Daf Ditty Rosh HaShanah 27: Echoes of a Shofar

The book The Western Wall Wars1 details the stories about the young men
who, from 1930 to 1947, violated British regulations which banned the
sounding the shofar at the Western Wall at the conclusion of Yom Kippur
services each year.

Moshe Zvi Segal was the first of these young men and he was arrested for
sounding the shofar. He blazed a path forward for young Zionist
revolutionaries to follow in what was the longest running Zionist
underground operation in its history.

1
Whirlwind Press, 2019 http://www.pomeranzbooks.com/Western-Wall-Wars_2050_p.html

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2
MISHNA: A shofar that was cracked and then glued together, even though it appears to be
whole, is unfit. Similarly, if one glued together broken fragments of shofarot to form a complete
shofar, the shofar is unfit.

If the shofar was punctured and the puncture was sealed, if it impedes the blowing, the shofar
is unfit, but if not, it is fit. If one sounds a shofar into a pit, or into a cistern, or into a large
jug, if he clearly heard the sound of the shofar, he has fulfilled his obligation; but if he heard
the sound of an echo, he has not fulfilled his obligation.

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And similarly, if one was passing behind a synagogue, or his house was adjacent to the
synagogue, and he heard the sound of the shofar or the sound of the Scroll of Esther being
read, if he focused his heart, i.e. his intent, to fulfill his obligation, he has fulfilled his obligation;
but if not, he has not fulfilled his obligation. It is therefore possible for two people to hear the
shofar blasts, but only one of them fulfills his obligation. Even though this one heard and also
the other one heard, nevertheless, this one focused his heart to fulfill his obligation and has
therefore indeed fulfilled it, but the other one did not focus his heart, and so he has not fulfilled
his obligation.

4
GEMARA: The Sages taught in a baraita: If a shofar was long and it was shortened, it is still
fit. If it was scraped out, so that only its outer layer remains, it is also fit. If the shofar was
plated with gold at the place where one puts his mouth, it is unfit; if it was plated not at the
place where he puts his mouth, it is fit. If it was plated with gold on the inside, it is unfit, as
one does not hear the sound of a shofar but the sound of a golden instrument. If, however, it was
plated with gold on the outside, the following distinction applies: If its sound changed from
what it was before the plating, it is unfit, but if not, the gold plating is mere ornamentation and
it is therefore fit.

5
The baraita continues: If the shofar was punctured and the puncture was sealed, if it impedes
the blowing, the shofar is unfit, but if not, it is fit. If one placed one shofar inside another shofar
and blew, if he heard the sound of the inner shofar, he has fulfilled his obligation, because it is
considered one shofar, but if he heard the sound of the outer shofar he has not fulfilled it, as
the sound issues from two shofarot at once.

The Sages taught in a different baraita: If a shofar was scraped down, whether on the inside or
on the outside, it is fit. Even if it was scraped out to the point that only its outer layer remains,
it is still fit. If one placed one shofar inside another shofar and blew, if he heard the sound of
the inner shofar, he has fulfilled his obligation, but if he heard the sound of the outer shofar,
he has not fulfilled his obligation. If he inverted the shofar and blew it, he has not fulfilled his
obligation.

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Rav Pappa said: Do not say that this means that he softened the shofar and turned it inside out
like a tunic. Rather, the meaning is that he widened the narrow end of the shofar and narrowed
its wide end. What is the reason that this is unfit? It is according to the opinion of Rav Mattana,
as Rav Mattana said that the verse states:

‫ ַבֹּחֶדשׁ‬,‫ט ְוַהֲﬠַב ְרָתּ שׁוַֹפר ְתּרוָּﬠה‬
,‫ ַלֹחֶדשׁ; ְבּיוֹם‬,‫ ֶבָּﬠשׂוֹר‬,‫ַהְשִּׁבִﬠי‬
-‫ ְבָּכל‬,‫ ַתֲּﬠִבירוּ שׁוָֹפר‬,‫ַהִכֻּפּ ִרים‬
.‫ַא ְרְצֶכם‬
9 Then shalt thou make proclamation with the blast of the horn
on the tenth day of the seventh month; in the day of atonement
shall ye make proclamation with the horn throughout all your
land.
Lev 25:9

“You shall proclaim [veha’avarta] with the shofar” where the word veha’avarta literally means
carry, thereby teaching that we need the shofar to be sounded the same way that it was carried
on the head of the animal, and if a change was made, it is unfit.

