. 98. 6; comp. ib. xlvii. 5) and to signify the start of a war (Josh. 6. 4; Judges 3. 27; 7. 16, 20; I Sam. 8. 3). Note that the 'trumpets' described in Numbers 10 are a different instrument, described by the Hebrew word 'trumpet' not the word for shofar.
The Torah describes the first day of the seventh month (1st of Tishri = Rosh ha-Shanah) as a zikron teruah (memorial of blowing; Lev. xxiii) and as a yom teru'ah (day of blowing; Num. 29). This was interpreted by the Jewish sages as referring to the sounding the shofar.
In the Temple in Jerusalem, the shofar was sometimes used together with the trumpet. On New-Year's Day the principal ceremony was conducted with the shofar, which instrument was placed in the center with a trumpet on either side; it was the horn of a wild goat and straight in shape, being ornamented with gold at the mouthpiece. On fast-days the principal ceremony was conducted with the trumpets in the center and with a shofar on either side. On those occasions the shofarot were rams' horns curved in shape and ornamented with silver at the mouthpieces. On Yom Kippur of the jubilee year the ceremony was performed with the shofar as on New-Year's Day. Rosh Hoshana is the Jewish New Year. A ceremonial horn, called a “shofar” is blown, reminding Jews that God is king. A feast with symbolic food is eaten on Rosh Hashana, and the next ten days are spent in repentance. Rosh Hashana ends on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is a day of judgment, during which prayers are made asking for forgiveness.
The shofar was blown in the times of Joshua to help him capture Jericho. As they surrounded the walls, the shofar was blown and the Jews were able to capture the city. The shofar was commonly taken out to war so the troops would know when a battle would begin. The person who would blow the shofar would call out to the troops from atop a hill. All of the troops were able to hear the call of the shofar from their position because of its distinct sound.
[edit]
Post-Biblical times
The shofar is primarily associated with Rosh ha-Shanah. Indeed, Rosh Hashanah is called "Yom T’ruah" (the day of the shofar blast). In the Mishnah (book of early rabbinic laws derived from the Torah), a discussion centers on the centrality of the shofar in the time before the destruction of the second temple (70 AD). Indeed, the shofar was the center of the ceremony, with two silver trumpets playing a lesser role. On other solemn holidays, fasts, and new moon celebrations, two silver trumpets were featured, with one shofar playing a lesser role. The shofar is also associated with the jubilee year in which, every fifty years, Jewish law provided for the release of all slaves, land, and debts. The sound of the shofar on Rosh ha-Shanah announced the jubilee year, and the sound of the shofar on Yom Kippur proclaimed the actual release of financial encumbrances.
The halakha (Jewish law) rules that the shofar may not be sounded on Shabbat due to the potential that the ba’al tekiyah (shofar sounder) may inadvertently carry it which is in a class of forbidden Shabbat work (RH 29b) the historical explanation is that in ancient Israel, the shofar was sounded on Shabbat in the temple located in Jerusalem. After the temple’s destruction, the sounding of the shofar on Shabbat was restricted to the place where the great Sanhedrin (Jewish legislature and court from 400 BCE to 100 C.E.) was located. However, when the Sanhedrin ceased to exist, the sounding of the shofar on Shabbat was discontinued (Kieval, The High Holy Days, p. 114).
The shofar says, "Wake up from your (moral) sleep. You are asleep. Get up from your slumber. You are in a deep sleep. Search for your behavior. Become the best person you can. Remember God, the One Who created you." Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance 3:4.[1]
See Arthur l. Finkle, Shofar Sounders Reference Manual, LA: Torah Aura, 1993
Straight
and Twisted Shofarot (Rosh Hashanah 26b)
Shofar-Blowing
Procedure
Please note that in this document,
"Shofar" refers to the Ram's Horn.
General Issues
The Halacha of Shofar
1.
Before the Shulchan Aruch talks about the Shofar it
defines the Shofar.
·
How do the Sages define it?
·
To what extent is the fact that the Shofar was used
in the Temple ceremony, is the Shofar considered holy?
2.
What if the Shofar is split?
·
How you define a split?
·
What does the sound have to do with fixing a
Shofar?
·
Can you sound a Shofar if there is no other one
available?
·
Can you fix the split? If so, how.
3.
Can you
steal a Shofar? 586:2 (9) MB (listening to the sound)
·
Yes, you can steal the object, but the importance
is the sound that emanates from the Shofar.
4.
What do the Sages indicate as the musical notes of
the Shofar?
·
Why is the true sound of the teruah?
·
Why did the Sages include the tekiya and the
shevarim as valid Shofar notes?
·
How long can the notes be?
·
How long can the tekiah g’dolah be?
Note:
The RAMA (Rabbi Moses Isserles, Ashkenazi gleaner of Shulchan Aruch,
1597), Polish rabbi is in
brackets [ ]
Chapter
585: The blessing on the Shofer:
1. One must blow the shofer standing. [The custom is to blow it by the בימה where they read the Torah].
2. Before you blow the shofer, you should make
the blessing of לשׁמועה קול שׁופר
and שׁהחיינו. [There is no difference if he is saying the
blessing for himself or if he was already יוציא (covered) and
is covering others, he still recites these two blessings. He should blow: Tekiah-ShevarimTeruah-Tekiah
three times. Tekiah-Shevarim-Tekiah three times and
Tekiah-Teruah-Tekiah three
times. It is better to blow the shofer
on the right side if you are able to blow it this way. Similarly, the shofer should be oriented
upwards as it says, “G-d rises up with the shofer blast”]
3. If he began blowing the shofer and was unable
to complete it, someone else should complete it. Even three or four people may do it through
the blessing the first one made: provided that the latter were present at the
time of the blessing. Even if one made a
blessing and was unable to blow at all, another blows without reciting a new
blessing and it is not considered a blessing said in vein.
4. Someone other than the Chazzan should blow
the shofer in order that he shouldn’t get mixed up. However, if he is trustworthy to repeat his
prayers (in the event he gets confused) then he may do both. [Only shofer blasts that are blown in the
middle of prayer the Chazzan is forbidden to blow. But the shofer blasts that are blown
separately like before we begin the Mussuf prayer are permitted. If the Chazzan did not blow the shofer on
these separate occasions, then the shofer blower who did so should also blow
the shofer in the middle of prayer since it is better for the one who began the
mitzvah to finish it[1][1]. It is our custom to announce the names of
each shofer blast before the shofer blower blows them. This is a good idea.]
5. One who accepts
money for blowing the shofer on Rosh Hashanah, one who accepts money to lead
the congregation in prayer, and one who accepts money to read from the Torah on
Shabbat and Yom Tov (Holidays), will not see anything good arise from that
money.
MB 590 proper order
of the sounds
3. Some authorities say that the tekiah sound should be the same length
as the shevarim and the teruah sounds.
One should extend the tekiah sound more on the first series than in the
other two series.
4The three shevarim sounds must be done in one breath.
There are differences of opinion as to whether the shevarim-teruah
sound should be with same breath.
To compensate with this difference of opinion the Shofar sounder may
take only one breath when the congregation is seated; but two breaths when the
congregation is standing.
588 Time for the
Blowing of the Shofar
1. Time for blowing is the day and not the
night. The mitzvah is best performed
from the time of sunrise onwards. If one
blew at the crack of dawn, he will have fulfilled. If partly before the crack of dawn and
partially after, no fulfill.
1.
If
one listened to nine blasts, even by nine different Shofar blower
fulfills. If one hears with
interruption, not valid because there has to be a tekiah before and one
after. If two Shofars play at the same
time, the person does not fulfill the mitzvah (obligation). If a Shofar and a trumpet play at the same
time mitzvah (obligation) is fulfilled because listening for a Shofar sound.
Kitzur SA 128:2
Ganzfried-Golden,
Hebrew Publishing Co, 1961
Custom to blow on 2nd
day of Elul to day Mesewchta Rosh Hashanah makes the distinction between
voluntary and mandatory shofar sounding during Elul.
The sounds are:
tekiah-shevarim-teruah
- once
To prepre for the
penitential season (tshuvah)
Seven week after the
17th of Tammuz (commemorating the first breech of the Temple walls,
there are seven weeks of Haftoreh Admonition. After 9th day of Av Tisha B’Av –
destruction of the Temple), there are three weeks of consolation Haftorehs..
Preparations
One Whole Month Before Rosh Hashanah
The Rabbi’s introduced takkanot
(communitylaws) to amend the pentateuchal laws as well as Jewish Law. See Solomon
Zeitlin, The Halaka: Introduction to
Tannaitic Jurisprudence,
The Jewish Quarterly Review, New
Series, Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jul., 1948), pp. 1-40. Published by: University of Pennsylvania Press
The updated Code
of Jewish Law (Mishnah Berurah) is a 20th century commentary on Orach Chayim, the first section of the Code of Jewish Law (Shulchan Aruch). At §581(3), there is a gloss
that most Sephardic communities customarily begin to sound the shofar on the
first day of the new month of Elul, at the end of the Morning Prayer service.
In other communities, its practice begins on the second day of the new month of
Elul to continue until the day before Rosh Hashanah.
See also D. Hach. Derech
Ha-Chaim - Glosses to the siddur containing laws pertaining to daily conduct,
prayers blessings, thew Sabath and Holidays, etc; by Ya’akov Lorbeerbaum
(1760-1832) Berlin, 1840.
(1)
From Rosh Chodesh onwards,
etc. There are /communities/ where /the blowing of the shofar/ is begun from the first day of Rosh
Chodesh. There are other communities where it is begun from the second day of
Rosh Chodosh. D. Hach. Writes that one should do: “The shofar should be sounded
every morning after the prayer service [except on the Sabbath].
(2)
D. Hach. Derech Ha-Chaim - Glosses to the siddur containing laws
pertaining to daiy conduct, prayers blessings, Shabbos and Holidays, etc; by
Ya’akov Lorbeerbaum (1760-1832) Berlin, 1840
The Code of
Jewish Law (Shulchan Aruch, 1565) §128:2 denotes that three shofar notes are
sounded: tekiah; shevarim; and teruah.
Such preparation is not only for
the preparation of the shofar sounding but also the corpus of the holiday, to
begin the process of concentrated, sincere repentance. In addition to the
shofar as a reminder, certain prayers of supplication and repentance are added
to the service.
There are also
localities where they also blow the
shofar at the ma’ariv (evening) prayer
The Halaka: Introduction to Tannaitic Jurisprudence
Solomon Zeitlin
The Jewish Quarterly Review, New
Series, Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jul., 1948), pp. 1-40
cubits
beyond. The sages introduced takkanot to amend the pentateuchal laws as well as
the halaka. From the Talmud we learn that if Rosh Hashana fell on the sabbath
the sounding of the shofar was suspended. In the Temple however the blow-ing of
the shofar took precedence over the sabbath, a custom which was in vogue during
the Second Commonwealth. After the destruction of the Temple, Rabban Johanan b.
Zakkai introduced a takkana that in the city of Jabne, where the Bet Din was
sitting, the blowing of the shofar should take precedence over the sabbath.80
By this takkana Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai sought to demonstrate that the Bet Din
took the place of the Temple. The sages not only amended ritual laws but also laws
in relation to the family and civil laws.
Shofar J Ency
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=653&letter=S
SELECTED HALACHOS
RELATING TO ROSH HASHANA
By Rabbi Doniel
Neustadt
A discussion of
Halachic topics related to the Parsha of
the
week. For final
rulings, consult your Rav.
A BASIC UNDERSTANDING
OF THE TEKIOS
One of the most
important mitzvos of Rosh Hashanah(1) is the Biblical
command to blow the
shofar. Although the significance of this mitzvah has
been expounded at
length - Rav Saadiah Gaon enumerates ten different reasons
for blowing shofar(2)
- still many people are unfamiliar with the basic
procedures involved:
how many blasts are sounded, how long or short must
they be, etc. While
the tokea and the makri (the individual who instructs
the tokea which blast
to sound) must be thoroughly versed in these intricate
laws(3) - since it is
they who determine if a particular blast was invalid
and must be repeated
- still it is important for the entire congregation to
have some degree of
familiarity with the general laws governing this
mitzvah.
THE BASIC MITZVAH
The Biblical command is to blow three sets of
blasts on Rosh Hashanah. A
set of blasts means
one teruah sound preceded and followed by a tekiah
sound. Thus, the sum
total of blasts which one is required to hear on Rosh
Hashanah is nine -
six tekiah sounds and three teruah sounds.
The tekiah sound was
always well defined and agreed upon by all
authorities - a long,
straight (without a break or pause) blast. The teruah
sound, however, was
not well defined and the Rabbis were unsure of how,
exactly, it was
supposed to sound(4). The Talmud(5) describes three
possibilities:
Three short, straight
blasts - what we commonly refer to as shevarim;
Nine(6) very short,
staccato blasts - what we commonly refer to as teruah;
A combination of both
of the above sounds - a shevarim- teruah compound.
To satisfy all of the
above opinions, the Rabbis established that the three
sets of tekios be
blown in three different ways, alternating the teruah
sound in each set.
Thus we blow tekiah shevarim-teruah tekiah (TaSHRaT)
three times; tekiah
shevarim tekiah (TaRaT) three times; tekiah teruah
tekiah (TaSHaT) three
times. All together that adds up to thirty different
blasts - eighteen
tekios, three shevarim-teruahs, three shevarim and three
teruahs. This is the
minimum number of blasts that every adult male(7) is
required to hear on
Rosh Hashanah. These are called tekios d'myushav, since
the congregation is
permitted to sit while they are being blown. In
practice, however, it
is universally accepted to stand during these
tekios(8).
[A person who is in
dire circumstances (a patient in the hospital, for
example) and is
unable to hear (or blow) thirty blasts, should try to hear
(or blow) 10 sounds, one TaSHRaT, one TaRaT and
one TaSHaT(9). No blessing,
however, is recited
over these blasts.]
In addition to these
Biblically required blasts, we blow sixty more. Thirty
more are blown during
Musaf, ten each after the malchiyos, zichronos and
shofaros divisions of
Shemoneh Esrei. Every adult male is Rabbinically
obligated to blow or
hear these blasts in their designated places in the
Musaf service. They
are called tekios d'meumad, since one is required to
stand while they are
being blown(10).
In addition, it is
customary to blow forty more blasts for a sum total of
one hundred blasts.
While this custom is based on several early sources(11)
and has been almost
universally adopted, there are various practices
regarding when,
exactly, they are blown. Generally, these blasts are blown
towards the end of
and after the Musaf service, and one must refrain from
speaking(12) until
after all one hundred sounds have been blown.
HOW LONG SHOULD EACH
BLAST BE?
The length of a
tekiah, both before and after the teruah, must be at least
as long as the teruah
which it accompanies(13). Thus, since it takes about
2-3 seconds to blow a
shevarim or a teruah, the tekiah before and after must
be at least 2-3
seconds long. Since it takes longer than that to blow the
combination
shevarim-teruah sound, the tekiah which precedes and follows
these sounds must be
longer as well. Most congregations allot about 4-5
seconds for each of
these tekios. The makri is responsible to keep time.
[It is important to
remember that each tekiah must be heard in its entirety
no matter how long it
takes. If, for example, a tekiah is blown for 7
seconds, which is
much longer than required, the entire 7 seconds' worth
must be heard by the
congregation. Care must be taken not to begin reciting
the yehi ratzon until
after the blast is concluded(14).]
A teruah is at least
nine short blasts (beeps), although in practice, many
more beeps are
sounded when the teruah is blown. No breath may taken between
the short beeps; they
must be blown consecutively.
Each shever should be
about three teruah-beeps long. B'dieved the shever is
valid even if it is
only two beeps long, provided that all three shevarim
are of that
length(15). No breath may be taken between each shever; they
must be blown consecutively(16).
SHEVARIM TERUAH - HOW
IS IT BLOWN?
There are two basic
views of how to blow the shevarim-terurah combination.
Some opinions hold
that no breath may be taken between them and even
b'dieved, a breath
between them invalidates the blast. Others hold that a
breath may be taken
as long as it takes no longer than the split second that
it takes to draw a
breath. The custom in most congregations is to do it both
ways; the tekios
before Musaf are blown with no breath being taken between
the shevarim-teruah,
while the tekios during and after Musaf are blown with
a break for drawing a
breath between the shevarim-teruah(17).
MISTAKES WHILE
BLOWING
There are basically
two types of mistakes that the tokea can make while
blowing shofar. The
most common is that the tokea tries but fails to produce
the proper sound. The
general rule is that the tokea ignores the failed try,
takes a breath, and
tries again(18).
The other type of
mistake is that the tokea blows the blast properly, but
loses track and blows
the wrong blast, e.g., instead of shevarim he thinks
that a tekiah is in
order, or instead of teruah he thinks that a shevarim is
due and he blows the
shevarim. In that case, it is not sufficient to merely
ignore the wrong
blast; rather the tokea must repeat the tekiah which
precedes the
shevarim(19).
When a tekiah needs
to be repeated, it is proper that the makri notify the
congregation of that
(by banging on the bimah, etc.), so that the listeners
do not lose track of
which blasts are being blown.
ADDITIONAL HIDDURIM
As there are
different views and/or stringencies pertaining to various
aspects of tekias
shofar, one who wishes to be extremely particular in this
mitzvah may blow (or
hear) additional blasts after the davening is over in
order to satisfy all
opinions. These include the following hiddurim:
There are several
ways of blowing the shevarim sound; while some blow short,
straight blasts,
others make a slight undulation (tu-u-tu).
Some opinions
maintain that l'chatchillah, each shever should be no longer
than the length of
two beeps(20).
Some opinions hold
that when the shevarim-teruha sound is blown, there may
not be any break at
all between them (even if no breath is taken); the
shever must lead
directly into the teruah(21).
Some authorities insist
that the tekiah sound be straight and clear from
beginning to the end,
with no fluctuation of pitch throughout the entire
blast(22).
FOOTNOTES:
1 This year, the
shofar is blown only on the second day of Rosh Hashanah as
the first day is
Shabbos.
2 The most
fundamental reason to perform this mitzvah, however, is simply
that Hashem commanded
us to do so.
3 Mateh Efrayim
585:2.
4 While the basic
definition of a teruah is a "crying" sound, it was unclear
if that resembled
short "wailing" sounds or longer "groaning" sounds.
5 Rosh Hashanah 33b.
6 There are Rishonim
who hold that a teruah is three short beeps. B'dieved,
we may rely on that
view to fulfill our obligation (Mishnah Berurah 590:12).
7 The obligation of
women regarding tekias shofar was discussed in The
Weekly Halachah
Discussion, pg. 532-534.
8 Mishnah Berurah
585:2. A weak or elderly person may lean on a shtender or
a table during these
sets of tekios (Sha'ar ha-Tziyun 585:2).
9 Based on Mishnah
Berurah 586:22 and 620:7. See also Mateh Efrayim 586:7
and Ktzeh ha-Mateh
590:1. See, however, Mateh Efrayim 593:3 who seems to
rule in this case
that three TaSHRaTs should be blown.
10 Mishnah Berurah
592:2. B'dieved, one fulfills his obligation if he sat
during these tekios;
ibid.
11 See Mishnah
Berurah 592:4.
12 Asher Yatzar,
though, may be recited; Minchas Yitzchak 3:44; 4:47.
13 This is based on
the minimum length of time required for the teruah, not
on the actual time it
took to blow a particular teruah.
14 Mishnah Berurah
587:16; haTekios k'Halachah u'Behidur 1 quoting several
sources.
15 Shulchan Aruch
Harav 590:7.
16 O.C. 590:4.
17 Mishnah Berurah
590:20 and Sha'ar ha-Tziyun 18. The makri, too, should
take a breath between
the announcement of shevarim-teruah, so that the tokea
will follow his lead
(Elef ha-Magen 22).
18 Based on Mishnah
Berurah 290:34, Aruch ha-Shulchan 290:20 and Da'as Torah
590:8.
19 Another example is
when the tokea mistakenly blows [or begins to blow]
two sets of shevarim
or teruos in a row. The original tekiah must be
repeated.
20 See O.C. 590:3.
21 Avnei Nezer 443;
Chazon Ish O.C. 136:1. This is difficult to perform
properly.
22 Harav Y.L. Diskin,
based on the view of the Ramban and Ritva, see Moadim
u'Zmanim 1:5. Chazon
Ish, however, was not particular about this; Orchos
Rabbeinu 2:183.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weekly-Halacha,
Copyright (c) 1999 by Rabbi Neustadt, Dr. Jeffrey Gross and
Project Genesis, Inc.
The author, Rabbi Neustadt, is the principal of Yavne
Teachers' College in
Cleveland, Ohio. He is also the Magid Shiur of a daily
Mishna Berurah class
at Congregation Shomre Shabbos.
The Weekly-Halacha
Series is distributed L'zchus Doniel Meir ben Hinda.
Weekly sponsorships
are available - please mail to jgross@torah.org .
The series is
distributed by the Harbotzas Torah Division of Congregation
Shomre Shabbos, 1801
South Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
HaRav Yisroel Grumer,
Marah D'Asra.
This list is part of
Project Genesis:
SHULCHAN ARUCH
Part I: Orach Chayim
Chapter 5 - SHEMA
SHEMA (Deut.6:4-9;
Deut.11:13-23; Num.15:37-41) must be recited
with great concentration and
intent (61:1), particularly the first verse;
see 60:5;63:4,6. (In general,
fulfillment of a Commandment requires
intent; see 60:4.) It is
customary to recite the first verse out loud and
to cover the eyes while doing
so (61:4-5,16;62:5), and to silently say
"Blessed be the
Name..." after the first verse (61:13). On the
appropriate intentions at
specific parts of SHEMA see
61:2-3,6-8,14-15. The
TEFILLIN and TZITZIS should be touched
when the verses in which they
are mentioned are recited (61:25).
SHEMA should be recited
audibly if possible (see 61:26;62:3-4), and
should be pronounced very
carefully (62:1), even when reciting it in a
language other than Hebrew
(62:2). On specific details about the
pronunciation see
61:16-21,23-24. [Similar care with pronunciation
should be taken in reciting
other prayers and in reading from Biblical
books (61:22).]
The blessings
"...Creator of light and darkness..." and "Eternal love..."
