Rosh Hashanah 32a — the Talmud in English

And his master established it in his name.

And his master [of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai] established it in his name, that they should count this enactment among the other enactments of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai. And therefore we learned that Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai enacted nine enactments.

Mishna:

Our Mishna details the order of the additional prayer of Rosh Hashanah, concerning which the Sages enacted that one should blow with a shofar, as follows:

This is

the order

of the

blessings

in the additional prayer:

He says

the blessing of

the Patriarchs, “Shield of Abraham,”

“Shield of Abraham,”

and mighty deeds,

the blessing of “You are mighty,” in which the mighty deeds of God in rain and in the revival of the dead are mentioned,

and

the blessing of

the sanctification of the Name, “You are holy.”

“You are holy.”

And he includes

verses of

Kingships,

in which the kingship of God is mentioned,

with them,

in the blessing “You are holy.”

And he does not blow.

And afterward he says the blessing of

the sanctity of the day, “You chose us” until “Who sanctifies Israel and the Day of Remembrance,”

“You have chosen us” through “Who sanctifies Israel and the Day of Remembrance,”

and he blows.

And he adds and says verses of

Remembrances

in a blessing by itself,

and he blows.

And he adds and says verses of

Shofarot

in a blessing by itself,

and he blows.

Because it is a mitzva to blow three times, and each time one blows three blasts, as explained below [33a].

And he says

the blessing of

the Temple service,

which is the blessing of “Be favorable,” in which he mentions, “And restore the service.”

And

the blessing of

thanksgiving, “We give thanks.”

“We give thanks.”

And the Priestly Blessing, “Grant peace.”

“Grant peace.”

These are

the words of Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri.

Rabbi Akiva said to him: If he does not blow for Kingships—

why does he mention

them? And in the Gemara we ask: After all, the Torah commanded one to say verses of Kingships, and why does Rabbi Akiva say that if one does not blow with them, there is no point in mentioning them?

Rather, he says the Patriarchs, mighty deeds, and the sanctification of the Name.

And

afterward

he includes

the verses of

Kingships with

the blessing of

the sanctity of the day, and he blows.

And afterward he says

Remembrances

in a blessing by itself,

and he blows.

And afterward he says

Shofarot

in a blessing by itself,

and he blows.

And he says the Temple service, thanksgiving, and the Priestly Blessing.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabbi Akiva said to him: If he does not

blow for Kingships—

why does he mention

them?

And we are astonished: How does he ask

“Why does he mention?”

But

the Merciful One said: Remember!

For the Torah obligated one to mention verses of Kingships, [as follows in the beraita]!

And we answer:

Rather,

this is what Rabbi Akiva asked:

Why

does he mention

ten

verses for Kingships [as explained in the following Mishna]?

Let him say nine

verses only,

since once it has been changed, it has been changed.

Since the order of Kingships differs from Remembrances and Shofarot in that one does not blow during it, it would have been proper to change it also in the number of verses said during it!

The Sages taught: From where do we know that one says

in the prayer the blessing of

the Patriarchs?

As it is stated [Psalms 29]:

Psalms 29]:

“Ascribe to the Lord

mention before the Lord

the sons of the mighty,”

the mighty ones, that is, the Patriarchs, who are called “the mighty.”

And from where do we know that one says mighty deeds,

the blessing of “You are mighty” [in which the mighty deeds of God in rain and the revival of the dead are mentioned]?

As it is stated

later in the psalm:

“Ascribe to the Lord

mention before the Lord

glory and strength.”

And strength is might.

And from where do we know that one says sanctifications [“

You are holy”]?

As it is stated

later in the psalm:

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His Name; bow down to the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

And from where do we know that one says Kingships, Remembrances, and Shofarot?

Rabbi Eliezer says: For it is written [Leviticus 23], concerning Rosh Hashanah:

Leviticus 23] concerning Rosh HaShana:

“A sabbath-rest, a remembrance of blasting, a holy convocation”:

“A sabbath-rest”—

this is the sanctity of the day

of Rosh Hashanah.

“A remembrance”—

these are Remembrances.

“Blasting”—

these are Shofarot.

“A holy convocation”—

sanctify it through the performance of labor

[that one should not perform labor on it].

Rabbi Akiva said to him: Why was it not said,

why should we not expound

“a sabbath-rest”

from the language of

cessation

from labor,

with which the verse began first,

since first it is proper to warn not to perform labor, because this is the principal commandment on a festival!

Rather,

this is how we shall expound the verse:

“A sabbath-rest,”

from the language of cessation—

sanctify it through the performance of labor.

“A remembrance”—

these are Remembrances.

“Blasting”—

these are Shofarot.

“A holy convocation”—

this is the sanctity of the day

[the blessing of “You chose us”].

