[Par-reg] For Rosh ha'Shana - shiur

Menachem Leibtag tsc at bezeqint.net
Sat Sep 15 17:34:23 EDT 2012


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     THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]

          In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag

     Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag

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               for ROSH HASHANA  shiur

 

     To our surprise, the holiday that we
call Rosh Hashana is

never referred to as such in Chumash!  In
fact, Chumash tells

us very little about this holiday that we are
told to

celebrate on the 'first day of the seventh
month' (see Vayikra

23:23).

     So how do we know that this day is
indeed a 'day of

judgment'?

     And why should this day mark the
beginning of a 'new

year'?

     In the following shiur, we attempt to
answer these

fundamental questions from within Chumash
itself.

 

INTRODUCTION

     The laws of Rosh Hashana are discussed
only twice in

Chumash, once in Parshat Emor (Vayikra
23:23-25), and once in

Parshat Pinchas (Bamidbar 29:1-6).
Therefore, we must begin

our shiur by taking a quick look at these two
sources, noting

how scant the Torah's detail of this holiday
appears to be:

 

1) In Parshat Emor -

  "On the seventh month, on the first day of
that month,

  you shall have a shabbaton [a day of rest],
zichron

  tru'a, mikra kodesh [a day set aside for
gathering], do

  not work, and you shall bring an offering
to God"

  (Vayikra 23:23-5).

 

2) In Parshat Pinchas -

  "On the seventh month, on the first day of
that month,

  observe a 'mikra kodesh', do no work, it
shall be for you

  a yom tru'a..." (Bamidbar 29:1-6).

 

     Note that Chumash never refers to this
holiday as Rosh

Hashana!  Instead, we are told to make a
holiday on the first

day of the seventh month [that's closer to
'mid-year' than

'new-year'].

     Furthermore, the Torah never tells us
why this day is

chosen.  Instead, we are instructed to sound
a tru'a [yom

tru'a], or to remember a tru'a [zichron
tru'a], but it is not

clear at all precisely what these phrases -
yom tru'a and

zichron tru'a - imply.

  [Note that the Torah provides reasons for
all of the

  other holidays, either explicitly: chag
ha-matzot is to

  remember Yetziat Mitzrayim, shavuot for the
grain harvest

  ('chag ha-katzir') and Sukkot for the fruit
harvest

  ('chag ha-asif'); or implicitly - Yom
Kippur for it marks

  the day on which Moshe Rabbeinu came down
from Har Sinai

  with the second Luchot & God's midot
ha-rachamim" (based

  on the three groups of 40 days in the
account of those

  events in Sefer Devarim chapter 9).]

 

     Finally, nowhere in these psukim in
Parshat Emor or in

Parshat Pinchas do we find even a hint that
this day should be

considered a 'day of judgment'.

     So what's going on?  How does this
enigmatic biblical

holiday become the Rosh Hashana that we are
all so familiar

with?

     To answer this question, we must explore
other sources in

the Bible where these very same topics are
mentioned, namely:

  A)  the cycle of the agricultural year in
Chumash, and

  B)  the biblical meaning of the phrases:

     "yom tru'a" & "zicharon"

 

TISHREI - NOT THE 'JEWISH' NEW YEAR

     To understand what is special about the
seventh month, we

must return to the two parshiot of the chagim
in Chumash, i.e.

Parshat Emor (Vayikra chapter 23) and Parshat
Pinchas

(Bamidbar chapters 28->29).

     First, quickly review the internal
progression of each of

these two units, noting how they both list
the entire set of

holidays - in an order that begins in the
spring.  Most

likely, this 'spring start' is based on God's
earlier command

in Parshat Ha'Chodesh to count the months
from the first month

of spring - corresponding to our redemption
from Egypt.  [See

Shmot 12:1-2; 13:2-3  & 23:15.]

     Hence, there seems to be every reason in
Chumash to

consider Nissan as the Jewish New Year, and
not Tishrei!  What

then is special about the seventh month, and
why do we refer

to it as Rosh Hashana?

  [Even though it is commonly assumed that
the first of

  Tishrei marks the anniversary of the
creation of the

  world, this specific point is a controversy
in the Talmud

  between R. Eliezer (created in Tishrei) and
R. Yehoshua

  (created in Nissan).  [See Mesechet Rosh
Hashana 11a]

    According to R. Yehoshua who claims that
the world was

  created in Nissan and not in Tishrei, could
it be that

  there is nothing special about this day?
Furthermore,

  even according to R. Eliezer, why should
the anniversary

  of the Creation provoke a yearly 'Day of
Judgment'?  In

  any case, Chumash never states explicitly
that the

  Creation began in Tishrei.]

