Rosh Hashanah 16b (טז:) — the Talmud in English

And

again

they blow and sound the teru'a while standing

during the additional prayer [in which one is obligated to stand]?

But was it not stated in the Torah to blow and sound the teru'a only once, and not twice

?

Rather, the reason is

in order to confuse [to thwart]

the Satan

so that he will not prosecute. For when he hears Israel cherishing the mitzvot and blowing a second time even though they are not obligated in the matter, his arguments are silenced. ,

The Gemara now cites additional statements of Rabbi Yitzḥak. [Some concern halakha and the sounding of the shofar, and some do not]:

And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Any year in which they do not sound the shofar at its beginning

on Rosh HaShana,

they will sound an alarm over it at its end.

They will need to sound an alarm at its end because of the troubles that will befall them, as we learned in the second chapter of tractate Ta'anit, that an alarm is sounded over troubles [Beit Yosef on the Tur. The Maharshal explained that matri'in, “they sound an alarm,” derives from ra'a, “evil,” meaning that there will be evil at its end].

What is the reason

that they sound an alarm over it at its end?

Because

the Satan was not confused

by the blasts.

And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Any year that is poor at its beginning,

when Israel make themselves like the poor [like paupers] in their prayer and pray in a supplicatory manner [as in the verse: “The poor man speaks in supplications,” Proverbs 18], it

becomes wealthy at its end.

As it is stated

[Deuteronomy 11] concerning Rosh HaShana:

“From the beginning of the year

until the end of the year.”

It is not written mereshit, “from the beginning,” but

“mereshit” is written defectively,

in the sense of rash, “poor.” And afterward it says

“until the end”—

an end that has an aftermath!

And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: A person is judged only according to his deeds at that time

at which he is being judged. Even if it is revealed and known before the Holy One, blessed be He, that he will later act wickedly,

as it is stated

[Genesis 21] concerning Ishmael, son of Abraham:

“For God has heard the voice of the lad

where he is.”

And the Sages said in the Midrash Genesis Rabba: The ministering angels said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Ishmael, whose descendants are destined to kill Your children by thirst in the future—will You raise a well for him to save him from thirst?!

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: At this moment, is he righteous or wicked?

They said to Him: Righteous.

He said to them: “Where he is.” That is, I judge the world only according to its present state.

And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Three things recall

the

sins of a person

before the Holy One, blessed be He.

And these are:

a. One who passes beneath a

leaning wall.

This recalls a person’s sins, because the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Is this person worthy of a miracle being performed for him, since he is endangering himself? Consequently, his sins are recalled.

b.

Concentration on prayer.

One who relies on his prayer being accepted, and therefore takes special care to concentrate properly in it.

The Holy One, blessed be He, says: Is this person worthy that his prayer should certainly be accepted? Consequently, his sins are recalled.

c.

And one who submits

to the Holy One, blessed be He,

a judgment against another

by asking that He judge him.

As Rav Ḥanan said: Anyone who submits a judgment against another

to the heavenly court—

he is punished first.

For it is said concerning him: Is he worthy that his fellow should be punished because of him?! Consequently, his sins are recalled.

This is similar to Sarah submitting Abraham’s case to Heaven: She complained against him, asking why, when he prayed that he should have a son, he did not pray that the son should be born from her; and therefore she was punished.

As it is stated

[Genesis 16]:

“And Sarai said to Abram: My wrong

be upon you.

May the Lord judge between me and you” [The “wrong” mentioned here means the withholding of prayer. When a person’s salvation depends on his fellow’s prayer on his behalf, and his fellow does not pray, he is “defrauding” him of his salvation].

And it is written

[Genesis 23]:

“And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.”

From here it follows that Sarah died before Abraham.

And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Four things tear up

a

person’s

evil

decree

of

judgment, and these are:

a.

Charity.

b.

A cry

of prayer.

c.

A change of name.

Changing a person’s name.

d.

And a change of conduct.

If he repents of his evil deeds.

Rabbi Yitzḥak explains the sources from which he learned his statements:

a.

Charity—

as it is written

[Proverbs 10]:

“And charity saves from death.”

b.

A cry—

as it is written

[Psalms 107]:

“And they cried out to the Lord in their distress, and He brought them out of their straits.”

c.

A change of name—

as it is written

[Genesis 17] that the Lord said to Abraham:

“Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, for

[from now on]

Sarah is her name.”

And it is written

later in the verse:

“And I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son from her.”

d.

A change of conduct—

as it is written

[Jonah 3]:

“And God saw their deeds

that they had turned from their evil way.”

And it is written

later in the verse:

“And God relented concerning the evil that He had said He would do to them, and He did not do it.”

And some say: A change of place as well

tears up a person’s evil decree of judgment [because it causes him to submit himself. Ritva].

As it is written:

[Genesis 12]:

“And the Lord said to Abram: Go forth from your land.”

And afterward,

it says:

“And I will make you a great nation.”

But the other

Rabbi Yitzḥak, who did not say that a change of place tears up a person’s evil decree of judgment, holds that one cannot derive a rule for every person from Abraham our forefather.

