Mishnat Rosh HaShanah

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: ’This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you.

And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a day of blowing the horn for you.

The entire people assembled as one in the square before the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the scroll of the Torah of Moses with which the LORD had commanded Israel.

On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the congregation, from men to women and all who could listen and understand.

He read from it, facing the square before the Water Gate, from first light until noon, to the men and the women and those who could understand; all the people were listening to the scroll of the Torah.

There are four new years.

The first of Nisan is the new year for kings and for festivals.

The first of Elul is the new year for the tithe of cattle. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon say: the first of Tishri.

The first of Tishri is the new year for years, for shmita and jubilee years, for planting and for vegetables.

The first of Shevat is the new year for trees, according to Bet Shammai. Bet Hillel says: on its fifteenth.

At four times the world is judged.

On Pesah for produce.

On Shavuot for fruits of the tree.

On Rosh Hashanah all the people of the world pass before Him "kivney maron", as it says, “He who fashions their hearts together, who understands all their deeds” (Psalms 33:15).

And on Sukkot they are judged for rain.

On six months, messengers go out.

On Nisan because of Pesah.

On Av because of the fast.

On Elul because of Rosh Hashanah.

On Tishri because of the setting of the festivals.

On Kislev because of Hanukah.

And on Adar because of Purim.

When the Temple stood, they used also to go out to report Iyar because of Pesah Katan.

For two months they profane Shabbat: Nissan and Tishri, for on those the messengers go forth to Syria and the dates of the festivals are fixed.

When the Temple stood they used to profane Shabbat for all the months, in order that to fix the sacrifice.

For two months they profane Shabbat.

The witneses who see the moon are those who profane Shabbat if they are far from Jersualem, as will be explained further on.

And says "to fix the sacrifice" which is the language of the Torah with respect to the additional sacrifice of each and every month.

Whether it was seen clearly or it was not seen clearly, they profane Shabbat for it.

Rabbi Yose says: if it was seen clearly they do not profane Shabbat for it.

Once upon a time, more than forty pairs passed by and Rabbi Akiva stopped them in Lod.

Rabban Gamaliel sent to him saying: if you stop the public you will find that they fail to come in the future.

If a father and a son have seen the new moon, they should go, not that they can join together as witnesses but so that if one of them is disqualified the other may join with another witness.

Rabbi Shimon says that a father and son and all relatives are eligible to testify to the appearance of the new moon.

Rabbi Yose said: it happened once that Tobias the doctor saw the new moon in Jerusalem along with his son and his freed slave. The priests accepted his evidence and that of his son and disqualified his slave. But when they appeared before the court they accepted his evidence and that of his slave and disqualified his son.

And these are disqualified: the dice player, usurers, pigeon racers, traffickers in Seventh Year produce, and slaves.

This is the general rule: any testimony for which a woman is not qualified, they too are not qualified.

Someone who has seen the new moon and is not able to walk, may be brought on a donkey or even in a litter.

If they may be attacked, they may take sticks.

If the distance is great, they may take provisions with them, since for as much as a night and a day’s journey they were allowed to profane Shabbat and go out to testify concerning the new moon, as it says: “These are the appointed times of the Lord … which you shall proclaim at their appointed time” (Leviticus 23:4).

These are the appointed times of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at their appointed time.

If they don’t know him, they send another with him to testify about him.

Originally, the, accepted testimony of the new moon from anyone. When the minim upset this, they decreed that testimony should be accepted only from known personages.

Another with him. Another pair of witnesses to testify about him before the Great Sanhedrin which sanctifies the new moon.

And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that you brought the ῾omer of the wave offering; seven complete sabbaths shall there be:

Originally, they used to light torches. When the Kutim upset this, they decreed that messengers should go out.

How did they light the torches?

They used to bring long poles of cedar and reeds and olive wood and flax fluff and they tied them all together with a string.

And someone used to go up to the top of a mountain and light them with fire and wave them back and forth and up and down until he saw the next one doing the same thing on the top of the next mountain; and similarly on the top of the third mountain.

From where did they light torches?

From the Mount of Olives to Sartava [Alexandrium, overlooking Dead Sea?], and from Sartava to Gropina, and from Gropina to Havran [Hauran, Southern Syria], and from Havran to Bet Biltin.

From Bet Biltin they did not move, but rather waved it back and forth and up and down until he saw the whole of the diaspora before him lit up like one bonfire.

