Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah Reader

Rabbi Abbahu said: Why do we sound the ram's horn (shofar) of a ram? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Sound before Me with the horn of a ram, so that I may remember for you the binding of Isaac son of Abraham, and I account it to you as though you had bound yourselves before Me.

It was taught: Rabbi Eliezer says: In Tishrei the world was created; in Tishrei the patriarchs were born; in Tishrei the patriarchs died; on Passover Isaac was born; on Rosh ha-Shanah Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah were remembered; on Rosh ha-Shanah Joseph went out from the prison house.

MISHNAH. At four seasons the world is judged: at Passover, concerning the grain; at Pentecost, concerning the fruit of the tree; on Rosh ha-Shanah all who enter the world pass before Him like a flock of sheep, as it is said: "He who fashions the hearts of them all, who discerns all their deeds" (Psalms 33:15); and at the Festival they are judged concerning the water. For it has been taught: All are judged on Rosh ha-Shanah, and their sentence is sealed on the Day of Atonement; these are the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehudah says: All are judged on Rosh ha-Shanah, and their sentence is sealed each one in its own time. And a human being is judged on Rosh ha-Shanah, and his sentence is sealed on the Day of Atonement. And Rav Hisda said: As for a king and the community, the king enters for judgment first, as it is said: "That He maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel" (1 Kings 8:59). What is the reason? If you wish, say: It is not proper conduct for the king to sit outside. And if you wish, say: So that He may judge him before the fierce anger grows greater.

It was taught: Rabbi Yehudah said in the name of Rabbi Akiva: For what reason did the Torah say, bring the omer on Passover? Because Passover is the season of grain. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Bring before Me the omer on Passover, so that the grain in the fields will be blessed for you. And for what reason did the Torah say, bring the two loaves on Atzeret (Shavuot)? Because Atzeret is the season of the fruit of the tree. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Bring before Me the two loaves on Atzeret, so that the fruit of the tree will be blessed for you. And for what reason did the Torah say, pour water on the Festival (Sukkot)? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Pour water before Me on the Festival, so that the rains of the year will be blessed for you. And recite before Me on Rosh Hashanah verses of Kingship, Remembrance, and Shofar blasts. Kingship, so that you will crown Me over you; Remembrance, so that your remembrance will rise before Me for good; and by what means? By the shofar. Rabbi Abbahu said: Why do we sound a ram's shofar? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Sound before Me a ram's shofar, so that I will remember for you the binding of Isaac son of Abraham, and I will account it to you as though you had bound yourselves before Me. And Rabbi Yitzchak said: Why do we sound the shofar on Rosh Hashanah? Why do we sound it?! The Merciful One said, sound! Rather: Why do we sound a teruah (broken blast)? A teruah?! The Merciful One said "a memorial of teruah" (Leviticus 23:24)! Rather: Why do we sound a tekiah and a teruah while they are seated.

Rabbi Kruspedai said that Rabbi Yochanan said: Three books are opened on Rosh Hashanah: one of the thoroughly wicked, one of the thoroughly righteous, and one of the intermediate ones. The thoroughly righteous are written and sealed immediately for life; the thoroughly wicked are written and sealed immediately for death; the intermediate ones are left hanging in suspense from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur. If they merit, they are written for life; if they do not merit, they are written for death. Rabbi Avin said: What is the verse for this? "Let them be blotted out of the book of life, and not be written with the righteous" (Psalms 69:29). "Let them be blotted out of the book" - this is the book of the thoroughly wicked; "of life" - this is the book of the righteous; "and not be written with the righteous" - this is the book of the intermediate ones. It was taught: Beit Shammai say: There are three groups on the Day of Judgment: one of the thoroughly righteous, one of the thoroughly wicked, and one of the intermediate ones. The thoroughly righteous are written and sealed immediately for eternal life; the thoroughly wicked are written and sealed immediately for Gehinnom.

