Musaf

Byron Kolitz 1 September 2020; 12 Elul 5780

Background

Other than the of blowing the on Rosh HaShanah, perhaps the most important observance of the day is found in the Rosh HaShanah Musaf prayers.

Ordinarily, the Musaf prayer contains seven blessings: the standard three opening and three closing blessings of the Amidah, and one middle blessing called Kedushat Hayom (Sanctification of the Day), which reflects the unique holiness of the day and recounts the special offerings brought in the Temple.

The Amidah always begins and ends with the same paragraphs, while the middle section—the most important part of the prayer—changes to suit the occasion. In the case of the Rosh HaShanah Musaf Amidah, there are three blessings in this middle section: Malchuyot (kingship), Zichronot (remembrance), and Shofarot (shofar).

These blessings represent the basic themes of the day. They were, at one time, part of the morning service and were only later transferred to Musaf. [Note: Reform does not follow the practice of having an additional Amidah; it has moved the elements of the service discussed in this article back to the morning service.]

The Rosh HaShanah Musaf prayer contains nine blessings, making it the longest Musaf prayer (in terms of blessings) of the entire year. The tells us that these nine blessings correspond to the nine times that Channah the prophetess mentioned G-d’s name in the prayer of gratitude she said on Rosh HaShanah following the birth of her son, the future prophet Samuel.

The blowing of the shofar was the main ritual performed on Rosh HaShanah and the only one mandated by the for this day. During the Second Temple period, the sounding of the shofar was introduced by a series of biblical verses that conveyed the purpose and intent of the act. As the (Rosh HaShanah 4.6) teaches:

No less than 10 kingship verses, 10 remembrance verses, and 10 shofar verses must be recited…. We do not recite remembrance, kingship, and shofar verses that are punitive in nature. We begin with verses from the Torah and conclude with a prophetic verse.

The Mishnah tells us that after each of the blessings Malchuyot, Zichronot, and Shofarot are recited, we blow the shofar. This is in addition to the stand-alone shofar-blowing that takes place after the reading of the Torah.

The shofar is only blown when praying communally.

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The Ashkenazic custom is only to blow the shofar during the chazzan’s repetition of the Amidah, while the Chassidic and Sephardic custom is to blow during the silent Amidah as well.

Each of the three blessings includes three verses from the Torah (Pentateuch), three from Nevi'im (Prophets), three from (Writings) and a concluding verse from the Torah, for a total of ten verses. The number ten corresponds to the Ten Utterances with which G-d created the world [Mishnah (Rosh HaShanah 32a).]

[note: notes above based on material from Reuven Hammer and Yehuda Shurpin.]

Machzor Lev Shalem

Shofar blasts

Torah Service page 119 30 three (3) groups of 10 [minimum per halacha]

Musaf - Silent Chassidic & Sephardic

Malchuyot page 132 10

Zichronot page 135 10

Shofarot page 137 10

Musaf – Repetition Ashkenazic, Chassidic, & Sephardic

Malchuyot page 158 10

Zichronot page 162 10

Shofarot page 166 10

Kaddish Shalem page 171 10

total shofar blasts 100 Chassidic & Sephardic (often 101) (becoming more prevalent among Ashkenazic practice)

total shofar blasts 70 Ashkenazic, Chassidic, & Sephardic

note: slight variations exist among different communities, eg, Yemenite

2 Natan ben Y’chiel mi Romi (c. 1035-1106), known, as the Arukh, mentions a custom to blow 100 blasts:

The number 100 in the Arukh is intended to correspond to the tears which Sisera’s mother is said to have shed when her son was killed in battle. [Arukh 272:1; mentioned in Rosh Hashanah 33b s.v. – The Hebrew word used to the ,( הבבי ) this is cognate to yevava ;( בביתו ) describe her wailing is vateyabev Aramaic translation of teruah.

The short Biblical story of Sisera’s mother contains 101 letters [in Judges 5:28-29, (not including verses 5:30-31)], while the Arukh only mentions 100 blasts. This discrepancy is explained by saying that while each shofar blast is intended to “nullify” one of her cries due to hatred of , nevertheless we leave her one tear out of recognition of the pain suffered by any bereaved mother. In any case, Sephardic communities typically blow 101 blasts, with the 101st symbolizing her legitimate mourning.

From Sefaria (www.sefaria.org/Judges.5.27?vhe=Tanach_with_Nikkud&lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en)

ְבּ ַעד ַה ַחלּוֹן נִ ְשׁ ְק ָפה וַ ְתּיַ ֵבּב ֵאם ִסי ְס ָרא ְבּ ַעד ָה ֶא ְשׁנָב ַמדּוּ ַע בּ ֹ ֵשׁשׁ ִר ְכבּוֹ ָלבוֹא ַמדּוּ ַע ֶא ֱחרוּ ַפּ ֲע ֵמי ַמ ְר ְכּבוֹ ָתיו׃

Through the window peered Sisera’s mother, Behind the lattice she whined: “Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why so late the clatter of his wheels?”

ַח ְכמוֹת ָשׂרוֹ ֶתי ָה ַתּ ֲענֶינָּה אַף־ ִהיא ָתּ ִשׁיב ֲא ָמ ֶרי ָה ָלהּ׃

The wisest of her ladies give answer; She, too, replies to herself:

3 Ten Utterances

.( רמאמ ו ת ) ”Pirke Avot 5:1says that the world was created with 10 “utterances to mean that רמאמ ו ת Both Rashi and Rav Ovadiah Mibartenura explain the term .is used in the story of creation רמאיו it refers to the number of times that the term They both say that there are a total of 9 such occurrences, and the 10th utterance Rav Ovadiah explains why that word is considered an . ישארב ת is the term “utterance” by G-d.

give a listing of the ten utterances that appears in Bereishit Rabba ( זח ל״ ) 17:1, together with what to swap out*.

ח מכ י נ ו ) Chazal is an acronym for the Hebrew Ḥakhameinu Zikhronam Liv'rakha Our Sages, may their memory be blessed”, refers to all Jewish“ ,(ז רכ ו םנ ל הכרב sages of the Mishna, , and Talmud eras, spanning from the times of the final 300 years of the Second Temple until the 7th century CE (c. 250 BCE – c. 625 CE).

*Hashem said it is not good (for man) to be (alone).

A Tannaitic (“repeaters”/”teachers”) source (10 - 220 CE, the Mishnaic period): The world was created in ten utterances. And these are:

1. verse 1 Bereishit 2. verse 2 middle, ‘and the spirit of G-d hovered’ / ‘a mighty wind hovered’ 3. verse 3 (G-d said) Let there be light 4. verse 6 (G-d said) Let there be a firmament 5. verse 9 (G-d said) Let the waters be gathered 6. verse 11 (G-d said) Let the earth put forth grass 7. verse 14 (G-d said) Let there be lights (in the firmament of the heaven) 8. verse 20 (G-d said) Let the waters swarm 9. verse 24 (G-d said) Let the earth bring forth (the living creature) 10. verse 26 (G-d said) Let us make man.

Menachem bar Yossi removed Item 2 (the spirit of Hashem hovered) and inserted Bereishit 2:12, (G-d said) “It is not good that the man should be alone.”

Rabbi Yaakov ben Korshai said: One utterance was given to the ruach for itself.

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