There was a large courtyard in Jerusalem, called Bet Yazek. There all the witnesses used to assemble and the court would examine them there.

They would make large feasts for them there so that they would continue to come.

Originally they used not to leave the place the whole day. Rabban Gamaliel decreed that they could go two thousand cubits from it in any direction.

And not only these, but also a midwife who has come to deliver a child, or someone who comes to take refuge from a fire or from conscription or from a flood or from a fallen building, all these are like residents of the town, and have two thousand cubits in any direction.

With regard to one who was permitted to leave his Shabbat limit, and they said to him along the way: The action has already been performed, he has two thousand cubits in each direction from the location where he was standing when this was told to him. If he was within his original limit, it is considered as if he had not left for all who go out to to save lives may return to their locations.

How do they test the witnesses?

The pair which arrives first, they test first. They bring in the older of them and they say to him, “Tell us, how did you see the moon, Towards the sun or away from the sun? To the north of it or to the south? How high was it, and in which direction was it inclined? And how broad was it?”

If he said in front of the sun, his evidence is nothing.

After that they would bring in the second and test him. If their words were consistent, their evidence was accepted.

And the other pairs were questioned briefly, not because they were required, but so that they should not go away disappointed, so that they would continue to come.

Towards the sun or away from the sun? Meaning to say, the side that shines within it that was towards the son [or away from it].

The head of the court says, “Sanctified,” and all the people answer after him, “Sanctified, sanctified.”

Whether the new moon is seen at its proper time or not at its proper time they sanctify it.

Rabbi Elazar bar Zadok says that if it is not seen as its proper time they do not sanctify it for heaven has already sanctified it.

Rabban Gamaliel had diagrams of the moon on a tablet on the wall of his upper chamber, and he used to show them to the unlearned and say, “Did it look like this or this?”

It happened that two witnesses came and said, “We saw it in the morning in the East and in the evening in the West” [which is not possible because the new moon is in the West in the evening].

Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri said: they are lying witnesses. When they came to Yavneh Rabban Gamaliel accepted them.

And again, two witnesses came and said, “We saw it at its proper time, but on the night which should have been the new moon it was not seen,” and Rabban Gamaliel accepted their evidence.

Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas said: they are lying witnesses. How can they testify that a woman has given birth when on the next day her belly is between her teeth? Rabbi Joshua to him: I see your argument.

Rabban Gamaliel sent to him: I order you to appear before me with your staff and your money on the day which according to your count should be Yom Hakippurim.

Rabbi Akiva went and found him in distress. He said to him: I can teach that whatever Rabban Gamaliel has done is valid, because it says, “These are the appointed times of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at their appointed time.” (Leviticus 23:4), whether at their proper time or not at their proper time, I have no other appointed seasons save these.

He then went to Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas. He said to him: if we call in question the court of Rabban Gamaliel we must call in question the decisions of every court which has existed since the days of Moses until now. As it says, “Then Moses and Aaron, Nadav and Avihu and seventy of the elders of Israel went up” (Exodus 24:9). Why were the names of the elders not mentioned? To teach that every group of three which has acted as a court over Israel, behold it is like the court of Moses.

He took his staff and his money and went to Yavneh to Rabban Gamaliel on the day which according to his count should be Yom Hakippurim.

Rabban Gamaliel rose and kissed him on his head and said to him: Come in peace, my teacher and my student: my teacher in wisdom and my student because you have accepted my decision.

Speak to the people Israel and say to them, the festivals of the Lord that you shall proclaim them as holy convocations, these are my festivals.

If they sanctified it without witnesses, or if witnesses came and testified and were found to be lying, how do we know that it is sanctified?

The text says, "that you shall proclaim them . . . these are My festivals". If you proclaim them, they are My festivals. If not, they are not My festivals.

If they sanctified it on purpose or unwittingly or mistakenly, how is it derived that it is sanctified?

The text says, "them" [spelled like "you"] even mistakenly, even on purpose, even unwittingly. If you proclaimed them they are My festivals. If not, they are not my festivals.

The bet din and all of Israel saw it, the witnesses were examined, but there was no time left to say “Sanctified” before it grew dark, so the month is "pregnant" (it has thirty days).

If the bet din alone saw it, two of them should stand up and testify before them, and then they say, “Sanctified, sanctified.”