For

that

blessing—“And I will make you a great nation”—was not because Abraham changed his place, but because he entered from outside the Land of Israel into the Land of Israel.

And

the merit of the Land of Israel was what benefited him,

what benefited

him.

But one who moves from place to place within the Diaspora, or within the Land of Israel, does not have his decree of judgment torn up.

And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: A person is obligated to greet his teacher on the Festival pilgrimage.

As it is stated

[II Kings 4]:

“Why are you going to him

[to the prophet Elisha]

today?

[After all,]

it is not the New Moon

[today],

and it is not Shabbat today.”

By inference,

it follows from the words of the verse

that on the New Moon and on Shabbat she ought to go.

It would have been proper for her to go to the prophet.

That is, if a person lives near his teacher, he is obligated to go to him every Shabbat or on the New Moon. If he lives farther away, he is obligated to go only on foot. Rabbi Yitzḥak stated the minimum obligation incumbent upon a person.

And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: A person is obligated to purify himself for the Festival pilgrimage.

As it is stated

[Leviticus 11]:

“And you shall not touch their carcasses.”

This verse is speaking of the time of the Festival pilgrimage, as follows. The verse warns that a person should not be impure during the Festival pilgrimage.

It was taught likewise:

It is stated in the verse:

“And you shall not touch their carcasses.”

One might have thought that Israel would be warned against touching a carcass,

so that they may not touch a carcass throughout the year.

The verse states

[Leviticus 21]:

“Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron,

and say to them: For a dead person he shall not defile himself.”

This implies that only

the sons of Aaron are warned

not to become impure. But

the Israelites are not warned.

Although this verse speaks of impurity imparted by a corpse, whereas the earlier verse [“And you shall not touch their carcasses”] speaks of impurity imparted by an animal carcass, nevertheless one cannot distinguish between their laws, as follows:

But surely

the

matter follows by means of a kal va-chomer: If severe impurity,

impurity imparted by a corpse [a corpse renders a person impure for seven days, whereas one who touches a carcass becomes impure only until evening, and immerses and becomes pure],

priests

alone

are warned

concerning it, but

Israelites are not warned

concerning it,

lesser impurity,

impurity imparted by a carcass—

is it not all the more so

that Israelites are not warned concerning it during the rest of the year?!

Rather, what does the verse “And you shall not touch their carcasses” come to teach?!

The verse is speaking

of the Festival pilgrimage.

It warned Israel not to become impure even with lesser impurity. Certainly, this applies to severe impurity as well.

The Gemara returns to explain the judgment with which the Holy One, blessed be He, judges the world on Rosh HaShana:

Rabbi Kruspedai said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Three books

recording the deeds of created beings

are opened

in the heavenly court

on Rosh HaShana:

One—

the book of the completely wicked,

whose sins are more numerous than their merits.

And one—

the book of the completely righteous,

whose merits are more numerous than their sins.

And one—

the book of the intermediate,

who have an equal measure of merits and sins.

The completely righteous—

are immediately written and sealed

on Rosh HaShana itself

for life.

The completely wicked—

are immediately written and sealed for death.

The intermediate—

remain suspended from Rosh HaShana until Yom Kippur.

Their judgment is sealed on Yom Kippur.

If

they merit

[they remain deserving, since they still have an equal measure of sins and merits], they are

written

on Yom Kippur

for life.

But if

they do not merit,

because in the meantime they have managed to add a sin, they are

written

on Yom Kippur

for death. ,

Rabbi Avin said: What is the verse?

From which verse can it be learned that three books are opened on Rosh HaShana?

As it is stated [Psalms 69]:

“Let them be erased from the book of life, and let them not be written with the righteous.”

Rabbi Avin proceeds to interpret the verse:

“Let them be erased from the book”—

this is the book of the completely wicked

[who are erased and written for death].

“Life”—

this is the book of the righteous

[who are written for life].

“And let them not be written with the righteous”—

this is the book of the intermediate,

who are not yet written until Yom Kippur.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: From here,

from this verse it is learned that three books are opened on Rosh HaShana:

For so Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He [Exodus 32]: “And now, if You will forgive their sin [the sin of Israel, that would be best].

But if not—

erase me, I pray, from Your book that You have written.”

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak proceeds to interpret the verse:

“Erase me, I pray”—

this is the book of the wicked

[who are erased and written for death].

“From Your book”—

this is the book of the righteous.

“That You have written”—

this is the book of the intermediate.

They have not yet been sealed until Yom Kippur.

It was taught: Beit Shammai say:

Three

groups there will be on the Day of Judgment

after the resurrection of the dead:

One—

the group of the completely righteous.

And one—

the group of the completely wicked.

And one—

the group of the intermediate.

The completely righteous are immediately written and sealed,

at once, at the time of the judgment,

for eternal life

in the World to Come.

The completely wicked are immediately written and sealed

at once, at the time of the judgment,

for Gehinnom.

As it is stated

[Daniel 12]:

“And many of those who sleep in the dust will awaken, some

[the righteous]

to eternal life, and some

[the wicked]

to disgrace and everlasting abhorrence.”

The intermediate—

descend to Gehinnom.