7
8
Tosfos discusses when people need to be in the same domain

‫תוספות ד"ה ושמע קול שופר‬

‫ ושם( ציבור בקטנה ושליח ציבור בגדולה אין יוצאין ידי חובתן‬:‫הא דאמרינן בפ' כל גגות )עירובין דף צב‬
(a)
The Gemara in Eruvin (92b) says that if the public is in a small room and the Chazan is
in the large room, they do not fulfill their obligation. (How can one fulfill the Mitzvah
of Shofar if the one blowing the Shofar is in a different house altogether?)
‫שאני התם דליכא עשרה עם שליח ציבור‬
(b)
The case in Eruvin (ibid.) is different, as there were not ten people in the small room if
the Chazan was not included.
‫ ושם( מן האגף ולחוץ כלחוץ ואמר רב וכן לתפלה ורבי יהושע בן לוי אמר‬:‫והא דאמרינן בשילהי כיצד צולין )פסחים פה‬
‫אפילו מחיצה של ברזל אינה מפסקת בין ישראל לאביהם שבשמים‬
(c)
We say in Pesachim (85b) that from the doorway and outside is considered outside. Rav
says this is also true regarding Tefilah, and Rebbi Yehoshua ben Levi says that even a
wall of metal cannot disconnect between Yisrael and their Father in Heaven.
‫קשה במאי קא מיירי אי לענין צרוף כגון צבור ושליח צבור או ט' ויחיד אם כן הויא סוגיא דכל גגות דלא כרבי יהושע בן‬
‫לוי‬
1.
This is difficult. What is the case? If it is regarding combining such as the case of
the public and the Chazan or nine people plus one (stated above), this means that the
Gemara in Eruvin (ibid.) is unlike Rebbi Yehoshua ben Levi!
‫ ושם( דמייתי מינה ראייה לברכת‬:‫וכוותיה קיימא לן דהא הני נשי קיימי לחודייהו כדמוכח בסוטה בפ' ואלו נאמרין )דף לח‬
‫כהנים דאין מחיצה מפסקת ואי לענין לצאת איירי אם כן קשיא מתניתין לרב‬
2.
We rule like Rebbi Yehoshua ben Levi. This is evident from the women who are in
their own domain, as is clear from the Gemara in Sotah (38b) that brings proof from
them to Birkas Kohanim that a wall does not divide (between Yisrael and their Father
in Heaven). If this is regarding fulfilling a Mitzvah, our Mishnah is a question on
Rav!
‫( כל דבר שבקדושה‬:‫ויש לומר דאיירי לענין לענות עם הצבור קדושה ויהא שמיה רבא משום דאמרינן )ברכות דף כא‬
‫לא יהא פחות מי' אבל בתקיעה ומגילה מודו‬
(d)
The Gemara in Pesachim (ibid.) must be referring to answering Kedushah and Yehei
Shmei Raba because we say in Berachos (21b) that any Davar shebi'Kedushah must be
said with ten people. However, regarding Tekios and Megilah, they admit (that one can
fulfill their obligation without being in the same domain as the person blowing).

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Summary

Introduction2

This mishnah teaches two halakhot: 1) one must hear the sound of the shofar and not an echo of
the sound of the shofar; 2) when hearing the shofar one must have intention to hear it for the sake
of the fulfillment of the commandment. The mishnah illustrates cases where one may have heard
a shofar blast and nevertheless not fulfilled his obligation

One who blows into a pit or a cistern or a jug, if he heard the sound of the shofar, he has
fulfilled his obligation, but if he hears the echo [also], he has not fulfilled his obligation.

Here someone blows a shofar into an echo-producing chamber, such as a pit, a cistern or a jug.
The mishnah rules that in order to fulfill his obligation he must be sure that he heard the sound of
the shofar and not the echo of the sound of the shofar. There is a geonic commentary on this
mishnah, according to which the mishnah refers to a time of persecution when the Romans
outlawed the public observance of commandments. They hid their shofar blasts to avoid the
authorities.

