Rosh Hashanah

[What it means is], for him who makes himself a mere remnant.1 R. Huna contrasted [two parts of the same verse]. It is written, The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and then it is written, and gracious in all his works.2 [How is this]?3 — At first righteous and at the end gracious.4 R. Eleazar [similarly] contrasted two texts. It is written, Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy, and then it is written, For thou renderest to every man according to his work.5 [How is this]? — At first, ‘Thou renderest to every man according to his work’, but at the end, ‘unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy’. Ilfi (or, as some report, Ilfa) [similarly] contrasted two texts: It is written, abundant in goodness, and then it is written, and in truth.6 [How is this]? — At first, ‘truth’, and at the end ‘abundant in goodness’. And ‘the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed [etc.].7 R. Johanan said: Were it not written in the text, it would be impossible for us to say such a thing; this verse teaches us that the Holy One, blessed be He, drew his robe round Him like the reader8 of a congregation and showed Moses the order of prayer. He said to him: Whenever Israel sin, let them carry out this service before Me,9 and I will forgive them. ‘The Lord, the Lord’: I am the Eternal10 before a man sins and the same10 after a man sins and repents. ‘A God merciful and gracious:’ Rab Judah said: A covenant has been made with the thirteen attributes11 that they will not be turned away empty-handed,12 as it says, Behold I make a covenant.13 R. Johanan said: Great is the power of repentance that it rescinds14 a man's final sentence, as it says , Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes, lest they seeing with their eyes and hearing with their ears and understanding with their heart return and be healed.15 Said R. Papa to Abaye: Perhaps this was before the final sentence? — He replied: It is written, ‘and he be healed’. What is that which requires healing? You must say, the final sentence. An objection [against this view] was raised [from the following]: ‘If one repents in the interval,16 he is forgiven; if he does not repent in the interval, should he even offer [subsequently] all the rams of Nebayoth,17 he is not forgiven’! — There is no contradiction: the latter statement refers to an individual, the former to a community. A further objection was raised [from the following]: ‘The eyes of the Lord thy God are upon it [the land of Israel],18 sometimes for good, sometimes for evil. How sometimes for good? Suppose Israel were [in the class of] the thoroughly wicked at New Year,19 and scanty rains were decreed for them, and afterwards they repented. [For God] to increase the supply of rain is impossible, because the decree has been issued . The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore sends down the rain in the proper season on the land that requires it,20 all according to the district. How sometimes for evil? Suppose Israel were [in the class of] the thoroughly virtuous on New Year, and abundant rains were decreed for them, but afterwards they backslided. To diminish the rains is impossible, because the decree has been issued. The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore sends them down not in their proper season and on land that does not require them’.21 Now, [if the decree can be rescinded], for good at any rate, let the decree be rescinded and let the rains be increased? — There is a special reason there, namely, that this22 is sufficient. Come and hear [a further objection]: ‘They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, they saw the works of the Lord . . . For he commanded and raised the stormy wind which lifted up the waves thereof . . . they reeled to and fro and staggered like a drunken man . . . They cried unto the Lord in their trouble . . . let them give thanks unto the Lord for his mercy23 etc. [The Psalmist] inserted here signs24 having the same force as the ‘buts’ and ‘onlys’ of the Torah,25 to indicate that if they cried before the final sentence they were answered, but if they cried after the final sentence they were not ‘answered’! — These also are on the same footing as individuals. Come and hear [again]: ‘Bluria26 the proselyte put this question to Rabban Gamaliel: It is written in your Law, [she said], who lifteth not up the countenance,27 and it is also written, The Lord shall lift up his countenance upon thee.28 R. Jose the priest joined the conversation and said to her: I will give you a parable which will illustrate the matter.29 A man lent his neighbour a maneh and fixed a time for payment in the presence of the king, while the other swore to pay him by the life of the king. When the time arrived he did not pay him, and he went to excuse himself to the king. The king, however, said to him: The wrong done to me I excuse you, but go and obtain forgiveness from your neighbour. So here: one text speaks of offences committed by a man against God, the other of offences committed by a man against his fellow man. [This explanation was generally accepted] until R. Akiba came and taught his head. reckoning only the second of these counts as an attribute, and the expressions ‘keeping mercy’ and ‘unto the thousandth generation’ count as two attributes. V. Tosaf., s.v. aka . meant to except something which is not explicitly mentioned in the text. referring to God's in the sense of ‘who shows not favour’, as in the passage next quoted.