And neither Rabbi Eliezer nor Rabbi Akiva expounded Kingships from this verse.

And

from where do we know that one says Kingships?

It was taught: Rabbi says:

It is stated in the Torah adjacent to the passage of Rosh Hashanah [Leviticus 23:22]:

“I am the Lord your God.”

And it is written

immediately afterward: “And the Lord spoke.”

“And in the seventh month

on the first of the month shall be a sabbath-rest for you, a remembrance of blasting.” [That is, Rosh Hashanah].

And “I am the Lord your God”

this is Kingship.

That is, I am master over you.

From here that one mentions Kingships on Rosh Hashanah.

Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda says:

This verse

is not needed

to make known to us that one says Kingships, for

it itself is

[the verse]

saying

[Numbers 10]: “And you shall blow with the trumpets,

and they shall be for you as a remembrance before your God,

I am the Lord your God”:

For it need not say

that the verse need not say, “I am

the Lord your God,”

for this matter is known!

And what does it teach,

for what purpose was

“I am the Lord your God” said?

This establishes a principle,

this teaches

that everywhere Remembrances are mentioned—

that they shall be,

that they should say verses of

Kingships with them.

Just as here it is said, “And they shall be for you as a remembrance,” and immediately afterward it is said, “I am the Lord your God,” that is, Kingships,

And where does he say it with the sanctity of the day?

It was taught: Rabbi says: With Kingships he says it,

in one blessing that includes both of them.

For

what,

just as

we find everywhere,

in all the festivals on which one says a blessing over the sanctity of the day, one says it

in

a blessing

the fourth!

So too here,

in the additional prayer of Rosh Hashanah, one says the sanctity of the day in the fourth blessing, which is Kingships!

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: With Remembrances he says it,

that is,

in

the blessing

the fifth.

For

what,

just as

we find everywhere

that the sanctity of the day is said

in the middle,

for in the other prayers of the festivals there are seven blessings: three first ones, three last ones, and the sanctity of the day in the middle!

So too here,

in the additional prayer of Rosh Hashanah, one says the sanctity of the day

in the middle.

And since there are nine blessings in the additional prayer of Rosh Hashanah, the fifth is in the middle.

And when the court sanctified the year in Usha, Rabbi Yohanan ben Beroka descended

before the ark,

before Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel.

And he acted according to

the words of

Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri,

mentioned in our Mishna, who included Kingships in the blessing “You are holy.”

Rabban Shimon

ben Gamliel said to him:

They did not act so

when the Sanhedrin was

in Yavne,

in the days of Rabban Gamliel, my father!

On the second day

[this will be explained below]

Rabbi Hanina, the son of Rabbi Yosei the Galilean, descended and acted in accordance with Rabbi Akiva,

mentioned in our Mishna, who included Kingships with the sanctity of the day in one blessing.

Rabban Shimon

ben Gamliel said:

This is how they used to act in Yavne.

And we ask:

Does this mean,

is it possible to say

that Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel holds in accordance with Rabbi Akiva?!

But Rabbi Akiva said: Kingships—

he says them with the sanctity of the day,

the prayer leader says them.

And

if

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: The sanctity of the day—

he says it with Remembrances,

the prayer leader says them!

And how could Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel say about Rabbi Akiva’s order of prayer that this is how they used to act in Yavne?

Rabbi Zeira said:

Indeed, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel did not agree with Rabbi Akiva in all his words.

Rather, he intended

to say

to Rabbi Hanina

that they blow for Kingships,

as he did, and not in accordance with Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri, who holds that one blows after the blessing of the sanctity of the day and does not blow after Kingships.

But regarding what Rabbi Akiva said, that the sanctity of the day is said with Kingships, Rabban Shimon did not agree with this; in his view, one mentions the sanctity of the day with Remembrances.

We learned in a beraita:

On the second day Rabbi Hanina,

the son of Rabbi Yosei the Galilean, [stood] before the ark.

And we consider it:

What is “second”?

If you say,

if it means

the second festival day

of Rosh Hashanah—that is, that in that year witnesses did not come to Usha to sanctify the new moon throughout that entire day, and therefore they made the month full, and they observed the laws of a festival also on the second day—then it is difficult:

But Rabbi Hanina bar Kahana said in the name of Rav: From the days of Ezra onward we have not found an extended Elul!

Rav Hisda said: What is “second”?

For the second day,

that is, the festival day of Rosh Hashanah that follows it,

for the following year.

Mishna:

One does not reduce from ten

verses of

Kingships.

And

from ten

verses of

Remembrances, and from ten

verses of

Shofarot.

Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri says: If he said three, three from all of them, he has fulfilled his obligation.

And the Gemara will explain his words.

