Rosh Hashanah

, [The shofar on Sabbath is blown only] with the Beth din. What is meant by ‘with the Beth din’? — In the presence of the Beth din, [and he means] to except [from the permission] any blowing [on Sabbath] not in the presence of the Beth din. Raba raised the following objection against this view: JERUSALEM HAD THIS FURTHER SUPERIORITY OVER JABNEH etc. What does THIS FURTHER imply? Shall I say that [the text] is to be taken as it stands?1 Then it should have said THIS simply!2 Again, should it imply that in Jerusalem private individuals used to blow and in Jabneh private individuals did not blow, [I would ask,] but did not private individuals blow in Jabneh? When R. Isaac b. Joseph came, did he not report that when the congregational reader had finished blowing in Jabneh, a man could not hear his own voice3 for the noise of the blowing [of individuals]?4 What then must be said is that in Jerusalem the shofar was blown whether during the hours when the Beth din sat5 or the hours when they did not sit, but in Jabneh it was blown during the hours when they sat but not when they did not sit. You admit then that during the hours when the Beth din sat at any rate they blew away from the Beth din?6 — No; [what it implies7 is that] in Jerusalem they blew whether in the presence of the Beth din or not in their presence, but in Jabneh they did blow in the presence of the Beth din, but otherwise not. Some attach R. Huna's dictum to [the exposition of] the text, On the day of Atonement ye shall cause a shofar to pass through all your land,8 [thus]: This teaches that every individual is under obligation to blow. R. Huna said: It must be with the Beth din. What is meant by ‘with the Beth din’? At the time when the Beth din sits,9 to exclude [from the permission] the time when the Beth din does not sit. Raba raised the following objection: The blowing of the shofar on New Year and Jubilee overrides Sabbath in the country10 [for] a man and his house. What is meant by ‘a man and his house’? Shall I say it means a man and his wife? Has then a woman to perform this duty, seeing that it is a duty for which there is a specific time,11 and women are not liable to perform any duties for which there is a specific time? What it therefore must mean is, every man in this house’, and even [I presume] during the hours when the Beth din does not sit? — No; it means in fact during the hours when the Beth din does sit. R. Shesheth raised the following objection [against this view]: ‘The Jubilee is on the same footing as New Year for blowing the shofar and for blessings, only on the Jubilee they blew [on Sabbath] alike in a Beth din in which the New Moon had been sanctified and in a Beth din in which the New Moon had not been sanctified, and every individual was under obligation to blow, whereas on New Year they blew only in a Beth din in which the New Moon had been sanctified and private individuals were not under obligation to blow’. What is meant by ‘private individuals were not under obligation to blow’? Shall I say that on the Jubilee individuals used to blow a shofar and on New Year individuals did not blow? [This cannot be], because when R. Isaac b. Joseph came he said that when the congregational reader in Jabneh finished blowing a man could not hear his own voice for the noise [of the blowings] of individuals. It must mean then that on the Jubilee they blow both during the hours when the Beth din sits and also when the Beth din does not sit, but on New Year they blow when the Beth din sits but not when the Beth din does not sit. Now it states here at any rate that on the Jubilee [it is blown] whether when the Beth din is sitting or when it is not sitting?12 — No; what indeed is meant is, when the Beth din sits, and the statement should be understood thus: On the Jubilee [it is blown] during the hours when the Beth din sits whether in the presence of the Beth din or not in the presence of the Beth din; but on New Year it is blown only when the Beth din sits and in the presence of the Beth din. It has also been stated [elsewhere]: R. Hiyya b. Gamda said in the name of R. Jose b. Saul, who had it from Rabbi: The shofar is blown only during the hours that the Beth din sits. R. Zera inquired: If they have made ready13 to rise, what is the rule? Is it necessary that the Beth din should be still seated, and this condition is fulfilled, or is it necessary that it should be during the sitting of the Beth din, and this condition is not fulfilled? — This question is left undecided. JERUSALEM HAD THIS FURTHER SUPERIORITY OVER JABNEH etc. FROM WHICH IT COULD BE SEEN: this excludes one situated in a valley. OR HEARD: this excludes one situated on the top of a mountain. OR NEAR: this excludes one situated beyond the Sabbath limit.14 OR FROM WHICH IT WAS ACCESSIBLE: this excludes one separated from it by a river. MISHNAH. ORIGINALLY THE LULAB WAS SHAKEN15 IN THE SANCTUARY DURING SEVEN DAYS AND IN THE COUNTRY ONLY ONE DAY.16 WHEN THE TEMPLE WAS DESTROYED RABBAN JOHANNAN B. ZACCAI ORDAINED THAT THE LULAB SHOULD BE SHAKEN IN THE COUNTRY SEVEN DAYS, IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE SANCTUARY. [HE] ALSO [ORDAINED] THAT DURING THE WHOLE OF THE DAY OF THE WAVING [OF THE ‘OMER]17 THE NEW CORN SHOULD BE FORBIDDEN. GEMARA. What is our warrant for doing things in remembrance of the Temple? — Because the Scripture says, For I will restore health unto thee and I will heal thee of thy wound, saith the Lord, because they have called thee an outcast, ‘she is Zion, there is none that inquireth after her’.18 From this we gather that she ought to be inquired after. THAT THE WHOLE OF THE DAY OF WAVING THE ‘OMER THE NEW CORN SHOULD BE FORBIDDEN. What is the reason? — The Temple, [let us hope], will speedily be rebuilt, and [the Jews] will [then] say, ‘Last year did we not eat [the new corn] from daybreak?19 Now too let us eat’, they not knowing that last year when there was no [waving of the] ‘omer it was daybreak which rendered the new corn permissible, but now that there is the ‘omer it is the ‘omer which renders it permissible. When [are we supposing] it will be built? Shall I say it will be built on the sixteenth [of Nisan]? Then daybreak [of the sixteenth] will render the new corn permissible.20 Shall I say then that it will be built on the fifteenth?21 Then let [the new corn] become Permissible from midday [on the sixteenth], since we have learnt: ‘Those who are at a distance [from the Temple] are allowed to eat [the new corn] from midday, because the Beth din do not procrastinate [with the ‘omer]’!22 -The rule is necessary in case the Temple will be built on the fifteenth shortly before sunset,23 or also in case it will be built by night.24 R. Nahman b. Isaac [however] said: Rabban Johanan b. Zaccai Beth dill. where there is no Beth din. Lev. XXIII, 14. The Rabbis learn from this (Men. 68), that when the ‘omer is brought the new corn may be eaten as soon as it is brought, and when it is not brought the new corn may be eaten from daybreak on the sixteenth of Nisan. offering of the ‘omer v. Rashi Suk. 41a.] Temple which will be wrought by the hands of Heaven (Rashi). MS.M. (v. also Tosaf. Suk. 41a S.V. ht) omit fifteenth, the reference being to the fourteenth day before sunset when there would not be ample time to provide for many of the preliminaries to the offering of the ‘omer, which had to be attended to on the eve of the Festival (v. Men. 65a).] they will transgress.