(or "Great
love...") are recited before SHEMA (59:1;60:1). The first
blessing is recited even by
individuals even though it contains the
verses of KEDUSHAH (59:3),
and it may be recited even by a blind
man (69:2). On reciting these
blessings with the leader or hearing
them from him and answering
"Amen" to them see 59:4;61:3. On
omission of these blessings
or errors in them see 58:4;59:2,5;60:2-3.
It is customary for an
individual to say "G-d, faithful king" before
SHEMA; and in a congregation,
the leader repeats "HA-SHEM your
G-d is true" at the end
(61:3). After SHEMA, the blessing "True..." is
recited; on its importance
see 66:10.
The verses of each passage of
SHEMA must be recited in order
(see 64:1). On what to do if
part of SHEMA was (or may have been)
omitted see 64:2-4; on cases
of doubt see 67:1. On what to do if the
recitation was interrupted
see 65:1 and 75:1; on situations in which
interruption is permitted in
the SHEMA and its blessings see 66:1-9
and 69:1; on inserting
religious poems (PIYUTIM) into the blessings
see 68:1. It is forbidden to
recite SHEMA twice in succession (see
61:9-12; similarly,
"Amen" should not be said twice after hearing a
blessing). However, if a
congregation is reciting SHEMA, an
individual should recite at
least the first verse with them even if he has
already recited SHEMA; see
65:2-3.
SHEMA may be recited in the
morning after it is light enough to
recognize an acquaintance
(58:1), or if necessary, after dawn
(58:3-4). Ideally, it should
be recited shortly before sunrise (see 58:1),
or as soon afterward as
possible (58:2). It may be recited until the
end of the first quarter of
the day (58:1), or if necessary the first third;
after that it may still be
recited, but without the blessings (58:6). It is
customary to recite the first
verse at the beginning of the morning
prayers in case the
entire SHEMA is not recited until too late (46:9).
It is not necessary to stand
while reciting SHEMA (see 63:2), but it
should not be recited while
lying flat (63:1), and the first verse should
not be recited while walking
(63:3). A sleeping person should be
awakened to recite at least
the first verse (63:5), and a person who is
working should stop for at
least the first passage (see 63:7-9). On
interrupting other activities
to recite SHEMA if there is time to recite it
after finishing see 70:3-5.
On activities that excuse a person from
reciting SHEMA, such as
funeral preparations, see 71:1-6 and
72:1-5.
A woman is exempt from
reciting SHEMA, but should recite at least
the first verse (70:1). A
child should be taught SHEMA when he is old
enough (70:2). A person who
is drunk should not recite SHEMA
(99:1).
SHEMA should not be recited
in the presence of the dead or in a
cemetery (71:7); if adult
nudity is in contact with any of the body, or
any nudity is visible or is
in line of sight with the heart (see
73:1-4;74:1-6;75:4-6); if a
woman's singing is audible, or any part of
her body or hair that is
usually covered is visible (75:1-3); or in the
presence of excrement that is
uncovered or in contact with the body
or clothing or can be smelled
(see
76:1-8;79:1-3,9;80:1;81:2;82:1;87:3). [On the excrement of animals
and children see 79:4-7;81:1
(see also 76:3 on a pig's mouth); on
urine see
76:7-8;77:1-2;78:1;79:6;82:2;87:1-3; on semen see 76:4;
on bad-smelling liquids see
86:1. On places where such things are
commonly present see 85:1-2;
in particular, on garbage dumps see
76:7 and 79:8; on toilets see
83:1-5 and 87:1-3; on bathhouses see
84:1; on cases of doubt see
76:7-8.] In such circumstances it is also
forbidden to speak or think
about Torah or to mention a Divine name,
but it is permitted to speak
Hebrew or to mention a Divine attribute or
to warn someone against a
forbidden activity (85:2). If SHEMA was
recited under any of these
conditions, it must be repeated (83:5). On
the other hand, a person who
is ritually impure is allowed to recite
SHEMA, pray, and study Torah;
see 88:1.
Shulchan Aruch, Copyright (c)
2000 Project Genesis, I
http://torah.org/advanced/shulchan-aruch/classes/orachchayim/chapter5.html
Shiur HaRav Y.D. Soloveichik ZT’L on Shofar
At
the the Yarchei Kallah, delivered in Boston in 5742 (Aug. 1977), the Rav
explained the Ramban on Zichron Teruah and
extracted the essence of Shofar and how it reflects the Kedushas Hayom of Rosh Hashonah (Vayikra
25:24).
The
Ramban interprets the term Zichron Teruah as “this is the day in which we are
remembered by HKBH through Teruah”. Rashi interprets Zichron Teruah as Zichron
Pesukei Zichronos U’Psukei Shofros. In other words we must recite Malchios
Zichronos and Shofros on Rosh Hashonah. The Ramban suspects that Rashi is of
the opinion that Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros are Doraysa obligations. That the
obligation on Rosh Hashonah is not only to blow the Shofar and produce the
sound, but Zichron Teruah requires us to speak about it as well through the
recitation of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros.
There
is no doubt that the instituition of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros is based
on Zichron Teruah. Yet we do not find a similar obligation of Zichron, to
recite verses in conjunction with other Mitzvos, such as Lulav, Matzah. This manifests a double Kiyum
for Zichron Teruah:
blowing
shofar per se as well as doing it in the framework of Malchios, Zichronos and
Shofros.
The
Ramban asks why did Rashi omit Malchios from his interpretation of Zichron
Teruah? Why only mention Zichronos and Shofros? The Ramban answered this
question saying that though Zichron Teruah is specific to Zichronos and
Shofros, the obligation to recite Malchios is derived from a Binyan Av
(Masechet Rosh Hashonah 32a). Rashi only mentions that which is specifically
derived from the Zichron Teruah. But of course Rashi agrees that the same
obligation exists regarding Malchios as well.
The
Ramban’s opinion is that the recitation of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros in
the framework of Tekias Shofar as derived from Zichron Teruah is only an Asmachta
and is Rabbinic in nature. The Ramban derives this from the statement in the
Talmud (Rosh Hashonah 34b):
“Mephorash
Amru Holchin Lemakom Shetokin Vayn Holchin Lemakom Shemevarchim. Peshita! Ha Deoraysa Ha Rabanan! Lo
Tzericha, Daf Al Gav Dha Vaday Vha
Safek”.
If
one has a choice to attend one of two services, one where he may hear Tekias Shofar or where he definitely
will be able to hear the Berachos of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros, he is
obligated to attend the former. We see
from this that the obligation to hear the Shofar itself takes precedence over
the obligation to hear Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros. Had they both been biblical obligations there
would have been no reason to prefer one over the other.
The
Rav quoted the Haamek Sheelah who defended Rashi saying that Rashi agreed with
the Geonim Kadmonim that Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros is a biblical
obligation, however only when combined with Tekias Shofar. Malchios, Zichronos
and Shofros without Tekias Shofar they are Drabbanan. The Gemara says that is
it preferable to go to the place where they may blow shofar, and even recite
the Brachos of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros, rather than to go to a place
where they only say the Brachos of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros without the context
of Tekias Shofar, in which case it is only a Drabbanan.
So
according to the Ramban the term Zichron Teruah means Zichron through Teruah
while according to Rashi it means Zichron of Teruah, i.e. through the
recitation of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros.
The
Ramban asks how do we know that the word Teruah means blowing this sound
through a Shofar? Perhaps we must use a trumpet (Chatzotzros) to fulfill this
obligation? The Ramban says that
Chatzotzros are not mentioned explicitly in the Parsha of Rosh Hashonah, ibut
are introduced in Sefer Bamidbar, so we can
assume that they were not intended.
Also Teruah implies Shofar, as seen from the Passuk (Vayikra 25:9)
Vhaavarta Shofar Teruah.
The
Ramban continues: the Torah did not explain the reason behind this Mitzvah: why
the Teruah and why must there be Zichron
before HKBH on this day as opposed to any other day in the year? The
Torah mentions no historical event that coincides with Rosh Hashonah. The Rav
mentioned that there is a well known
disagreement between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua in what month the world was created. Was it Nissan or
Tishrei? Because of this dispute many communities did not include such
statements in the Amidah of Rosh
Hashonahas Zeh Hayom Techilas Maasecha. Yet even in those communities, they
still blew Shofar and celebrated Rosh Hashonah, so apparrently creation of the
universe was not the event that singles out Rosh Hashonah.
The
Ramban states that although he can not pinpoint a unique event that occurred on
Rosh Hashonah, he knows that 9 days after Rosh Hashonah,we celebrate Yom
Kippur, the day of atonement and forgiveness.. Hence the holiday of Rosh
Hashonah is related in some way to Yom Kippur. This is what the Ramban means
when he says:
“Aval
Mpnay Shehu Bchodsho Shel Yom Kippur Brosh Chodesh Nireh Shebo Yihyeh Din
Lefanav Yisbarech Ki Hashem Yadin Amim B’Rosh Hashonah Yashev Lkesei Shofet
Tzedek Vacharei Ken Baseres Hayamim Yisa Lfesha Avadav Nirmaz Bacasuv”.
The
fact that Rosh Hashonah is connected wth Yom Kippur in the same month, in and
of itself indicates that Rosh Hashonah is an exceptional Yom Tov.
The
Rav says that perhaps the Ramban was motivated
by the Rambam, who (Hilchos Chovel Umazik, 1) formulates the notion that
there are certain laws that we have accepted based on the unbroken tradition
that has been handed down to us through the ages, beginning with Moshe and
having been witnessed by all subsequent generations and Batei Din. There is
atradition that originated with Moshe Rabbeinu and continued by all the
Chachmei Yisrael throughout the generations that all of them singled Rosh
Hashonah as a unique and exceptional day.
The
Ramban now explains in detail the meaning of Zichron Teruah. The Rav expounded
on this, extracting from the Ramban the essence of the Kedushas Hayom of Rosh
Hashanah. .. Indeed this deep insight
into Rosh Hashonah expressed by the Ramban can be seen in all aspects of the
Machzor that we have for Rosh Hashonah. The Ramban paraphrases the words of the
Haggadah when he says:
“Val
Derech Haemes Teruah Hi Sheamdah Laavosaynu Vlanu...”
Rosh
Hashonah is the day of judgement, Din. This is described (Eruchin 10b):
the
Angels asked HKBH why don’t Bnay Yisrael recite Hallel on Rosh Hashonah? HKBH
answered is it possible that when the King is sitting on the throne of Din and
the books of the living and dead are open before Him , is it possible that Bnay
Yisrael should be able to recite Hallel? We see from this that the
characteristic of Rosh Hashonah is Din. This is Melech Yoshev Al Kisai din. Malchus
of Hashem is expressed through the characteristic of Din that is manifest on
Rosh Hashonah.
Malchus
is Din. It is a medium through which HKBH reveals Himself to mankind, and
especially to Bnay Yisrael. Malchus relates the presence of HKBH and His omnipotence
to the rest of creation, the entire universe. The same laws, be they physical
or metaphysical, apply to all creation, be they in the furthest nebulae or
within the closest proximity to man. This form of Din is what is referred to as
Ratzon Hakadmon, which HKBH implanted in every flower and spring so that they
may extol the glory of Hashem. This Ratzon Hakadmon completely controls the
dynamics of the universe, including the human being. This is the ultimate
manifestation of Din.
As
Chazal say (Sifri Haazinu):
“Haraisa Chama Shokaas Bamizrach?”
Has
one ever seen the sun set in east? This inviolability of nature is Din. It is
impossible to speak of different laws that govern the speed with which
different light beams travel. If one accepts the opinion that on Rosh Hashonah
the wold was created, then Rosh Hashonah is truly the ultimate Yom Din, as the
universe which is based on Din, on the inviolate laws of nature. The concept of
Selicha Umechila would have no place in such a universe built on Din. The perfect
description is Malchuso Btoch Olamo, that kingship of HKBH, Din, is at the
center of the universe and creation.
How
do we know that Malchus is Din? We have the concept of Teruas Milchama, the
sounding of the Shofar in times of war. Teruah in hebrew means not only a
certain unique sound. It also connotes to break, as the prophet Isaiah says
Roah Hisroah Haaretz (24:19), after the earth quaked, something broke to
pieces. Teruah is associated with breakage and damage, for example we find the
people of Sdom threatened to do damage to Lot for not turning over his guests
to them.
Rosh
Hashonah, as mentioned above, is a day
of absolute Din. It is the day when all creation pass before Hashem in
judgement, with no exceptions. It is a day exclusively of Din, there is no room
for Selicha Umechila during this day. As we recite in the Nesane Tokef, even
the angels are frightened of the power of Din on Rosh Hashonah. The Teruah of
Milchama indicates that Hashem should be seen this day as Hashem Ish Milchama.
Rosh Hashonah is a day of destruction, for if Hashem were to exact true Din
with all creation on Rosh Hashonah as the day demands, no one would be found
righteous before Him on this day that implies doom and complete destruction.
This is why the Zohar as well as later Chassidic works describe Rosh Hashonah,
particularly the first part of the day prior to the sounding of the Shofar, as
Takifa Dina, the time when unswerving Din rules. The second day of Rosh
Hashonah is described as Chulsha Dina, the period when the attribute of Din is
lessened. (The Rav mentioned that on the first night of Rosh Hashonah through
the following morning, it was impossible to talk to Reb Yosef Dov, the Bais
Halevi, as he was in a depressed mood and incapable of communicating because of
the fear of the attribute of Din that characterized Rosh Hashonah till the
sounding of the Shofar. The Aymas Hadin
of Rosh Hashonah reached even to the Misnagdim!)
On
the other hand, Malchus HKBH on Rosh Hashonah is not reflected only by nature
but also by Knesses Yisrael. Knesses Yisrael reflects the sphere of Malchus.
The Ramban notes this in his famous comment in Parshas Chayey Sara on the verse
of:
“VHashem Bayrach Es Avraham Bakol”
That
Knesses Yisrael reflects the divine glory of HKBH, the Malchus of HKBH. HKBH
can reveal Himself through nature. He also can reveal His Malchus through His
chosen people, Knesses Yisrael, as Malchuso Bkhal Adaso. This is what HKBH
promised Avraham Avinu, that Avraham would command his succeeding generetaions
to keep the ways of Hashem. By keeping
the Mitzvos Hashem, Knesses Yisrael refelects the Sephira Shel Malchus Bkhal
Adaso.
HKBH
reveals Himself to the world through 2 different media:
1)
through Malchuso Btoch Olamo, the universe itself and its exacting laws, through
the unswerving aspect of Din. Such a universe does not tolerate deviation,
there is no Selicha Umechila;
2)
through the aspect of Malchuso Bkhal Adaso (see Birnbaum Machzor for Shacharis
of Yom Kippur, pg. 595), through the special relationship between HKBH and Bnay
Yisrael that is apparrent to the other nations of the world when Bnay Yisrael
do the Ratzon Hashem. Selicha Umechila, makes sense in this medium, because of
the special unique relationship that Bnay Yisrael enjoy with HKBH.
In
order that Rosh Hashonah should be a day when transgressions are overlooked,
the attribute of Hashem Ish Milchama, of Teruas Milchama, that symbolizes
complete Din and Malchus Haolam Shel HKBH at the beginning of Rosh Hashonah,
must be transformed by Bnay Yisrael into Malchuso Bkhal Adaso. On Rosh
Hashonah, each Jew should say that from now on he will ammend his ways and
improve his actions to such an extent that he will command the respect of
others and the Malchus Shamayim will be reflected by his actions and behavior.
In fact the
Rambam includs
this as the core of Teshuva, when he describes the Shofar
as representing Teshuva.
The
concept of Malchuso Bkhal Adaso allows Bnay Yisrael to transform the Teruah
from a destructive sound of war into a sound that shows the friendship and love
between HKBH and Knesses Yisrael, the root Reah, means friend as Elokim Haroeh
Osi Mayodi (Breishis 48:15, see Ramban).
This indeed is the Teruah of Uteruas Melech Bo (Bamidbar 23:21) mentioned in Malchios,
which connotes a closeness of HKBH to Bnay Yisrael. That we are privileged to
have HKBH as a friend. This is not Din, but rather Rachamim, mercy.
Rosh
Hashonah starts as a Yom Din. On Rosh Hashonah night when we say Yom Teruah in
Kiddush we are describing the characteristic of the ultimate judgement day, a
day of doom and destruction. However in Kiddush on the second night of Rosh
Hashonah, Yom Teruah takes on a different meaning, that of Teruas Melech Bo,
the close friendship between the King and His subjects..
We
find in the Piyut of Lkel Orech Din, the description of the utter fear that
true din inspires in creation. At this point Teruah connotes destruction. The
job of the Shofar is to change the semantics of Teruah from destruction to
friendship of Haelokim Haroeh Osi Mayodi. The verses of Malchios, Zichronos and
Shofros also describe this relationship. For example, in Malchios we recite the
verse of Uteruas Melech Bo. The Shofar when used as an insturment of
proclamation can announce both destruction as well as redemption as it will be
used to announce the coming of Moshiach and the ultimate redemption of Bnay
Yisrael. The Shofar must change the Teruah from Lhayra, to destroy, to Lhisroa,
to befriend.
When
the Ramban says that it is the Teruah that has sustained our forefathers throughout
the generations, he means that Teruah reflects the ability of Bnay Yisrael to
take the Teruah of Malchuso Btoch Olamo that can not reconcile with Salachti,
and turns it into the Malchuso Bkhal Adaso that is consistent with Salachti. As
the Ramban points out the Passuk we recite after Tekias Shofar, Ashrei Haam
Yoday Teruah (Tehillim 89), with the emphasis on the Yoday Teruah: those that
love Your name with the Sephira of Malchus as Malchuso Bkhal Adaso, the Jewish
People. The Ramban interprets the word Yoday as meaning loving, similar to
Vayeda Adam Es Chava Ishto. The term Yoday Shemecha Vlomday Torasecha: this
connotes those that love Your name rather than those that know Your name.
The
Midrash asks on the verse Ashrei Ahaam Yoday Teruah, do not the other nations
of the world know how to sound the Teruah? Why are Bnay Yisrael considered
unique in this respect?
The
Midrash is focusing on the unique ability of Bnay Yisrael to identify with the
special Sefira of Malchus and to reflect the glory of Hashem and His love for
all creation.
The obligation of the
Jew
is to keep the Torah and Mitzvos and by doing so identify with the Teruah of
Yom Teruah Yihye Lachem, you shall transform the day from cosmic Malchus that
brooks no forgiveness into a day of Malchuso Bkhal Adasi, a day of friendship
and love between Hashem and His people.
Forgiveness
on this day is fully consistent between those that love each other.
The
Ramban continues saying that Zichron Teruah Mikra Kodesh means that the Zichron
should take place through Teruah. The Ramban does not interpret Zichron as
remembering.
Instead he
explains it in terms of being fond of:
“Habayn
Yakir Li Efraim... Ki Miday Dabri Bo Zachor Ezkerenu...”.
HKBH
is saying that whenever He speaks of Efrayim He immedately becomes fond of him,
I love him. In this context, Zichron Teruah means this is a day in which
Knesses Yisrael should manifest love for Hashem by proclaiming His Malchus
throughout the world.
The face of each
Jew
should radiate and reflect the majesty of Hashem and His love for His people.
The
Ramban states that this is why Rosh Hashonah is a Yom Tov. Even though Rosh
Hashonah does not commemorate a specific event in Jewish History, it is a
metaphysical event that allows Knesses Yisrael to identify with Hashem through
the revelation of Teruah. HKBH wants
that His revelation to the world as King should occur through the Jew instead
of coming through the general universe. In other words Shofar changes the
revelation of Hashem from Malchuso Btoch Olamo into Malchuso Bkhal Adaso.
The
philosophy of the Ramban is pointedly reflected by Rabbi Eliezer Hakalir in the
Piyut Shacharis of Rosh Hashonah:
“Naaleh
Badin Alos B’truah... Gaye Am Doreha Lro’a’oh, B’shofar Afatenu Ubeberech Kriah
B’maginas Rayim B’gano Esroaah”. (He ascends the throne of judgement amid the
sounds of the Teruah, causing the earth and its inhabitants to tremble. Through
the shofar blasts and the bending of the knee I seek to reconcile him, together
with friends in His garden I will enjoy His friendship.)
The
tune used by the Shaliach Tzibbur on the first half of this verse is one of
complete fear as he mentions the nature of Malchuso Bolamo, where absolute Din
rules. (Note that the different semantics of Teruah/Shofar are used within the
Piyut.) However the Chazan concludes the stanza with a tune of joy and
confidence reflecting the ability of the Shofar to transform the destruction of
Lro’a’ah into Maginas Rayim, the protection of a close group of friends.
The beginning of
Rosh Hashonah is
characterized by the pending destruction feared by those
that are alone
and
dwell in the
unprotected valley. The initial Teruah
that is mentioned
connotes
impending
destruction. The
Shofar provides the key that allows me to persuade Hashem
to forgive me
and
protect me, just
as friends protect and comfort each other. (Paranthetically,
the Rav noted
that the
Nussach of Yamim
Noraim interprets the prayers. Simply singing the words
cannot convey
their
true meaning.)
The
Ramban continues saying that the character of Yom Hadin, when accompanied with
the Shofar, changes from the destruction
of war, Teruas Milchama, to mercy. This
is accomplished by surrounding the Teruah, (destruction), and surrounding it
with two companions, the Tekiah before it and the Tekiah after it. The Tekiah
sound connotes mercy, as the Torah says that when the people are to assemble
the Tekiah should be sounded, not the Teruah.
The Teruah sound connotes war and a sense of fear. On Rosh Hashonah, we
take the Teruah prisoner by surrounding it with the attributes of mercy, the Tekiah before and after it. According to
the Zohar this same idea applies to Akaydas Yitzchak. Yitzchak is characterized
through the attribute of Gevurah, i.e. Midas HaDin (Vayishava Yaakov Bphachad
Yitzchak Aviv). Avraham is the attribute
of Chesed, while Yaakov is the attribute of Tiferes. These 2 attributes bind
the Midas HaDin (represented by Yitzchak) with attributes of mercy (similar to
the binding of Avraham with Yitzchak at the Akayda). That is why the Passuk says
Ashrei Haam Yoday Teruah. We are the only people that are capable of taking the
Malchuso Bolamo, with all the fear and destruction it represents and surround
it on all sides with the attributes of Chesed and Tiferes and turn it into
Malchuso Bkhal Adaso, of friendship and
love between Hashem and His people.
