תרס"ה
בס״ד. ליל ב' דר״ה, רס״ה
Chapter One
When Rosh Hashanah coincides with Shabbos , the shofar is blown in the Beis Hamikdash (Temple), but not in the surrounding provinces, including Jerusalem and the diaspora, as explained by Rashi. The Gemara clarifies that this practice stems from a rabbinic decree based on Rabah’s ruling: while everyone is obligated to hear the shofar, not everyone is proficient in its laws. The concern was that an unknowledgeable person might carry the shofar in a public domain to seek instruction, thus violating the Shabbos prohibition against carrying.
This raises a significant question: How could the Rabbis justify setting aside a biblical commandment due to the potential actions of the uneducated? This concern primarily applies to those less knowledgeable, yet the decree affects even the most righteous individuals who lose out on the mitzvah of the shofar.
The Rebbe Rashab explains that when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos , the obligation to blow the shofar is not simply not blown but is inherently different. The spiritual intentions achieved by blowing the shofar are naturally fulfilled on Shabbos, eliminating the need for its physical sounding. However, this leads to further inquiry: What exactly is the mechanism by which these spiritual achievements occur on Shabbos without the shofar, and why was the shofar still blown in the Temple under these circumstances?
יום טוב של ר"ה שחל להיות בשבת
When the Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah fell on a Shobbos
במקדש היו תוקעין,
The Rabbis would blow the shofar in the Beis Hamikdosh
אבל לא במדינה (לא בירושלים ולא בגבולין, רש"י).
However, it would not be blown in the provinces (nor in Yerushalayim nor in the diaspora, see Rashi).
ומפרש בגמ'י הטעם, דרבנן הוא דגזור, וכדרבה,
As explained in the Gemara, the Rabbis instituted a decree based on the ruling of Rabah.
דאמר רבה הכל חייבין בתקיעת שופר, ואין הכל בקיאין בתקיעת שופר,
As Rabah ruled, all are obligated in Shofar, however, not all are fluent in their rules,
The Rebbe Rashab will explain why Rabah ruling was instituted
גזירה שמא יטלנו בידו וילך אצל הבקי ללמוד, ויעבירנו ד' אמות ברשות הרבים (ובמקדש לא גזור, דאין איסור שבות דרבנן במקדשי).
Therefore, it was decreed that when Rosh Hashanah would fall on a Shabbos the ignorant might mistakenly go to someone more knowledgeable and carry his Shofar on Shabbos four amos in a public domain hereby transgressing a biblical law (However in the Bais Hamekdosh the ruling of Rabah would not apply, because there wasn’t Rabbinic Shvus in the Bais Hamikdosh, therefore there wasn’t a concern)
וצ"ל איך דחו מצות עשה דאורייתא בשביל חשש שלא לבוא לידי איסור שבת,
We must therefore understand, how it is possible that the Rabbis can displace a biblical commandment because of a possibility of the uneducated might desecrate Shabbos
והלא החשש הוא להדיוטים וקלי הדעת,
Especially, this possibility is only because of the concern of the uneducated and ignorant
ואיך מנעו בשביל זה המצוה לגמרי מכמה צדיקים גדולים וטובים.
Why did the Rabbis displace the Mitzvah of Shofar only because of the uneducated, thereby making all the great, and the righteous lose out in such a great important Mitzvah - ? -
The Rebbe Rashab will explain why when Rosh Hashanah falls out on a Shabbos there is no concern not blowing the Shofar.
אלא צריך לומר דכשחל ר"ה בשבת,
Rather we have to say that when Rosh Hashana falls on a Shabbos,
אז לא יש החיוב דמצות תקיעת שופר כ"כ ,ולא שדחו אותה כו'.
Then there is no obligation to blow the Shofer, and it is not that the Rabbis displaced the Mitzvah of Shofer.
On each day of Rosh Hashanah, there is a biblical commandment to blow the shofar. However, when Rosh Hashanah coincides with Shabbos, the Rabbis decreed that the shofar should not be blown, out of concern that someone might inadvertently carry it, which is prohibited on Shabbos. The Rebbe Rashab raised the question: How can the Rabbis set aside a biblical commandment due to the actions of the uneducated? He explained that in truth, there is no actual obligation to blow the shofar when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos. The spiritual intentions fulfilled by blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah are inherently achieved when it
coincides with Shabbos. Therefore, there is no necessity to blow the shofar at all in such a case.
וצ"ל מפני מה הוא כן, דחיוב מצות שופר הוא דוקא בחול, ולא בשבת,
However we must understand the reason why the obligation to blow the Shofer is especially when Rosh Hashanah falls during the week, and not when Rosh Hashanah falls on a Shabbos - ? -.
While the classical Talmudic rationale attributes the cessation of shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah when it coincides with Shabbos to concerns about the uneducated potentially violating Shabbos laws, the Rebbe Rashab found this explanation unsatisfactory. He proposed an alternative perspective: that the spiritual effects achieved through blowing the shofar in a typical year are naturally attained even without its physical sounding in an exceptional year. However, the Rebbe Rashab questioned the mechanism of this spiritual achievement when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos —how precisely does this "automatic accomplishment" occur?
וגם, למה במקדש היו תוקעין כשחל בשבת ג״כ
Furthermore, why when the Temple in Jerusalem was still standing they nonetheless blew the shofar seemingly ignoring the possibility of the uneducated carrying to ask a question to the knowledgeable ones -? -.
Summary
When Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos, there is no obligation to blow the shofar outside the Temple. This is due to a rabbinic decree to prevent inadvertent Shabbos violations. The Rebbe Rashab questioned why such a decree would override a biblical commandment, particularly affecting even the knowledgeable. He concluded that there is no actual obligation to blow the shofar on Shabbos, as its spiritual purpose is fulfilled naturally. However, he pondered the mechanics of this spiritual fulfillment and questioned why the Temple continued to blow the shofar on Shabbos despite these concerns.