Rosh Hashanah 56

Chapter 56

א אבל הכא (ויקרא כג, כד) זכרון תרועה כתיב והאי מתעסק בעלמא הוא קמ"ל אלמא קסבר רבא מצות אין צריכות כוונה
1 whereas in this case it is written a memorial of blowing the trumpet<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XXIII, 24.');"><sup>1</sup></span> and this man is merely amusing himself.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'occupying himself'. And we are told infra that one who blows merely to pass the time does not fulfil his obligation.');"><sup>2</sup></span>
ב איתיביה היה קורא בתורה והגיע זמן המקרא אם כוון לבו יצא ואם לאו לא יצא מאי לאו כוון לבו לצאת
2 Therefore we are told [that this argument does not apply]. We conclude from this that in Raba's opinion religious precepts do not need to be performed with deliberate intention.
ג לא לקרות לקרות הא קא קרי בקורא להגיה
3 The following objection was raised against this view: 'If a man was reading the [passage of the shema'] in the Torah and the time of reading [the shema'] arrived, if he put his mind to it, he has performed his religious duty'. Does this not mean, 'put his mind to perform his religious duty'? - No; it means, [put his mind] to read [distinctly].
ד ת"ש היה עובר אחורי בית הכנסת או שהיה ביתו סמוך לבית הכנסת ושמע קול שופר או קול מגילה אם כוון לבו יצא ואם לאו לא יצא מאי לאו אם כוון לבו לצאת
4 To read? But he is reading! - We speak of one who is reading to correct [the scroll].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And only mumbles the words.');"><sup>3</sup></span>
ה לא לשמוע לשמוע והא שמע סבור חמור בעלמא הוא
5 Come and hear: 'IF HE WAS PASSING BEHIND THE SYNAGOGUE, OR IF HIS HOUSE WAS ADJOINING THE SYNAGOGUE, AND HE HEARD THE SOUND OF THE SHOFAR OR OF THE READING OF THE MEGILLAH, IF HE PUT HIS MIND TO IT HE THEREBY PERFORMED HIS RELIGIOUS DUTY, BUT IF NOT HE DID NOT PERFORM HIS RELIGIOUS DUTY'. Does not this mean, 'if he put his mind to perform his religious duty'? - No; [it means, if he put his mind] to hear.
ו איתיביה נתכוון שומע ולא נתכוון משמיע משמיע ולא נתכוון שומע לא יצא עד שיתכוון שומע ומשמיע בשלמא נתכוון משמיע ולא נתכוון שומע כסבור חמור בעלמא הוא אלא נתכוון שומע ולא נתכוון משמיע היכי משכחת לה לאו בתוקע לשיר
6 To hear? But he is hearing! - He may think, it is merely an ass braying.
ז דלמא דקא מנבח נבוחי
7 The following objection was raised against this view: 'If the hearer [of the shofar] put his mind to the act but not the performer,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'he who causes to hear'.');"><sup>4</sup></span> or the performer put his mind but not the hearer, he did not perform his religious duty; [he does not do so] until both hearer and performer put their minds to the act'.
ח א"ל אביי אלא מעתה הישן בשמיני בסוכה ילקה
8 I understand the case where the performer put his mind but not the hearer, as the latter may have thought it was merely an ass braying. But that the hearer should put his mind and not the performer - how can this happen?
ט אמר לו שאני אומר מצות אינו עובר עליהן אלא בזמנן
9 Is it not where the latter blows merely to make music?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And in such a case he does not perform the precept of blowing the shofar, which would show that such performance requires intention.');"><sup>5</sup></span> - Perhaps [it refers to a case] where he merely [as it were] barks.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., produces only half the requisite sound.');"><sup>6</sup></span>
י מתיב רב שמן בר אבא מנין לכהן שעולה לדוכן שלא יאמר הואיל ונתנה לי תורה רשות לברך את ישראל אוסיף ברכה אחת משלי כגון (דברים א, יא) ה' אלהי אבותיכם יוסף עליכם ת"ל (דברים ד, ב) לא תוסיפו על הדבר והא הכא כיון דבריך ליה עברה ליה זמניה וקתני דעבר
10 Said Abaye to him:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Raba.');"><sup>7</sup></span> But if that is so, then one who sleeps in the Sukkah<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos.');"><sup>8</sup></span>
יא הכא במאי עסקינן בדלא סיים
11 on the eighth day should be flogged?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because the commandment is to sleep there only seven days, and he is adding to the commandment even if he does not mean to, v. Deut. IV, 2. ifus');"><sup>9</sup></span> - He replied: [Not so], because I maintain that commandments cannot be transgressed [by adding to them] save in their proper season.