Rosh
Hashonah
which begins with a sense of fear and trembling is transformed by the Shofar
into a day of friendship and mercy. Yom Kippur on the other hand begins as a
day characterized by complete mercy from Hashem. It is said that Gedolei
Yisroel were depressed and withdrawn on Rosh Hashonah, the day characterized by
Midas Din, while they were in a joyous
mood on Yom Kippur, the day characterized by Midas Rachamim.
Some
Gedolei Yisrael were of the opinion that the recitation of Piyutim in Shacharis
on Rosh Hashonah should be kept to a minimum in order to get to Tekias Shofar
as quickly as possible and affect the associated changeover in the character of
Rosh Hashonah, i.e. from Din to Rachamim.
This is the entire philosophy of Rosh Hashonah
according to the Ramban, as explained by the Rav. Rosh Hashonah and Din
represent Malchus Hashem. Knesses Yisrael has the ability to identify with the
majesty of Hashem and reflect His greatness and glory through their Torah and
Mitzvos. They can take the Teruah and transform it from the context of Lehara,
to destroy, to one of love and friendship and the Selicha that is part of such
a friendship.
This
summary is Copyright 1996 by Israel Rivkin and Josh Rapps, Edison, N.J.
Permission to reprint and distribute this summary, with this notice, is hereby
granted.
Shiur HaRav
Soloveichik ZT"L on Inyan Shofar
(Shiur date:
Sometime in the mid to late 1950s...)
On Rosh
Hashonah, the sounds of the Shofar, the Tekiah and Teruah, are the main
aspect of our
prayer. Why did the Torah demand that the prayer of the Jew on Rosh
Hashonah flow
through the Tekias Shofar on Rosh Hashonah, as opposed to prayers
all year?
The Likutai
Torah (from the first Lubavitcher Rebbe) describes the topic of Shofar in
terms of a Kol
Pashut, simple sound. He says that each Jew possesses an inner soul
and personality
that is good and true. The Jew cannot defile this inner soul through
sin. When a Jew
sins, it is his external personae that is blamed. The inner soul does
not participate
in this act. If the inner soul would be defiled through sin, Teshuva
would not be
possible. The entire entre to Teshuva, where man says that the act was
committed by
someone else who was masquerading as him, is built on the notion of
the purity of
man's inner soul.
The middle
Lubavitcher Rebbes, Reb Ber, explained the verse that Hashem will
return your
exile and gather you in from among the nations among whom you were
exiled (Parshas
Nitzavim). He asked why was this verse written in the singular rather
than the plural
(since Moshe was speaking to all of Bnay Yisrael)? He explained that
this verse is
not referring to the ultimate political redemption of the nation. Rather, it
refers to the
exile of the individual, exile from his family, friends and loved ones that
can be as
painful, or more so, than the exile of the nation throughout Jewish History.
The worst exile
of all, is the internal exile of the individual. He ostracizes and exiles
himself from his
own inner personality and strengths in order to fit in with the desires
of society. He
acts and talks in ways that are meant to ingratiate himself with others,
so they will be
more accepting of him. The Torah tells us that man will find himself
scattered across
the far reaches of the world by his multi-faceted attempts to
subordinate his
true inner soul in deference to what society
demands. Man sometimes
awakes in the
middle of the night gripped with fear as he contemplates the schism
between his
internal and external personae, yet man responds by further suppressing
his inner soul.
For example,
someone may prepare a lecture and the salient points of the lecture can
be captured in a
few sentences. Yet he will embellish the lecture with all sorts of
extraneous
details, and through his intellectual achievements, weave the disparate
pieces into a
long and involved, yet ultimately connected
lecture. His internal sense
of truth tells
him that he could accomplish his task succinctly, yet his external
personae demands
that he embellish in order to impress others.
People live
through very trying times, especially Rabbis and leaders, where they feel
terribly
isolated and depressed by their responsibility and situation. The only answer
to such feelings
is the expression of M'mamakim Kerasicha Hashem, I call to
Hashem from the
depths of my suffering. This cry to Hashem derives from the inner,
untainted soul.
The external personae is not capable of this. Teshuva requires that the
inner personae
be victorious over the external one, and admit that his entire external
posturing is
false. Man wears many layers and styles of clothes. One set for his
family, another
for his employment, another for his interaction with the community.
Teshuva demands
that man rip away all these garments and expose the true inner Jew
who has been
suppressed but remains as strong as ever in the desire to pursue the
ways of Hashem.
This is the meaning of the verse When you are in a difficult
situation, you
will return to Hashem and listen to Him. You will remove the external
layers and
reveal the true inner Jew.
The external Jew
is evident in prayer as well. Man has been given the ability to
express himself
and he learns from the society and culture around him how to speak
and how to act
and even how to pray. However, ultimately man must recognize that
he lacks the
vocabulary to express his needs to Hashem. This is especially true on
Rosh Hashonah,
when man is in the depths of despair with the books of life and death
open before
Hashem, he must recognize that he has been led astray by his external
personality, no
matter how developed and cultured it may be. We rely on the same
expression of
fear and pain that an animal utters, the Genuchi Ganach and Yeluly
Yallal, the
sobbing and crying noises that we mimic on Rosh Hashonah.
M'mamakim can
not be expressed through the beautiful
prose that we recite on Rosh
Hashonah (the
Piyutim). In fact, the prayers on Rosh Hashonah have been recognized
universally as
the most beautiful in their content and phraseology. M'Mamakim can
only be
expressed through the simple sound of the Shofar, representing the simple,
unaltered inner
Jew. No matter how beautiful our words may be, they still represent
the external
personality. On Rosh Hashonah we must strip that away, only the internal
simple Jew can
pray, and only through the simple sound of the Shofar.
Judaism is most
progressive in its recognition that man can achieve intellectually and
use that
knowledge in the worship of Hashem. It does not demand that man live a
sheltered
existence. But Judaism also demands that man recognize that there is a
conflict between
his external and internal personae. It is the internal Jew that is the
key to his
existence. That is why Rosh Hashonah is called Yom Hazikaron: man must
remember that on
this day he must strip away all external pretenses and layers of inner
subordination to
reach the true internal Jew. Only when he has reached his internal
personality, can
he call out to Hashem, and pray that Hashem should remember him
on this day and
inscribe him in the book of life.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This summary is
copyright 1998 by Dr. Israel Rivkin and Josh Rapps, Edison, N.J.
Permission to
distribute this summary, with this notice is granted. To receive these
summaries via
email send mail to listproc@shamash.org with the following message:
subscribe
mj-ravtorah firstname lastname
SELECTED HALACHOS RELATING TO ROSH HASHANA
By Rabbi Doniel Neustadt
A discussion of Halachic topics related to the Parsha of the
week. For final rulings, consult your Rav.
EATING BEFORE TEKIAS SHOFAR
There are conflicting customs in regard to eating before
Tekias shofar. Some
communities not only permit but encourage the
congregants to eat by serving
a kiddush, while others forbid eating altogether and
object to it
strongly(1). These customs are based on divergent views
among the poskim.
Basically, the poskim fall into three groups:(2) Some
are very strict and
prohibit eating altogether(3). Others are lenient and
allow anyone to eat
before Tekias shofar4. A third group allows eating only
for the weak,
elderly or ill(5). They do stipulate, however, that the
infirm individual
should eat in private so that the prohibition will not
be taken lightly by
others.
Since both customs have valid sources in the poskim,
each community should
follow its own custom as directed by their Rav(6).
However, all poskim agree
that it is forbidden to be kov'ea seudah (partake of a
meal) before Tekias
shofar. [It is similarly forbidden to be kov'ea seudah
before shaking a
lulav or reading the megillah(7)]. It is also the
general consensus that
eating more than a k'beitzah of bread(8) or cake(9) is
considered kevius
seudah. A k'beitzah is usually defined as approximately
2 oz., although
according to the measurements of the Chazon Ish, a
k'beitzah is 3.5 oz(10).
It is important, therefore, to remember not to eat more
than a k'beitzah of
cake when eating before Tekias shofar(11).
Eating fruit, cheese, kugel, rice cereals, etc., whether
raw or cooked, is
not considered kevius seudah even when a large amount is
consumed(12).
[Consequently, when estimating the amount of cake that
may be eaten before
Tekias shofar, only the amount of flour in the cake is
included. Fruit,
cheese, or any other ingredient baked along with the
dough is not counted
towards the amount for kevius seudah(13).]
Almost all the poskim agree that drinking tea, coffee,
juice or soft drinks
is permitted before Tekias shofar, but they disagree as
to whether one
should recite Kiddush first. Since Kiddush must be
followed by a seudah,
many poskim advise that the beverage should be drunk
without Kiddush(14),
and this is an accepted custom in some communities.
Since not all poskim
agree, however(15), the preferred option is to hear
Kiddush from a weak,
elderly or ill person who is permitted to eat(16), as
stated above. Another
option would be to drink an additional revi'is (about
3.3 fl. oz.) of grape
juice, in addition to the amount being drunk for
kiddus(17).
WOMEN
The restriction on eating before Tekias shofar is more
lenient in regard to
women, because they are generally exempt from
"time-bound" mitzvos like
listening to the shofar which is restricted to a certain
time of the year
and day(18). There are, however, poskim who hold that
although women are
technically exempt from listening to shofar, they have,
nevertheless,
accepted this mitzvah upon themselves as an
obligation(19). Based on this
view, it has become customary all over the world for
women to go to shul to
listen to the shofar, or else to hear the shofar blown
in their homes by a
qualified ba'al tokei'a.
Not all poskim, however, agree that women have accepted
upon themselves an
obligation from which they are clearly exempt(20). Some
poskim rule,
therefore, that women are not obligated to listen to
Tekias shofar(21). As
stated earlier, though, the custom has followed the
first view and most
women observe this mitzvah stringently. Still, a woman
who must eat before
Tekias shofar may do so(22), even if the amount of food
she requires is
considered a kevius seudah.
SHABBOS
When the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos and
Tekias shofar is
canceled, all poskim agree that it is permitted to
recite Kiddush and eat
before Mussaf, provided that the amount eaten is less
than a kevius
seudah(23). One who is weak and needs to eat more than
that amount may eat
as much as he needs(24).
One who did not drink before davening and realizes that
Mussaf will end
after chatzos is required to drink or eat something
before Mussaf, since on
Shabbos it is prohibited to fast past chatzos(25).
DURING THE BREAK
During the break before Tekias shofar, care should be
taken that at least a
minyan remains in shul, since Shulchan Aruch(26) rules
decisively that it is
prohibited for the congregation to leave the shul before
the Sifrei Torah
are returned to the Aron. If this cannot be arranged,
several poskim suggest
that the Sifrei Torah be returned to the Aron before the
break(27). In other
shuls, the Sifrei Torah are covered with a tallis and
somebody is appointed
to watch over them(28).
In most shuls, the break before Tekias shofar, whether
Kiddush is served or
not, is a short one. Consequently, even if one removes
his tallis, no
blessing is recited when it is put back on. [This is so
even if one used the
bathroom while his tallis was off.] If, however, there
is a long break [a
break of over two hours is considered a long break(29)]
then a blessing is
recited over the tallis when it is put back on(30).
FOOTNOTES:
1 See remarks by Harav Y.Y. Henkin, ha-Pardes, Tishrei
5730.
2 Interestingly enough, Shulchan Aruch does not discuss
this prohibition
concerning Tekias shofar, although he does mention it
concerning netilas
lulav (O.C. 652:2) and the reading of Megillas Esther
(O.C. 692:4). The
source of this halachah, however, which is a Tosefta in
the first chapter of
Shabbos, lists Tekias shofar among those other mitzvos.
3 Beis Yitzchak Y.D. 2:18; M'harsham 1:1 quoting Besamim
Rosh. See also
Sedei Chemed (Daled Minim 3:22).
4 Mikroei Kodesh
29; Tzitz Eliezer 6:7; 7:32; 8:21; Moadim u'Zemanim 1:4;
Az Nidberu 1:10 This has become the accepted custom in
many Yeshivos.
5 Chasam Sofer Y.D. 7; Mateh Efrayim 588:2; Sha'arei Teshuvah
584:3; Minchas
Yitzchak 5:11; Shevet ha-Levi 4:54. This seems to be the
view of the Mishnah
Berurah (see 652:7 and Sha'ar ha-Tziyun concerning
lulav) as well. Harav
S.Z. Auerbach (quoted in Nishmas Avraham 585:1)
maintains that the Mishnah
Berurah's opinion is more stringent concerning shofar
because the eating on
Rosh Hashanah necessitates Kiddush.
6 If at all possible, those who eat before Tekias shofar
should do so on the
shul premises where they will be summoned in time for
the tekios.
7 The Rabbis forbade partaking of a meal before
performing a mitzvah since
one could easily become distracted and forget to perform
the mitzvah in
question. It follows, therefore, that if one appoints a
shomer - another
individual who is not eating who will remind him to
perform the mitzvah - he
may eat before performing the mitzvah (Mishnah Berurah
235:18 concerning
Kerias Shema).
8 Mishnah Berurah 692:14. [See, however, Chayei Adam
119:7 and Aruch
ha-Shulchan 431:26 who allow only a k'zayis of bread.]
9 Pri Megadim O.C. 431:4. See Sha'ar ha-Tziyun 286:7 and
Mishnah Berurah
639:15.
10 One who generally follows the Chazon Ish's ruling
regarding shiurim can
surely rely on him concerning this halachah as well. It
is questionable,
however, if it is proper to rely on the Chazon Ish's
measurement in regard
to this halachah only.
11 Pure mezonos cereals [whose raw batter rises like
bread dough], e.g.,
Cheerios, Grape Nuts, Wheat Chex, are also considered
like cake.
12 O.C. 286:3 and 639:2.
13 Based on Igros Moshe O.C. 1:71 and Divrei Yoel 13.
14 See Elef ha-Magen 585:2 and Ktzei ha-Mateh, ibid.
15 See Divrei Yoel 1:29.
16 See Sedei Chemed (Rosh Hashanah 2:31) and Mikroei
Kodesh 28. It is
important that Kiddush be repeated before the meal,
since some maintain that
such a Kiddush is not valid.
17 Mishnah Berurah 273:27.
18 O.C. 589:6.
19 Maharil (Hilchos Shofar). See also Magen Avraham
(O.C. 489:1, concerning
sefiras ha-omer) who says that women have accepted
[certain] time-restricted
mitzvos as obligations. He does not, however, single out
shofar more than
any other time-restricted mitzvah. Chayei Adam (141:7)
and R' Akiva Eiger
(Teshuvos 1, addendum) also state that women have
accepted shofar as an
obligation.
20 See Minchas Chinuch 306, who questions the Magen
Avraham quoted above. In
his opinion, women can only accept a mitzvah whose
obligation is
questionable, such as davening Ma'ariv. A mitzvah from
which they are
clearly exempt, like listening to shofar blowing, cannot
be "accepted." See
also Nezirus Shimshon (quoted in Sdei Chemed, Ma'areches
Mem, 136) and
Teshuvos Sha'arei De'ah 2:237.
21 Harav Y. C. Sonnenfeld in Salmas Chayim 1:88. Note
also that neither the
Mateh Efrayim, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, Mishnah Berurah or
Aruch ha-Shulchan
quote the opinion that women have accepted Tekias shofar
as an obligation.
22 Chayei Adam 141:7; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 129:19.
23 O.C. 286:3.
24 Mishnah Berurah 286:9.
25 Mishnah Berurah 584:5; Elef ha-Magen 597:2.
26 O.C. 149:1.
27 Ktzei ha-Mateh 590; Orchos Rabbeinu 2:181, relating
the custom by the
Chazon Ish and the Steipler Gaon; Nitei Gavriel, pg. 84;
Kitzur Hilchos
Moadim, pg. 45.
28 Luach D'var Yom b'Yomo.
29Ketzos ha-Shulchan 8:7; Kitzur Hilchos Moadim, pg. 45.
30 Entire paragraph based on Shulchan Aruch Harav O.C
8:23 and Mishnah
Berurah 8:37.
In the Bible and
rabbinic literature
Shofar (by Alphonse
Lévy)
The shofar is mentioned
frequently in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud and rabbinic literature. The blast of a shofar
emanating from the thick cloud on Mount Sinai made the Israelites
tremble in awe (Exodus 19, 20).The shofar was used in to announce holidays (Ps. lxxxi. 4), and the Jubilee year (Lev. 25. 9). The first day of the seventh month (Tishri) is termed "a memorial of blowing" (Lev. 23. 24), or "a day of blowing" (Num. xxix. 1), the shofar. It was also employed in processions (II Sam. 6. 15; I Chron. 15. 28), as a musical accompaniment (Ps. 98. 6; comp. ib. xlvii. 5) and to signify the start of a war (Josh. 6. 4; Judges 3. 27; 7. 16, 20; I Sam. 8. 3). Note that the 'trumpets' described in Numbers 10 are a different instrument, described by the Hebrew word 'trumpet' not the word for shofar.
The Torah describes the first day of the seventh month (1st of Tishri = Rosh ha-Shanah) as a zikron teruah (memorial of blowing; Lev. xxiii) and as a yom teru'ah (day of blowing; Num. 29). This was interpreted by the Jewish sages as referring to the sounding the shofar.
In the Temple in Jerusalem, the shofar was sometimes used together with the trumpet. On New-Year's Day the principal ceremony was conducted with the shofar, which instrument was placed in the center with a trumpet on either side; it was the horn of a wild goat and straight in shape, being ornamented with gold at the mouthpiece. On fast-days the principal ceremony was conducted with the trumpets in the center and with a shofar on either side. On those occasions the shofarot were rams' horns curved in shape and ornamented with silver at the mouthpieces. On Yom Kippur of the jubilee year the ceremony was performed with the shofar as on New-Year's Day. Rosh Hoshana is the Jewish New Year. A ceremonial horn, called a “shofar” is blown, reminding Jews that God is king. A feast with symbolic food is eaten on Rosh Hashana, and the next ten days are spent in repentance. Rosh Hashana ends on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is a day of judgment, during which prayers are made asking for forgiveness.
The shofar was blown in the times of Joshua to help him capture Jericho. As they surrounded the walls, the shofar was blown and the Jews were able to capture the city. The shofar was commonly taken out to war so the troops would know when a battle would begin. The person who would blow the shofar would call out to the troops from atop a hill. All of the troops were able to hear the call of the shofar from their position because of its distinct sound.
[edit]
Post-Biblical times
A Yemenite
Jew blowing a shofar
In post-Biblical times, the shofar
was enhanced in its religious use because of the ban on playing musical
instruments as a sign of mourning for the destruction of the temple. (It is
noted that a full orchestra played in the temple, including, perhaps, a
primitive organ.) The shofar continues to announce the New Year and the new
moon, to introduce Shabbat, to carry out the commandment to sound it on Rosh
Hashanah, and to mark the end of the day of fasting on Yom Kippur once the
services have completed in the evening. The secular uses have been discarded (although
the shofar was sounded to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967)
(Judith Kaplan Eisendrath, Heritage of Music, New York: UAHC, 1972, pp. 44-45).The shofar is primarily associated with Rosh ha-Shanah. Indeed, Rosh Hashanah is called "Yom T’ruah" (the day of the shofar blast). In the Mishnah (book of early rabbinic laws derived from the Torah), a discussion centers on the centrality of the shofar in the time before the destruction of the second temple (70 AD). Indeed, the shofar was the center of the ceremony, with two silver trumpets playing a lesser role. On other solemn holidays, fasts, and new moon celebrations, two silver trumpets were featured, with one shofar playing a lesser role. The shofar is also associated with the jubilee year in which, every fifty years, Jewish law provided for the release of all slaves, land, and debts. The sound of the shofar on Rosh ha-Shanah announced the jubilee year, and the sound of the shofar on Yom Kippur proclaimed the actual release of financial encumbrances.
The halakha (Jewish law) rules that the shofar may not be sounded on Shabbat due to the potential that the ba’al tekiyah (shofar sounder) may inadvertently carry it which is in a class of forbidden Shabbat work (RH 29b) the historical explanation is that in ancient Israel, the shofar was sounded on Shabbat in the temple located in Jerusalem. After the temple’s destruction, the sounding of the shofar on Shabbat was restricted to the place where the great Sanhedrin (Jewish legislature and court from 400 BCE to 100 C.E.) was located. However, when the Sanhedrin ceased to exist, the sounding of the shofar on Shabbat was discontinued (Kieval, The High Holy Days, p. 114).
The shofar says, "Wake up from your (moral) sleep. You are asleep. Get up from your slumber. You are in a deep sleep. Search for your behavior. Become the best person you can. Remember God, the One Who created you." Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance 3:4.[1]
See Arthur l. Finkle, Shofar Sounders Reference Manual, LA: Torah Aura, 1993
Straight
and Twisted Shofarot (Rosh Hashanah 26b)
Are rituals -- and
the objects we use to practice them -- symbolic of the prevailing spiritual
mood? Or do we choose ritual objects to cultivate in ourselves an attitude or
mood appropriate to the occasion? The mishnah on Rosh Hashanah 26b concerning
shofar discusses the source, shape, and embellishment of the horns used on Rosh
Hashanah, fast days (declared in the case of drought or disaster) and to
announce the Yovel (Jubilee) year at the end of Yom Kippur. )
The shofar of Rosh Hashanah is of a wild goat that is a straight [horn] and its mouth is plated with gold, and two trumpets [are blown] at its sides. The shofar [blasts] long and the trumpets [blow] short, because the commandment of the day concerns a shofar. On fast days: [we blow] with [horns of] males, bent, and their mouths are plated with silver, and two trumpets [are blown] in between them. The shofar [blows] short and the trumpets [blow] long, because the commandment of the day is with trumpets. The Yovel (Jubilee) year: is identical to Rosh Hashanah [with respect to] the blowing and the blessings. R. Yehudah says: On Rosh Hashanah we blast with [horns of] males and on the Yovel (Jubilee) years with [horns of] wild goats.
