[Par-reg] Rosh Ha'shana - questions for self study
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Mon Sep 22 13:54:01 EDT 2014
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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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QUESTIONS FOR SELF STUDY:
for shiur on ROSH HASHANA
1. In Chumash, there are only a very few
psukim that describe
the holiday that we refer to as Rosh Hashana:
a) In Parshat Emor / Vayikra 23:23-25
b) In Parshat Pinchas / Bamidbar 29:1-6
After reviewing those psukim, and based on
them alone, answer
the following questions:
What is the biblical name of (what we call)
Rosh Hashana?
On what day is this holiday to be
celebrated?
What are the special 'mitzvot' of this
holiday?
Which of these mitzvot are common to all
of the other
holidays in Emor and Pinchas, and which of
these mitzvot
are unique for Rosh Hashana?
Based on these sources alone, is there any
reason why this
holiday should be called 'rosh hashana' [the
New Year}?
2. Based on these psukim alone, does the
Torah provide any
reason for celebrating this holiday. Is
there any apparent or
implied reason for this holiday, or for any
of its mitzvot?
Does Parshat Emor (or Parshat Pinchas)
provide a reason for
the celebration of any of the other holidays?
If not, are
there any apparent or implied reasons for
their celebration?
[If so, explain what they are.]
In Parshat Emor, we told that this holiday
should be a
'zichron tru'a', while Parshat Pinchas tells
us that it should
be a 'yom tru'a'. Can you explain what these
terms imply? In
your answer, relate to Bamidbar 10:1-10,
noting especially
10:9.
In your opinion, does zichron tru'a imply
the same concept
as yom tru'a?
Is there any obvious reason why this day
should be a yom
tru'a?
Assuming that these psukim (in Pinchas &
Emor) were the
only sources for how to celebrate this
holiday; based on them
alone, how would you celebrate this holiday?
3. Next, review the next set of psukim in
Emor & Pinchas that
describe Yom Kippur. i.e.
a) Vayikra 23:26-32 and
b) Bamidbar 29:7-11.
Based on these sources alone, does there
appear to be any
obvious or implied connection between the
holidays of Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur?
In your answer, relate to the words 'ach'
and 'zeh' in
Vayikra 23:27, and Bamidbar 29:7. [Note as
well the Torah's
use of the word zeh in 23:34, and the word
ach in 23:39. If
there is a relationship, what would that be?]
Is there any explicit or assumed reason for
why Yom Kippur
is celebrated specifically on the tenth of
Tishrei?
4. Next, review the Torah's presentation of
both Sukkot and
Shmini Atzeret in Parshat Pinchas (Bamidbar
29:12-19), paying
attention to the different korban mussaf on
each holiday.
Then, compare those korbanot to the korban
mussaf of Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur (see 29:1-11). Do any
of these
holidays share the same or similar korban
mussaf? If so, can
you explain why?
If certain holidays share a similar korban
mussaf, would
this suggest a thematic relationship between
them? If so,
what would that relationship be?
Is the any obvious reason for why there is
a need for so
many holidays in the 'seventh month'?
5. In any of the above sources, is 'Rosh
Hashana' ever
referred to as the new year? If not, what is
it called, and
why?
Review Shmot 12:1-3. How do these psukim
explain the
'calendar' used to define the holidays in
Emor and Pinchas?
6. The 'shalosh regalim' are first presented
as a unit in
Shmot 23:14-17. Review those psukim, noting
the names of
those holidays, and the reason for their
celebration.
Note how (what we call) Sukkot is referred
to as 'chag ha-
asif' [a fruit gathering festival] which is
to be celebrated
'be-tzet ha-shana' [when the year goes out] /
see 23:16.
Can you explain what 'year' is ending with
the fruit
harvest?
What can we infer from this pasuk in regard
to when the
agricultural year begins?
What is the logic behind considering this
the beginning (or
end) of a year?
7. See Devarim 11:10-12. Read these psukim
carefully, noting
how it relates to importance of rain for the
agriculture in
the Land of Israel (in contrast to the Nile
River supplying
water for the fields in Egypt).
With that in mind, explain what the Torah
refers to by the
phrase 'mi-reishit ha-shana' [from the
beginning in the year]
in the last pasuk that describes how God
'oversees' the rain
in this Land (see 11:12).
Based on those psukim, what year does
'reishit ha-shana'
refer to? Relate this to the topic that
follows 11:13-17!
Based on these psukim, explain the
connection between the
'rainy season', the 'beginning of the
agricultural year', and
the first day of the seventh month.
In your opinion, could the fact that the
rainy season in the
Land of Israel begins in the autumn relate to
any other
holidays that the Torah tells us to celebrate
in the seventh
month?
If so, explain why.
In what manner does the 'rainy season'
determine the fate of
the forthcoming agricultural year? Why would
(or should) this
carry religious significance?
8. Review once again Bamidbar 10:1-11.
First of all, explain
why this short 'parshia' about the
'chatzotzrot' is located at
this point in Sefer Bamidbar? [i.e. How does
it relates to
the fact the Bnei Yisrael now prepare to
leave Har Sinai and
begin their journey to conquer the land of
Israel?]
According to this parshia, what is the
difference between a
'teki'a' and tru'a. [Note the verb used for
each, and which
action each 'note' relates to.]
In your opinion, why is specifically a
tru'a sounded when
going to war (see 10:9), and a teki'a sounded
on the holidays
(see 10:10)? See the commentators on these
psukim (10:8-10),
especially the Ibn Ezra & Ramban!
9. For additional insight, study the
following sources,
noting
how they can help us understand what a yom
tru'a (or hearing
a shofar blowing) meant to people during the
time of the
Tanach:
Tzfania 1:12-16, Amos 3:6, Yoel
2:1-3,11-14 & 2:15-17
Based on these psukim, can you suggest an
explanation for
what the Torah means when it instructs us to
make a 'zichron
tru'a' (see Vayikra 23:24) or a yom tru'a
(see Bamidbar 29:1)
on the first day of the seventh month?
Can you explain why?
10. Review Vayikra 25:1-11, noting how these
laws discuss the
laws of 'shmitta' and 'yovel'. Then pay
special attention to
25:9, noting the connection between shofar,
tru'a and the
'seventh month'! In your opinion, why does
the seven year
shemitta cycle increment specifically in the
seventh month
(i.e. on Yom Kippur)? Is there an
agricultural reason for
this?
Relate this pasuk to the above questions?
Then, see the Mishna - Masechet Rosh
Hashana 33b, and the
gemara a few lines from the bottom (tanu
rabbanan...) until
the bottom of 34a. Based on that gemara,
explain how Chazal
learn the laws of shofar from the psukim
quoted above.
11. Based on the above, can you suggest a
thematic connection
between Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur?
Is the date of Yom Kippur significant?
What important event
in the history of Am Yisrael took place on
that day?
How would this relate to the forthcoming
rainy season?
12. Note as well the time of year for the
mitzva of Hakhel in
Devarim 31:11-12. What does 'mo'ed shnat
ha-shmitta' refer
to, and why is it during 'chag ha-Sukkot'?
Which 'calendar' (i.e. solar or lunar) does
this relate to?
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