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Hi chevra,
On to the fourth perek of Rosh HaShana!
Please make plans to join us for our siyyum of Rosh Hashana, on Wednesday evening, August 30th at 7:30 in the Beit Midrash! Rachel Grose, Zev Wainberg, Etan and Maccabee Cohen, and Sari Abrams will each teach a Mishna in honor of the occasion!
The fourth Perek of Rosh Hashana concludes the Masechet with more details about the practicalities of observing Rosh Hashanah, focusing on the two core mitzvot of the day: tefilah and shofar.
The perek starts with the rule that in the time of the Mikdash, they would blow the shofar even when Rosh Hashanah fell on Shabbat, but only in Yerushalayim. After the destruction, Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai decreed that this practice could continue only in a city (like Yavneh, where he lived) that had a Beit Din of 23. The next several mishnayot (2-4) describe how Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai decreed that other halachot related to the observance Yom Tov and the setting of the calendar that had observed differently in Yerushalayim and the rest of Eretz Yisrael before the destruction would now be observed the same way everywhere.
Mishnayot 5-7 then pivot to the order of tefilah on Rosh Hashana, discussing the recitation of Malchiot, Zichronot,and Shofrot, and when the shofar is blown in relation to the various psukim. While there is some debate over whether Malchiot stands on its own or is part of the Avot part of Mussaf, it is clear that Malchiot has to come first. How could we ask Hashem to remember us and respond to the pleas of the shofar unless we accept Hashem’s rule first? While the mishna does not give us specifics about which psukim constitute those sections, we do get the rules about including psukim from Torah, Neviim and Ketuvim, and different opinions about the minimum number of psukim in each section, setting up what could be a lively discussion in the Gemara.
The perek ends with two mishnayot about proper shofar preparation, handling, and blowing. The Biblical mitzvah of shofar is not considered “malacha” (halachik work) but we still have to be careful not to violate any laws of Yom Tov in order to fulfill the mitzvah.
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