If that’s a lot to take in on first glance, I’ve prepared the text in an outline form with the hope that it makes the structure easier to follow:
A. The shofar of Rosh Hashanah:
a. is of a wild goat that is a straight [horn]
b. and its mouth is plated with gold,
c. and two trumpets [are blown] at its sides.
d. The shofar [blasts] long and the trumpets [blow] short, because the commandment of the day concerns a shofar.
B. On fast days:
a. [we blow] with [horns of] males,
b. bent,
c. and their mouths are plated with silver,
d. and two trumpets [are blown] in between them.
e. The shofar [blows] short and the trumpets [blow] long, because the commandment of the day is with trumpets.
C. The Yovel year: is identical to Rosh Hashanah [with respect to] the blowing and the blessings.
D. R. Yehudah says:
a. On Rosh Hashanah we blast with [horns of] males
b. and on the Yovel years with [horns of] wild goats.
What strikes me first and foremost is the concern with the shape of the horn. For Rosh Hashanah and to announce the Yovel (Jubilee year) we are to use a straight horn, but for fast days, a bent or twisted horn is prescribed.
(Time out for Jewish “trivia”: The Jubilee year occurs every 50th year at the end of seven cycles of shemittah (sabbatical years) and its announcement is made at the close of Yom Kippur by blowing a shofar. Leviticus 25: 8-16 explains the requirement to blow the shofar on the tenth day of the seventh month and to observe the Yovel as a sabbatical year. This is why shofar is blown in synagogues at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. No doubt you’re now thinking: but we blow the shofar every year following Yom Kippur. Yes, this is true, and that is because we have lost track of when the Jubilee year falls. Therefore we blow the shofar each year in case that year is the Yovel.)
(Second time out for background on fast days: Talmud, in masechet Ta’anit, prescribes special fasts and prayers in the case of severe drought and actual or imminent disaster. Blowing a shofar is covered in chapter 2.)
In the case of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we are engaged in the process of teshuvah (repentance), confident that if our repentance is sincere and thorough, God will forgive and our atonement will cleanse. Many people mistakenly think Yom Kippur is a somber day akin to a day of mourning, Not so. While it is certainly a serious occasion, Yom Kippur is a joyous day because we are assured that sincere teshuvah (repentance) brings forgiveness. Hence we – like the shofar -- stand straight: confident and joyful that our relationships with God and people in our lives can be repaired, reconciled, and renewed. Similarly, the Jubilee is a joyous occasion and the straight shofar announces rest for the land and release from debts.
On fast days, however, there was a sense of fear in the air in ancient times because the theology held that drought and disaster resulted from the people’s sins. Fasts – with their accompanying prayers and shofar blasts – were intended to remediate the situation and inspire repentance. People were encouraged by the bent shofar to bend themselves in repentance, but there is no sure confidence that their efforts will be successful.
These days, one is as likely to see a twisted shofar used on Rosh Hashanah as a straight one. The distinction made in the Mishnah is no longer observed in most communities.
Are rituals -- and the objects we use to practice them -- symbolic of the prevailing spiritual mood? Or do we choose ritual objects to cultivate in ourselves an attitude or mood appropriate to the occasion? Perhaps it both operating simultaneously.
© 2009 Rabbi Amy Scheinerman
The shofar of Rosh Hashanah is of a wild goat that is a straight [horn] and its mouth is plated with gold, and two trumpets [are blown] at its sides. The shofar [blasts] long and the trumpets [blow] short, because the commandment of the day concerns a shofar. On fast days: [we blow] with [horns of] males, bent, and their mouths are plated with silver, and two trumpets [are blown] in between them. The shofar [blows] short and the trumpets [blow] long, because the commandment of the day is with trumpets. The Yovel (Jubilee) year: is identical to Rosh Hashanah [with respect to] the blowing and the blessings. R. Yehudah says: On Rosh Hashanah we blast with [horns of] males and on the Yovel (Jubilee) years with [horns of] wild goats.
If that’s a lot to take in on first glance, I’ve prepared the text in an outline form with the hope that it makes the structure easier to follow:
A. The shofar of Rosh Hashanah:
a. is of a wild goat that is a straight [horn]
b. and its mouth is plated with gold,
c. and two trumpets [are blown] at its sides.
d. The shofar [blasts] long and the trumpets [blow] short, because the commandment of the day concerns a shofar.
B. On fast days:
a. [we blow] with [horns of] males,
b. bent,
c. and their mouths are plated with silver,
d. and two trumpets [are blown] in between them.
e. The shofar [blows] short and the trumpets [blow] long, because the commandment of the day is with trumpets.
C. The Yovel year: is identical to Rosh Hashanah [with respect to] the blowing and the blessings.
D. R. Yehudah says:
a. On Rosh Hashanah we blast with [horns of] males
b. and on the Yovel years with [horns of] wild goats.
What strikes me first and foremost is the concern with the shape of the horn. For Rosh Hashanah and to announce the Yovel (Jubilee year) we are to use a straight horn, but for fast days, a bent or twisted horn is prescribed.
(Time out for Jewish “trivia”: The Jubilee year occurs every 50th year at the end of seven cycles of shemittah (sabbatical years) and its announcement is made at the close of Yom Kippur by blowing a shofar. Leviticus 25: 8-16 explains the requirement to blow the shofar on the tenth day of the seventh month and to observe the Yovel as a sabbatical year. This is why shofar is blown in synagogues at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. No doubt you’re now thinking: but we blow the shofar every year following Yom Kippur. Yes, this is true, and that is because we have lost track of when the Jubilee year falls. Therefore we blow the shofar each year in case that year is the Yovel.)
(Second time out for background on fast days: Talmud, in masechet Ta’anit, prescribes special fasts and prayers in the case of severe drought and actual or imminent disaster. Blowing a shofar is covered in chapter 2.)
In the case of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we are engaged in the process of teshuvah (repentance), confident that if our repentance is sincere and thorough, God will forgive and our atonement will cleanse. Many people mistakenly think Yom Kippur is a somber day akin to a day of mourning, Not so. While it is certainly a serious occasion, Yom Kippur is a joyous day because we are assured that sincere teshuvah (repentance) brings forgiveness. Hence we – like the shofar -- stand straight: confident and joyful that our relationships with God and people in our lives can be repaired, reconciled, and renewed. Similarly, the Jubilee is a joyous occasion and the straight shofar announces rest for the land and release from debts.
On fast days, however, there was a sense of fear in the air in ancient times because the theology held that drought and disaster resulted from the people’s sins. Fasts – with their accompanying prayers and shofar blasts – were intended to remediate the situation and inspire repentance. People were encouraged by the bent shofar to bend themselves in repentance, but there is no sure confidence that their efforts will be successful.
These days, one is as likely to see a twisted shofar used on Rosh Hashanah as a straight one. The distinction made in the Mishnah is no longer observed in most communities.
Are rituals -- and the objects we use to practice them -- symbolic of the prevailing spiritual mood? Or do we choose ritual objects to cultivate in ourselves an attitude or mood appropriate to the occasion? Perhaps it both operating simultaneously.
© 2009 Rabbi Amy Scheinerman
Shofar-Blowing
Procedure
Please note that in this document,
"Shofar" refers to the Ram's Horn.General Issues
At what time of day
the requirement begins/ends: Rosh HaShanah 28a, 34a; Megillah 20b
When and how to make the Blessing on the Mitzvah: Pesachim 7b
Which blessings to make: Rosh HaShanah 26b, 27a, 29a, 30a
Coordinating the Shofar with the "Musaf" Service: Rosh HaShanah 32a, 34b
How to Blow the Shofar if one already prayed the "Musaf" service: Rosh HaShanah 33b
Above, if one had a Shofar while praying the "Musaf" service: Rosh HaShanah 34b
Whether lack of the blessings prevents fulfilling the Mitzvah of Shofar, and vice versa: Rosh HaShanah 34b
The Blowing of the Shofar confusing Satan: Rosh HaShanah 16a-b
Use of the Shofar and trumpets: Rosh HaShanah 26b, 27a
Distinction between the Shofar-Blowing, and use of Trumpets, in the Temple and in other areas: Rosh HaShanah 27a
Blowing the Shofar on Shabbos, in the Temple, before established Courts, and elsewhere, pre/post the Destruction of the Temple: Rosh HaShanah 29b, 29b-30a
The above, for temporary courts: Rosh HaShanah 29b
Choosing between hearing the "Musaf" service [where he can't pray it on his own] or the Blowing of the Shofar: Rosh HaShanah 34b
When and how to make the Blessing on the Mitzvah: Pesachim 7b
Which blessings to make: Rosh HaShanah 26b, 27a, 29a, 30a
Coordinating the Shofar with the "Musaf" Service: Rosh HaShanah 32a, 34b
How to Blow the Shofar if one already prayed the "Musaf" service: Rosh HaShanah 33b
Above, if one had a Shofar while praying the "Musaf" service: Rosh HaShanah 34b
Whether lack of the blessings prevents fulfilling the Mitzvah of Shofar, and vice versa: Rosh HaShanah 34b
The Blowing of the Shofar confusing Satan: Rosh HaShanah 16a-b
Use of the Shofar and trumpets: Rosh HaShanah 26b, 27a
Distinction between the Shofar-Blowing, and use of Trumpets, in the Temple and in other areas: Rosh HaShanah 27a
Blowing the Shofar on Shabbos, in the Temple, before established Courts, and elsewhere, pre/post the Destruction of the Temple: Rosh HaShanah 29b, 29b-30a
The above, for temporary courts: Rosh HaShanah 29b
Choosing between hearing the "Musaf" service [where he can't pray it on his own] or the Blowing of the Shofar: Rosh HaShanah 34b
The Blower's Aide
The Order of Blasts
Blowing in the
sitting AND standing sections of the Service: Rosh HaShanah 16a-b
The Shofar Blasts
The
number and length of the blasts: Rosh HaShanah 33b
The length of a "Tekiah" blast: Rosh HaShanah 27b
What a "Teruah" blast is: Rosh HaShanah 33b, 34a
Having a straight ["Tekiah"] blast before and after the "Teruah": Rosh HaShanah 33b-34a
Source for having 3 sets of 3 blasts: Rosh HaShanah 34a
Source for having Tekiah-Shevarim-Teruah-Tekiah: Rosh HaShanah 34a
Any sound which is emitted by an acceptable Shofar is acceptable, even if it doesn't sound like a traditional Shofar blast: Rosh HaShanah 27b
The blasts are identical to those of Yom Kippur of a Jubilee Year: Rosh HaShanah 33b-34a
The shofar's blast must extend past those of the trumpets: Rosh HaShanah 27a
One who hears only the beginning/end of a blast: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 28a
If one blast was lengthened like two, how it is counted: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 28a, 33b
Blowing in an echoing chamber: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 27b-28a
Distinguishing two separate, simultaneous blasts: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 34b
Above, where they came from one person or two separate people: Rosh HaShanah 27a
If part of the blast was heard before the day began, and therefore before the Mitzvah of Shofar began: Rosh HaShanah 28a
If the blasts were spread out over a long period of time: Rosh HaShanah 34b; Succah 54a
The length of a "Tekiah" blast: Rosh HaShanah 27b
What a "Teruah" blast is: Rosh HaShanah 33b, 34a
Having a straight ["Tekiah"] blast before and after the "Teruah": Rosh HaShanah 33b-34a
Source for having 3 sets of 3 blasts: Rosh HaShanah 34a
Source for having Tekiah-Shevarim-Teruah-Tekiah: Rosh HaShanah 34a
Any sound which is emitted by an acceptable Shofar is acceptable, even if it doesn't sound like a traditional Shofar blast: Rosh HaShanah 27b
The blasts are identical to those of Yom Kippur of a Jubilee Year: Rosh HaShanah 33b-34a
The shofar's blast must extend past those of the trumpets: Rosh HaShanah 27a
One who hears only the beginning/end of a blast: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 28a
If one blast was lengthened like two, how it is counted: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 28a, 33b
Blowing in an echoing chamber: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 27b-28a
Distinguishing two separate, simultaneous blasts: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 34b
Above, where they came from one person or two separate people: Rosh HaShanah 27a
If part of the blast was heard before the day began, and therefore before the Mitzvah of Shofar began: Rosh HaShanah 28a
If the blasts were spread out over a long period of time: Rosh HaShanah 34b; Succah 54a
|
|
||||||||||
WEEKLY-HALACHA FOR
5759
******************************
SELECTED HALACHOS
RELATING TO ROSH HASHANA
By Rabbi Doniel
Neustadt
A discussion of
Halachic topics related to the Parsha of
the
week. For final
rulings, consult your Rav.
A BASIC UNDERSTANDING
OF THE TEKIOS
One of the most
important mitzvos of Rosh Hashanah(1) is the Biblical
command to blow the
shofar. Although the significance of this mitzvah has
been expounded at
length - Rav Saadiah Gaon enumerates ten different reasons
for blowing shofar(2)
- still many people are unfamiliar with the basic
procedures involved:
how many blasts are sounded, how long or short must
they be, etc. While
the tokea and the makri (the individual who instructs
the tokea which blast
to sound) must be thoroughly versed in these intricate
laws(3) - since it is
they who determine if a particular blast was invalid
and must be repeated
- still it is important for the entire congregation to
have some degree of
familiarity with the general laws governing this
mitzvah.
THE BASIC MITZVAH
The Biblical command is to blow three sets of
blasts on Rosh Hashanah. A
set of blasts means
one teruah sound preceded and followed by a tekiah
sound. Thus, the sum
total of blasts which one is required to hear on Rosh
Hashanah is nine -
six tekiah sounds and three teruah sounds.
The tekiah sound was
always well defined and agreed upon by all
authorities - a long,
straight (without a break or pause) blast. The teruah
sound, however, was
not well defined and the Rabbis were unsure of how,
exactly, it was supposed
to sound(4). The Talmud(5) describes three
possibilities:
Three short, straight
blasts - what we commonly refer to as shevarim;
Nine(6) very short,
staccato blasts - what we commonly refer to as teruah;
A combination of both
of the above sounds - a shevarim- teruah compound.
To satisfy all of the
above opinions, the Rabbis established that the three
sets of tekios be
blown in three different ways, alternating the teruah
sound in each set.
Thus we blow tekiah shevarim-teruah tekiah (TaSHRaT)
three times; tekiah
shevarim tekiah (TaRaT) three times; tekiah teruah
tekiah (TaSHaT) three
times. All together that adds up to thirty different
blasts - eighteen
tekios, three shevarim-teruahs, three shevarim and three
teruahs. This is the
minimum number of blasts that every adult male(7) is
required to hear on
Rosh Hashanah. These are called tekios d'myushav, since
the congregation is
permitted to sit while they are being blown. In
practice, however, it
is universally accepted to stand during these
tekios(8).
[A person who is in
dire circumstances (a patient in the hospital, for
example) and is
unable to hear (or blow) thirty blasts, should try to hear
(or blow) 10 sounds, one TaSHRaT, one TaRaT and
one TaSHaT(9). No blessing,
however, is recited
over these blasts.]
In addition to these
Biblically required blasts, we blow sixty more. Thirty
more are blown during
Musaf, ten each after the malchiyos, zichronos and
shofaros divisions of
Shemoneh Esrei. Every adult male is Rabbinically
obligated to blow or
hear these blasts in their designated places in the
Musaf service. They
are called tekios d'meumad, since one is required to
stand while they are
being blown(10).
In addition, it is
customary to blow forty more blasts for a sum total of
one hundred blasts.
While this custom is based on several early sources(11)
and has been almost
universally adopted, there are various practices
regarding when,
exactly, they are blown. Generally, these blasts are blown
towards the end of
and after the Musaf service, and one must refrain from
speaking(12) until
after all one hundred sounds have been blown.
HOW LONG SHOULD EACH
BLAST BE?
The length of a
tekiah, both before and after the teruah, must be at least
as long as the teruah
which it accompanies(13). Thus, since it takes about
2-3 seconds to blow a
shevarim or a teruah, the tekiah before and after must
be at least 2-3
seconds long. Since it takes longer than that to blow the
combination
shevarim-teruah sound, the tekiah which precedes and follows
these sounds must be longer
as well. Most congregations allot about 4-5
seconds for each of
these tekios. The makri is responsible to keep time.
[It is important to
remember that each tekiah must be heard in its entirety
no matter how long it
takes. If, for example, a tekiah is blown for 7
seconds, which is
much longer than required, the entire 7 seconds' worth
must be heard by the
congregation. Care must be taken not to begin reciting
the yehi ratzon until
after the blast is concluded(14).]
A teruah is at least
nine short blasts (beeps), although in practice, many
more beeps are
sounded when the teruah is blown. No breath may taken between
the short beeps; they
must be blown consecutively.
Each shever should be
about three teruah-beeps long. B'dieved the shever is
valid even if it is
only two beeps long, provided that all three shevarim
are of that
length(15). No breath may be taken between each shever; they
must be blown
consecutively(16).
SHEVARIM TERUAH - HOW
IS IT BLOWN?
There are two basic
views of how to blow the shevarim-terurah combination.
Some opinions hold
that no breath may be taken between them and even
b'dieved, a breath
between them invalidates the blast. Others hold that a
breath may be taken
as long as it takes no longer than the split second that
it takes to draw a
breath. The custom in most congregations is to do it both
ways; the tekios
before Musaf are blown with no breath being taken between
the shevarim-teruah,
while the tekios during and after Musaf are blown with
a break for drawing a
breath between the shevarim-teruah(17).
MISTAKES WHILE
BLOWING
There are basically
two types of mistakes that the tokea can make while
blowing shofar. The
most common is that the tokea tries but fails to produce
the proper sound. The
general rule is that the tokea ignores the failed try,
takes a breath, and
tries again(18).
The other type of
mistake is that the tokea blows the blast properly, but
loses track and blows
the wrong blast, e.g., instead of shevarim he thinks
that a tekiah is in
order, or instead of teruah he thinks that a shevarim is
due and he blows the
shevarim. In that case, it is not sufficient to merely
ignore the wrong
blast; rather the tokea must repeat the tekiah which
precedes the
shevarim(19).
When a tekiah needs
to be repeated, it is proper that the makri notify the
congregation of that
(by banging on the bimah, etc.), so that the listeners
do not lose track of
which blasts are being blown.
ADDITIONAL HIDDURIM
As there are
different views and/or stringencies pertaining to various
aspects of tekias
shofar, one who wishes to be extremely particular in this
mitzvah may blow (or
hear) additional blasts after the davening is over in
order to satisfy all
opinions. These include the following hiddurim:
There are several
ways of blowing the shevarim sound; while some blow short,
straight blasts,
others make a slight undulation (tu-u-tu).
Some opinions
maintain that l'chatchillah, each shever should be no longer
than the length of
two beeps(20).
Some opinions hold
that when the shevarim-teruha sound is blown, there may
not be any break at
all between them (even if no breath is taken); the
shever must lead
directly into the teruah(21).
Some authorities
insist that the tekiah sound be straight and clear from
beginning to the end,
with no fluctuation of pitch throughout the entire
blast(22).
FOOTNOTES:
1 This year, the
shofar is blown only on the second day of Rosh Hashanah as
the first day is
Shabbos.
2 The most
fundamental reason to perform this mitzvah, however, is simply
that Hashem commanded
us to do so.
3 Mateh Efrayim
585:2.
4 While the basic
definition of a teruah is a "crying" sound, it was unclear
if that resembled
short "wailing" sounds or longer "groaning" sounds.
5 Rosh Hashanah 33b.
6 There are Rishonim
who hold that a teruah is three short beeps. B'dieved,
we may rely on that
view to fulfill our obligation (Mishnah Berurah 590:12).
7 The obligation of
women regarding tekias shofar was discussed in The
Weekly Halachah
Discussion, pg. 532-534.
8 Mishnah Berurah
585:2. A weak or elderly person may lean on a shtender or
a table during these
sets of tekios (Sha'ar ha-Tziyun 585:2).
9 Based on Mishnah
Berurah 586:22 and 620:7. See also Mateh Efrayim 586:7
and Ktzeh ha-Mateh
590:1. See, however, Mateh Efrayim 593:3 who seems to
rule in this case
that three TaSHRaTs should be blown.
10 Mishnah Berurah
592:2. B'dieved, one fulfills his obligation if he sat
during these tekios;
ibid.
11 See Mishnah
Berurah 592:4.
12 Asher Yatzar,
though, may be recited; Minchas Yitzchak 3:44; 4:47.
13 This is based on
the minimum length of time required for the teruah, not
on the actual time it
took to blow a particular teruah.
14 Mishnah Berurah
587:16; haTekios k'Halachah u'Behidur 1 quoting several
sources.
15 Shulchan Aruch
Harav 590:7.
16 O.C. 590:4.
17 Mishnah Berurah
590:20 and Sha'ar ha-Tziyun 18. The makri, too, should
take a breath between
the announcement of shevarim-teruah, so that the tokea
will follow his lead
(Elef ha-Magen 22).
18 Based on Mishnah
Berurah 290:34, Aruch ha-Shulchan 290:20 and Da'as Torah
590:8.
19 Another example is
when the tokea mistakenly blows [or begins to blow]
two sets of shevarim
or teruos in a row. The original tekiah must be
repeated.
20 See O.C. 590:3.
21 Avnei Nezer 443;
Chazon Ish O.C. 136:1. This is difficult to perform
properly.
22 Harav Y.L. Diskin,
based on the view of the Ramban and Ritva, see Moadim
u'Zmanim 1:5. Chazon
Ish, however, was not particular about this; Orchos
Rabbeinu 2:183.
******************************************
K'siva Vchasima Tova
Wishing all of our
readers a good year
filled with brachos
for all.
Rabbi Doniel Neustadt
and Jeffrey Gross
******************************************
WEEKLY HALACHA IN
BOOK FORM!
The Weekly Halachah
Discussion
Volume 2 on Vayikra,
Bamidbar and Devarim
is published and on
sale in your local bookstore!
Complete with
footnotes, index and in depth-Hebrew section.
Brand new from
Feldheim Publishers, this book of practical
Halachah by Rabbi
Doniel Yehuda Neustadt is based on the Weekly
Halachah column that
you have been subscribing to through
Project Genesis.