 

     To answer this question, we must take
into consideration

the basic cycle of the agricultural year in
the Land of

Israel.

 

THE END OF THE AGRICULTURAL YEAR

     In addition to the biblical year that
begins in Nissan

(see Shmot 12:1-2), we find another
'calendar' in Chumash,

which relates to the agricultural cycle of
the year.  Take for

example the Torah's first mention of the
holiday of Sukkot,

noting how it explicitly states that Sukkot
falls out at the

end of the year:

  "Three times a year celebrate for Me... and
the

  'gathering holiday' [chag ha-asif], when
the year goes

  out [be-tzeit ha-shana], when you gather
your produce

  from the Land..."    (see Shmot 23:14-17).

 

     From this pasuk we can infer that
Chumash takes for

granted that we are aware of a 'year' that
'goes out' when we

gather our fruits.  If this 'agricultural'
year 'goes out'

when the produce is harvested, then it must
begin when the

fields are first sown (in the autumn).

     When Sukkot is described in greater
detail (in Parshat

Emor), we find the precise 'lunar' date for
this 'gathering'

holiday:

  "On the 15th day of the seventh month, when
you gather

  the produce of your Land, you shall observe
a holiday for

  seven days..." (see Vayikra 23:39).

 

     From these two sources it becomes clear
that Chumash

assumes that there is an 'agricultural year'
that ends in

Tishrei.

     This assumption is confirmed when we
examine yet another

agricultural mitzva that requires a defined
yearly cycle - the

laws of shmitta [the sabbatical year].

     In Parshat Behar the Torah describes a
cycle of six years

when we work the land, and the seventh year
of rest (see 25:1-7).

Clearly, this implies that there must be a
certain date

when the year of this shmitta cycle begins.
And sure enough,

the Torah informs us of this date when it
describes

immediately afterward the laws of the yovel
[Jubilee] year,

celebrated after each seven shmitta cycles:

  "And you shall count seven weeks of years,
seven times

  seven years, and then you shall sound a
shofar tru'a on

  the seventh month, on the tenth of the
month..." (see

  Vayikra 25:8-9)

 

     Here we are told explicitly that the
years of the shmitta

cycle begin in the seventh month.

  [One could assume that the year actually
begins on the first

  of Tishrei, but on the yovel year we wait
until Yom Kippur

  to make the 'official declaration'.  This
may be for a

  thematic reason as well, for on yovel land
returns to its

  original owners & we annul all debts, etc.
[like starting

  over with a clean slate].  Therefore, we
pronounce yovel on

  Yom Kippur, at the same time when we ask
God to annul our

  sins.]

 

     Finally, the mitzva of hakhel (see
Devarim 31:10-12)

provides conclusive proof that the year of
the shmitta cycle

begins in Tishrei.  We are commanded to
conduct the hakhel

ceremony 'be-mo'ed shnat ha-shmitta be-chag
ha-Sukkot' - at

the appointed [or gathering] time of shmitta
(i.e. the time of

year when cycle increments) on Sukkot.  This
clearly implies

that the shmitta cycle increments in Tishrei.

 

THE BEGINNING OF THE AGRICULTURAL YEAR

     In addition to the above sources that
assume the

existence of an 'agricultural year' that ends
in Tishrei,

another source in Chumash informs us more
precisely when this

agricultural year begins.  In fact, this
source is the only

time in Chumash where we find an explicit
mention of the word

'rosh' in relation to the beginning of a
year!

     In Parshat Ekev, the Torah explains how
farming in the

'land of Israel' differs from farming in the
'land of Egypt'

(see Devarim 11:10-12).  Unlike Egypt, which
enjoys a constant

supply of water from the Nile River, the Land
of Israel is

dependent on 'matar' (rain) for its water
supply.  Hence, the

farmer in the land of Israel must depend one
the rainfall for

his prosperity.  But that rainfall itself,
Chumash explains,

is a direct function of God's 'hashgacha'
[providence].  In

this context (i.e. in relation to the
rainfall in the land of

Israel), we learn that:

  "It is a Land which your Lord looks after,
God's 'eyes'

  constantly look after it - mi-reishit shana
- from the

  beginning of the year - until the end of
the year"

  (11:12).