If three people saw it, and they [themselves] are the bet din, two should stand up, they should seat some of their colleagues with the one remaining judge, and they should testify before them and then then say, “Sanctified, sanctified.”

For an individual is not trusted on his own.

All shofars are casher except efor that of a cow, because it is a keren.

Rabbi Yose said: Are not all shofars called keren as it says, “When they make a long blast with the ram’s keren”? (Joshua 6:5).

And it shall be, at the drawing out of the ram’s keren,when you hear the sound of the shofar,
that all the people are to shout a great shout,
and the wall of the city will fall down under it;
then the people are to go up, each one in front of him!

Ulla said: This is the reasoning of the Rabbis, in accordance with the opinion of Rav Ḥisda, as Rav Ḥisda said:

For what reason does the High Priest not enter with his golden garments to perform the service? It is because a prosecutor [kateigor] cannot become an advocate [sanneigor].

The shofar of Rosh Hashanah was that of an ibex, straight, and its mouth was overlaid with gold. There were two trumpets, one on each side of it.

The shofar gave a long blast and the trumpets a short one, since the commandment of the day was with the shofar.

Of an ibex, straight – since for the tefilla, we require straight ones.

On fast days they used shofars of rams, curved, the mouths of which were covered with silver, and there were two trumpets in between them.

A short blast with the shofars and a long one with the trumpets, because the mitzvah of the day is with trumpets.

And when ye go to war in your land against the adversary that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.

The Jubilee is the same as Rosh Hashanah with regard to blowing and blessings.

Rabbi Judah says: on Rosh Hashanah they blow with rams and on Jubilees with ibex.

And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and there shall be unto thee the days of seven sabbaths of years, even forty and nine years. Then shalt thou make proclamation with the blast of the shofar on the tenth day of the seventh month; in the day of atonement shall ye make proclamation with the shofar throughout all your land.

And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

And it stated above that the shofar of Rosh Hashanah is of an ibex, but this is not the halakha, and similarly, the halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehudah. And the halakha is that the shofar of the the Jubilee and of Rosh Hashanah is of bent males [rams].

Rabbi Abahu asked, why do we blow with the horn of a ram?

Said the Holy One: blow before me with a ram's horn in order that I remember for you the binding of Isaac son of Abraham, and I will consider it as if you bound yourselves before me

A shofar which split and he then he stuck together is not valid.

If he stuck together fragments of shofars, it is not valid.

If there was a hole and he closed it up, if it interferes with the blowing it is not valid, but if not it is casher.

Someone who blows into a pit or a cistern or a barrel, 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 similarly someone 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, 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.

“And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed . . .". (Exodus 17:11). Did the hands of Moses wage war or break war?

Rather, this teaches you that as long as Israel looked upwards and subjected their hearts to their Father in heaven they prevailed, and if not they fell.

Similarly, “Make for yourself a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. And if anyone who is bitten shall look at it, he shall live” (Numbers 21:8). Did the serpent kill or did the serpent keep alive?

Rather, as long as Israel looked upwards and subjected their hearts to their Father in heaven they were healed, and if not they were melted.

A deaf-mute, a simpleton and a minor cannot enable others to fulfill their religious obligations. This is the general principle: someone who is not liable to an obligation cannot perform it on behalf of the many.

Joshua did as Moses told him, fighting with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; but whenever he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

And the people came to Moses, and said: ‘We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us.’And Moses prayed for the people.

And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live.’

And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the pole; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived.

If Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah fell on Shabbat, they would blow the shofar in the Temple but not in the provinces.

After the destruction of the Temple, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakai decreed that it should be blown [on Shabbat] in every place where there was a bet din.

Rabbi Elazar said: Rabban Yohanan ben Zakai decreed for Yavneh only. They said to him: both Yavneh and any place where there is a bet din.

Whe have already explained several times (see Maaser Sheni, 2:4, Shekalim 1:3, and Sukkah 3:10) that "Temple" is what all of Jerusalem is called and "Provinces are all of the other cities of the Land of Israel.

And the reason that on its account that the Sounding of the Shofar on Shabbat is forbidden is a decree lest one carry it in his hand and traverse four cubits in the public domain (see Tractate Rosh Hashanah 29b) as we have explained regarding a Lulav [and Etrog] (see Tractate Sukkah, Chapter 4, Mishnah 2), because the Sounding of the Shofar is not work.

