Why is Rosh Hashana the Day of Judgment? TB Rosh Hashana 16

For the last several days we been learning all about agricultural laws like tithing and the sabbatical year because the first Mishna describes the beginning of calendar year for plants, trees, the sabbatical year, and the Jubilee year. “On the first of Elul is the New Year for animal tithes; all the animals born prior to that date belong to the previous tithe year and are tithed as a single unit, whereas those born after that date belong to the next tithe year. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon say: The New Year for animal tithes is on the first of Tishrei.

“The first of Tishrei is the New Year for counting years, as will be explained in the Gemara; for calculating Sabbatical Years and Jubilee Years, i.e., from the first of Tishrei there is a biblical prohibition to work the land during these years; for planting, for determining the years of orla, the three-year period from when a tree has been planted during which time its fruit is forbidden; and for tithing vegetables, as vegetables picked prior to that date cannot be tithed together with vegetables picked after that date.

“On the first of Shevat is the New Year for the tree; the fruit of a tree that was formed prior to that date belong to the previous tithe year and cannot be tithed together with fruit that was formed after that date; this ruling is in accordance with the statement of Beit Shammai. But Beit Hillel say: The New Year for trees is on the fifteenth of Shevat.” (TB Rosh Hashana 2a, Sefaria.org translation)

 Today’s daf TB Rosh Hashana 16 begins discussing different aspects of Rosh Hashana as it relates to us as the Day of Judgment (Yom Hadin -יום הדין). “MISHNA: At four times of the year the world is judged: On Passover judgment is passed concerning grain; on Shavuot concerning fruits that grow on a tree; on Rosh HaShana all creatures pass before Him like sheep [benei maron], as it is stated: “He Who fashions their hearts alike, Who considers all their deeds” (Psalms 33:15); and on the festival of Sukkot they are judged concerning water, i.e., the rainfall of the coming year.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Nowhere in the Torah is the first day of Tishrei, what we know as Rosh Hashana, called the Day of Judgment. What led our sages to describe Rosh Hashana as Yom Hadin? Remember the disagreement when the world was created whether on the first day of Nisan or on the first day of Tishrei? Well, those sages who said it the world was created on the first day of Tishri were not being exact. God created the world on the 25^th day of Elul and six days later the Holy One created Adam and Eve. On that same day Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden fruit. God passed judgment upon them and exiled them from the Garden of Eden. When you check your calendars the sixth day after the 25^th day of Elul happens to be Rosh Hashana. Judging Adam and Eve on Rosh Hashana set the precedent of God judging humanity on Rosh Hashana. According to this interpretation, Rebbeinu Nisin sides with Rabbi Eliezer and not Rabbi Yehoshua (see TB Rosh Hashana 11 for review 

Rabbeinu Nisin answers the follow-up question when human beings are judged on Rosh Hashana, doesn’t that mean that livelihood is being determined as well? If that is the case, the Mishnah delineating what is judged on Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot is not only extraneous but also difficult to understand. Rabbeinu Nisin teaches that on Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot God decrees the total amount of resources available to the world. On Rosh Hashana God decrees each individual’s allotment of those resources.

I encourage you to study this daf because it contains some important insights about Rosh Hashana. I’ll include a couple of them to round out my reflection.

The first explains why we add the three special sections to the Rosh Hashana Musaf Amidah consisting of 10 verses each followed by the shofar blasts. “And recite before Me on Rosh HaShana verses that mention Kingships, Remembrances, and Shofarot: Kingships so that you will crown Me as King over you; Remembrances so that your remembrance will rise before Me for good; and with what will the remembrance rise? It will rise with the shofar.

“Similarly, Rabbi Abbahu said: Why does one sound a blast with a shofar made from a ram’s horn on Rosh HaShana? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: Sound a blast before Me with a shofar made from a ram’s horn, so that I will remember for you the binding of Isaac, son of Abraham, in whose stead a ram was sacrificed, and I will ascribe it to you as if you had bound yourselves before Me.” (Sefaria.org translation)

On Rosh Hashana we blow the shofar twice, once during the Torah service and then again during the Musaf Amidah. Even though we stand when the shofar is sounded, the shofar blasts blown during the Torah service are described as “sitting” in contradistinction to those “standing” blasts blown during the Musaf Amidah (in Hebrew Amidah means standing). Everybody agrees that the “standing” shofar blasts are the essential ones. Rabbi Yitzhak explains the purpose of having both sets of shofar blasts.

“In order to confuse the Satan, for this double blowing of the shofar demonstrates Israel’s love for the mitzva, and this will confuse Satan when he brings his accusations against Israel before the heavenly court, and the Jewish people will receive a favorable judgment.” (Sefaria.org translation) I like the interpretation that some commentators offer saying that Satan is really the yetzer hara, the evil inclination or in modern terms the id, as Reish Lakish taught. Listening to the shofar blasts awakens in the worshiper his/her intention to reign in the uncontrolled id and thus be judged favorably.