    [Recall that in the land of Israel it
only rains

    between Sukkot and Pesach, hence the
cycle begins in

    Tishrei.]

 

     Here, God assures Am Yisrael that He
will look after the

'agricultural' needs of our Land by making
sure that it will

receive the necessary rainfall.  To prove
this interpretation

we simply need to read the following parshia
(which just so

happens to be the second parsha of daily
'kriyat shma'):

  "[Hence,] should you keep the mitzvot...
then I will give

  the rain to your land at the proper time...
[but] be

  careful, should you transgress... then I
hold back the

  heavens, and there will be no rain... (see
Devarim 11:13-

  16!).

 

     In this context, the phrase 'reishit
shana' in 11:12

implies the beginning of the rainy season.
Hence, the

biblical agricultural year begins with the
rainy season in the

fall - reishit ha-shana - i.e. the new
(agricultural) year.

 

A CRITICAL TIME

     But specifically in the land of Israel
this time of year

is quite significant, for in Israel it only
rains during the

autumn and winter months.  Therefore, farmers
must plow and

sow their fields during those months in order
to catch the

winter rain.  In fact, the rainfall during
the months of

Cheshvan & Kislev is most critical, for the
newly sown fields

require large amounts of water.  If it
doesn't rain in the

late autumn / early winter, there will be
nothing to harvest

in the spring or summer.

  [Note that in Masechet Ta'anit (see
chapters 1 and 2) we

  learn that if the rain is not sufficient by
mid-Kislev, a

  series of 'fast-days' are proclaimed when
special prayers

  for rain are added, including a set of
tefillot almost

  identical to those of Rosh Hashana (see
II.2-3).  This

  may explain why Seder Moed places Masechet
Rosh Hashana

  before Masechet Ta'anit, rather than
placing it before

  Yoma (where it would seem to belong)!]

 

     From this perspective, the fate of the
produce of the

forthcoming agricultural year is primarily
dependent on the

rainfall during the early winter months.
Should the rainfall

be insufficient, not only will there not be
enough water to

drink, the crops will not grow!  [See
Masechet Rosh Hashana

16a!]  A shortage of rain can lead not only
to drought, but

also to famine, and disease throughout the
months of the

spring and summer.  Furthermore, a food
shortage is likely to

lead to an outbreak of war between nations
fighting over the

meager available resources.

     Consequently, it may appear to man as
though nature

itself, i.e. via the early rainy season,
determines 'who will

live' and 'who will die', who by thirst and
who by famine, who

by war and who by disease...'. [from the
'netaneh tokef'

tefilla on Rosh Hashana]

 

NATURE OR GOD?

     Even though it may appear to man that
nature, or more

specifically - the rain - will determine the
fate of the

forthcoming agricultural year, Chumash
obviously cannot accept

this conclusion.  As we discussed (or will
discuss) in our

shiur on Parshat Breishit, a primary theme in
Chumash is that

the creation of nature was a willful act of
God, and He

continues to oversee it.  Although it may
appear to man as

though nature works independently, it is
incumbent upon him to

recognize that it is God, and not nature, who
determines his

fate.

     Therefore, in anticipation of the rainy
season (which

begins in the autumn) and its effect on the
fate of the entire

year, the Torah commands Bnei Yisrael to set
aside a 'mikra

kodesh' - a special gathering - in the
seventh month in order

that we gather to declare God's kingdom over
all Creation.  In

doing so, we remind ourselves that it is He
who determines our

fate, based on our deeds, as explained in
Parshat Ekev (see

Devarim 11:10-19).

     Now that we have established why the
seventh month should

be considered the beginning of a new year,
i.e. the new

agricultural year, we must now explain why
the Torah chooses

specifically the first day of this month to
mark this

occasion.

 

THE OVERLAP

     Based on the Torah's definition of
Sukkot as 'be-tzeit ha-

shana' (the end of the year / see Shmot
23:16), it would seem

more logical to consider Shmini Atzeret -
which falls out

immediately after Sukkot - as the first day
of the New Year.

After all, it is not by chance that Chazal
instituted

'tefillat geshem' - the special prayer for
rain - on this day.

Why does the Torah command us to gather
specifically on the

first day of this seventh month, before the
previous year is

over?