Furthermore, Jerusalem was greater than Yavneh, in that in every city which could see and hear and was near and could get [to Jerusalem], they used to blow, whereas in Yavneh they used to blow in the bet din only.

Our teachers taught: Once Rosh HaShana occurred on Shabbat, and all the cities gathered. Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai said to the sons of Beteira, Let us blow! They said to him: Let us discuss!

He said to them: let us blow, and afterwards let us discuss.

After they blew, they said to him, let us discuss.

He said to them: The horn has already been heard in Yavne, and one does not retract after the fact.

In earlier times the lulav was taken for seven days in the Temple, and in the provinces for one day only.

After the destruction of the Temple, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai decreed that the lulav would be taken in the provinces for seven days in memory of the Temple, and that on the whole of the day of waving it would be forbidden [to eat the new year's produce].

On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.

Originally they used to accept testimony with regard to the new moon during the whole day. On one occasion the witnesses were late in arriving, and the Levites went wrong in the psalm. They therefore decreed that testimony should be accepted only until the minhah. If witnesses came after the minhah that day should be kept as holy and also the next day.

After the destruction of the temple Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai decreed that testimony with regard to the new moon should be received during the whole day.

Rabbi Joshua ben Korha said, furthermore, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai decreed that no matter where the head of the court might be, the witnesses should have to go only to the place of the assembly.

The order of blessings: one says “fathers”, “powers” and the “holiness of the name” and includes the kingship verses with them and one does not blow.

The sanctification of the day, and one blows.

Remembrance-verses, and one blows.

Shofar-verses, and one blows.

Then one says "Temple service" and “thanksgiving” and the blessing of the priests, according to Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri.

Rabbi Akiva said to him: if he does not blow the shofar for the kingship-verses, why should he say them? Rather he says: “fathers”, “powers” and the “sanctification of the name” and includes the kingship verse with the sanctification of the day and blows the shofar, then he says the remembrance-verses and blows, and the shofar-verses and blows.

Then one says "Temple service" and “thanksgiving” and the blessing of the priests

They do not recite fewer than ten kingship verses, ten remembrance verses, and ten shofar verses.

Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri says: if he said three from each set he has fulfilled his obligation. They do not mention kingship, remembrance and shofar verses of punishment.

He begins with the Torah and concludes with the prophets. Rabbi Yose says: if he concludes with the Torah he has fulfilled his obligation.

One person "passes before the ark" on the festival of Rosh Hashanah: the second one blows the shofar.

At the time of Hallel, the first one recites the Hallel.

This was enacted at a time of persecution, for there were guards over the person leading the prayer service at Shaharit/the morning service that he should not sound the Shofar, and when the Amidah was completed, the guards leave, and therefore, the person who leads the Musaf prayer blows the Shofar.

The shofar of Rosh Hashanah: one is not allowed to go past the Shabbat border for it, nor to clear away a pile of rocks, nor climb a tree, nor ride on an animal, nor swim on the water. One may not cut it, neither with an instrument forbidden because of shevut, nor with an instrument forbidden by a negative commandment.

But if he wants to pour wine or water into it he may do so.

One does not not prevent children from blowing the shofar, but practices with them until they learn how.

Someone who is just practicing has not fulfilled his obligation, and someone who hears from someone practicing has not fulfilled his obligation.

The order of the blasts: three sets of three each.

The length of a teki’ah is equal to three teru'ahs, and the length of a teru'ah is equal to three yevavot.

If he sounded the first teki’ah and prolonged the second so that it lasted double, it only counts as one.

Someone who has blessed and then found a shofar sounds a teki'ah teru'ah teki'ah three times.

Just as the shaliah tzibbur is obligated, so every single individual is obligated. Rabban Gamaliel says: the shaliah tzibbur enables the whole congregation to fulfill their obligation.

Three sets – one for Malkhuyot, one for Zikhronot and one for Shofarot.

And the Halakha is according to Rabban Gamaliel only on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (see Tractate Rosh Hashanah 35a), beause of the length of the prayers on those two days.

We will return to you, Tractate Rosh HaShanah, and you will return to us; our mind is on you, Tractate Rosh HaShanah, and your mind is on us; we will not forget you, Tractate Rosh HaShanah, and you will not forget us – not in this world and not in the next world.