Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Rosh Hashanna Significance?

 Why is there no section about Rosh Hashanna in the Mishna Torah and why doesn't the Torah mention the obligation of repentance  but only  mentions the mitzvah of shofar?

why doesn't the Rambam count Tshuva as a mitzva?

why is there a debate about the significance of Rosh Hashanna in the gemora 17b



Gemar Chasima Tova!

3 comments :

  1. The Torah doesn't mention repentance for Yom Teruah , and it is not Biblical Rosh Hashanah. That falls on the 1st month of Aviv (= NIssan).
    Teshuva is mentioned with regards to yom Kippur and also in general.

    Do you mean Rambam's version of Taryag mitzvot?

    In Hilchot teshuva - this is presumably rambam himself:

    הקדמה הלכות תשובה. מצות עשה אחת, והוא שישוב החוטא מחטאו לפני ה' ויתודה. וביאור מצוה זו ועיקרים הנגררים עמה בגללה בפרקים אלו.

    He then says vidui is a positive Mitzvah.

    "וְהִתְוַדּוּ אֶת חַטָּאתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ" זֶה וִדּוּי דְּבָרִים. וִדּוּי זֶה מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה.

    He then says that in the absence of the Temple and Kaparah, there is only Teshuva

    ג
    בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה שֶׁאֵין בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּם וְאֵין לָנוּ מִזְבַּח כַּפָּרָה אֵין שָׁם אֶלָּא תְּשׁוּבָה.


    So it is how he organizes the various elements of Biblical teshuva - which consists of more than beating one's heart. I'm assuming vidui is counted as one of the Taryag?

    In any case, that is just methodology, it doesn't really change our obligations whether it is listed in the Sefer hamitzvot or just in the Torah.

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  2. R'H is discussed in :

    Hil. Shevitat Yom Tov

    Hil. Shofar, Sukkah, vLulav

    and I believe also Kiddush HaChodesh

    There may also be discussions of Korbanot in Sefer Avodah, and Korbanot, though I have not seen these.

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  3. "why doesn't the Torah mention the obligation of repentance but only mentions the mitzvah of shofar?"

    D'oraita, the chag is Yom Teruah, and is not explicitly about teshuva.
    The question is similar to asking why the Torah doesn't mention yom tov sheini?
    Or waiting 6 hours after meat.
    It could be an asmachta or other method of deriving teshuva for rosh hashana. Because it is juxtaposed with Yom kippur, there is a leg to stand on. Perhaps the shofar is to awaken us to the Kapparah of yom kippur.

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