It's a perfect
combination: lively, concise and stimulating
discussions of
practical halachah.. as they relate to each
week's parshah. The
Weekly Halachah Discussion deals with
relevant subjects that
appeal to the broadest spectrum of
readers, in a unique
format and scope that will satisfy both
scholar and layman
alike.
Topics include issues
relating to magic shows, Hilchos Yichud,
the Mechitzah in
Shul, toys and games on Shabbos, Tevilas
Keilim, and the laws
of Berachos. Also included in this volume
The Halacha
of Shofar
1. Before the Shulchan Aruch
talks about the Shofar it defines the Shofar.
·
How do the Sages define it?
·
To what extent is the fact that the Shofar was used in
the Temple ceremony, is the Shofar considered holy?
2. What if the Shofar is split?
·
How you define a split?
·
What does the sound have to do with fixing a Shofar?
·
Can you sound a Shofar if there is no other one
available?
·
Can you fix the split?
If so, how.
3. Can you steal a Shofar? 586:2 (9) MB
(listening to the sound)
·
Yes, you can steal the object, but the importance is the
sound that emanates from the Shofar.
4. What do the Sages indicate as
the musical notes of the Shofar?
·
Why is the true sound of the teruah?
·
Why did the Sages include the tekiya and the shevarim as
valid Shofar notes?
·
How long can the notes be?
·
How long can the tekiah g’dolah be?
Note: The RAMA (Rabbi Moses Isserles,
Ashkenazi gleaner of Shulchan Aruch, 1597), Polish rabbi
is in brackets [ ]
Chapter 585: The blessing on the Shofer:
1. One must blow the
shofer standing. [The custom is to blow
it by the בימה
where they read the Torah].
2. Before you blow
the shofer, you should make the blessing of לשׁמועה קול שׁופר and שׁהחיינו.
[There is no difference if he is saying the blessing for himself or if
he was already יוציא (covered) and
is covering others, he still recites these two blessings. He should blow: Tekiah-ShevarimTeruah-Tekiah
three times. Tekiah-Shevarim-Tekiah
three times and
Tekiah-Teruah-Tekiah three times. It is better to blow the shofer on the right
side if you are able to blow it this way.
Similarly, the shofer should be oriented upwards as it says, “G-d rises
up with the shofer blast”]
3. If he began
blowing the shofer and was unable to complete it, someone else should complete
it. Even three or four people may do it
through the blessing the first one made: provided that the latter were present
at the time of the blessing. Even if one
made a blessing and was unable to blow at all, another blows without reciting a
new blessing and it is not considered a blessing said in vein.
4. Someone other than
the Chazzan should blow the shofer in order that he shouldn’t get mixed
up. However, if he is trustworthy to
repeat his prayers (in the event he gets confused) then he may do both. [Only shofer blasts that are blown in the
middle of prayer the Chazzan is forbidden to blow. But the shofer blasts that are blown
separately like before we begin the Mussuf prayer are permitted. If the Chazzan did not blow the shofer on
these separate occasions, then the shofer blower who did so should also blow
the shofer in the middle of prayer since it is better for the one who began the
mitzvah to finish it[1][1]. It is our custom to announce the names of
each shofer blast before the shofer blower blows them. This is a good idea.]
5.
One who accepts money for blowing the shofer on Rosh Hashanah, one who
accepts money to lead the congregation in prayer, and one who accepts money to
read from the Torah on Shabbat and Yom Tov (Holidays), will not see anything
good arise from that money.
MB
590 proper order of the sounds
3. Some authorities say that the tekiah
sound should be the same length as the shevarim and the teruah sounds. One should extend the tekiah sound more on
the first series than in the other two series.
4The three shevarim sounds must be done
in one breath.
There are differences of opinion as to
whether the shevarim-teruah sound should be with same breath.
To compensate with this difference of
opinion the Shofar sounder may take only one breath when the congregation is
seated; but two breaths when the congregation is standing.
588
Time for the Blowing of the Shofar
1. Time for blowing is the day and not the
night. The mitzvah is best performed
from the time of sunrise onwards. If one
blew at the crack of dawn, he will have fulfilled. If partly before the crack of dawn and
partially after, no fulfill.
1.
If one listened to nine blasts, even by
nine different Shofar blower fulfills.
If one hears with interruption, not valid because there has to be a
tekiah before and one after. If two
Shofars play at the same time, the person does not fulfill the mitzvah
(obligation). If a Shofar and a trumpet
play at the same time mitzvah (obligation) is fulfilled because listening for a
Shofar sound.
Kitzur
SA 128:2
Ganzfried-Golden,
Hebrew Publishing Co, 1961
Custom
to blow on 2nd day of Elul to day Mesewchta Rosh Hashanah makes the
distinction between voluntary and mandatory shofar sounding during Elul.
The
sounds are:
tekiah-shevarim-teruah
- once
To
prepre for the penitential season (tshuvah)
Seven
week after the 17th of Tammuz (commemorating the first breech of the
Temple walls, there are seven weeks of Haftoreh Admonition. After 9th day of Av Tisha B’Av –
destruction of the Temple), there are three weeks of consolation Haftorehs..
Preparations One Whole Month Before
Rosh Hashanah
The Rabbi’s introduced takkanot
(communitylaws) to amend the pentateuchal laws as well as Jewish Law. See Solomon Zeitlin, The Halaka: Introduction to Tannaitic Jurisprudence,
The Jewish Quarterly Review, New Series, Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jul.,
1948), pp. 1-40. Published by: University of Pennsylvania Press
The updated Code
of Jewish Law (Mishnah Berurah) is a 20th century commentary on Orach Chayim, the first
section of the Code of Jewish Law (Shulchan Aruch). At §581(3), there
is a gloss that most Sephardic communities customarily begin to sound the
shofar on the first day of the new month of Elul, at the end of the Morning
Prayer service. In other communities, its practice begins on the second day of
the new month of Elul to continue until the day before Rosh Hashanah.
See also D. Hach. Derech Ha-Chaim - Glosses to the siddur containing laws
pertaining to daily conduct, prayers blessings, thew Sabath and Holidays, etc;
by Ya’akov Lorbeerbaum (1760-1832) Berlin, 1840.
(1)
From Rosh Chodesh onwards, etc. There are /communities/ where /the blowing of the shofar/ is begun from the first day of Rosh Chodesh.
There are other communities where it is begun from the second day of Rosh
Chodosh. D. Hach. Writes that one should do: “The shofar should be sounded
every morning after the prayer service [except on the Sabbath].
(2)
D. Hach. Derech Ha-Chaim - Glosses to the siddur
containing laws pertaining to daiy conduct, prayers blessings, Shabbos and
Holidays, etc; by Ya’akov Lorbeerbaum (1760-1832) Berlin, 1840
The Code of
Jewish Law (Shulchan Aruch, 1565) §128:2 denotes that three shofar notes are
sounded: tekiah; shevarim; and teruah.
Such preparation is
not only for the preparation of the shofar sounding but also the corpus of the
holiday, to begin the process of concentrated, sincere repentance. In addition
to the shofar as a reminder, certain prayers of supplication and repentance are
added to the service.
There
are also localities where they also blow
the shofar at the ma’ariv (evening) prayer
The Halaka: Introduction to Tannaitic Jurisprudence
Solomon Zeitlin
The Jewish Quarterly Review, New Series, Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jul.,
1948), pp. 1-40
cubits beyond. The sages introduced
takkanot to amend the pentateuchal laws as well as the halaka. From the Talmud
we learn that if Rosh Hashana fell on the sabbath the sounding of the shofar
was suspended. In the Temple however the blow-ing of the shofar took precedence
over the sabbath, a custom which was in vogue during the Second Commonwealth.
After the destruction of the Temple, Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai introduced a
takkana that in the city of Jabne, where the Bet Din was sitting, the blowing
of the shofar should take precedence over the sabbath.80 By this takkana Rabban
Johanan b. Zakkai sought to demonstrate that the Bet Din took the place of the
Temple. The sages not only amended ritual laws but also laws in relation to the
family and civil laws.
Shofar J Ency
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=653&letter=S
SELECTED
HALACHOS RELATING TO ROSH HASHANA
By
Rabbi Doniel Neustadt
A
discussion of Halachic topics related to
the Parsha of the
week.
For final rulings, consult your Rav.
A
BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE TEKIOS
One
of the most important mitzvos of Rosh Hashanah(1) is the Biblical
command
to blow the shofar. Although the significance of this mitzvah has
been
expounded at length - Rav Saadiah Gaon enumerates ten different reasons
for
blowing shofar(2) - still many people are unfamiliar with the basic
procedures
involved: how many blasts are sounded, how long or short must
they
be, etc. While the tokea and the makri (the individual who instructs
the
tokea which blast to sound) must be thoroughly versed in these intricate
laws(3)
- since it is they who determine if a particular blast was invalid
and
must be repeated - still it is important for the entire congregation to
have
some degree of familiarity with the general laws governing this
mitzvah.
THE
BASIC MITZVAH
The Biblical command is to blow three sets of
blasts on Rosh Hashanah. A
set
of blasts means one teruah sound preceded and followed by a tekiah
sound.
Thus, the sum total of blasts which one is required to hear on Rosh
Hashanah
is nine - six tekiah sounds and three teruah sounds.
The
tekiah sound was always well defined and agreed upon by all
authorities
- a long, straight (without a break or pause) blast. The teruah
sound,
however, was not well defined and the Rabbis were unsure of how,
exactly,
it was supposed to sound(4). The Talmud(5) describes three
possibilities:
Three
short, straight blasts - what we commonly refer to as shevarim;
Nine(6)
very short, staccato blasts - what we commonly refer to as teruah;
A
combination of both of the above sounds - a shevarim- teruah compound.
To
satisfy all of the above opinions, the Rabbis established that the three
sets
of tekios be blown in three different ways, alternating the teruah
sound
in each set. Thus we blow tekiah shevarim-teruah tekiah (TaSHRaT)
three
times; tekiah shevarim tekiah (TaRaT) three times; tekiah teruah
tekiah
(TaSHaT) three times. All together that adds up to thirty different
blasts
- eighteen tekios, three shevarim-teruahs, three shevarim and three
teruahs.
This is the minimum number of blasts that every adult male(7) is
required
to hear on Rosh Hashanah. These are called tekios d'myushav, since
the
congregation is permitted to sit while they are being blown. In
practice,
however, it is universally accepted to stand during these
tekios(8).
[A
person who is in dire circumstances (a patient in the hospital, for
example)
and is unable to hear (or blow) thirty blasts, should try to hear
(or blow) 10 sounds, one TaSHRaT, one TaRaT and
one TaSHaT(9). No blessing,
however,
is recited over these blasts.]
In
addition to these Biblically required blasts, we blow sixty more. Thirty
more
are blown during Musaf, ten each after the malchiyos, zichronos and
shofaros
divisions of Shemoneh Esrei. Every adult male is Rabbinically
obligated
to blow or hear these blasts in their designated places in the
Musaf
service. They are called tekios d'meumad, since one is required to
stand
while they are being blown(10).
In
addition, it is customary to blow forty more blasts for a sum total of
one
hundred blasts. While this custom is based on several early sources(11)
and
has been almost universally adopted, there are various practices
regarding
when, exactly, they are blown. Generally, these blasts are blown
towards
the end of and after the Musaf service, and one must refrain from
speaking(12)
until after all one hundred sounds have been blown.
HOW
LONG SHOULD EACH BLAST BE?
The
length of a tekiah, both before and after the teruah, must be at least
as
long as the teruah which it accompanies(13). Thus, since it takes about
2-3
seconds to blow a shevarim or a teruah, the tekiah before and after must
be
at least 2-3 seconds long. Since it takes longer than that to blow the
combination
shevarim-teruah sound, the tekiah which precedes and follows
these
sounds must be longer as well. Most congregations allot about 4-5
seconds
for each of these tekios. The makri is responsible to keep time.
[It
is important to remember that each tekiah must be heard in its entirety
no
matter how long it takes. If, for example, a tekiah is blown for 7
seconds,
which is much longer than required, the entire 7 seconds' worth
must
be heard by the congregation. Care must be taken not to begin reciting
the
yehi ratzon until after the blast is concluded(14).]
A
teruah is at least nine short blasts (beeps), although in practice, many
more
beeps are sounded when the teruah is blown. No breath may taken between
the
short beeps; they must be blown consecutively.
Each
shever should be about three teruah-beeps long. B'dieved the shever is
valid
even if it is only two beeps long, provided that all three shevarim
are
of that length(15). No breath may be taken between each shever; they
must
be blown consecutively(16).
SHEVARIM
TERUAH - HOW IS IT BLOWN?
There
are two basic views of how to blow the shevarim-terurah combination.
Some
opinions hold that no breath may be taken between them and even
b'dieved,
a breath between them invalidates the blast. Others hold that a
breath
may be taken as long as it takes no longer than the split second that
it
takes to draw a breath. The custom in most congregations is to do it both
ways;
the tekios before Musaf are blown with no breath being taken between
the
shevarim-teruah, while the tekios during and after Musaf are blown with
a
break for drawing a breath between the shevarim-teruah(17).
MISTAKES
WHILE BLOWING
There
are basically two types of mistakes that the tokea can make while
blowing
shofar. The most common is that the tokea tries but fails to produce
the
proper sound. The general rule is that the tokea ignores the failed try,
takes
a breath, and tries again(18).
The
other type of mistake is that the tokea blows the blast properly, but
loses
track and blows the wrong blast, e.g., instead of shevarim he thinks
that
a tekiah is in order, or instead of teruah he thinks that a shevarim is
due
and he blows the shevarim. In that case, it is not sufficient to merely
ignore
the wrong blast; rather the tokea must repeat the tekiah which
precedes
the shevarim(19).
When
a tekiah needs to be repeated, it is proper that the makri notify the
congregation
of that (by banging on the bimah, etc.), so that the listeners
do
not lose track of which blasts are being blown.
ADDITIONAL
HIDDURIM
As
there are different views and/or stringencies pertaining to various
aspects
of tekias shofar, one who wishes to be extremely particular in this
mitzvah
may blow (or hear) additional blasts after the davening is over in
order
to satisfy all opinions. These include the following hiddurim:
There
are several ways of blowing the shevarim sound; while some blow short,
straight
blasts, others make a slight undulation (tu-u-tu).
Some
opinions maintain that l'chatchillah, each shever should be no longer
than
the length of two beeps(20).
Some
opinions hold that when the shevarim-teruha sound is blown, there may
not
be any break at all between them (even if no breath is taken); the
shever
must lead directly into the teruah(21).
Some
authorities insist that the tekiah sound be straight and clear from
beginning
to the end, with no fluctuation of pitch throughout the entire
blast(22).
FOOTNOTES:
1
This year, the shofar is blown only on the second day of Rosh Hashanah as
the
first day is Shabbos.
2
The most fundamental reason to perform this mitzvah, however, is simply
that
Hashem commanded us to do so.
3
Mateh Efrayim 585:2.
4
While the basic definition of a teruah is a "crying" sound, it was
unclear
if
that resembled short "wailing" sounds or longer "groaning"
sounds.
5
Rosh Hashanah 33b.
6
There are Rishonim who hold that a teruah is three short beeps. B'dieved,
we
may rely on that view to fulfill our obligation (Mishnah Berurah 590:12).
7
The obligation of women regarding tekias shofar was discussed in The
Weekly
Halachah Discussion, pg. 532-534.
8
Mishnah Berurah 585:2. A weak or elderly person may lean on a shtender or
a
table during these sets of tekios (Sha'ar ha-Tziyun 585:2).
9
Based on Mishnah Berurah 586:22 and 620:7. See also Mateh Efrayim 586:7
and
Ktzeh ha-Mateh 590:1. See, however, Mateh Efrayim 593:3 who seems to
rule
in this case that three TaSHRaTs should be blown.
10
Mishnah Berurah 592:2. B'dieved, one fulfills his obligation if he sat
during
these tekios; ibid.
11
See Mishnah Berurah 592:4.
12
Asher Yatzar, though, may be recited; Minchas Yitzchak 3:44; 4:47.
13
This is based on the minimum length of time required for the teruah, not
on
the actual time it took to blow a particular teruah.
14
Mishnah Berurah 587:16; haTekios k'Halachah u'Behidur 1 quoting several
sources.
15
Shulchan Aruch Harav 590:7.
16
O.C. 590:4.
17
Mishnah Berurah 590:20 and Sha'ar ha-Tziyun 18. The makri, too, should
take
a breath between the announcement of shevarim-teruah, so that the tokea
will
follow his lead (Elef ha-Magen 22).
18
Based on Mishnah Berurah 290:34, Aruch ha-Shulchan 290:20 and Da'as Torah
590:8.
19
Another example is when the tokea mistakenly blows [or begins to blow]
two
sets of shevarim or teruos in a row. The original tekiah must be
repeated.
20
See O.C. 590:3.
21
Avnei Nezer 443; Chazon Ish O.C. 136:1. This is difficult to perform
properly.
22
Harav Y.L. Diskin, based on the view of the Ramban and Ritva, see Moadim
u'Zmanim
1:5. Chazon Ish, however, was not particular about this; Orchos
Rabbeinu
2:183.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weekly-Halacha,
Copyright (c) 1999 by Rabbi Neustadt, Dr. Jeffrey Gross and
Project
Genesis, Inc. The author, Rabbi Neustadt, is the principal of Yavne
Teachers'
College in Cleveland, Ohio. He is also the Magid Shiur of a daily
Mishna
Berurah class at Congregation Shomre Shabbos.
The
Weekly-Halacha Series is distributed L'zchus Doniel Meir ben Hinda.
Weekly
sponsorships are available - please mail to jgross@torah.org .
The
series is distributed by the Harbotzas Torah Division of Congregation
Shomre
Shabbos, 1801 South Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
HaRav
Yisroel Grumer, Marah D'Asra.
This
list is part of Project Genesis:
SHULCHAN ARUCH
Part I: Orach Chayim
Chapter 5 - SHEMA
SHEMA (Deut.6:4-9;
Deut.11:13-23; Num.15:37-41) must be recited
with great concentration and
intent (61:1), particularly the first verse;
see 60:5;63:4,6. (In general,
fulfillment of a Commandment requires
intent; see 60:4.) It is
customary to recite the first verse out loud and
to cover the eyes while doing
so (61:4-5,16;62:5), and to silently say
"Blessed be the
Name..." after the first verse (61:13). On the
appropriate intentions at
specific parts of SHEMA see
61:2-3,6-8,14-15. The
TEFILLIN and TZITZIS should be touched
when the verses in which they
are mentioned are recited (61:25).
SHEMA should be recited
audibly if possible (see 61:26;62:3-4), and
should be pronounced very
carefully (62:1), even when reciting it in a
language other than Hebrew
(62:2). On specific details about the
pronunciation see
61:16-21,23-24. [Similar care with pronunciation
should be taken in reciting
other prayers and in reading from Biblical
books (61:22).]
The blessings
"...Creator of light and darkness..." and "Eternal love..."
(or "Great
love...") are recited before SHEMA (59:1;60:1). The first
blessing is recited even by
individuals even though it contains the
verses of KEDUSHAH (59:3),
and it may be recited even by a blind
man (69:2). On reciting these
blessings with the leader or hearing
them from him and answering
"Amen" to them see 59:4;61:3. On
omission of these blessings
or errors in them see 58:4;59:2,5;60:2-3.
It is customary for an
individual to say "G-d, faithful king" before
SHEMA; and in a congregation,
the leader repeats "HA-SHEM your
G-d is true" at the end
(61:3). After SHEMA, the blessing "True..." is
recited; on its importance
see 66:10.
The verses of each passage of
SHEMA must be recited in order
(see 64:1). On what to do if
part of SHEMA was (or may have been)
omitted see 64:2-4; on cases
of doubt see 67:1. On what to do if the
recitation was interrupted
see 65:1 and 75:1; on situations in which
interruption is permitted in
the SHEMA and its blessings see 66:1-9
and 69:1; on inserting
religious poems (PIYUTIM) into the blessings
see 68:1. It is forbidden to
recite SHEMA twice in succession (see
61:9-12; similarly,
"Amen" should not be said twice after hearing a
blessing). However, if a
congregation is reciting SHEMA, an
individual should recite at
least the first verse with them even if he has
already recited SHEMA; see
65:2-3.
SHEMA may be recited in the
morning after it is light enough to
recognize an acquaintance
(58:1), or if necessary, after dawn
(58:3-4). Ideally, it should
be recited shortly before sunrise (see 58:1),
or as soon afterward as
possible (58:2). It may be recited until the
end of the first quarter of
the day (58:1), or if necessary the first third;
after that it may still be
recited, but without the blessings (58:6). It is
customary to recite the first
verse at the beginning of the morning
prayers in case the
entire SHEMA is not recited until too late (46:9).
It is not necessary to stand
while reciting SHEMA (see 63:2), but it
should not be recited while
lying flat (63:1), and the first verse should
not be recited while walking
(63:3). A sleeping person should be
awakened to recite at least
the first verse (63:5), and a person who is
working should stop for at
least the first passage (see 63:7-9). On
interrupting other activities
to recite SHEMA if there is time to recite it
after finishing see 70:3-5.
On activities that excuse a person from
reciting SHEMA, such as
funeral preparations, see 71:1-6 and
72:1-5.
A woman is exempt from
reciting SHEMA, but should recite at least
the first verse (70:1). A
child should be taught SHEMA when he is old
enough (70:2). A person who
is drunk should not recite SHEMA
(99:1).
SHEMA should not be recited
in the presence of the dead or in a
cemetery (71:7); if adult
nudity is in contact with any of the body, or
any nudity is visible or is
in line of sight with the heart (see
73:1-4;74:1-6;75:4-6); if a
woman's singing is audible, or any part of
her body or hair that is
usually covered is visible (75:1-3); or in the
presence of excrement that is
uncovered or in contact with the body
or clothing or can be smelled
(see
76:1-8;79:1-3,9;80:1;81:2;82:1;87:3). [On the excrement of animals
and children see 79:4-7;81:1
(see also 76:3 on a pig's mouth); on
urine see
76:7-8;77:1-2;78:1;79:6;82:2;87:1-3; on semen see 76:4;
on bad-smelling liquids see
86:1. On places where such things are
commonly present see 85:1-2;
in particular, on garbage dumps see
76:7 and 79:8; on toilets see
83:1-5 and 87:1-3; on bathhouses see
84:1; on cases of doubt see
76:7-8.] In such circumstances it is also
forbidden to speak or think
about Torah or to mention a Divine name,
but it is permitted to speak
Hebrew or to mention a Divine attribute or
to warn someone against a
forbidden activity (85:2). If SHEMA was
recited under any of these
conditions, it must be repeated (83:5). On
the other hand, a person who
is ritually impure is allowed to recite
SHEMA, pray, and study Torah;
see 88:1.