And also one who was passing behind a synagogue or if his house was next to the synagogue
and he heard the sound of the shofar or of the megillah [being read], if he directed his heart
(had, then he has fulfilled his obligation, but if not he has not fulfilled his obligation. Even
though this one heard and this one heard, this one directed his heart and this one did not.

This section teaches that when hearing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, or Megillat Esther on Purim,
one must have the intention of hearing them in order to fulfill the commandment. A person might
be walking behind a synagogue and hear them blow the shofar and then think to himself, “Great,
I’ve just fulfilled my commandment” (and no need to go to shul today!). The mishnah rules that
the act of hearing the shofar is not sufficient. One must have the intention to hear in the fulfillment
of a commandment.

The final section of the mishnah notes how strongly this commandment is connected to intention
both the one who walked behind the synagogue and the one who actually went to the synagogue

2
https://www.sefaria.org/Rosh_Hashanah.27a.18?lang=bi&p2=Mishnah_Rosh_Hashanah.3.7&lang2=bi&w2=English%20Explan
ation%20of%20Mishnah&lang3=en

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heard the same exact thing, yet one has fulfilled his obligation and one has not. Tomorrow’s
mishnah will contain the central rabbinic statement as to the role that intention plays in halakhah.

Rav Avrohom Adler writes:3

MOUTHPIECE

The Mishna states that the shofar used on Rosh Hashanah should be from the horn of a wild goat
and its mouthpiece should be coated with gold. Abaye explains that the gold should not be placed
where the mouth actually rests since that would be considered as if the blower is not blowing with
the shofar and it would not be valid. It should be placed near where the mouth would rest. (27a)

EXPLANATION OF THE MISHNA

The Mishna states that there shall be two trumpets blowing at the sides of the shofar. The shofar
is blown longer since the mitzvah of the day is with the shofar. The Gemora asks that two sounds
issued concurrently are not discernible from each other. The Gemora answers that this is the reason
why the shofar sound is longer than the trumpet. It emerges from this explanation that one who
hears just the beginning of the shofar blast or only the ending will have fulfilled his obligation.
The Gemora asks on this from a Mishna. A Mishna rules that if one blew a very long tekiah, it is

3
http://dafnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Rosh_Hashanah_27.pdf

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regarded as one tekiah even though it was extended for the duration of two tekios. If one can fulfill
his obligation by hearing the beginning or the end, why can’t an extended tekiah be reckoned as
two independent tekios?

The Gemora answers that a tekiah cannot be split into two parts. The Gemora asks from a braisa
which states that if one blows a shofar into a pit and someone heard the sound of the echo, he has
not fulfilled his obligation. If one can fulfill his obligation by hearing the beginning or the end,
why can’t he fulfill his obligation by listening to the beginning of the tekiah before the echo joins
the sound of the shofar? The Gemora retracts from its original assumption and states that one does
not fulfill his obligation by hearing just the beginning or the end of a tekiah. The reason he has
discharged his obligation of hearing the shofar even though the trumpets are blowing
simultaneously is because one can discern the sound of the shofar from the sound of the trumpets
when there are two people blowing. Two sounds issued from one person are not discernible. The
Gemora compares this to a braisa which states that one person can recite hallel and another person
can read the Megillah and the listener can hear them both. The reason is that since hallel and the
Megillah are recited infrequently, they are dear to people and they will be able to focus and hear
both readers. The same is true with the sound of the shofar.

MOUTHPIECES

The Gemora offers two reasons why the mouthpiece of a shofar on Rosh Hashanah is made out of
gold and the mouthpiece for the shofar on a fast day is made out of silver. The first reason presented
is that whenever we assemble the people, it is done with silver just as the trumpets used to gather
the people together was made out of silver. An alternative reason is because the Torah has
compassion on Klal Yisroel’s money. On Rosh Hashanah, it can be made from gold because we
want to honor the Tom Tov.