And they sound the tekiah and the teruah while they are standing - in order to confound the Satan. And Rabbi Yitzchak said: Any year in which the shofar is not sounded at its beginning, calamity will be sounded for it at its end. What is the reason? Because the Satan was not confounded. And Rabbi Yitzchak said: Any year that is impoverished at its beginning becomes rich at its end, as it is said: "from the beginning of the year" (Deuteronomy 11:12) - it is written "me-reishit" [defectively, read as "me-rashah," "impoverished"]. "And to the end" - its end which has a future. And Rabbi Yitzchak said: A person is judged only according to his deeds at that moment, as it is said: "For God has heard the voice of the lad where he is" (Genesis 21:17). And Rabbi Yitzchak said: Three things bring a person's sins to remembrance, and these are they: a leaning wall, scrutinizing one's prayer [expecting it to be answered], and handing over judgment of one's fellow [to Heaven]. For Rabbi Avin said: Anyone who hands over judgment of his fellow is himself punished first, as it is said: "And Sarai said to Abram: My wrong be upon you" (Genesis 16:5), and it is written: "And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her" (Genesis 23:2). And Rabbi Yitzchak said: Four things tear up the decree of judgment against a person, and these are they: charity, crying out, change of name, and change of deed. Charity, as it is written: "And charity delivers from death" (Proverbs 10:2). Crying out, as it is written: "And they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distresses" (Psalms 107:6). Change of name, as it is written: "Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name" (Genesis 17:15), and it is written: "And I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son from her" (Genesis 17:16). Change of deed, as it is written: "And God saw their deeds" (Jonah 3:10), and it is written: "And God relented of the evil which He had said He would do to them, and did not do it" (Jonah 3:10). And some say: Also change of place, as it is written: "And the LORD said to Abram: Go forth from your land" (Genesis 12:1), and afterward: "And I will make you a great nation" (Genesis 12:2). And the other one [holds]: It was that merit of the Land of Israel that benefited him. And Rabbi Yitzchak said: A person is obligated to greet his teacher on the festival, as it is said: "Why are you going to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath" (II Kings 4:23) - from which it follows that on the new moon and Sabbath she ought to go. And Rabbi Yitzchak said: A person is obligated to purify himself on the festival, as it is said: "And their carcasses you shall not touch" (Leviticus 11:8). It was likewise taught in a baraita: "And their carcasses you shall not touch." One might think that the Israelites are warned against contact with a carcass; the verse therefore teaches: "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron" (Leviticus 21:1) - the sons of Aaron are warned, the children of Israel are not warned. But is this not an inference from minor to major: if regarding severe impurity the priests are warned and the Israelites are not warned, then regarding light impurity, all the more so? Rather, what does the verse "And their carcasses you shall not touch" teach? On the festival. Rabbi Kruspedai said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: Three books are opened on Rosh Hashanah - one of the completely wicked, one of the completely righteous, and one of the intermediate ones. The completely righteous are inscribed and sealed immediately for life. The completely wicked are inscribed and sealed immediately for death. The intermediate ones are left hanging from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur. If they merit, they are inscribed for life; if they do not merit, they are inscribed for death. Rabbi Avin said: What is the verse? "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous" (Psalms 69:29). "Let them be blotted out of the book" - this is the book of the completely wicked. "Of the living" - this is the book of the righteous. "And not be written with the righteous" - this is the book of the intermediate ones. Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: From here - "And if not, blot me, I pray, out of Your book which You have written" (Exodus 32:32). "Blot me, I pray" - this is the book of the wicked. "Out of Your book" - this is the book of the righteous. "Which You have written" - this is the book of the intermediate ones. It was taught in a baraita: Beit Shammai say: There are three groups at the Day of Judgment - one of the completely righteous, one of the completely wicked, and one of the intermediate ones. The completely righteous are inscribed and sealed immediately for eternal life. The completely wicked are inscribed and sealed immediately for Gehinnom, as it is said: "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, these to eternal life and these to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence" (Daniel 12:2). The intermediate ones go down to Gehinnom.

"And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed" (Exodus 34:6). Rabbi Yochanan said: Were it not written in the verse, it would be impossible to say it. This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, wrapped Himself like a prayer leader and showed Moses the order of the prayer. He said to him: Whenever Israel sins, let them perform before Me according to this order, and I will forgive them. "The LORD, the LORD" (Exodus 34:6) - I am He before a person sins, and I am He after a person sins and repents - "a merciful and gracious God" (Exodus 34:6).

But is it not written: "Seek the LORD while He may be found" (Isaiah 55:6)! There it speaks of an individual, here of the community. For an individual, when may He be found? Rabbah bar Avuh said: These are the ten days between Rosh ha-Shanah and the Day of Atonement. "And it came to pass about ten days later that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died" (1 Samuel 25:38). These ten days, what is their significance? Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: They correspond to the ten morsels that Nabal gave to David's servants. Rav Nahman said in the name of Rabbah bar Avuh: These are the ten days between Rosh ha-Shanah and the Day of Atonement. "On Rosh ha-Shanah all who enter the world pass before Him like a flock of sheep." What is the meaning of "like a flock of sheep"? Here they rendered it: like young lambs. Resh Lakish said: Like the ascents of Beth Maron. Rav Yehudah said in the name of Shmuel: Like the troops of the house of David.

Rav Yehuda bar Idi said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: The Divine Presence made ten journeys, as derived from the verses; and corresponding to them the Sanhedrin went into exile, as derived from tradition. The Divine Presence made ten journeys, as derived from the verses: from the ark cover to the cherub, and from one cherub to the other cherub, and from the cherub to the threshold of the Temple, and from the threshold to the courtyard, and from the courtyard to the altar, and from the altar to the roof, and from the roof to the wall, and from the wall to the city, and from the city to the mountain, and from the mountain to the wilderness; and from the wilderness it ascended and dwelt in its own place, as it is said: "I will go and return to My place" (Hosea 5:15). Rabbi Yochanan said: For six months the Divine Presence lingered in the wilderness for Israel, hoping that perhaps they would repent. When they did not repent, He said: Let them perish, as it is said: "But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall have no way to flee, and their hope shall be the giving up of the spirit" (Job 11:20).