Shulchan Aruch, Copyright (c)
2000 Project Genesis, I
http://torah.org/advanced/shulchan-aruch/classes/orachchayim/chapter5.html
Shiur HaRav Y.D. Soloveichik ZT’L on Shofar
At
the the Yarchei Kallah, delivered in Boston in 5742 (Aug. 1977), the Rav
explained the Ramban on Zichron Teruah and extracted the essence of
Shofar and how it reflects the Kedushas
Hayom of Rosh Hashonah (Vayikra 25:24).
The
Ramban interprets the term Zichron Teruah as “this is the day in which we are
remembered by HKBH through Teruah”. Rashi interprets Zichron Teruah as Zichron
Pesukei Zichronos U’Psukei Shofros. In other words we must recite Malchios
Zichronos and Shofros on Rosh Hashonah. The Ramban suspects that Rashi is of
the opinion that Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros are Doraysa obligations. That the
obligation on Rosh Hashonah is not only to blow the Shofar and produce the
sound, but Zichron Teruah requires us to speak about it as well through the
recitation of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros.
There
is no doubt that the instituition of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros is based
on Zichron Teruah. Yet we do not find a similar obligation of Zichron, to
recite verses in conjunction with other Mitzvos, such as Lulav, Matzah. This manifests a double Kiyum
for Zichron Teruah:
blowing
shofar per se as well as doing it in the framework of Malchios, Zichronos and
Shofros.
The
Ramban asks why did Rashi omit Malchios from his interpretation of Zichron
Teruah? Why only mention Zichronos and Shofros? The Ramban answered this
question saying that though Zichron Teruah is specific to Zichronos and
Shofros, the obligation to recite Malchios is derived from a Binyan Av
(Masechet Rosh Hashonah 32a). Rashi only mentions that which is specifically
derived from the Zichron Teruah. But of course Rashi agrees that the same
obligation exists regarding Malchios as well.
The
Ramban’s opinion is that the recitation of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros in
the framework of Tekias Shofar as derived from Zichron Teruah is only an Asmachta
and is Rabbinic in nature. The Ramban derives this from the statement in the
Talmud (Rosh Hashonah 34b):
“Mephorash
Amru Holchin Lemakom Shetokin Vayn Holchin Lemakom Shemevarchim. Peshita! Ha Deoraysa Ha Rabanan! Lo
Tzericha, Daf Al Gav Dha Vaday Vha
Safek”.
If
one has a choice to attend one of two services, one where he may hear Tekias Shofar or where he definitely
will be able to hear the Berachos of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros, he is
obligated to attend the former. We see
from this that the obligation to hear the Shofar itself takes precedence over
the obligation to hear Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros. Had they both been biblical obligations there
would have been no reason to prefer one over the other.
The
Rav quoted the Haamek Sheelah who defended Rashi saying that Rashi agreed with
the Geonim Kadmonim that Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros is a biblical
obligation, however only when combined with Tekias Shofar. Malchios, Zichronos
and Shofros without Tekias Shofar they are Drabbanan. The Gemara says that is
it preferable to go to the place where they may blow shofar, and even recite
the Brachos of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros, rather than to go to a place
where they only say the Brachos of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros without the context
of Tekias Shofar, in which case it is only a Drabbanan.
So
according to the Ramban the term Zichron Teruah means Zichron through Teruah
while according to Rashi it means Zichron of Teruah, i.e. through the
recitation of Malchios, Zichronos and Shofros.
The
Ramban asks how do we know that the word Teruah means blowing this sound
through a Shofar? Perhaps we must use a trumpet (Chatzotzros) to fulfill this
obligation? The Ramban says that
Chatzotzros are not mentioned explicitly in the Parsha of Rosh Hashonah, ibut
are introduced in Sefer Bamidbar, so we can
assume that they were not intended.
Also Teruah implies Shofar, as seen from the Passuk (Vayikra 25:9)
Vhaavarta Shofar Teruah.
The
Ramban continues: the Torah did not explain the reason behind this Mitzvah: why
the Teruah and why must there be Zichron
before HKBH on this day as opposed to any other day in the year? The
Torah mentions no historical event that coincides with Rosh Hashonah. The Rav
mentioned that there is a well known
disagreement between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua in what month the world was created. Was it Nissan or
Tishrei? Because of this dispute many communities did not include such
statements in the Amidah of Rosh
Hashonahas Zeh Hayom Techilas Maasecha. Yet even in those communities, they
still blew Shofar and celebrated Rosh Hashonah, so apparrently creation of the
universe was not the event that singles out Rosh Hashonah.
The
Ramban states that although he can not pinpoint a unique event that occurred on
Rosh Hashonah, he knows that 9 days after Rosh Hashonah,we celebrate Yom
Kippur, the day of atonement and forgiveness.. Hence the holiday of Rosh
Hashonah is related in some way to Yom Kippur. This is what the Ramban means
when he says:
“Aval
Mpnay Shehu Bchodsho Shel Yom Kippur Brosh Chodesh Nireh Shebo Yihyeh Din
Lefanav Yisbarech Ki Hashem Yadin Amim B’Rosh Hashonah Yashev Lkesei Shofet
Tzedek Vacharei Ken Baseres Hayamim Yisa Lfesha Avadav Nirmaz Bacasuv”.
The
fact that Rosh Hashonah is connected wth Yom Kippur in the same month, in and
of itself indicates that Rosh Hashonah is an exceptional Yom Tov.
The
Rav says that perhaps the Ramban was motivated
by the Rambam, who (Hilchos Chovel Umazik, 1) formulates the notion that
there are certain laws that we have accepted based on the unbroken tradition
that has been handed down to us through the ages, beginning with Moshe and
having been witnessed by all subsequent generations and Batei Din. There is
atradition that originated with Moshe Rabbeinu and continued by all the
Chachmei Yisrael throughout the generations that all of them singled Rosh
Hashonah as a unique and exceptional day.
The
Ramban now explains in detail the meaning of Zichron Teruah. The Rav expounded
on this, extracting from the Ramban the essence of the Kedushas Hayom of Rosh
Hashanah. .. Indeed this deep insight
into Rosh Hashonah expressed by the Ramban can be seen in all aspects of the
Machzor that we have for Rosh Hashonah. The Ramban paraphrases the words of the
Haggadah when he says:
“Val
Derech Haemes Teruah Hi Sheamdah Laavosaynu Vlanu...”
Rosh
Hashonah is the day of judgement, Din. This is described (Eruchin 10b):
the
Angels asked HKBH why don’t Bnay Yisrael recite Hallel on Rosh Hashonah? HKBH
answered is it possible that when the King is sitting on the throne of Din and
the books of the living and dead are open before Him , is it possible that Bnay
Yisrael should be able to recite Hallel? We see from this that the
characteristic of Rosh Hashonah is Din. This is Melech Yoshev Al Kisai din. Malchus
of Hashem is expressed through the characteristic of Din that is manifest on
Rosh Hashonah.
Malchus
is Din. It is a medium through which HKBH reveals Himself to mankind, and
especially to Bnay Yisrael. Malchus relates the presence of HKBH and His omnipotence
to the rest of creation, the entire universe. The same laws, be they physical
or metaphysical, apply to all creation, be they in the furthest nebulae or
within the closest proximity to man. This form of Din is what is referred to as
Ratzon Hakadmon, which HKBH implanted in every flower and spring so that they
may extol the glory of Hashem. This Ratzon Hakadmon completely controls the
dynamics of the universe, including the human being. This is the ultimate
manifestation of Din.
As
Chazal say (Sifri Haazinu):
“Haraisa
Chama Shokaas Bamizrach?”
Has
one ever seen the sun set in east? This inviolability of nature is Din. It is
impossible to speak of different laws that govern the speed with which
different light beams travel. If one accepts the opinion that on Rosh Hashonah
the wold was created, then Rosh Hashonah is truly the ultimate Yom Din, as the
universe which is based on Din, on the inviolate laws of nature. The concept of
Selicha Umechila would have no place in such a universe built on Din. The perfect
description is Malchuso Btoch Olamo, that kingship of HKBH, Din, is at the
center of the universe and creation.
How
do we know that Malchus is Din? We have the concept of Teruas Milchama, the
sounding of the Shofar in times of war. Teruah in hebrew means not only a
certain unique sound. It also connotes to break, as the prophet Isaiah says
Roah Hisroah Haaretz (24:19), after the earth quaked, something broke to
pieces. Teruah is associated with breakage and damage, for example we find the
people of Sdom threatened to do damage to Lot for not turning over his guests
to them.
Rosh
Hashonah, as mentioned above, is a day
of absolute Din. It is the day when all creation pass before Hashem in
judgement, with no exceptions. It is a day exclusively of Din, there is no room
for Selicha Umechila during this day. As we recite in the Nesane Tokef, even
the angels are frightened of the power of Din on Rosh Hashonah. The Teruah of
Milchama indicates that Hashem should be seen this day as Hashem Ish Milchama.
Rosh Hashonah is a day of destruction, for if Hashem were to exact true Din
with all creation on Rosh Hashonah as the day demands, no one would be found
righteous before Him on this day that implies doom and complete destruction.
This is why the Zohar as well as later Chassidic works describe Rosh Hashonah,
particularly the first part of the day prior to the sounding of the Shofar, as
Takifa Dina, the time when unswerving Din rules. The second day of Rosh
Hashonah is described as Chulsha Dina, the period when the attribute of Din is
lessened. (The Rav mentioned that on the first night of Rosh Hashonah through
the following morning, it was impossible to talk to Reb Yosef Dov, the Bais
Halevi, as he was in a depressed mood and incapable of communicating because of
the fear of the attribute of Din that characterized Rosh Hashonah till the
sounding of the Shofar. The Aymas Hadin
of Rosh Hashonah reached even to the Misnagdim!)
On
the other hand, Malchus HKBH on Rosh Hashonah is not reflected only by nature
but also by Knesses Yisrael. Knesses Yisrael reflects the sphere of Malchus.
The Ramban notes this in his famous comment in Parshas Chayey Sara on the verse
of:
“VHashem
Bayrach Es Avraham Bakol”
That
Knesses Yisrael reflects the divine glory of HKBH, the Malchus of HKBH. HKBH
can reveal Himself through nature. He also can reveal His Malchus through His
chosen people, Knesses Yisrael, as Malchuso Bkhal Adaso. This is what HKBH
promised Avraham Avinu, that Avraham would command his succeeding generetaions
to keep the ways of Hashem. By keeping
the Mitzvos Hashem, Knesses Yisrael refelects the Sephira Shel Malchus Bkhal
Adaso.
HKBH
reveals Himself to the world through 2 different media:
1)
through Malchuso Btoch Olamo, the universe itself and its exacting laws, through
the unswerving aspect of Din. Such a universe does not tolerate deviation,
there is no Selicha Umechila;
2)
through the aspect of Malchuso Bkhal Adaso (see Birnbaum Machzor for Shacharis
of Yom Kippur, pg. 595), through the special relationship between HKBH and Bnay
Yisrael that is apparrent to the other nations of the world when Bnay Yisrael
do the Ratzon Hashem. Selicha Umechila, makes sense in this medium, because of
the special unique relationship that Bnay Yisrael enjoy with HKBH.
In
order that Rosh Hashonah should be a day when transgressions are overlooked,
the attribute of Hashem Ish Milchama, of Teruas Milchama, that symbolizes
complete Din and Malchus Haolam Shel HKBH at the beginning of Rosh Hashonah,
must be transformed by Bnay Yisrael into Malchuso Bkhal Adaso. On Rosh
Hashonah, each Jew should say that from now on he will ammend his ways and
improve his actions to such an extent that he will command the respect of
others and the Malchus Shamayim will be reflected by his actions and behavior.
In
fact the
Rambam includs this as the core of Teshuva, when he
describes the Shofar
as representing Teshuva.
The
concept of Malchuso Bkhal Adaso allows Bnay Yisrael to transform the Teruah
from a destructive sound of war into a sound that shows the friendship and love
between HKBH and Knesses Yisrael, the root Reah, means friend as Elokim Haroeh
Osi Mayodi (Breishis 48:15, see Ramban).
This indeed is the Teruah of Uteruas Melech Bo (Bamidbar 23:21) mentioned in Malchios,
which connotes a closeness of HKBH to Bnay Yisrael. That we are privileged to
have HKBH as a friend. This is not Din, but rather Rachamim, mercy.
Rosh
Hashonah starts as a Yom Din. On Rosh Hashonah night when we say Yom Teruah in
Kiddush we are describing the characteristic of the ultimate judgement day, a
day of doom and destruction. However in Kiddush on the second night of Rosh
Hashonah, Yom Teruah takes on a different meaning, that of Teruas Melech Bo,
the close friendship between the King and His subjects..
We
find in the Piyut of Lkel Orech Din, the description of the utter fear that
true din inspires in creation. At this point Teruah connotes destruction. The
job of the Shofar is to change the semantics of Teruah from destruction to
friendship of Haelokim Haroeh Osi Mayodi. The verses of Malchios, Zichronos and
Shofros also describe this relationship. For example, in Malchios we recite the
verse of Uteruas Melech Bo. The Shofar when used as an insturment of
proclamation can announce both destruction as well as redemption as it will be
used to announce the coming of Moshiach and the ultimate redemption of Bnay
Yisrael. The Shofar must change the Teruah from Lhayra, to destroy, to Lhisroa,
to befriend.
When
the Ramban says that it is the Teruah that has sustained our forefathers throughout
the generations, he means that Teruah reflects the ability of Bnay Yisrael to
take the Teruah of Malchuso Btoch Olamo that can not reconcile with Salachti,
and turns it into the Malchuso Bkhal Adaso that is consistent with Salachti. As
the Ramban points out the Passuk we recite after Tekias Shofar, Ashrei Haam
Yoday Teruah (Tehillim 89), with the emphasis on the Yoday Teruah: those that
love Your name with the Sephira of Malchus as Malchuso Bkhal Adaso, the Jewish
People. The Ramban interprets the word Yoday as meaning loving, similar to
Vayeda Adam Es Chava Ishto. The term Yoday Shemecha Vlomday Torasecha: this
connotes those that love Your name rather than those that know Your name.
The
Midrash asks on the verse Ashrei Ahaam Yoday Teruah, do not the other nations
of the world know how to sound the Teruah? Why are Bnay Yisrael considered
unique in this respect?
The
Midrash is focusing on the unique ability of Bnay Yisrael to identify with the
special Sefira of Malchus and to reflect the glory of Hashem and His love for
all creation.
The
obligation of the
Jew
is to keep the Torah and Mitzvos and by doing so identify with the Teruah of
Yom Teruah Yihye Lachem, you shall transform the day from cosmic Malchus that
brooks no forgiveness into a day of Malchuso Bkhal Adasi, a day of friendship
and love between Hashem and His people.
Forgiveness
on this day is fully consistent between those that love each other.
The
Ramban continues saying that Zichron Teruah Mikra Kodesh means that the Zichron
should take place through Teruah. The Ramban does not interpret Zichron as
remembering.
Instead
he
explains
it in terms of being fond of:
“Habayn
Yakir Li Efraim... Ki Miday Dabri Bo Zachor Ezkerenu...”.
HKBH
is saying that whenever He speaks of Efrayim He immedately becomes fond of him,
I love him. In this context, Zichron Teruah means this is a day in which
Knesses Yisrael should manifest love for Hashem by proclaiming His Malchus
throughout the world.
The
face of each
Jew
should radiate and reflect the majesty of Hashem and His love for His people.
The
Ramban states that this is why Rosh Hashonah is a Yom Tov. Even though Rosh
Hashonah does not commemorate a specific event in Jewish History, it is a
metaphysical event that allows Knesses Yisrael to identify with Hashem through
the revelation of Teruah. HKBH wants
that His revelation to the world as King should occur through the Jew instead
of coming through the general universe. In other words Shofar changes the
revelation of Hashem from Malchuso Btoch Olamo into Malchuso Bkhal Adaso.
The
philosophy of the Ramban is pointedly reflected by Rabbi Eliezer Hakalir in the
Piyut Shacharis of Rosh Hashonah:
“Naaleh
Badin Alos B’truah... Gaye Am Doreha Lro’a’oh, B’shofar Afatenu Ubeberech Kriah
B’maginas Rayim B’gano Esroaah”. (He ascends the throne of judgement amid the
sounds of the Teruah, causing the earth and its inhabitants to tremble. Through
the shofar blasts and the bending of the knee I seek to reconcile him, together
with friends in His garden I will enjoy His friendship.)
The
tune used by the Shaliach Tzibbur on the first half of this verse is one of
complete fear as he mentions the nature of Malchuso Bolamo, where absolute Din
rules. (Note that the different semantics of Teruah/Shofar are used within the
Piyut.) However the Chazan concludes the stanza with a tune of joy and
confidence reflecting the ability of the Shofar to transform the destruction of
Lro’a’ah into Maginas Rayim, the protection of a close group of friends.
The
beginning of
Rosh Hashonah is characterized by the pending destruction
feared by those
that are alone and
dwell in the unprotected
valley. The initial Teruah that is mentioned
connotes impending
destruction. The Shofar provides the key that allows me to
persuade Hashem
to forgive me and
protect me, just as friends protect and comfort each other.
(Paranthetically,
the Rav noted that the
Nussach of Yamim Noraim interprets the prayers. Simply
singing the words
cannot convey their
true meaning.)
The
Ramban continues saying that the character of Yom Hadin, when accompanied with
the Shofar, changes from the destruction
of war, Teruas Milchama, to mercy. This
is accomplished by surrounding the Teruah, (destruction), and surrounding it
with two companions, the Tekiah before it and the Tekiah after it. The Tekiah
sound connotes mercy, as the Torah says that when the people are to assemble
the Tekiah should be sounded, not the Teruah.
The Teruah sound connotes war and a sense of fear. On Rosh Hashonah, we
take the Teruah prisoner by surrounding it with the attributes of mercy, the Tekiah before and after it. According to
the Zohar this same idea applies to Akaydas Yitzchak. Yitzchak is characterized
through the attribute of Gevurah, i.e. Midas HaDin (Vayishava Yaakov Bphachad
Yitzchak Aviv). Avraham is the attribute
of Chesed, while Yaakov is the attribute of Tiferes. These 2 attributes bind
the Midas HaDin (represented by Yitzchak) with attributes of mercy (similar to
the binding of Avraham with Yitzchak at the Akayda). That is why the Passuk says
Ashrei Haam Yoday Teruah. We are the only people that are capable of taking the
Malchuso Bolamo, with all the fear and destruction it represents and surround
it on all sides with the attributes of Chesed and Tiferes and turn it into
Malchuso Bkhal Adaso, of friendship and
love between Hashem and His people.
Rosh
Hashonah
which begins with a sense of fear and trembling is transformed by the Shofar
into a day of friendship and mercy. Yom Kippur on the other hand begins as a
day characterized by complete mercy from Hashem. It is said that Gedolei
Yisroel were depressed and withdrawn on Rosh Hashonah, the day characterized by
Midas Din, while they were in a joyous
mood on Yom Kippur, the day characterized by Midas Rachamim.
Some
Gedolei Yisrael were of the opinion that the recitation of Piyutim in Shacharis
on Rosh Hashonah should be kept to a minimum in order to get to Tekias Shofar
as quickly as possible and affect the associated changeover in the character of
Rosh Hashonah, i.e. from Din to Rachamim.
This
is the entire philosophy of Rosh Hashonah according to the Ramban, as explained
by the Rav. Rosh Hashonah and Din represent Malchus Hashem. Knesses Yisrael has
the ability to identify with the majesty of Hashem and reflect His greatness
and glory through their Torah and Mitzvos. They can take the Teruah and
transform it from the context of Lehara, to destroy, to one of love and
friendship and the Selicha that is part of such a friendship.
This
summary is Copyright 1996 by Israel Rivkin and Josh Rapps, Edison, N.J.
Permission to reprint and distribute this summary, with this notice, is hereby
granted.
Shiur HaRav Soloveichik ZT"L on Inyan Shofar
(Shiur date: Sometime in the mid to late 1950s...)
On Rosh Hashonah, the sounds of the Shofar, the Tekiah and Teruah,
are the main
aspect of our prayer. Why did the Torah demand that the
prayer of the Jew on Rosh
Hashonah flow through the Tekias Shofar on Rosh Hashonah, as
opposed to prayers
all year?
The Likutai Torah (from the first Lubavitcher Rebbe)
describes the topic of Shofar in
terms of a Kol Pashut, simple sound. He says that each Jew
possesses an inner soul
and personality that is good and true. The Jew cannot defile
this inner soul through
sin. When a Jew sins, it is his external personae that is
blamed. The inner soul does
not participate in this act. If the inner soul would be
defiled through sin, Teshuva
would not be possible. The entire entre to Teshuva, where
man says that the act was
committed by someone else who was masquerading as him, is
built on the notion of
the purity of man's
inner soul.
The middle Lubavitcher Rebbes, Reb Ber, explained the verse
that Hashem will
return your exile and gather you in from among the nations
among whom you were
exiled (Parshas Nitzavim). He asked why was this verse
written in the singular rather
than the plural (since Moshe was speaking to all of Bnay
Yisrael)? He explained that
this verse is not referring to the ultimate political
redemption of the nation. Rather, it
refers to the exile of the individual, exile from his
family, friends and loved ones that
can be as painful, or more so, than the exile of the nation
throughout Jewish History.
The worst exile of all, is the internal exile of the
individual. He ostracizes and exiles
himself from his own inner personality and strengths in
order to fit in with the desires
of society. He acts and talks in ways that are meant to
ingratiate himself with others,
so they will be more accepting of him. The Torah tells us
that man will find himself
scattered across the far reaches of the world by his
multi-faceted attempts to
subordinate his true inner soul in deference to what
society demands. Man sometimes
awakes in the middle of the night gripped with fear as he
contemplates the schism
between his internal and external personae, yet man responds
by further suppressing
his inner soul.
