Siman - Rosh Hashanah Daf 33
- Machlokes whether women are restrained from blowing shofar
The Mishnah on Daf 32b stated: אין מעכבין את התינוקות מלתקוע – We do not restrain the children from blowing the shofar. The Gemara says that the Mishnah implies הא נשים מעכבין – but we do restrain women from blowing. This conflicts with a Baraisa that taught that we do not restrain women from blowing shofar on the Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah. Abaye answered that there is no קשיא. The Tanna of the Mishnah is Rebbe Yehudah, who holds that since women are not chayav in tekias shofar, they are forbidden to do it, whereas the Baraisa is the view of Rebbe Yose and Rebbe Shimon, who hold that although women are not obligated to blow, they need not be restrained from doing so. The Gemara brings a Baraisa that demonstrates that they disagree whether women have an option of performing a mitzvah in which they are not chayav. It was taught: "דבר אל בני ישראל" – Speak to bnei Yisroel…He shall lean his hands upon the head of an olah. Rebbe Yehudah says: בני ישראל סומכין ואין בנות ישראל סומכות – Only bnei Yisroel do semichah, not bnos Yisroel. Rebbe Yose and Rebbe Shimon say: נשים סומכות רשות – Women have the option to do semichah if they so desire.
- שיעור תרועה כשלש יבבות
The next Mishnah stated: שיעור תרועה כשלש יבבות – The length of a teruah is like three whimpers. The Gemara notes that this conflicts with a Baraisa that taught: שיעור תרועה כשלשה שברים – The length of a teruah is like three shevarim, which Rashi explains are broken-blast segments, which are longer than whimpers. Abaye said that the disagreement is based on the following point, for it is written, "יום תרועה יהיה לכם" – A day of teruah sounding shall it be for you. And the Targum renders this: יום יבבא יהא לכון – A day of ‘yevava’ sounding shall it be for you. And it is written regarding Sisra’s mother: "בעד החלון נשקפה ותיבב אם סיסרא" – Through the window she looked, and she cried (vateyabev), Sisra’s mother. The machlokes is regarding what type of crying this is. The Tanna of the Baraisa holds that yevava is גנוחי גנח – a reference to moaning, and therefore describes it as shevarim. The Tanna of our Mishnah holds that yevava is ילולי יליל – a reference to sobbing, and therefore describes the teruah as a series of short whimpers.
- The source that a shofar is used on Rosh Hashanah
It was taught in a Baraisa: מנין שבשופר – From where do we derive that the teruah blasts of Rosh Hashanah must be sounded with a shofar? From this that the Torah states regarding Yom Kippur of Yovel: "והעברת שופר תרועה" – You shall sound the shofar blast of teruah. I have so far only derived that a shofar is used on Yom Kippur of Yovel. From where do I derive that on Rosh Hashanah, too, it is a shofar that is sounded? The Torah therefore states in that passuk, "בחדש השביעי" – In the seventh month. Now what was the purpose of stating that, when we know that Yom Kippur occurs in the month of Tishrei? שיהיו כל תרועות של חדש שביעי זה כזה – It is to teach that all the teruah blasts of the seventh month should be alike. On Rosh Hashanah, as on Yom Kippur in Yovel, the teruos should be sounded with a shofar.