SHOFAR AND TRUMPETS

Rava teaches us that shofars and trumpets are only blown together in the Beis Hamikdosh. The
Gemora cites a braisa proving this. The braisa states that outside of the Beis Hamikdosh, whenever
there is an obligation for shofar (Rosh Hashanah), there are no trumpets and whenever there is an
obligation for trumpets (fast days), a shofar is not blown. The Chachamim said that the only time
shofaros and trumpets are blown is by the Eastern gates of the Temple Mount. The Gemora cites
a Scriptural verse proving this. It is written in Tehillim “With trumpets and the sound of a shofar,
raise your voices before the King, the Lord.” (Judaica Press) Only when it is before Hashem, in
the Beis Hamikdosh, are the shofar and the trumpets blown.

STRAIGHT SHOFAR OR BENT

The Mishna states that the shofar used on Rosh Hashanah should be from the horn of a wild goat.
Its mouthpiece should be coated with gold and there shall be two trumpets blowing at the sides of
the shofar. The shofar is blown longer since the mitzvah of the day is with the shofar. On fast days,
they would blow with the horns from a male animal, which were bent. Their mouthpieces would
be coated with silver. Two trumpets were blown in the middle and the sound of the trumpets would

12
be longer since the mitzva of the day is with trumpets and not the shofar. The Mishna concludes
by stating that the laws of the Yovel year are similar to the laws of Rosh Hashanah.

They both would use a straight shofar and there would be nine identical brochos recited by mussaf.
Rabbi Yehuda maintains that on Rosh Hashanah, they would use a shofar from a male animal and
on Yovel, they would use a shofar taken from a wild goat. The Gemora explains the argument in
the Mishna. Rabbi Yehuda maintains that a bent shofar should be used on Rosh Hashanah since a
person should bend himself towards the ground when he is praying. The bent shofar mirrors the
person’s attitude of deference and humility. On Yom Kippur of the Yovel year, they would blow
with a straight shofar since Yovel represents freedom. The Tanna Kamma disagrees and holds that
a person should stand up straight when he prays on Rosh Hashanah and therefore a straight shofar
is used and on a fast day, he should bow his mind and therefore a bent shofar is preferable.

DEFECTS IN A SHOFAR

The Mishna discusses various defects that will invalidate a shofar. A shofar that cracked along its
length and was glued together is disqualified from being used as a shofar. If one joined together
many pieces of a shofar, it is also unfitted for use. The Mishna discusses the halacha of a shofar
that that was punctured and then closed up. One who blows into a pit and hears the sound of the
shofar’s echo does not fulfill the mitzva. The Mishna rules that if one happens to hear the sound
of the shofar but he was not concentrating on the sound, he does not fulfill his mitzva. (27a – 27b)

MORE HALACHOS

The Gemora cites a braisa that teaches other halachos regarding a shofar. If a shofar was long and
someone shortened it, the shofar may be used for the mitzva. If one scraped the layers of the shofar
and only the last layer remained, it is fit for use. If one coated the inside of the shofar with gold, it
cannot be used. If one inserted one shofar into another and blew through the inside one, he fulfills
his mitzva but if he blew through the outside one, he has not.

SHOFAR AND TRUMPETS

The Mishna in Sukkah (3:12) states that a lulav is taken in the Beis Hamikdosh for seven days and
the “medinah” only one day. The Rambam in his commentary to the Mishnayos writes that the
explanation of “medinah” is any city in Eretz Yisroel outside of Yerushalayim; however one would
have a Biblical mitzvah to take the lulav for seven days in the city of Yerushalayim. Other
Rishonim disagree and maintain that the Biblical mitzvah for seven days is only inside the Beis
Hamikdosh but Yerushalayim will be like all other cities in Eretz Yisroel that have a Biblical
mitzvah for one day and a Rabbinical mitzvah for seven days.

Bikurei Yaakov (658-1) and Reb Shimon Sofer in his sefer Hisorirus L’tshuva both state that
according to the Rambam that the possuk “U’smachtem lifnei Hashem” is referring to
Yerushalayim, this would apply even nowadays when the Beis Hamikdosh is not in existence.