     One could suggest very simply that an
overlap exists, as

the new agricultural year begins (on the
first day of the

seventh month) before the previous year ends.
However, if we

examine all of the holidays of the seventh
month, a more

complex picture emerges.

 

A SPECIAL MONTH

     Note that in Parshat Emor and Parshat
Pinchas, we find

four different holidays that are to be
observed in the seventh

month:

     On the first day - a Yom tru'a

     On the 10th day - Yom Ha-kippurim

     On the 15th day - 'Chag Sukkot for seven
days

     On the 22nd day - an 'Atzeret'

    [Note how all these holidays are
connected by the

    Torah's conspicuous use of the word 'ach'
in 23:27 &

    23:39.]

 

     Why are there so many holidays in the
seventh month?  For

Sukkot, the Torah provides an explicit
reason: it marks the

end of the summer fruit harvest [chag
ha-asif].  However, no

explicit reason is given for the celebration
of any of the

others holidays on these specific dates.
Nonetheless, based

on our above explanation concerning the
biblical importance of

the forthcoming rainy season, one could
suggest that all of

the Tishrei holidays relate in one manner or
other to the

yearly agricultural cycle that begins in the
seventh month.

 

     More conclusive proof of an intrinsic
connection between

these three holidays of the seventh month -
Yom Tru'a, Yom

Kippurim, and Shmini Atzeret - can be deduced
from their

identical and unique korban mussaf, as
detailed in Parshat

Pinchas.  Unlike any other holiday, on each
of these holidays

we offer an additional ola of 'one bull, one
ram, and seven

sheep' for the mussaf offering.

  [See Bamidbar chapter 29, note that no
other korban has

  this same korban mussaf.  See TSC shiur on
Pinchas.  See

  also further iyun section in regard to the
double nature

  of the mussaf of Sukkot, which may actually
include this

  offering as well.]

 

  But why are three holidays necessary to
inaugurate the New

Year?

     One could suggest that each holiday
relates to a

different aspect of the anticipation of the
forthcoming

agricultural year. In this week's shiur, we
discuss the

meaning of yom tru'a, which we are commanded
to observe on the

first day of this month.  In the shiurim to
follow, we will

discuss Yom Kippur and Shmini Atzeret.

 

YOM TRU'A

     As we explained in our introduction,
according to Chumash

the only unique mitzva of this holiday is
that we are

commanded to make a yom tru'a according to
Parshat Pinchas

(Bamidbar 29:2), or a zichron tru'a according
to Parshat Emor

(Vayikra 23:24).

     Each of these two phrases requires
explanation.  Why

would 'sounding a tru'a' have any connection
to the beginning

of the rainy season?  Likewise, what does
"zichron tru'a"

imply?

 

YOM TRU'A IN THE BIBLE

     To understand these phrases, we must
consider how a

shofar was used in biblical times.

     Today, a shofar is considered a
religious artifact.  If

you are shopping for a shofar, you would
inquire at your local

"seforim" store or possibly a Judaica shop
[or search the

internet].

  However, in Biblical times, its use was
quite different.

Back then, if you were shopping for a shofar,
you would have

most probably gone to your local 'arms
dealer' - for the

shofar was used primarily in war, as a shofar
was used by

military commanders and officers to
communicate with their

troops.

  [See for example the story of Gideon and
his 300 men, each

  one sounding a shofar to make the enemy
think that there are

  300 commanders, and hence thousands of
soldiers / see

  Shoftim 7:16-20.]

 

     Similarly, civil defense personnel used
the shofar to

warn civilians of enemy attack and to
mobilize the army.  [See

Amos 3:6 &  Tzefania 1:16.]

     Now, there are two basic types of
'notes' that the shofar

blower uses:

     1) a teki'a - a long steady note (like
DC current);

     2) a tru'a - a oscillating short note
(like AC current).

 

     Usually, a teki'a long steady sound was
used to signal an

'all clear' situation, while the oscillating
tru'a signal

warned of imminent danger (like a siren sound
today).  This

distinction between a teki'a & tru'a is
easily deduced from

the mitzva of the 'chatzotzrot' (trumpets)
explained in

Parshat Beha'alotcha (see 10:1-10 / highly
suggested that you

read these psukim inside).  According to that
parsha, the

teki'a was the signal for gathering the camp
for happy

occasions (see 10:3-4,7,10), while the tru'a
was used as a

signal to prepare for travel in military
formation and war

(see 10:5-6,9).