Gemara:

And we consider it:

These,

these

ten

verses of

Kingships—

corresponding to whom

did they enact them?

Rabbi Levi said: Corresponding to the ten praises that David said in the Book of Psalms.

Ten times that David said the expression “Praise” or “Hallelujah” in the Book of Psalms.

And we are astonished: After all,

“praises”

in the Book of Psalms—

there are many!

After all, David said the expression of praise in Psalms many more than ten times! And we answer: Rabbi Levi spoke of

those in which it is written,

those praises that were said in the psalm

“Praise Him with the blast of the shofar.”

That is, Psalm 150 in Psalms, in which the expression of praise is said ten times in connection with “the blast of the shofar,” which is Rosh Hashanah.

Rav Yosef said:

The ten verses of Kingships are

corresponding to the Ten Commandments that were said to Moses at Sinai.

And the sound of the shofar was very strong at that event, and therefore one says ten praises of Kingships also at the time of the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.

Rabbi Yohanan said: Corresponding to the ten utterances

of the Holy One, blessed is He,

through which the world was created

on Rosh Hashanah.

And we object:

Which are they,

these ten utterances through which the world was created?

For when we count

“And God said

”

“And God said

”

four

were mentioned concerning the work of Creation—only

nine there were,

and not ten!

And we answer: The verse

“In the beginning

God created the heavens and the earth””—

also

through

an utterance

of the Lord

it was,

and it completes the count of the ten utterances.

And although “And God said, Let there be heavens” was not stated in it, it can be proved that they were created by the utterance of the Lord and not by “His hands.”

For it is written [Psalms 33]:

Psalms 33]:

“By the word of the Lord—

the heavens were made.”

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri says: If he said three, three from all of them, he has fulfilled his obligation.

Below, in the following Mishna, it is explained that according to the Sages, who said ten verses, they would begin with verses from the Torah, afterward with verses from the Writings, and conclude with verses from the Prophets.

They raised a question before them:

A question was asked of the members of the academy:

How is it taught,

what is Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri’s intention, when he said, “three, three from all of them”?

Does he intend to say

three from the Torah, three from the Prophets, and three from the Writings,

which are,

so that altogether they are

nine

verses.

That is, if he said nine verses in Kingships, and nine in Remembrances, and nine in Shofarot, he has fulfilled his obligation.

And

according to this

there is one difference between them,

the difference between his opinion and the opinion of the Sages is in the saying of only one verse: according to the Sages, if he did not say ten verses, he has not fulfilled his obligation, whereas according to Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri, if he said nine, he has fulfilled his obligation.

Or perhaps,

perhaps “three, three from all of them” means three for the order of Kingships, three for the order of Remembrances, and three for the order of Shofarot.

And in each order he said one verse

from the Torah, one from the Prophets, and one from the Writings.

So that there are,

so that altogether there are

three

verses for each order.

And

according to this,

there is a difference between them,

the difference between his opinion and the opinion of the Sages is

much,

a great difference.

For according to the Sages they said ten verses, whereas according to Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri they said only three verses.

Come and hear

a proof that according to Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri, one who says one verse from the Torah, one from the Prophets, and one from the Writings has fulfilled his obligation:

For it was taught: One does not reduce from ten Kingships, from ten Remembrances, or from ten Shofarot. And if he said seven from all of them, he has fulfilled his obligation.

And those seven are

corresponding to the seven firmaments.

As a hint that on Rosh Hashanah the Holy One, blessed is He, ascends to the seventh firmament to judge the world [Maharsha].

Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri says: One who reduces—

should not reduce

initially

from seven.

And if he said three from all of them, he has fulfilled his obligation.

And those three are

corresponding to Torah, Prophets, and Writings.

And some say:

and there are those who say:

corresponding to priests, Levites, and Israelites.

And if we explain that Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri said that one who says three from the Torah, three from the Prophets, and three from the Writings has fulfilled his obligation, then also what we learned at the beginning of his words, “One who reduces may not reduce below seven,” means seven from the Torah, seven from the Prophets, and seven from the Writings. And it follows that he adds to the verses that the Rabbis stated, whereas in our Mishna it implies that he comes to reduce!

And from here, Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri holds that if he said three verses for each order, he has fulfilled his obligation.

Rav Huna said in the name of Shmuel: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri.

Mishna:

1.

One does not mention

verses of

kingship,

of

remembrances, and

of

shofar blasts,

when they are verses

of calamity.

b. In each order,

one begins with

verses from

the Torah.

And one continues with verses from the Writings.

And one concludes

and ends

with

verses from the

Prophet.

Rabbi Yose says: If he concluded

ended

with

verses from the

Torah —

he has fulfilled his obligation.