The Ramban rules in Hilchos Beis Habechirah that the sanctity of Yerushalayim exists even after
the destruction of the Beis Hamikdosh. It would emerge that there would be a Biblical mitzvah to

13
take the lulav for seven days in Yerushalayim even nowadays. Reb Meir Simcha, in his
commentary on Sukkah asks many questions on this elucidation of the Rambam. One of them is
from the Gemora on our daf where Rava learns from the verse “With trumpets and the sound of
a shofar, raise your voices before the King, the Lord.” (Judaica Press)

According to the Rambam that “before Hashem” means the entire Yerushalayim, there should
exist a mitzvah nowadays of sounding the shofar and the trumpets in Yerushalayim. Rav Shlomo
Zalman Auerbach in his sefer Minchas Shlomo (57) is bewildered by this question since our
Gemora explicitly states that the obligation of blowing the shofar and trumpets only applies by the
eastern gate of the Temple Mount and nowhere else. How can Reb Meir Simcha say that it should
apply in the entire Yerushalayim according to the Rambam? It would seem to me that this is
precisely Reb Meir Simcha’s point.

The Bikurei Yaakov understands the Rambam that whenever the Torah says “lifnei Hashem,” this
is referring to the city of Yerushalayim and would even apply nowadays because the sanctity of
Yerushalayim still exists. If so, the same way that regarding the mitzvah of lulav, there is a Biblical
obligation for seven days in Yerushalayim nowadays, so too there should be a mitzvah to sound
the shofar together with the trumpets in Yerushalayim nowadays. Reb Meir Simcha is asking why
the mitzva is limited only to the Beis Hamikdosh.

A HOLE IN THE SHOFAR

Rav Mordechai Kornfeld writes:4

The Mishnah states that a hole which was filled-in invalidates the Shofar only if the sound of the
Shofar is altered as a result of the hole. If the Shofar produces the proper sound even with the hole,
then the Shofar is valid.

The Gemara cites a Beraisa in which the Chachamim and Rebbi Nasan argue about the validity of
a Shofar with a hole which was filled. The Chachamim maintain that the Shofar is invalid. Rebbi
Nasan says that the Shofar is valid as long as the hole was filled with the material of a Shofar
("b'Mino"); if it was filled with some other material, the Shofar is invalid. Neither the Chachamim
nor Rebbi Nasan relate to whether the sound of the Shofar is altered as a result of the hole.

In what case do the Chachamim and Rebbi Nasan disagree? If they discuss a case of a Shofar in
which the sound of the Shofar is altered as a result of the filled-in hole, then Rebbi Nasan is adding
a leniency to the ruling of the Mishnah because he maintains that the Shofar is valid even if the
sound has changed, as long as the hole was filled with Shofar material. On the other hand, perhaps
they argue about a case in which the sound is not altered as a result of the filled-in hole, and the
Chachamim in the Beraisa are more stringent than the Mishnah because they maintain that the
Shofar is invalid even though the sound is not altered. Moreover, even Rebbi Nasan rules more

4
https://www.dafyomi.co.il/rhashanah/insites/rh-dt-027.htm

14
stringently than the Mishnah because he adds a condition that the Shofar is valid only when the
hole is filled with Shofar material.

RASHI (DH b'Mino), the RAMBAN (Derashah for Rosh Hashanah), and the RAMBAM explain
that the Beraisa is more stringent than the Mishnah. A Shofar with a filled-in hole is valid only
according to Rebbi Nasan and only when two conditions are fulfilled: its sound is not altered as a
result, and the hole was filled with the same type of material as the Shofar. Rebbi Yochanan adds
a third condition and says that the Shofar is valid only if a minority of the Shofar was punctured
and filled-in.

TOSFOS (DH Nikev) and the ROSH (3:5) explain that the Beraisa is more lenient than the
Mishnah. Even the Chachamim in the Beraisa permit the Shofar to be used if two conditions are
fulfilled: its sound is not altered as a result of the hole, and only a minority of the Shofar was
punctured and most of the Shofar is intact in its original form (as Rebbi Yochanan adds). They do
not differentiate between whether the hole was filled with Shofar material or with other material.
Rebbi Nasan is even more lenient and rules that even if the sound is altered as a result of the
puncture, the Shofar remains valid as long as it was filled with the same material as the Shofar.

HALACHAH: The Poskim rule in accordance with the view of Rebbi Nasan (primarily because
the Yerushalmi (cited by Tosfos) asserts that he is the Tana of the Mishnah). In addition, a Shofar
that was punctured can be valid only if most of it remains intact, as Rebbi Yochanan rules
(according to the first, more stringent version in the Gemara).