  [Note, both a 'shvarim' and 'tru'a' are
examples of tru'a

  (AC).  The difference between them is
simply an issue of

  frequency / 3 per second, or 9 per second.]

 

     Hence, in biblical times, if someone
heard a shofar

sounding a tru'a, his instinctive reaction
would have been

fear, preparation for war, and/or impending
danger.  [Sort of

like hearing sirens today.]

  Elsewhere in Tanach, we find many examples.
The prophet

Tzfania, for example, uses the phrase 'yom
shofar u-tru'a' to

describe a day of terrible war and
destruction.  Tzfania's

opening prophecy speaks of the forthcoming
'yom Hashem', a day

in which God will punish all those who had
left Him.  Note how

the following psukim relate shofar & tru'a to
God's providence

['hashgacha']:

  "At that time ('yom Hashem') I will search
Yerushalayim

  with candles and I will punish
('u-pakadeti') the men...

  who say to themselves 'God does not reward
nor does He

  punish..."

     The great day of the Lord is
approaching...

     it is bitter, there a warrior shrieks.

     That day shall be a day of wrath,

     a day of trouble and distress ('tzara
u-metzuka'),

     a day of calamity and desolation....,

     "yom shofar u-tru'a ..."

     a day of blowing a shofar and tru'a..."

                              (see Tzfania
1:12-16).

 

     Here, 'yom shofar u-tru'a' clearly
implies a day of

imminent danger and war - a day in when God
enacts judgment on

those who have sinned.  [See also Yoel
2:1-3,11-14 & 2:15-17!]

     The strongest proof that the sound of a
shofar would

cause intuitive fear is from Amos:

  "Should a shofar be sounded in the city,
would the people

  not become fearful?!"  (see Amos 3:6).

 

  With this background, we can return to
Parshat Pinchas.  The

Torah instructs us to make a yom tru'a on the
first day of the

seventh month (29:1-2).  Obviously, the Torah
does not expect

us to go to war on this day; however, we are
commanded on this

day to create an atmosphere that simulates
the tension and

fear of war.  By creating this atmosphere in
anticipation of

the new agricultural year that is about to
begin, we show God

our belief that its fate - and hence our
fate, is in His hands

(and not nature's).

  Therefore, to create this atmosphere of a
'day of judgment',

to help us feel that our lives are truly 'on
the line' - in

God's Hands, the Torah commands us to sound a
tru'a with the

shofar.

 

ZICHRON TRU'A

     Now we must explain the phrase zichron
tru'a, which is

used to describe this holiday in Parshat
Emor.  The key to

understanding this phrase lies in the same
psukim mentioned

above concerning the chatzrotrot.  There, we
find the link

between tru'a, war, and zika'ron:

  "Ve-ki tavo'u milchama be-artzechem...
va-harei'otem be-

  chatzotzrot, ve-nizkartem lifnei Hashem
Elokeichem..." -

  When war takes place in your land... you
should sound a

  tru'a with your trumpets that you will be
remembered by

  (and/or that you will remember...) Hashem,
and He will

  save you from your enemies"  (see Bamidbar
10:8-9).

 

     Here we find a special mitzva to sound a
tru'a prior to,

and in anticipation of, impending battle.  To
show our belief

that the outcome of that battle is in God's
Hands, and not in

hands of our enemy, we are commanded to sound
a tru'a.

Obviously, it was not the tru'a itself that
saves Bnei

Yisrael, rather our recognition that the
ultimate fate of the

battle is in God's Hands.

     We can apply this same analogy from war
to agriculture.

Just as the Torah commands us to sound a
tru'a in anticipation

of war - to remember that its outcome is in
God's Hand; so too

we are commanded to sound a tru'a on the
first of Tishrei in

anticipation of the forthcoming agricultural
year - to remind

ourselves that its outcome is in God's Hand
as well.

     Therefore, Rosh Hashana is not only a
yom tru'a - a day

of awe on which our lives are judged, but
Chumash defines it

as a day of zichron tru'a - a day on which we
must sound the

tru'a so that we will remember our God, in
order that He will

remember us.  On this day, we must proclaim
His kingdom over

all mankind in recognition of His mastery
over nature and our

destiny.