יב והתניא סיים סיים ברכה אחת
12 R'Shaman B'Abba raised the following objection against this view: 'Whence do we learn that a priest who mounts the platform<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heb. .');"><sup>10</sup></span> should not say, "Because the Torah has given me permission to bless Israel, I will add a blessing of my own, as for instance, The Lord, the God of your fathers, add unto you"?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. I, 11.');"><sup>11</sup></span>
יג והתניא סיים כל ברכותיו שאני הכא כיון דאלו מתרמי ליה צבורא אחרינא הדר מברך כוליה יומא זמניה הוא
13 Because it says, Ye shall not add unto the word'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. IV, 2.');"><sup>12</sup></span> Now here, since he has finished blessing them,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Before he adds his own blessing.');"><sup>13</sup></span>
יד ומנא תימרא דתנן הניתנין במתנה אחת שנתערבו בניתנין מתנה אחת ינתנו מתנה אחת מתן ד' במתן ד' ינתנו במתן ד'
14 the time of the precept has passed, and yet it states that he transgresses? - Here we are dealing with the case where he has not yet finished the blessings. But the statement runs, 'he has finished'? - That means, he has finished one blessing.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the three priestly blessings.');"><sup>14</sup></span>
טו מתן ד' במתן אחת ר"א אומר ינתנו במתן ד' רבי יהושע אומר ינתנו במתן אחת
15 But it states, 'he finished all his blessings'? - There is a special reason in this case; seeing tha he comes across another congregation, he may bless again, the whole day is reckoned as the proper time.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And we may still hold that commandments cannot be transgressed by adding to them save in their proper time.');"><sup>15</sup></span> But what is your ground for saying so? - Because we have learnt: If blood which has to be sprinkled [on the altar] once<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., the blood of the firstborn of cattle when brought as a sacrifice. Lit., 'has to be given in a single gift'.');"><sup>16</sup></span>
טז אמר לו ר"א הרי הוא עובר על בל תגרע אמר לו ר' יהושע הרי הוא עובר על בל תוסיף
16 has been mixed with other blood which had to be sprinkled once, the whole should be sprinkled once. If blood which has to be sprinkled four times<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., the blood of burnt-offerings and peace-offerings which had to be sprinkled on four corners of the altar.');"><sup>17</sup></span>
יז א"ל ר"א לא נאמר בל תוסיף אלא כשהוא בעצמו אמר לו ר' יהושע לא נאמר בל תגרע אלא כשהוא בעצמו
17 has been mixed with other blood which has to be sprinkled four times, the whole must be sprinkled four times. If blood which has to be sprinkled four times is mixed with blood which has to be sprinkled once, R'Eleazar says the whole should be sprinkled four times.
