(1) In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations. You shall observe it as a day when the horn is sounded [literally, a day of Teruah].
The following Talmudic passage is the source for sounding a Tekia-Terua-Tekia for each line:
The following Talmudic passage is the source for the requirement of sounding a total of three lines each of Tekia-Terua-Tekia:
ושלש תרועות נאמרו בר"ה (ויקרא כג, כד) שבתון זכרון תרועה (במדבר כט, א) יום תרועה (ויקרא כה, ט) והעברת שופר תרועה ושתי תקיעות לכל אחת ואחת
מצינו למדין שלש תרועות ושש תקיעות נאמרו בר"ה שתים מדברי תורה ואחת מדברי סופרים שבתון זכרון תרועה והעברת שופר תרועה מדברי תורה יום תרועה יהיה לכם לתלמודו הוא בא
And three teruot are stated with regard to Rosh HaShana: “A solemn rest, a memorial of blasts [terua]” (Leviticus 23:24); “It is a day of sounding the shofar [terua] to you” (Numbers 29:1); “Then you shall make proclamation with the blast of the shofar [terua]” (Leviticus 25:9). And there are two tekiot for each and every one of the teruot, one before and one after.
Consequently, we are found to have learned that three teruot and six tekiot are stated with regard to Rosh HaShana. Two of the teruot are required by the statement of the Torah and one by the statement of the Sages, i.e., based on the verses but not derived directly from them. How so? “A solemn rest, a memorial of blasts [terua]” and “Then you shall make proclamation with the blast of the shofar [terua]”; these apply by Torah law. However, the verse “It is a day of sounding the shofar [terua] to you” comes for its own statement, i.e., for the verbal analogy, which teaches that the halakhot of the wilderness apply to Rosh HaShana as well. Consequently, the third terua is merely alluded to in that verse and its obligation applies by rabbinic law.
Background to the following source:
Sisera is the general of the Cannanite army. The Canaanites oppress the people of Israel in the time of the Judges (who come between Joshua and the kings of Israel). God sends Deborah the prophetess and Barak to lead the people of Israel against them. With God's help, the people of Israel are victorious and Sisera fleas. Sisera comes upon the tent of a woman named Yael. Yael pretends to take Sisera in but instead she kills him with a tent peg while he is sleeping.
Soon after the victory, Deborah sings a long poem to God praising Him and thanking Him for their victory. The verse below is taken from Deborah's song.
(28) Through the window peered Sisera’s mother, Behind the lattice she whined: “Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why so late the clatter of his wheels?”
Background to the following section:
This section explains a debate in an earlier part of the sugya. The debate is regarding the meaning of the word "Teruah."
The Gemara proves elsewhere that a straight sound (known as Tekiah) comes before and after the Teruah.
The question is how a "Teruah" sounds. One Tannaitic source suggests that "Teruah" is what is known today as Shevarim, three brief blasts. Another source suggests that "Teruah" is 9 or so tiny blasts (known as Teruah).
The following passage explains the reasoning for these two positions.
The translation in the passage refers to the Aramaic translation of the Torah (as Aramaic was the vernacular of the Jewish people in the days of the Mishnah and Gemara).
שיעור תרועה כג' יבבות: והתניא "שיעור תרועה כשלשה שברים"?
אמר אביי: בהא ודאי פליגי דכתיב: (במדבר כט, א) "יום תרועה יהיה לכם"
ומתרגמינן "יום יבבא יהא לכון"
וכתיב באימיה דסיסרא: (שופטים ה, כח) "בעד החלון נשקפה ותיבב אם סיסרא"
מר סבר: גנוחי גנח
ומר סבר: ילולי יליל
Questions:
1. What do you make of the fact that the debate revolves around types of cries?
2. Do you believe that there is any significance to the fact that the cries of the mother of the enemy of the Jewish people is used as a source regarding the mitzvah of Shofar?
3. Have you ever heard of a custom practiced in some congregations to blow a total of 100 Shofar blasts? (If you haven't just write "no.")
Background: Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (sometimes known as Maimonides or RaMBaM) was one of the greatest of all post-talmudic rabbis. He was famous for his Guide of the Perplexed, which seeks to reconcile the Torah with Greek and Arabic philosophy.
He was also a great master of Jewish law. His other great work is known is the Mishneh Torah (literally the review of the Torah). It is the very first work to take the laws derived from the Talmud and organize them in a logical order (as opposed to an order based on the pages of the Talmud).
