Rosh Hashanah 3: Personal Obligation (Shofar)

(7) One who blows into a pit or a cistern or a jug, if he heard the sound of the shofar, he has fulfilled his obligation, but if he hears the echo, he has not fulfilled his obligation. And also one who was passing behind a synagogue or if his house was next to the synagogue and he heard the sound of the shofar or of the megillah, if he directed his heart, then he has fulfilled his obligation, but if not he has not fulfilled his obligation. Even though this one heard and this one heard, this one directed his heart and this one did not.

[1] And there were two trumpets, one on each of the two sides of the person sounding the shofar. The Gemara asks: But is it really possible to properly discern two different sounds? Isn’t it taught “Remember" and “Keep" were spoken in a single utterance, something that the mouth cannot speak and the ear cannot hear? The Gemara answers: For this reason they would sound a long blast with the shofar. The Gemara rejects this answer: Is this to say that if one hears the end of a blast without hearing the beginning of the blast he has fulfilled his obligation? If so, it would follow that if one hears the beginning of the blast without hearing the end of the blast, he has also fulfilled his obligation.

[2] Come and hear: If one blew the initial tekia, and then drew out the final tekia, it counts as only one. Why? Let it count for him as two. The Gemara explains: We do not divide a shofar blast into two.

[3] The Gemara raises another difficulty: Come and hear: one who sounds a shofar into a pit, or into a cistern, or into a large jug [pitas], if he clearly heard the sound of the shofar, he has fulfilled his obligation, but if he also heard the sound of an echo, he has not fulfilled his obligation. Why? Let him fulfill his obligation with the beginning of the blast, before the sound is confused.

[4] Rather, two sounds from one person cannot be discerned; from two people can be discerned.

[5] The Gemara raises another difficulty: But two sounds coming from two different people can be properly discerned? Isn’t it taught in a baraita: With regard to the public reading of the Torah, one may read and one may translate, provided that there are not two reading and two translating.

[6] The Gemara answers: our case is only similar to the latter clause of that baraita: With regard to hallel and the Scroll of Esther, even ten people may read. Apparently, since these readings are dear to their listeners, they direct their attention. Here too, since the sounding of the shofar is dear, he directs his attention and discerns.

(3) We do not blow with a shofar of idolaters at the outset. But if one did blow [with one], he has fulfilled [the commandment]. And if one blew [with a shofar] of a condemned city (eer hanidachat), he has not fulfilled [his obligation. Regarding] a stolen shofar with which he has blown, he has fulfilled [the obligation]. For the commandment is only listening to the sound — even though he did not touch it and did not raise it up, the listener has fulfilled [it] — and there is no law of theft with sound. And likewise should one not blow with the shofar of a burnt offering; but if he did blow [with it], he has fulfilled [the obligation]. For there is no law of misappropriating [the sacred] with sound. And if you say, "Did he not derive pleasure from listening to the sound"; [the answer is] that the commandments are not given for pleasure. Hence, one who has vowed not to derive pleasure from the shofar is permitted to blow the blow of the commandment with it.

(2) 2. If one heard 9 teki'ot during 9 hours in the day, one has fulfilled one's obligation. And this is true even if there were 9 different people [blowing], and one heard a teki'ah from one, and a tru'ah from another, and a teki'ah from another, one has fulfilled. And some say specifically when there was not a break between them with a sound of the shofar that was not fit for that set (of blasts).

(3) 3. If one hears 9 teki'ot from 9 different people which were sounding the shofar at the same time, one has not fulfilled one's obligation, since there is no simple sound before and after it. Note (Rema): And if two are sounding as one all the order (of blasts), even if one is sounding with a biblical trumpet, one has fulfilled one's obligation as long as one's attention is turned to the shofar.

(8) Someone who is engaged in blowing a shofar in order to practice doesn't fulfil his obligation. Similarly, someone who hears shofar from someone such a person doesn't fulfil his obligation. Similarly, someone who is blowing the shofar to make music and doesn't intend for the mitzva of blowing the shofar doesn't fulfil his obligation. If the listener intends to fulfil the mitzva but the blower doesn't have intent for him or if blower has intent for him but the listener does not; he doesn't fulfil his obligation until the two of them have intent, the listener and the blower.