For example, someone may prepare a lecture and the salient
points of the lecture can
be captured in a few sentences. Yet he will embellish the
lecture with all sorts of
extraneous details, and through his intellectual
achievements, weave the disparate
pieces into a long and involved, yet ultimately
connected lecture. His internal sense
of truth tells him that he could accomplish his task
succinctly, yet his external
personae demands that he embellish in order to impress
others.
People live through very trying times, especially Rabbis and
leaders, where they feel
terribly isolated and depressed by their responsibility and
situation. The only answer
to such feelings is the expression of M'mamakim Kerasicha
Hashem, I call to
Hashem from the depths of my suffering. This cry to Hashem
derives from the inner,
untainted soul. The external personae is not capable of
this. Teshuva requires that the
inner personae be victorious over the external one, and
admit that his entire external
posturing is false. Man wears many layers and styles of
clothes. One set for his
family, another for his employment, another for his
interaction with the community.
Teshuva demands that man rip away all these garments and
expose the true inner Jew
who has been suppressed but remains as strong as ever in the
desire to pursue the
ways of Hashem. This is the meaning of the verse When you
are in a difficult
situation, you will return to Hashem and listen to Him. You
will remove the external
layers and reveal the true inner Jew.
The external Jew is evident in prayer as well. Man has been
given the ability to
express himself and he learns from the society and culture
around him how to speak
and how to act and even how to pray. However, ultimately man
must recognize that
he lacks the vocabulary to express his needs to Hashem. This
is especially true on
Rosh Hashonah, when man is in the depths of despair with the
books of life and death
open before Hashem, he must recognize that he has been led
astray by his external
personality, no matter how developed and cultured it may be.
We rely on the same
expression of fear and pain that an animal utters, the
Genuchi Ganach and Yeluly
Yallal, the sobbing and crying noises that we mimic on Rosh
Hashonah.
M'mamakim can not be expressed through the beautiful prose that we recite on Rosh
Hashonah (the Piyutim). In fact, the prayers on Rosh
Hashonah have been recognized
universally as the most beautiful in their content and
phraseology. M'Mamakim can
only be expressed through the simple sound of the Shofar,
representing the simple,
unaltered inner Jew. No matter how beautiful our words may
be, they still represent
the external personality. On Rosh Hashonah we must strip
that away, only the internal
simple Jew can pray, and only through the simple sound of
the Shofar.
Judaism is most progressive in its recognition that man can
achieve intellectually and
use that knowledge in the worship of Hashem. It does not demand
that man live a
sheltered existence. But Judaism also demands that man
recognize that there is a
conflict between his external and internal personae. It is
the internal Jew that is the
key to his existence. That is why Rosh Hashonah is called
Yom Hazikaron: man must
remember that on this day he must strip away all external
pretenses and layers of inner
subordination to reach the true internal Jew. Only when he
has reached his internal
personality, can he call out to Hashem, and pray that Hashem
should remember him
on this day and inscribe him in the book of life.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This summary is copyright 1998 by Dr. Israel Rivkin and Josh
Rapps, Edison, N.J.
Permission to distribute this summary, with this notice is
granted. To receive these
summaries via email send mail to listproc@shamash.org with
the following message:
subscribe mj-ravtorah firstname lastname
SELECTED
HALACHOS RELATING TO ROSH HASHANA
By
Rabbi Doniel Neustadt
A
discussion of Halachic topics related to
the Parsha of the
week.
For final rulings, consult your Rav.
EATING
BEFORE TEKIAS SHOFAR
There
are conflicting customs in regard to eating before Tekias shofar. Some
communities
not only permit but encourage the congregants to eat by serving
a
kiddush, while others forbid eating altogether and object to it
strongly(1).
These customs are based on divergent views among the poskim.
Basically,
the poskim fall into three groups:(2) Some are very strict and
prohibit
eating altogether(3). Others are lenient and allow anyone to eat
before
Tekias shofar4. A third group allows eating only for the weak,
elderly
or ill(5). They do stipulate, however, that the infirm individual
should
eat in private so that the prohibition will not be taken lightly by
others.
Since
both customs have valid sources in the poskim, each community should
follow
its own custom as directed by their Rav(6). However, all poskim agree
that
it is forbidden to be kov'ea seudah (partake of a meal) before Tekias
shofar.
[It is similarly forbidden to be kov'ea seudah before shaking a
lulav
or reading the megillah(7)]. It is also the general consensus that
eating
more than a k'beitzah of bread(8) or cake(9) is considered kevius
seudah.
A k'beitzah is usually defined as approximately 2 oz., although
according
to the measurements of the Chazon Ish, a k'beitzah is 3.5 oz(10).
It
is important, therefore, to remember not to eat more than a k'beitzah of
cake
when eating before Tekias shofar(11).
Eating
fruit, cheese, kugel, rice cereals, etc., whether raw or cooked, is
not
considered kevius seudah even when a large amount is consumed(12).
[Consequently,
when estimating the amount of cake that may be eaten before
Tekias
shofar, only the amount of flour in the cake is included. Fruit,
cheese,
or any other ingredient baked along with the dough is not counted
towards
the amount for kevius seudah(13).]
Almost
all the poskim agree that drinking tea, coffee, juice or soft drinks
is
permitted before Tekias shofar, but they disagree as to whether one
should
recite Kiddush first. Since Kiddush must be followed by a seudah,
many
poskim advise that the beverage should be drunk without Kiddush(14),
and
this is an accepted custom in some communities. Since not all poskim
agree,
however(15), the preferred option is to hear Kiddush from a weak,
elderly
or ill person who is permitted to eat(16), as stated above. Another
option
would be to drink an additional revi'is (about 3.3 fl. oz.) of grape
juice,
in addition to the amount being drunk for kiddus(17).
WOMEN
The
restriction on eating before Tekias shofar is more lenient in regard to
women,
because they are generally exempt from "time-bound" mitzvos like
listening
to the shofar which is restricted to a certain time of the year
and
day(18). There are, however, poskim who hold that although women are
technically
exempt from listening to shofar, they have, nevertheless,
accepted
this mitzvah upon themselves as an obligation(19). Based on this
view,
it has become customary all over the world for women to go to shul to
listen
to the shofar, or else to hear the shofar blown in their homes by a
qualified
ba'al tokei'a.
Not
all poskim, however, agree that women have accepted upon themselves an
obligation
from which they are clearly exempt(20). Some poskim rule,
therefore,
that women are not obligated to listen to Tekias shofar(21). As
stated
earlier, though, the custom has followed the first view and most
women
observe this mitzvah stringently. Still, a woman who must eat before
Tekias
shofar may do so(22), even if the amount of food she requires is
considered
a kevius seudah.
SHABBOS
When
the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos and Tekias shofar is
canceled,
all poskim agree that it is permitted to recite Kiddush and eat
before
Mussaf, provided that the amount eaten is less than a kevius
seudah(23).
One who is weak and needs to eat more than that amount may eat
as
much as he needs(24).
One
who did not drink before davening and realizes that Mussaf will end
after
chatzos is required to drink or eat something before Mussaf, since on
Shabbos
it is prohibited to fast past chatzos(25).
DURING
THE BREAK
During
the break before Tekias shofar, care should be taken that at least a
minyan
remains in shul, since Shulchan Aruch(26) rules decisively that it is
prohibited
for the congregation to leave the shul before the Sifrei Torah
are
returned to the Aron. If this cannot be arranged, several poskim suggest
that
the Sifrei Torah be returned to the Aron before the break(27). In other
shuls,
the Sifrei Torah are covered with a tallis and somebody is appointed
to
watch over them(28).
In
most shuls, the break before Tekias shofar, whether Kiddush is served or
not,
is a short one. Consequently, even if one removes his tallis, no
blessing
is recited when it is put back on. [This is so even if one used the
bathroom
while his tallis was off.] If, however, there is a long break [a
break
of over two hours is considered a long break(29)] then a blessing is
recited
over the tallis when it is put back on(30).
FOOTNOTES:
1
See remarks by Harav Y.Y. Henkin, ha-Pardes, Tishrei 5730.
2
Interestingly enough, Shulchan Aruch does not discuss this prohibition
concerning
Tekias shofar, although he does mention it concerning netilas
lulav
(O.C. 652:2) and the reading of Megillas Esther (O.C. 692:4). The
source
of this halachah, however, which is a Tosefta in the first chapter of
Shabbos,
lists Tekias shofar among those other mitzvos.
3
Beis Yitzchak Y.D. 2:18; M'harsham 1:1 quoting Besamim Rosh. See also
Sedei
Chemed (Daled Minim 3:22).
4
Mikroei Kodesh 29; Tzitz Eliezer 6:7;
7:32; 8:21; Moadim u'Zemanim 1:4;
Az
Nidberu 1:10 This has become the accepted custom in many Yeshivos.
5
Chasam Sofer Y.D. 7; Mateh Efrayim 588:2; Sha'arei Teshuvah 584:3; Minchas
Yitzchak
5:11; Shevet ha-Levi 4:54. This seems to be the view of the Mishnah
Berurah
(see 652:7 and Sha'ar ha-Tziyun concerning lulav) as well. Harav
S.Z.
Auerbach (quoted in Nishmas Avraham 585:1) maintains that the Mishnah
Berurah's
opinion is more stringent concerning shofar because the eating on
Rosh
Hashanah necessitates Kiddush.
6
If at all possible, those who eat before Tekias shofar should do so on the
shul
premises where they will be summoned in time for the tekios.
7
The Rabbis forbade partaking of a meal before performing a mitzvah since
one
could easily become distracted and forget to perform the mitzvah in
question.
It follows, therefore, that if one appoints a shomer - another
individual
who is not eating who will remind him to perform the mitzvah - he
may
eat before performing the mitzvah (Mishnah Berurah 235:18 concerning
Kerias
Shema).
8
Mishnah Berurah 692:14. [See, however, Chayei Adam 119:7 and Aruch
ha-Shulchan
431:26 who allow only a k'zayis of bread.]
9
Pri Megadim O.C. 431:4. See Sha'ar ha-Tziyun 286:7 and Mishnah Berurah
639:15.
10
One who generally follows the Chazon Ish's ruling regarding shiurim can
surely
rely on him concerning this halachah as well. It is questionable,
however,
if it is proper to rely on the Chazon Ish's measurement in regard
to
this halachah only.
11
Pure mezonos cereals [whose raw batter rises like bread dough], e.g.,
Cheerios,
Grape Nuts, Wheat Chex, are also considered like cake.
12
O.C. 286:3 and 639:2.
13
Based on Igros Moshe O.C. 1:71 and Divrei Yoel 13.
14
See Elef ha-Magen 585:2 and Ktzei ha-Mateh, ibid.
15
See Divrei Yoel 1:29.
16
See Sedei Chemed (Rosh Hashanah 2:31) and Mikroei Kodesh 28. It is
important
that Kiddush be repeated before the meal, since some maintain that
such
a Kiddush is not valid.
17
Mishnah Berurah 273:27.
18
O.C. 589:6.
19
Maharil (Hilchos Shofar). See also Magen Avraham (O.C. 489:1, concerning
sefiras
ha-omer) who says that women have accepted [certain] time-restricted
mitzvos
as obligations. He does not, however, single out shofar more than
any
other time-restricted mitzvah. Chayei Adam (141:7) and R' Akiva Eiger
(Teshuvos
1, addendum) also state that women have accepted shofar as an
obligation.
20
See Minchas Chinuch 306, who questions the Magen Avraham quoted above. In
his
opinion, women can only accept a mitzvah whose obligation is
questionable,
such as davening Ma'ariv. A mitzvah from which they are
clearly
exempt, like listening to shofar blowing, cannot be "accepted." See
also
Nezirus Shimshon (quoted in Sdei Chemed, Ma'areches Mem, 136) and
Teshuvos
Sha'arei De'ah 2:237.
21
Harav Y. C. Sonnenfeld in Salmas Chayim 1:88. Note also that neither the
Mateh
Efrayim, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, Mishnah Berurah or Aruch ha-Shulchan
quote
the opinion that women have accepted Tekias shofar as an obligation.
22
Chayei Adam 141:7; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 129:19.
23
O.C. 286:3.
24
Mishnah Berurah 286:9.
25
Mishnah Berurah 584:5; Elef ha-Magen 597:2.
26
O.C. 149:1.
27
Ktzei ha-Mateh 590; Orchos Rabbeinu 2:181, relating the custom by the
Chazon
Ish and the Steipler Gaon; Nitei Gavriel, pg. 84; Kitzur Hilchos
Moadim,
pg. 45.
28
Luach D'var Yom b'Yomo.
29Ketzos
ha-Shulchan 8:7; Kitzur Hilchos Moadim, pg. 45.
30
Entire paragraph based on Shulchan Aruch Harav O.C 8:23 and Mishnah
Berurah
8:37.
Shofar
(by Alphonse Lévy)
The shofar is mentioned
frequently in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud and rabbinic literature. The blast of a shofar
emanating from the thick cloud on Mount Sinai made the Israelites
tremble in awe (Exodus 19, 20).
The shofar was used in to announce
holidays (Ps. lxxxi. 4), and the Jubilee year (Lev. 25. 9). The first day of
the seventh month (Tishri)
is termed "a memorial of blowing" (Lev. 23. 24), or "a day of
blowing" (Num. xxix. 1), the shofar. It was also employed in processions
(II Sam. 6. 15; I Chron. 15. 28), as a musical accompaniment (Ps. 98. 6; comp.
ib. xlvii. 5) and to signify the start of a war (Josh. 6. 4; Judges 3. 27; 7.
16, 20; I Sam. 8. 3). Note that the 'trumpets' described in Numbers 10 are a
different instrument, described by the Hebrew word 'trumpet' not the word for
shofar.
The Torah describes the
first day of the seventh month (1st of Tishri = Rosh ha-Shanah) as a zikron
teruah (memorial of blowing; Lev. xxiii) and as a yom teru'ah (day
of blowing; Num. 29). This was interpreted by the Jewish sages as referring to
the sounding the shofar.
In the Temple in Jerusalem, the shofar was sometimes
used together with the trumpet. On New-Year's Day the principal ceremony was
conducted with the shofar, which instrument was placed in the center with a
trumpet on either side; it was the horn of a wild goat
and straight in shape, being ornamented with gold at the mouthpiece. On fast-days the principal ceremony
was conducted with the trumpets in the center and with a shofar on either side.
On those occasions the shofarot were rams'
horns curved in shape and ornamented with silver at the mouthpieces. On Yom
Kippur of the jubilee year the ceremony was performed with the
shofar as on New-Year's Day. Rosh Hoshana is the Jewish New Year. A ceremonial
horn, called a “shofar” is blown, reminding Jews that God is king. A feast with
symbolic food is eaten on Rosh Hashana, and the next ten days are spent in repentance.
Rosh Hashana ends on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is a day of judgment, during which
prayers are made asking for forgiveness.
The shofar was blown in the times of
Joshua to help
him capture Jericho.
As they surrounded the walls, the shofar was blown and the Jews were able to
capture the city. The shofar was commonly taken out to war so the troops would
know when a battle would begin. The person who would blow the shofar would call
out to the troops from atop a hill. All of the troops were able to hear the
call of the shofar from their position because of its distinct sound.
[edit] Post-Biblical times
.jpg)
A
Yemenite
Jew blowing a shofar
In post-Biblical times, the shofar
was enhanced in its religious use because of the ban on playing musical
instruments as a sign of mourning for the destruction of the temple. (It is
noted that a full orchestra played in the temple, including, perhaps, a
primitive organ.) The shofar continues to announce the New Year and the new
moon, to introduce Shabbat, to carry out the commandment to sound it on Rosh
Hashanah, and to mark the end of the day of fasting on Yom Kippur once the
services have completed in the evening. The secular uses have been discarded (although
the shofar was sounded to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967)
(Judith Kaplan Eisendrath, Heritage of Music, New York: UAHC, 1972, pp. 44-45).
The shofar is primarily associated
with Rosh ha-Shanah. Indeed, Rosh Hashanah is called "Yom T’ruah"
(the day of the shofar blast). In the Mishnah (book of
early rabbinic laws derived from the Torah), a discussion
centers on the centrality of the shofar in the time before the destruction of
the second temple (70 AD). Indeed, the shofar was the center of the ceremony,
with two silver trumpets playing a lesser role. On other solemn holidays,
fasts, and new moon celebrations, two silver trumpets were featured, with one
shofar playing a lesser role. The shofar is also associated with the jubilee
year in which, every fifty years, Jewish law provided for the release of
all slaves, land, and debts. The sound of the shofar on Rosh ha-Shanah
announced the jubilee year, and the sound of the shofar on Yom Kippur
proclaimed the actual release of financial encumbrances.
The halakha (Jewish
law) rules that the shofar may not be sounded on Shabbat due to the potential
that the ba’al tekiyah (shofar sounder) may inadvertently carry it which is in
a class of forbidden Shabbat work (RH 29b) the historical explanation is that
in ancient Israel, the shofar was sounded on Shabbat in the temple located in
Jerusalem. After the temple’s destruction, the sounding of the shofar on
Shabbat was restricted to the place where the great Sanhedrin
(Jewish legislature and court from 400 BCE to 100 C.E.) was located. However,
when the Sanhedrin ceased to exist, the sounding of the shofar on Shabbat was
discontinued (Kieval, The High Holy Days, p. 114).
The shofar says, "Wake up from
your (moral) sleep. You are asleep. Get up from your slumber. You are in a deep
sleep. Search for your behavior. Become the best person you can. Remember God,
the One Who created you." Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance 3:4.[1]
See Arthur l. Finkle, Shofar Sounders Reference Manual,
LA: Torah Aura, 1993
Are
rituals -- and the objects we use to practice them -- symbolic of the
prevailing spiritual mood? Or do we choose ritual objects to cultivate in
ourselves an attitude or mood appropriate to the occasion? The mishnah on Rosh
Hashanah 26b concerning shofar discusses the source, shape, and embellishment
of the horns used on Rosh Hashanah, fast days (declared in the case of drought
or disaster) and to announce the Yovel (Jubilee) year at the end of Yom Kippur.
)
The shofar of Rosh Hashanah is of a wild goat that is a straight [horn] and its mouth is plated with gold, and two trumpets [are blown] at its sides. The shofar [blasts] long and the trumpets [blow] short, because the commandment of the day concerns a shofar. On fast days: [we blow] with [horns of] males, bent, and their mouths are plated with silver, and two trumpets [are blown] in between them. The shofar [blows] short and the trumpets [blow] long, because the commandment of the day is with trumpets. The Yovel (Jubilee) year: is identical to Rosh Hashanah [with respect to] the blowing and the blessings. R. Yehudah says: On Rosh Hashanah we blast with [horns of] males and on the Yovel (Jubilee) years with [horns of] wild goats.
If that’s a lot to take in on first glance, I’ve prepared the text in an outline form with the hope that it makes the structure easier to follow:
A. The shofar of Rosh Hashanah:
a. is of a wild goat that is a straight [horn]
b. and its mouth is plated with gold,
c. and two trumpets [are blown] at its sides.
d. The shofar [blasts] long and the trumpets [blow] short, because the commandment of the day concerns a shofar.
B. On fast days:
a. [we blow] with [horns of] males,
b. bent,
c. and their mouths are plated with silver,
d. and two trumpets [are blown] in between them.
e. The shofar [blows] short and the trumpets [blow] long, because the commandment of the day is with trumpets.
C. The Yovel year: is identical to Rosh Hashanah [with respect to] the blowing and the blessings.
D. R. Yehudah says:
a. On Rosh Hashanah we blast with [horns of] males
b. and on the Yovel years with [horns of] wild goats.
What strikes me first and foremost is the concern with the shape of the horn. For Rosh Hashanah and to announce the Yovel (Jubilee year) we are to use a straight horn, but for fast days, a bent or twisted horn is prescribed.
(Time out for Jewish “trivia”: The Jubilee year occurs every 50th year at the end of seven cycles of shemittah (sabbatical years) and its announcement is made at the close of Yom Kippur by blowing a shofar. Leviticus 25: 8-16 explains the requirement to blow the shofar on the tenth day of the seventh month and to observe the Yovel as a sabbatical year. This is why shofar is blown in synagogues at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. No doubt you’re now thinking: but we blow the shofar every year following Yom Kippur. Yes, this is true, and that is because we have lost track of when the Jubilee year falls. Therefore we blow the shofar each year in case that year is the Yovel.)
(Second time out for background on fast days: Talmud, in masechet Ta’anit, prescribes special fasts and prayers in the case of severe drought and actual or imminent disaster. Blowing a shofar is covered in chapter 2.)
In the case of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we are engaged in the process of teshuvah (repentance), confident that if our repentance is sincere and thorough, God will forgive and our atonement will cleanse. Many people mistakenly think Yom Kippur is a somber day akin to a day of mourning, Not so. While it is certainly a serious occasion, Yom Kippur is a joyous day because we are assured that sincere teshuvah (repentance) brings forgiveness. Hence we – like the shofar -- stand straight: confident and joyful that our relationships with God and people in our lives can be repaired, reconciled, and renewed. Similarly, the Jubilee is a joyous occasion and the straight shofar announces rest for the land and release from debts.
On fast days, however, there was a sense of fear in the air in ancient times because the theology held that drought and disaster resulted from the people’s sins. Fasts – with their accompanying prayers and shofar blasts – were intended to remediate the situation and inspire repentance. People were encouraged by the bent shofar to bend themselves in repentance, but there is no sure confidence that their efforts will be successful.
These days, one is as likely to see a twisted shofar used on Rosh Hashanah as a straight one. The distinction made in the Mishnah is no longer observed in most communities.
Are rituals -- and the objects we use to practice them -- symbolic of the prevailing spiritual mood? Or do we choose ritual objects to cultivate in ourselves an attitude or mood appropriate to the occasion? Perhaps it both operating simultaneously.