The SHULCHAN ARUCH (OC 586:7) rules that l'Chatchilah two other conditions must be
fulfilled in order to permit the use of the Shofar: the hole must be filled with Shofar material, and
its original sound must not be altered as a result of the hole (like the opinion of Rashi in (a) above).

However, b'Di'eved the Shofar is valid as long as most of it is intact and one of the two other
conditions is fulfilled: either the hole was filled with Shofar material, or its sound is not altered
(like the opinion of Tosfos in (b) above).

If the hole in the Shofar causes no change in the sound, then the Shofar is valid even if the hole is
not filled-in (Mishnah Berurah OC 586:28). If the hole is not filled-in and the sound is altered, the
Shofar should also be valid according to the Yerushalmi cited by Tosfos. However,
the RITVA and others do not permit one to use such a Shofar. Therefore, one should not use the
Shofar without first filling-in the hole (as described above).

15
The ibex is any of several sure-footed, sturdy wild goats of the genus Capra that
are found in the mountains of Europe, Asia, and northeastern Africa. The
Gemara is probably referring to the Nubian ibex (C. nubiana), which lives in
Eretz Yisrael. It is smaller than other ibexes and has long, slender horns. It can
reach up to 1.4 m in length and up to 1 m in height. Its color is yellow brown
and it has a short tail. All the species have horns, but the horns of the male are
long, up to 1.2 m, and are adorned with coils and protruding knobs. Ibexes live
in small herds, especially in the mountains and desert areas located near spring

Steinzaltz (OBM ) writes:5

The Mishnah (26b) teaches that the shofar blown in the Temple on Rosh Hashana was made from
the horn of a ya’el (ibex) and its mouthpiece was covered with gold. When it was sounded it was
accompanied by chatzotzrot – trumpets – on either side, although the sound of the trumpets was
shorter than that of the shofar, since the mitzvah of the day was the shofar. On fast days

5
https://www.ou.org/life/torah/masechet_roshhashanah2430/

16
the chatzotzrot were in the middle surrounded by shofarot, and in this case the sound of
the shofar was shorter since the mitzvah of the day was the trumpet.

The ya’el, whose horns were used to fashion shofarot, is identified as Capra ibex nubicum, an
animal that lives in small herds mainly in mountainous areas and in the desert if there is water
readily accessible (like in the area of the Dead Sea and nearby Ein Gedi).

The Temple chatzotzrot are readily viewed on the Arch of Titus in Rome, which depicts the Judean
captives transporting the Temple vessels to Rome.

One of the concerns of our Gemara is how the mouthpiece could have been covered with gold.
This question is understood differently by the various commentaries. Some explain that the
assumption of the Gemara was that a band of gold was placed around the edge of the shofar (see
diagram) and the problem stemmed from the rules of chatzitzah – that the person’s mouth was not
directly in contact with the shofar when it was sounded. Others suggest that the case would have
been where an additional mouthpiece was attached to the shofar (see diagram), so that the person
blowing it was not directly in contact with the shofar, but rather he was blowing it through the use
of a foreign object. In response to this objection, Abayye explains that we must be talking about a
situation where the gold was placed as a decoration further up on the shofar, above the spot where
the lips of the person blowing came into contact with the shofar.

17
 An Officer Blowing a Trumpet By Anthonie Palamedes

How did they blow the shofar in the Temple

Mark Kerzner writes:6

Hashanah they used a straight shofar, its mouth plated with gold, with two trumpet blowers
standing by the sides. Why straight? - To symbolize that on that day the man should be honest and
straightforward. Others, however, say that it should be bent, to symbolize submission and humility.
By contrast, on public fast days the two trumpets were placed in the center, and shofars, their

6
https://talmudilluminated.com/rosh_hashanah/rosh_hashanah27.html

18
mouths plates with silver, were on their sides. The trumpets blew longer notes, and the sound of
the shofar was short, because on a fast day the trumpet was the main sound.

