Is a Rosh HaShanah that falls on Shabbos something to fear – or could the silence of the shofar itself become a source of merit?
Rabbi Moshe Sokoloff confronted that question during a pre-Rosh HaShanah shiur at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, presented in conjunction with his kehilah, Agudath Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, as part of the Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld Adult Education Center programming.
Agudath Israel of Kew Gardens Hills is also the shul where I have davened consistently for four decades. My connection follows that of my father, who grew up in the neighborhood and, as a teenager, chose what was then known as the Tzeirei as his shul.
Before turning to the evening’s topic, Rabbi Sokoloff paid tribute to Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld zt”l, whose name continues to evoke tremendous warmth. Many who attend Rabbi Sokoloff’s shiur at the Young Israel of Woodmere grew up in that beis midrash and still share stories of the longtime Rav’s enduring impact. Rabbi Sokoloff called it a z’chus to share Torah in the beis midrash where Rabbi Schonfeld accomplished so much for klal Yisrael and left such a lasting legacy.
This year’s Rosh HaShanah has generated considerable discussion and, as Rabbi Sokoloff noted, a fair amount of misinformation. While the absence of the shofar leaves some feeling uneasy, Rosh HaShanah falling on Shabbos is hardly unusual. It occurs nearly 30 percent of the time and last occurred just three years ago.
Much of the underlying anxiety stems from a Gemara warning that a year in which the shofar is not sounded at its beginning can end in distress. Rabbi Sokoloff explained, however, that according to Tosafos, citing the BaHaG, the warning does not refer to Rosh HaShanah falling on Shabbos. It concerns circumstances that prevent the shofar from being sounded – not a year in which klal Yisrael deliberately refrains because Chazal instructed them to do so.
The timing of the shiur gave the discussion of history particular resonance. As the nation marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11 this week, Rabbi Sokoloff noted that 9/11 is one modern example that does fit the Gemara’s chronology: The preceding Rosh HaShanah fell on Shabbos, and September 11 came near the end of that Jewish year. But Rabbi Sokoloff cautioned against the sweeping historical claims that have circulated. The Aruch LaNer, Rabbi Sokoloff stressed, does not provide the lengthy catalogue of calamities sometimes attributed to the source.
In fact, the Aruch LaNer cites examples in both directions: years associated with the destructions of the Batei Mikdash, but also years of tremendous blessing, including the establishment of the Mishkan and Klal Yisrael’s entry into Eretz Yisrael. Taken together, the examples hardly support the notion that a Rosh HaShanah on Shabbos should automatically be viewed as an ominous sign.
Rather than focusing on what is lost, Rabbi Sokoloff turned to the Meshech Chochmah, who compares the shofar to medicine needed for the coming year. Ordinarily, having a valid excuse for missing medication does not provide its benefits. Rosh HaShanah on Shabbos is different. We want to fulfill the mitzvah of shofar but willingly surrender that opportunity because Chazal instructed us not to blow.
That sacrifice becomes its own Akeidah. Rather than merely invoking Akeidas Yitzchak through the shofar’s blasts, klal Yisrael, in a sense, lives its message. Rabbi Sokoloff explained that the very act of foregoing something so spiritually valuable in order to follow the will of Hashem becomes a different form of the “medicine” the shofar ordinarily provides.
The Aruch LaNer offers another powerful image: Shabbos itself can become our advocate when the shofar is absent. Rabbi Sokoloff illustrated the idea with a mashal of a person facing judgment who depends upon his wife to speak in his defense. If he has mistreated her throughout the year, however, her ability to advocate for him is compromised. Similarly, if we want Shabbos to stand in our defense on Rosh HaShanah, the way we honor Shabbos throughout the year matters.
Rabbi Sokoloff then offered several reasons to approach the day with hope rather than apprehension. The Berditchever Rebbe finds reassurance in the Mishnah itself, describing a Rosh HaShanah that falls on Shabbos as a Yom Tov. The Tzlach goes further, teaching that on such a Rosh HaShanah, Hashem Himself judges His people rather than through the Heavenly court. And the Klausenberger Rebbe offers perhaps the most striking reassurance: In an ordinary year, we can never know whether every shofar sound and intention was perfect. When we refrain because Chazal commanded us to do so, Hashem can consider it as though the shofar had been sounded perfectly. What initially appears to be the loss of the day’s defining mitzvah can itself become a source of merit.
There is another dimension unique to Shabbos. Chazal teach that through reciting Vay’chulu on Friday night, Jews become, as it were, partners with Hashem in Creation. Rabbi Sokoloff explained that klal Yisrael therefore enters the Yom HaDin immediately after affirming that partnership. A partner, Rabbi Sokoloff observed, has a seat at the table, adding special meaning to the hope that the day’s t’filos will be heard.
Rabbi Sokoloff concluded with a practical message for the beis midrash. Citing Rabbi Gavriel Zinner, Rabbi Sokoloff urged congregations to be especially vigilant not to speak during Chazaras HaShatz. In an ordinary year, congregants are careful not to talk while awaiting the final shofar blasts. The absence of audible blasts on Shabbos should not change that seriousness.
Rabbi Sokoloff closed by looking beyond the apprehension that had prompted the discussion. By listening to Chazal, honoring Shabbos, hearing the message within the silence, and carrying that seriousness into our davening, this Rosh HaShanah can become a source of brachah and y’shuah, culminating in the ultimate g’ulah, the return of klal Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael, and the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash – where the shofar will once again be sounded on Rosh HaShanah, even on Shabbos.
By Shabsie Saphirstein