Introduction
Hearing the shofar is one of highlights of the Rosh Hashanah service. It makes sense, then, that one might be disappointed if they attended a Rosh Hashanah service on Shabbat, only to learn that most communities do not blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah when the holiday falls on Shabbat! Why might that be? The Jerusalem Talmud offers one answer, but the Babylonian Talmud rejects that answer and instead offers another.
Here are some questions to consider:
- According to the Babylonian Talmud, why isn’t the Shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah when it falls on a Shabbat? And according to the Jerusalem Talmud?
- Do you find one of these answers more convincing than the others?
- The Jerusalem Talmud makes a distinction between hearing and mentioning the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. If much of the shofar’s significance is in its piercing sound, what do you think the point of simply mentioning the shofar is?
- Have you ever been unable to perform an action (e.g., attend a birthday party, hug a loved one) and had to express yourself in words instead? Can words sometimes speak as loudly as actions?
The Babylonian Talmud's Version
אֶלָּא אָמַר רָבָא: מִדְּאוֹרָיְיתָא מִישְׁרֵא שְׁרֵי, וְרַבָּנַן הוּא דִּגְזוּר בֵּיהּ כִּדְרַבָּה. דְּאָמַר רַבָּה: הַכֹּל חַיָּיבִין בִּתְקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר, וְאֵין הַכֹּל בְּקִיאִין בִּתְקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר, גְּזֵירָה שֶׁמָּא יִטְּלֶנּוּ בְּיָדוֹ וְיֵלֵךְ אֵצֶל הַבָּקִי לִלְמוֹד, וְיַעֲבִירֶנּוּ אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים.
Rather, Rava said: By Torah law one is permitted to sound the shofar on Rosh HaShana even on Shabbat, and it was the Sages who decreed that it is prohibited. This is in accordance with the opinion of Rabba, as Rabba said: All are obligated to sound the shofar on Rosh HaShana, but not all are experts in sounding the shofar. Therefore, the Sages instituted a decree that the shofar should not be sounded on Shabbat, lest one take the shofar in his hand and go to an expert to learn how to sound it or to have him sound it for him, and due to his preoccupation he might carry it four cubits in the public domain, which is a desecration of Shabbat.
The Jerusalem Talmud's Version
הלכה: יוֹם טוֹב שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה כול׳. רִבִּי אַבָּא בַּר פַּפָּא אָמַר. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן וְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ הֲווֹן יְתִיבִין מַקִשֵׁיי. אָמְרִין. תַּנִּינָן. יוֹם טוֹב שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה שֶׁחָל לִהְיוֹת בַּשַּׁבָּת בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ הָיוּ תוֹקְעִין אֲבָל לֹא בַמְּדִינָה. אִין דְּבַר תּוֹרָה הוּא אַף בִּגְבוּלִין יִדִחֶה. אִין לֵית הוּא דְּבַר תּוֹרָה הוּא אַף בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ לֹא יִדְחֶה. עָבַר כַּהֲנָא. אָֽמְרִין. הָא גַבְרָא [רַבָּה] דְנִישְׁאוֹל [לֵיהּ]. אֲתוֹן שְׁאָלוֹן לֵיהּ. אָמַר לוֹן. כָּתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר י֥וֹם תְּרוּעָ֖ה וְכָתוּב אַחֵר אוֹמֵר זִכְר֥וֹן תְּרוּעָ֖ה. הָא כֵיצַד. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא חָל בַּחוֹל. י֥וֹם תְּרוּעָ֖ה. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא חָל בַּשַּׁבָּת. זִכְר֥וֹן תְּרוּעָ֖ה. מַזְכִּירִין אֲבָל לֹא תוֹקְעִין. רִבִּי זְעוּרָה מְפַקֵּד לַחֲבֵרַייָא. עוֹלוּן וּשְׁמָעוּן קָלֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי לִֵוי דְרַשׁ. דְּלֵית אֶיפְשַׁר דְּהוּא מַפִּיק פָּֽרְשָׁתֵיהּ דְּלָא אוּלְפָן. וְעָל וְאָמַר קוֹמֵיהוֹן. כָּתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר י֥וֹם תְּרוּעָ֖ה וְכָתוּב אַחֵר אוֹמֵר זִכְר֥וֹן תְּרוּעָ֖ה. הָא כֵיצַד. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא חָל בַּחוֹל. י֥וֹם תְּרוּעָ֖ה. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא חָל בַּשַּׁבָּת. זִכְר֥וֹן תְּרוּעָ֖ה. מַזְכִּירִין אֲבָל לֹא תוֹקְעִין. מֵעַתָּה אַף בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ לֹא יִדְחֶה. תַּנָּא. בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחוֹדֶשׁ. מֵעַתָּה אֲפִילוּ בְמָקוֹם שֶׁהֵן יוֹדְעִין שֶׁהוּא בְאֶחָד לַחוֹדֶשׁ יִדְחֶה. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי. וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֥ם. בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁהַקָּרְבָּנוֹת קְרֵיבִין. אָֽמְרִין חֲבֵרַייָא קוֹמֵי רִבִּי יוֹנָה. וְהָֽכְתִיב וְהַֽעֲבַרְתָּ֞ שׁוֹפַ֤ר תְּרוּעַה֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי וגו׳. אֲמַר לוֹן. זוֹ אַתְּ מַעֲבִיר בְּאַרְצְכֶם. הָא אֲחֶרֶת לֹא. אְֽמְרִין לֵיהּ אוֹ נֹאמַר. זוֹ אַתֶּם מַעֲבִירִין בְּאַרְצְכֶם. הָא אֲמֶרֶת בֵּין בָּאָרֶץ בֵּין בַּחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹנָה. אִילּוּ הֲוָה כְתִיב תַּעֲבִירוּ שׁוֹפָר בְּאַרְצְכֶם הָיִיתִי אוֹמֵר. כָּאן מִיעֵט וּבְמָקוֹם אֲחֵר רִיבָה. אֶלָּא בְּכָֽל־אַרְצְכֶֽם. כָּאן רִיבָה וּבְמָקוֹם אֲחֵר מִיעֵט.
HALAKHAH: “If the holiday of the New Year,” etc. Rebbi Abba bar Pappos said, Rebbi Joḥanan and Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish were sitting and questioning. They said, we have stated: “if the holiday of the New Year falls on a Sabbath, at the Temple they were blowing but not in the countryside.” If it is a word of the Torah, in the countryside it also should push aside; if it is not a word of the Torah also in the Temple it should not push aside. Cahana passed by. They said, this is a [an important] man whom we may ask. They went and asked him. He said to them, one verse says, a day of sounding; another verse says, a remembrance of sounding. How is that? If it falls on a weekday, a day of sounding. If it falls on a Sabbath, a remembrance of sounding, one mentions it but does not blow. Rebbi Ze`ira told the colleagues to go and listen to Rebbi Levi preaching since it would be impossible that he would let a weekly readingn go by without enlightenment. He came and said before them, one verse says, a day of sounding; another verse says, a remembrance of sounding. How is that? If it falls on a weekday, a day of sounding. If it falls on a Sabbath, a remembrance of sounding, one mentions it but does not blow. Then also in the Temple it should not push aside. It was stated, on the first of the month. Then also anywhere they know that it is the first of the month it should push aside. Rebbi Simeon ben Yoḥai stated, and you shall sacrifice, at the place where the sacrifices are offered. The colleagues said before Rebbi Jonah. Is it not written, you shall convey a sounding shofar in the seventh month, etc? He said to them, this one you convey in all your Land, therefore not another one. They said to him, or we might say, this one you convey in your Land, therefore another one both in your Land and outside the Land. Rebbi Jonah said, if it were written “convey a shofar in your Land”, I would have said that here he restricted and at another place he extended. But in all your Land, here he extended and at another place he restricted.