יח ועוד אמר רבי יהושע כשלא נתת עברת על בל תגרע ולא עשית מעשה בידך כשנתת עברת על בל תוסיף ועשית מעשה בידך
18 R'Joshua says it should be sprinkled once. Said R'Eleazar to him: By doing so he transgresses the precept of 'thou shalt not diminish'!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because he sprinkles in one instalment blood which should be sprinkled in four.');"><sup>18</sup></span>
יט והא הכא כיון דיהיב ליה מתנה מבכור עברה ליה לזמניה וקתני דעבר משום בל תוסיף לאו משום דאמרינן כיון דאילו מתרמי ליה בוכרא אחרינא הדר מזה מיניה כוליה יומא זמניה
19 To which R'Joshua retorted, By doing your way, he transgresses the precept of thou shalt not add.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because he sprinkles in four instalments blood which should be sprinkled in one.');"><sup>19</sup></span> Said R'Eleazar to him: The precept 'thou shalt not add' applies only when the act is repeated on the same subject.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'when it (the instrument of the religious act) is by itself'.');"><sup>20</sup></span>
כ [ממאי] דלמא קסבר ר' יהושע מצות עובר עליהן אפי' שלא בזמנן
20 To which R'Joshua replied: The precept 'thou shalt not diminish' applies only where the act is withheld from the same subject.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'when it (the instrument of the religious act) is by itself'.');"><sup>20</sup></span> R'Joshua said further to him: If you do not sprinkle [four times], you transgress the rule of 'thou shalt not diminish', but you do not perform any positive action,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the sin is one of omission only.');"><sup>21</sup></span>
כא אנן הכי קאמרינן רב שמן בר אבא מ"ט שביק מתני' ומותיב מברייתא לותיב ממתניתין מתניתין מ"ט לא מותיב כיון דאילו מתרמי ליה בוכרא אחרינא בעי מזה מיניה כוליה יומא זמניה הוא ברייתא נמי כיון דאי מתרמי צבורא אחרינא הדר מברך כוליה יומא זמניה
21 When you do sprinkle, you transgress the rule of 'thou shalt not add' and you do perform a positive action.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the sin is one of commission, v. Zeb. 80a.');"><sup>22</sup></span> Now here, as soon as he has made one sprinkling for the firstborn, its time is past, and yet it says that he transgresses the precept of 'thou shalt not add'; and is not the reason for this because we say that since, if he gets hold of another firstborn he can sprinkle its blood, the whole day is reckoned its proper time? - [No.] Perhaps R'Joshua was of opinion that precepts may be transgressed even out of their proper time.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that this Mishnah affords no support for the distinction made above in regard to the blessing of the priest and thus the objection against Raba stands.');"><sup>23</sup></span>
כב ורב שמן בר אבא התם לא סגי דלא יהיב הכא אי בעי מברך אי בעי לא מברך
22 We argue thus.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In trying to bring support from the Mishnah to the above distinction.');"><sup>24</sup></span> Why does R'Shaman B'Abba leave the Mishnah and bring his objection from the Baraitha?
כג רבא אמר לצאת לא בעי כוונה לעבור בעי כוונה
23 Let him bring his objection from the Mishnah! What is the reason why he does not adduce the Mishnah? On the ground that, if he [the priest] gets hold of another firstborn he can sprinkle its blood, the whole day is its proper time.
כד והא מתן דמים לרבי יהושע דלעבור ולא בעי כוונה אלא אמר רבא לצאת לא בעי כוונה לעבור בזמנו לא בעי כוונה שלא בזמנו בעי כוונה
24 But in the case mentioned in the Baraitha also, seeing that, if he comes across another congregation he may bless again, the whole day is the proper time! What says R'Shaman B'Abba to this? - In that case [of the blood], he is bound to sprinkle;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'there is no way of not giving'; if he gets other blood.');"><sup>25</sup></span> in this case, if he likes h may bless, and if he likes he need not bless.
כה אמר ליה ר' זירא לשמעיה
25 Raba says: For the performance of his religious duty, he does not require to put his mind to it. For transgression [by adding to the precept], he does require to put his mind. But what of the sprinkling of blood, where, according to R'Joshua, he transgresses though he does not put his mind to it?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He does not intend to sprinkle the blood of the firstborn in the last three installments.');"><sup>26</sup></span> Raba therefore [corrected himself and] said: For the performance of the religious duty he does not require to put his mind to it; for [being accounted to have committed a] transgression [by adding to the precept] if [the act is done] in proper time, he does not require to put his mind to it; if it is not done in its proper time he does require to put his mind to it. R'Zera said to his attendant:
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