© 2009 Rabbi Amy Scheinerman
The shofar of Rosh Hashanah is of a wild goat that is a straight [horn] and its mouth is plated with gold, and two trumpets [are blown] at its sides. The shofar [blasts] long and the trumpets [blow] short, because the commandment of the day concerns a shofar. On fast days: [we blow] with [horns of] males, bent, and their mouths are plated with silver, and two trumpets [are blown] in between them. The shofar [blows] short and the trumpets [blow] long, because the commandment of the day is with trumpets. The Yovel (Jubilee) year: is identical to Rosh Hashanah [with respect to] the blowing and the blessings. R. Yehudah says: On Rosh Hashanah we blast with [horns of] males and on the Yovel (Jubilee) years with [horns of] wild goats.
If that’s a lot to take in on first glance, I’ve prepared the text in an outline form with the hope that it makes the structure easier to follow:
A. The shofar of Rosh Hashanah:
a. is of a wild goat that is a straight [horn]
b. and its mouth is plated with gold,
c. and two trumpets [are blown] at its sides.
d. The shofar [blasts] long and the trumpets [blow] short, because the commandment of the day concerns a shofar.
B. On fast days:
a. [we blow] with [horns of] males,
b. bent,
c. and their mouths are plated with silver,
d. and two trumpets [are blown] in between them.
e. The shofar [blows] short and the trumpets [blow] long, because the commandment of the day is with trumpets.
C. The Yovel year: is identical to Rosh Hashanah [with respect to] the blowing and the blessings.
D. R. Yehudah says:
a. On Rosh Hashanah we blast with [horns of] males
b. and on the Yovel years with [horns of] wild goats.
What strikes me first and foremost is the concern with the shape of the horn. For Rosh Hashanah and to announce the Yovel (Jubilee year) we are to use a straight horn, but for fast days, a bent or twisted horn is prescribed.
(Time out for Jewish “trivia”: The Jubilee year occurs every 50th year at the end of seven cycles of shemittah (sabbatical years) and its announcement is made at the close of Yom Kippur by blowing a shofar. Leviticus 25: 8-16 explains the requirement to blow the shofar on the tenth day of the seventh month and to observe the Yovel as a sabbatical year. This is why shofar is blown in synagogues at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. No doubt you’re now thinking: but we blow the shofar every year following Yom Kippur. Yes, this is true, and that is because we have lost track of when the Jubilee year falls. Therefore we blow the shofar each year in case that year is the Yovel.)
(Second time out for background on fast days: Talmud, in masechet Ta’anit, prescribes special fasts and prayers in the case of severe drought and actual or imminent disaster. Blowing a shofar is covered in chapter 2.)
In the case of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we are engaged in the process of teshuvah (repentance), confident that if our repentance is sincere and thorough, God will forgive and our atonement will cleanse. Many people mistakenly think Yom Kippur is a somber day akin to a day of mourning, Not so. While it is certainly a serious occasion, Yom Kippur is a joyous day because we are assured that sincere teshuvah (repentance) brings forgiveness. Hence we – like the shofar -- stand straight: confident and joyful that our relationships with God and people in our lives can be repaired, reconciled, and renewed. Similarly, the Jubilee is a joyous occasion and the straight shofar announces rest for the land and release from debts.
On fast days, however, there was a sense of fear in the air in ancient times because the theology held that drought and disaster resulted from the people’s sins. Fasts – with their accompanying prayers and shofar blasts – were intended to remediate the situation and inspire repentance. People were encouraged by the bent shofar to bend themselves in repentance, but there is no sure confidence that their efforts will be successful.
These days, one is as likely to see a twisted shofar used on Rosh Hashanah as a straight one. The distinction made in the Mishnah is no longer observed in most communities.
Are rituals -- and the objects we use to practice them -- symbolic of the prevailing spiritual mood? Or do we choose ritual objects to cultivate in ourselves an attitude or mood appropriate to the occasion? Perhaps it both operating simultaneously.
© 2009 Rabbi Amy Scheinerman
Please
note that in this document, "Shofar" refers to the Ram's Horn.
General Issues
General Issues
At
what time of day the requirement begins/ends: Rosh HaShanah 28a, 34a; Megillah
20b
When and how to make the Blessing on the Mitzvah: Pesachim 7b
Which blessings to make: Rosh HaShanah 26b, 27a, 29a, 30a
Coordinating the Shofar with the "Musaf" Service: Rosh HaShanah 32a, 34b
How to Blow the Shofar if one already prayed the "Musaf" service: Rosh HaShanah 33b
Above, if one had a Shofar while praying the "Musaf" service: Rosh HaShanah 34b
Whether lack of the blessings prevents fulfilling the Mitzvah of Shofar, and vice versa: Rosh HaShanah 34b
The Blowing of the Shofar confusing Satan: Rosh HaShanah 16a-b
Use of the Shofar and trumpets: Rosh HaShanah 26b, 27a
Distinction between the Shofar-Blowing, and use of Trumpets, in the Temple and in other areas: Rosh HaShanah 27a
Blowing the Shofar on Shabbos, in the Temple, before established Courts, and elsewhere, pre/post the Destruction of the Temple: Rosh HaShanah 29b, 29b-30a
The above, for temporary courts: Rosh HaShanah 29b
Choosing between hearing the "Musaf" service [where he can't pray it on his own] or the Blowing of the Shofar: Rosh HaShanah 34b
When and how to make the Blessing on the Mitzvah: Pesachim 7b
Which blessings to make: Rosh HaShanah 26b, 27a, 29a, 30a
Coordinating the Shofar with the "Musaf" Service: Rosh HaShanah 32a, 34b
How to Blow the Shofar if one already prayed the "Musaf" service: Rosh HaShanah 33b
Above, if one had a Shofar while praying the "Musaf" service: Rosh HaShanah 34b
Whether lack of the blessings prevents fulfilling the Mitzvah of Shofar, and vice versa: Rosh HaShanah 34b
The Blowing of the Shofar confusing Satan: Rosh HaShanah 16a-b
Use of the Shofar and trumpets: Rosh HaShanah 26b, 27a
Distinction between the Shofar-Blowing, and use of Trumpets, in the Temple and in other areas: Rosh HaShanah 27a
Blowing the Shofar on Shabbos, in the Temple, before established Courts, and elsewhere, pre/post the Destruction of the Temple: Rosh HaShanah 29b, 29b-30a
The above, for temporary courts: Rosh HaShanah 29b
Choosing between hearing the "Musaf" service [where he can't pray it on his own] or the Blowing of the Shofar: Rosh HaShanah 34b
The Blower's Aide
The Order of Blasts
Blowing
in the sitting AND standing sections of the Service: Rosh HaShanah 16a-b
The Shofar Blasts
The
number and length of the blasts: Rosh HaShanah 33b
The length of a "Tekiah" blast: Rosh HaShanah 27b
What a "Teruah" blast is: Rosh HaShanah 33b, 34a
Having a straight ["Tekiah"] blast before and after the "Teruah": Rosh HaShanah 33b-34a
Source for having 3 sets of 3 blasts: Rosh HaShanah 34a
Source for having Tekiah-Shevarim-Teruah-Tekiah: Rosh HaShanah 34a
Any sound which is emitted by an acceptable Shofar is acceptable, even if it doesn't sound like a traditional Shofar blast: Rosh HaShanah 27b
The blasts are identical to those of Yom Kippur of a Jubilee Year: Rosh HaShanah 33b-34a
The shofar's blast must extend past those of the trumpets: Rosh HaShanah 27a
One who hears only the beginning/end of a blast: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 28a
If one blast was lengthened like two, how it is counted: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 28a, 33b
Blowing in an echoing chamber: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 27b-28a
Distinguishing two separate, simultaneous blasts: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 34b
Above, where they came from one person or two separate people: Rosh HaShanah 27a
If part of the blast was heard before the day began, and therefore before the Mitzvah of Shofar began: Rosh HaShanah 28a
If the blasts were spread out over a long period of time: Rosh HaShanah 34b; Succah 54a
The length of a "Tekiah" blast: Rosh HaShanah 27b
What a "Teruah" blast is: Rosh HaShanah 33b, 34a
Having a straight ["Tekiah"] blast before and after the "Teruah": Rosh HaShanah 33b-34a
Source for having 3 sets of 3 blasts: Rosh HaShanah 34a
Source for having Tekiah-Shevarim-Teruah-Tekiah: Rosh HaShanah 34a
Any sound which is emitted by an acceptable Shofar is acceptable, even if it doesn't sound like a traditional Shofar blast: Rosh HaShanah 27b
The blasts are identical to those of Yom Kippur of a Jubilee Year: Rosh HaShanah 33b-34a
The shofar's blast must extend past those of the trumpets: Rosh HaShanah 27a
One who hears only the beginning/end of a blast: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 28a
If one blast was lengthened like two, how it is counted: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 28a, 33b
Blowing in an echoing chamber: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 27b-28a
Distinguishing two separate, simultaneous blasts: Rosh HaShanah 27a, 34b
Above, where they came from one person or two separate people: Rosh HaShanah 27a
If part of the blast was heard before the day began, and therefore before the Mitzvah of Shofar began: Rosh HaShanah 28a
If the blasts were spread out over a long period of time: Rosh HaShanah 34b; Succah 54a
|
|
||||||||||
WEEKLY-HALACHA
FOR 5759
******************************
SELECTED
HALACHOS RELATING TO ROSH HASHANA
By
Rabbi Doniel Neustadt
A
discussion of Halachic topics related to
the Parsha of the
week.
For final rulings, consult your Rav.
A
BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE TEKIOS
One
of the most important mitzvos of Rosh Hashanah(1) is the Biblical
command
to blow the shofar. Although the significance of this mitzvah has
been
expounded at length - Rav Saadiah Gaon enumerates ten different reasons
for
blowing shofar(2) - still many people are unfamiliar with the basic
procedures
involved: how many blasts are sounded, how long or short must
they
be, etc. While the tokea and the makri (the individual who instructs
the
tokea which blast to sound) must be thoroughly versed in these intricate
laws(3)
- since it is they who determine if a particular blast was invalid
and
must be repeated - still it is important for the entire congregation to
have
some degree of familiarity with the general laws governing this
mitzvah.
THE
BASIC MITZVAH
The Biblical command is to blow three sets of
blasts on Rosh Hashanah. A
set
of blasts means one teruah sound preceded and followed by a tekiah
sound.
Thus, the sum total of blasts which one is required to hear on Rosh
Hashanah
is nine - six tekiah sounds and three teruah sounds.
The
tekiah sound was always well defined and agreed upon by all
authorities
- a long, straight (without a break or pause) blast. The teruah
sound,
however, was not well defined and the Rabbis were unsure of how,
exactly,
it was supposed to sound(4). The Talmud(5) describes three
possibilities:
Three
short, straight blasts - what we commonly refer to as shevarim;
Nine(6)
very short, staccato blasts - what we commonly refer to as teruah;
A
combination of both of the above sounds - a shevarim- teruah compound.
To
satisfy all of the above opinions, the Rabbis established that the three
sets
of tekios be blown in three different ways, alternating the teruah
sound
in each set. Thus we blow tekiah shevarim-teruah tekiah (TaSHRaT)
three
times; tekiah shevarim tekiah (TaRaT) three times; tekiah teruah
tekiah
(TaSHaT) three times. All together that adds up to thirty different
blasts
- eighteen tekios, three shevarim-teruahs, three shevarim and three
teruahs.
This is the minimum number of blasts that every adult male(7) is
required
to hear on Rosh Hashanah. These are called tekios d'myushav, since
the
congregation is permitted to sit while they are being blown. In
practice,
however, it is universally accepted to stand during these
tekios(8).
[A
person who is in dire circumstances (a patient in the hospital, for
example)
and is unable to hear (or blow) thirty blasts, should try to hear
(or blow) 10 sounds, one TaSHRaT, one TaRaT and
one TaSHaT(9). No blessing,
however,
is recited over these blasts.]
In
addition to these Biblically required blasts, we blow sixty more. Thirty
more
are blown during Musaf, ten each after the malchiyos, zichronos and
shofaros
divisions of Shemoneh Esrei. Every adult male is Rabbinically
obligated
to blow or hear these blasts in their designated places in the
Musaf
service. They are called tekios d'meumad, since one is required to
stand
while they are being blown(10).
In
addition, it is customary to blow forty more blasts for a sum total of
one
hundred blasts. While this custom is based on several early sources(11)
and
has been almost universally adopted, there are various practices
regarding
when, exactly, they are blown. Generally, these blasts are blown
towards
the end of and after the Musaf service, and one must refrain from
speaking(12)
until after all one hundred sounds have been blown.
HOW
LONG SHOULD EACH BLAST BE?
The
length of a tekiah, both before and after the teruah, must be at least
as
long as the teruah which it accompanies(13). Thus, since it takes about
2-3
seconds to blow a shevarim or a teruah, the tekiah before and after must
be
at least 2-3 seconds long. Since it takes longer than that to blow the
combination
shevarim-teruah sound, the tekiah which precedes and follows
these
sounds must be longer as well. Most congregations allot about 4-5
seconds
for each of these tekios. The makri is responsible to keep time.
[It
is important to remember that each tekiah must be heard in its entirety
no
matter how long it takes. If, for example, a tekiah is blown for 7
seconds,
which is much longer than required, the entire 7 seconds' worth
must
be heard by the congregation. Care must be taken not to begin reciting
the
yehi ratzon until after the blast is concluded(14).]
A
teruah is at least nine short blasts (beeps), although in practice, many
more
beeps are sounded when the teruah is blown. No breath may taken between
the
short beeps; they must be blown consecutively.
Each
shever should be about three teruah-beeps long. B'dieved the shever is
valid
even if it is only two beeps long, provided that all three shevarim
are
of that length(15). No breath may be taken between each shever; they
must
be blown consecutively(16).
SHEVARIM
TERUAH - HOW IS IT BLOWN?
There
are two basic views of how to blow the shevarim-terurah combination.
Some
opinions hold that no breath may be taken between them and even
b'dieved,
a breath between them invalidates the blast. Others hold that a
breath
may be taken as long as it takes no longer than the split second that
it
takes to draw a breath. The custom in most congregations is to do it both
ways;
the tekios before Musaf are blown with no breath being taken between
the
shevarim-teruah, while the tekios during and after Musaf are blown with
a
break for drawing a breath between the shevarim-teruah(17).
MISTAKES
WHILE BLOWING
There
are basically two types of mistakes that the tokea can make while
blowing
shofar. The most common is that the tokea tries but fails to produce
the
proper sound. The general rule is that the tokea ignores the failed try,
takes
a breath, and tries again(18).
The
other type of mistake is that the tokea blows the blast properly, but
loses
track and blows the wrong blast, e.g., instead of shevarim he thinks
that
a tekiah is in order, or instead of teruah he thinks that a shevarim is
due
and he blows the shevarim. In that case, it is not sufficient to merely
ignore
the wrong blast; rather the tokea must repeat the tekiah which
precedes
the shevarim(19).
When
a tekiah needs to be repeated, it is proper that the makri notify the
congregation
of that (by banging on the bimah, etc.), so that the listeners
do
not lose track of which blasts are being blown.
ADDITIONAL
HIDDURIM
As
there are different views and/or stringencies pertaining to various
aspects
of tekias shofar, one who wishes to be extremely particular in this
mitzvah
may blow (or hear) additional blasts after the davening is over in
order
to satisfy all opinions. These include the following hiddurim:
There
are several ways of blowing the shevarim sound; while some blow short,
straight
blasts, others make a slight undulation (tu-u-tu).
Some
opinions maintain that l'chatchillah, each shever should be no longer
than
the length of two beeps(20).
Some
opinions hold that when the shevarim-teruha sound is blown, there may
not
be any break at all between them (even if no breath is taken); the
shever
must lead directly into the teruah(21).
Some
authorities insist that the tekiah sound be straight and clear from
beginning
to the end, with no fluctuation of pitch throughout the entire
blast(22).
FOOTNOTES:
1
This year, the shofar is blown only on the second day of Rosh Hashanah as
the
first day is Shabbos.
2
The most fundamental reason to perform this mitzvah, however, is simply
that
Hashem commanded us to do so.
3
Mateh Efrayim 585:2.
4
While the basic definition of a teruah is a "crying" sound, it was
unclear
if
that resembled short "wailing" sounds or longer "groaning"
sounds.
5
Rosh Hashanah 33b.
6
There are Rishonim who hold that a teruah is three short beeps. B'dieved,
we
may rely on that view to fulfill our obligation (Mishnah Berurah 590:12).
7
The obligation of women regarding tekias shofar was discussed in The
Weekly
Halachah Discussion, pg. 532-534.
8
Mishnah Berurah 585:2. A weak or elderly person may lean on a shtender or
a
table during these sets of tekios (Sha'ar ha-Tziyun 585:2).
9
Based on Mishnah Berurah 586:22 and 620:7. See also Mateh Efrayim 586:7
and
Ktzeh ha-Mateh 590:1. See, however, Mateh Efrayim 593:3 who seems to
rule
in this case that three TaSHRaTs should be blown.
10
Mishnah Berurah 592:2. B'dieved, one fulfills his obligation if he sat
during
these tekios; ibid.
11
See Mishnah Berurah 592:4.
12
Asher Yatzar, though, may be recited; Minchas Yitzchak 3:44; 4:47.
13
This is based on the minimum length of time required for the teruah, not
on
the actual time it took to blow a particular teruah.
14
Mishnah Berurah 587:16; haTekios k'Halachah u'Behidur 1 quoting several
sources.
15
Shulchan Aruch Harav 590:7.
16
O.C. 590:4.
17
Mishnah Berurah 590:20 and Sha'ar ha-Tziyun 18. The makri, too, should
take
a breath between the announcement of shevarim-teruah, so that the tokea
will
follow his lead (Elef ha-Magen 22).
18
Based on Mishnah Berurah 290:34, Aruch ha-Shulchan 290:20 and Da'as Torah
590:8.
19
Another example is when the tokea mistakenly blows [or begins to blow]
two
sets of shevarim or teruos in a row. The original tekiah must be
repeated.
20
See O.C. 590:3.
21
Avnei Nezer 443; Chazon Ish O.C. 136:1. This is difficult to perform
properly.
22
Harav Y.L. Diskin, based on the view of the Ramban and Ritva, see Moadim
u'Zmanim
1:5. Chazon Ish, however, was not particular about this; Orchos
Rabbeinu
2:183.
******************************************
K'siva
Vchasima Tova
Wishing
all of our readers a good year
filled
with brachos for all.
Rabbi
Doniel Neustadt and Jeffrey Gross
******************************************
WEEKLY
HALACHA IN BOOK FORM!
The
Weekly Halachah Discussion
Volume
2 on Vayikra, Bamidbar and Devarim
is
published and on sale in your local bookstore!
Complete
with footnotes, index and in depth-Hebrew section.
Brand
new from Feldheim Publishers, this book of practical
Halachah
by Rabbi Doniel Yehuda Neustadt is based on the Weekly
Halachah
column that you have been subscribing to through
Project
Genesis.
It's
a perfect combination: lively, concise and stimulating
discussions
of practical halachah.. as they relate to each
week's
parshah. The Weekly Halachah Discussion deals with
relevant
subjects that appeal to the broadest spectrum of
readers,
in a unique format and scope that will satisfy both
scholar
and layman alike.
Topics
include issues relating to magic shows, Hilchos Yichud,
the
Mechitzah in Shul, toys and games on Shabbos, Tevilas
Keilim,
and the laws of Berachos. Also included in this volume
are
many halachos pertaining to Pesach, Shevuos and Sukkos, as
well
as to the Three Weeks, Nine-Days and Tishah b'Av.
The
Weekly Halachah Discussion is guaranteed to enhance
discussion
at your Shabbos table, at shul or in the classroom!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weekly-Halacha,
Copyright (c) 1999 by Rabbi Neustadt, Dr. Jeffrey Gross and
Project
Genesis, Inc. The author, Rabbi Neustadt, is the principal of Yavne
Teachers'
College in Cleveland, Ohio. He is also the Magid Shiur of a daily
Mishna
Berurah class at Congregation Shomre Shabbos.
BLOW
OF OTHER SIDE
Mixhnah
Berurah 585 2 (8 and 9)
(6) He should blow: Tehi'ah,
Shevarim Teru'ah, Tehi'ah three times, etc. For the reason for this order,
see below in Sec. 590, Par. 1 and 2.
(7) On the right side. (8)
of /the blower's/ mouth.
/This is required/ because it is
written,5 "And the Satan stands on his right, to condemn him".
(8)
If it is possible to blow in that /manner/.
If /the blower/ cannot /do so/ there is no need to object even if he places
/the shofar/ on the left side /of his mouth/ and the opening of the shofar is
also on the left side.
(9) Likewise, /the
blower/ should turn the shofar upwards, etc.
[1][1] The Mishna Brura writes that there are
those who divide the shofer blowing.
They should do according to their custom since Israel is holy
and love theare many halachos
pertaining to Pesach, Shevuos and Sukkos, as
well as to the Three
Weeks, Nine-Days and Tishah b'Av.
The Weekly Halachah
Discussion is guaranteed to enhance
discussion at your
Shabbos table, at shul or in the classroom!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weekly-Halacha,
Copyright (c) 1999 by Rabbi Neustadt, Dr. Jeffrey Gross and
Project Genesis, Inc.
The author, Rabbi Neustadt, is the principal of Yavne
Teachers' College in
Cleveland, Ohio. He is also the Magid Shiur of a daily
Mishna Berurah class
at Congregation Shomre Shabbos.
BLOW OF OTHER SIDE
Mixhnah Berurah 585 2 (8 and
9)
(6)
He
should blow: Tehi'ah, Shevarim Teru'ah, Tehi'ah three times, etc. For
the reason for this order, see below in Sec. 590, Par. 1 and 2.
(7) On the right side. (8) of /the blower's/
mouth.
/This is required/ because it is written,5 "And the Satan stands
on his right, to condemn him".
(8)
If it
is possible to blow in that /manner/. If /the blower/ cannot /do so/ there is
no need to object even if he places /the shofar/ on the left side /of his
mouth/ and the opening of the shofar is also on the left side.
(9)
Likewise,
/the blower/ should turn the shofar upwards, etc.
[1][1] The Mishna Brura writes that there are
those who divide the shofer blowing.
They should do according to their custom since Israel is holy
and love the
http://tinyurl.com/bepw6x3