 

     In summary, we have shown how the most
basic aspects of

Rosh Hashana, which at first appeared to be
totally missing

from Chumash, can be uncovered by undertaking
a comprehensive

study of the biblical importance of the
seventh month.

Obviously, our observance of Rosh Hashana is
only complete

when we include all of its laws that have
been passed down

through Torah she-ba'al peh (the Oral Law).
However, we can

enhance our appreciation of this holiday by
studying its

sources in Torah she-bichtav (the Written
Law) as well.

 

     In today's modern society, it is
difficult to appreciate

the importance of an agricultural year.
Rarely do we need to

worry about our water supply and other most
basic needs.

Nevertheless, especially in the Land of
Israel, we are faced

with other serious national dangers such as
war and terror.

Even though we must take every precaution
necessary against

these dangers, the basic principle of the
above shiur still

applies, that we must recognize that the
ultimate fate of the

forthcoming year is in God's Hands, and that
He will judge us

based on our deeds.

 

     Even though all the nations are judged
on this awesome

day, Am Yisrael's custom is to sound the
tru'a specifically

with the shofar of an ayil (a ram), a symbol
of 'akeidat

Yitzchak' - a reminder to the Almighty of our
devotion and

readiness to serve Him.

  With this shofar, together with our
tefillot, our heritage,

and our resolve to conduct our lives as an
'am kadosh' should,

we pray that God should not judge us like any
other nation,

rather as His special Nation.

 

               shana tova,

               ve-ketiva ve-chatima tova,

               menachem

 

===========================

FOR FURTHER IYUN

 

A. In Chodesh Tishrei, the 'seventh' month,
we find many

chagim that relate to nature, especially the
'seven' days of

Sukkot marking the culmination of the harvest
season of the

previous year. We also find three days of
'Judgement', Rosh

HaShana, Yom Kippur, and Shmini Atzeret.

1.  Compare the korban mussaf of each of
these three chagim.

   (one par, one ayil, seven kvasim and one
se'ir le-chatat).

2.  In what way are these chagim connected?

3.  According to Chazal, when are we judged
for water?

     How does this relate to the above shiur?

4.  Relate this to the tefilla of the kohen
gadol on Yom

Kippur!

     (it's in your machzor at the end of
seder avoda)

 

B.  Why does Hashem need Am Yisrael to
proclaim him king?  The

one thing Hashem, ki-vyachol, can not do, is
make Himself

king.  A kingdom is meaningless if there are
no subjects.  A

king becomes king when and because he is
accepted by his

subjects.  Similarly, only when God is
accepted and recognized

by man does He become Melech.

1.  Relate this to our davening on Rosh
Hashana.

2  Explain changing 'E-l HaKadosh' to 'Melech
Hakadosh'

according to this concept.

 

C.  The Jewish New Year, the New Year special
and unique to Am

Yisrael is actually Nissan - Ha-chodesh
ha-zeh lachem rosh

chodashim rishon hu lachem le-chodshei
ha-shana (Shmot perek

12/v1-2).  Yetziat Mitzrayim which took place
in Nissan marks

the birth of the Jewish Nation.

1.  What aspects of Pesach and Chag HaMatzot
emphasize that we

are a special nation, different from other
nations.

2.  What aspect of the chagim in Tishrei
relate to all

mankind.

(Note 70 parim on Sukkot etc. - see also
Zecharya chap 14)

 

D.  In the shiur of the '13 midot' you may
recall our

explanation that Hashem's hashgacha over Am
Yisrael after brit

Sinai was broken due to chet ha-egel and
defaulted to 'u-veyom

pokdi u-pukadti' (Shmot 32:34).  As opposed
to immediate

punishment, God will punish them from time to
time, allowing

for good deeds to balance out the bad deeds.
In the manner,

Bnei Yisrael would be judged no different
from other nations.

Note the Ibn Ezra on that pasuk - there he
explains - 'from

Rosh Hashana to Rosh Hashana'!

1.  Relate this peirush by the Ibn Ezra to
the above shiur!

 

E.  Note that from the story of the flood in
Parshat Noach, we

could also deduce the year begins in Tishrei,
i.e. according

to the agricultural year.  The heavy rains of
the flood began

to fall on the 17th day of the second month,
which would

correspond to Cheshvan.  (See Breishit 7:11.)
However, this

specific point is a controversy among the
commentators.

 

 

 

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