BS"D

Rosh Hashana

In the Torah there is no mention of the term Rosh Hashana.  Rather, the Torah refers to the fact that in the seventh month there will be a "Yom Teruah".  The Aramaic translation by Onkelos uses the word "Yabbova" as a day of "Crying".  As a result, we have a strange event occur in chapter 8 of the book of Nechemia.  The people had returned from the captivity in Babylon and were now going to celebrate Rosh Hashana in Israel for the first time in seventy years.  The chapter tells us that the people began to cry until the Levites explained to them that the "Crying" refers to the sound of theShofar, and not the people.  Instead, they are told to go home and rejoice, which is what they did.

Now, we are told very clearly that The Mitzva of the day is Shofar. The fulfillment of the Mitzva is to hear 100 Kolos (voices).  These are made up of three types of sounds: Tekiah, Shevarim, andTeruah.  They are produced in three variations of mixes, but what is steady is that the groups of sounds always begin with a Tekiah and end with a Tekiah; but the one variation is that at the end of all is the Tekiah Gedola (the great Tekiah).

The Shevarim and Teruah are in fact sounds of crying; the first representing the broken sounds of sobbing, while the latter is the continuous sound of weeping.  This is the "Yabbova" that Onkelos is referring to when translating "Yom Teruah" - the day when all mankind passes before G-d "Kevenai Maron" (like a flock of sheep).  On Rosh Hashana our destiny is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.  There is plenty of reason for the sounds of "Yabbova".

In spite of this, in fact because of this, we see this as a day of Coronation of the King of Kings, when His Dominion shall be exalted and His Throne shall be established on Mercy.  This is the sound of the very royal Tekiah, an act of coronation.  This was why the people were told to go home and rejoice.  A coronation is a day of rejoicing for the people and a day of commitment to the King and His commands.  That comes before and after the "Yabbova", as important as it is.

By understanding this, we hope to truly fulfill the Mitzva of Shofar in all the aspects of Malchiyot(Kingship), Zichronot (Memories) and Shofros.

MAY WE ALL BE INSCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE FOR A HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Rabbi Joseph D. Krupnik

Additional Readings:

The 17th of Tammuz - from www.ou.org
A Chronology of Destruction - The Three Weeks... - from www.ou.org