(ב) תְּרוּעָה זוֹ הָאֲמוּרָה בַּתּוֹרָה נִסְתַּפֵּק לָנוּ בָּהּ סָפֵק לְפִי אֹרֶךְ הַשָּׁנִים וְרֹב הַגָּלוּת וְאֵין אָנוּ יוֹדְעִין הֵיאַךְ הִיא. אִם הִיא הַיְלָלָה שֶׁמְּיַלְּלִין הַנָּשִׁים בֵּינֵיהֶן בְּעֵת שֶׁמְּיַבְּבִין. אוֹ הָאֲנָחָה כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁיֵּאָנַח הָאָדָם פַּעַם אַחַר פַּעַם כְּשֶׁיִּדְאַג לִבּוֹ מִדָּבָר גָּדוֹל. אוֹ שְׁנֵיהֶם כְּאֶחָד הָאֲנָחָה וְהַיְלָלָה שֶׁדַּרְכָּהּ לָבוֹא אַחֲרֶיהָ הֵן הַנִּקְרָאִין תְּרוּעָה. שֶׁכָּךְ דֶּרֶךְ הַדּוֹאֵג מִתְאַנֵּחַ תְּחִלָּה וְאַחַר כָּךְ מְיַלֵּל. לְכָךְ אָנוּ עוֹשִׂין הַכּל:
(2) This Teruah that the Torah discusses, due to the many years of exile, we are unsure what it is. It may be the wail that women wail amongst themselves while crying. It may be the sigh that one does, one after the other, whilst they are worried about a great stress. It may also be both together, the sigh followed by the cry, as it usually comes afterwards. This may be called teruah, as this is the way of a worrier, to first sigh, and then cry. We therefore do all options.
Questions:
1. What does Maimonides do regarding the two opinions cited in the Gemara?
2. What is the reason he gives for doing so?
(ג) הַיְלָלָה הִיא שֶׁאָנוּ קוֹרְאִין תְּרוּעָה. וְהָאֲנָחָה זוֹ אַחַר זוֹ הִיא שֶׁאָנוּ קוֹרְאִין אוֹתָהּ שְׁלֹשָׁה שְׁבָרִים. נִמְצָא סֵדֶר הַתְּקִיעוֹת כָּךְ הוּא. מְבָרֵךְ וְתוֹקֵעַ תְּקִיעָה וְאַחֲרֶיהָ שְׁלֹשָׁה שְׁבָרִים וְאַחֲרֶיהָ תְּרוּעָה וְאַחֲרֶיהָ תְּקִיעָה. וְחוֹזֵר כְּסֵדֶר זֶה שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים. וְתוֹקֵעַ תְּקִיעָה וְאַחֲרֶיהָ שְׁלֹשָׁה שְׁבָרִים וְאַחֲרֶיהָ תְּקִיעָה וְחוֹזֵר כַּסֵּדֶר הַזֶּה שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים. וְתוֹקֵעַ תְּקִיעָה וְאַחֲרֶיהָ תְּרוּעָה וְאַחֲרֶיהָ תְּקִיעָה וְחוֹזֵר כְּסֵדֶר זֶה שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים. נִמְצָא מִנְיַן הַתְּקִיעוֹת שְׁלֹשִׁים כְּדֵי לְהִסְתַּלֵּק מִן הַסָּפֵק:
(3) The wail is what we call 'Teruah'. The sighing, one after another, is what we called three 'Shevarim'. The order of shofar blasts is therefore thus. The blessing is recited, Tekia is sounded, followed by three Shevarim, a Teruah and a Tekia. This is repeated three times. Then Tekiah is sounded, followed by three Shevarim and a Tekiah. This is repeated three times. Then Tekiah is sounded, followed by Teruah and Tekiah. This is also repeated three times. Therefore, the numbers of blasts is thirty, in order to avoid any doubts.
Question:
According to Maimonides, how do we fulfill all of the possible meanings of the word "Teruah"?
(ד) אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁתְּקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה גְּזֵרַת הַכָּתוּב רֶמֶז יֵשׁ בּוֹ כְּלוֹמַר עוּרוּ יְשֵׁנִים מִשְּׁנַתְכֶם וְנִרְדָּמִים הָקִיצוּ מִתַּרְדֵּמַתְכֶם וְחַפְּשׂוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיכֶם וְחִזְרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה וְזִכְרוּ בּוֹרַאֲכֶם. אֵלּוּ הַשּׁוֹכְחִים אֶת הָאֱמֶת בְּהַבְלֵי הַזְּמַן וְשׁוֹגִים כָּל שְׁנָתָם בְּהֶבֶל וָרִיק אֲשֶׁר לֹא יוֹעִיל וְלֹא יַצִּיל, הַבִּיטוּ לְנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם וְהֵיטִיבוּ דַּרְכֵיכֶם וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם וְיַעֲזֹב כָּל אֶחָד מִכֶּם דַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לֹא טוֹבָה.
(4) Even though the blowing of the shofar on Rosh HaShanah is a Biblical decree, it hints at something, i.e., “Wake up, sleepers, from your sleep! And slumberers, arise from your slumber! Search your ways and return in teshuvah and remember your Creator! Those who forget the Truth amidst the futility of the moment and are infatuated all their years with vanity and nothingness that will not help and will not save, examine your souls and improve your ways and your motivations! Let each of you abandon his wicked ways, and his thoughts which are no good."
Question: According to Maimonides, what effect should hearing the Shofar have on us?
Rabbi Sadiah Gaon's Ten Reasons for Blowing the Shofar
Background: Rabbi Sadiah Gaon (892-942 CE) was one of the great medieval Jewish Philosophers. His book, "The Book of Faith and Opinions" seeks to reconcile the Torah with the philosophy of his time period.
Here is a link to the ten reasons Rabbi Sadiah Gaon gives for blowing the Shofar
Question: With which of these ten explanations do you most identify and why?