There were times when authorities prohibited the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. This
gave rise to the following question: what happens when one blows the shofar in a cave? - If he
hears the sound of the shofar itself, without the accompanying echo, it works, but if he hears the
echo - it is not valid. Similarly, if one passes by the synagogue when they blow the shofar there -
and he listens with attention - it counts for him. And the one who blows the shofar should have
everyone in mind.

The rule of the Gemara is that it is impossible to discern one voice of many spoken
simultaneously.7

One major exception to this rule is when listening to the reading of Hallel or Megilla. These
readings are “‫“ חביב‬,and therefore a listener can hear the individual voices among the many. Rashi
explains that “‫ “ חביב‬means that the event is a new one, and being that it is so special, a person
listening will be exceptionally attentive and hear the individual voices among the many being
spoken.

Sefer ‫ יום תרועה‬notes that according to Rashi, the reading of the Torah on a weekly basis should be
a new experience, in that the portion read each week has not been read publicly since the previous
year. Why, then, do we not say that we allow ten readers to read from the Torah, as we do for the
reading of the Megilla? He answers that on a weekly basis, there is a requirement for each
individual to personally review the entire parsha twice, and once with Targum. Therefore, by the
time the Torah is read publicly on Shabbos the reading is no longer “new” for him.

Or Zarua answers that although the specific reading of any particular week has not been heard
since the previous year, the event of Torah reading is one which is done routinely, and it does not
represent a new experience where the listener is overly motivated to catch the individual voices if
it would be read by multiple readers.

Others (Levush, 488:2, and 690:2) explain the term ‫חביב‬differently than Rashi does. They explain
that the reading of Hallel and Megilla are special due to the fact that they represent the miracles of
the various festivals and of Purim.

‫ יאיר חוות‬wonders about this explanation, however, because the Hallel of Pesach or Chanukah
might have this connotation, but Hallel on Shavu’os and Sukkos do not represent any particular

7
https://www.dafdigest.org/masechtos/RoshHaShana%20027.pdf

19
miracle. This is certainly problematic in regard to Hallel of Rosh Chodesh, as well. Meiri explains
that “‫“ חביב‬is the fact that the Megilla has within it the story of Mordechai and Esther, and people
are attentive to follow and understand it with its commentaries.

Hallel is also special because of the story of the Exodus from Egypt which is described in various
details.

If the shofar was cover with gold on the place where he puts his mouth the shofar is unfit for use.

The Chelkas Yoav (1) questions the ruling that a gold plated shofar is unfit for use from the
principle (2), “anything that is meant for beauty does not interpose.” According to that principle,
a shofar covered with gold to add beauty to the shofar should not be disqualified.

The Avnei Nezer (3) limits the principle to those cases where there is no requirement for physical
contact between one item and another. For example, the mitzvah of lulav does not require direct
physical contact per se; consequently, we can apply the principle that something added for beauty
does not constitute an interposition. On the other hand, we do not apply this principle to those
mitzvos that require direct physical contact between the person and the object.

For example, Rav Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (4), the Ben Ish Chai, does not permit coating the
parchment of a Sefer Torah with plaster, because there is a specific requirement that the ink be in
direct physical contact with the parchment. Accordingly, since there is a requirement for direct
physical contact between the shofar and the mouth of the one blowing the shofar, the principle of,
“anything that is meant for beauty does not interpose,” does not apply.

Another example of this principle relates to tefillin. The Gaon Chida (5) writes that one must be
careful not to have water interpose between one’s tefillin and their body. Although the Gemara (6)
rules that liquids do not interpose, nonetheless, since there is a specific requirement to wear tefillin
directly on the body (7) the principle that liquids do not interpose does not apply, and thus one
must be careful that there is no water intervening between the tefillin and the body.

20
In the home of Rav Matzliach Mazuz, hy”d, the entire household was busily cleaning for Pesach.
In a dark and forgotten corner, they stumbled upon a very old and badly neglected shofar that was
yellowed with age and had seen better days.

The family asked the Rav if such a shofar required genizah, but after examining it carefully, the
Rav pronounced, “I think we should keep it.” His answer was surprising considering the poor
condition of the shofar. “What could be the point of keeping a dilapidated object like this?” his
family asked. “It clearly has no more use.”

The Rav responded, “It is well over the minimum dimension of a shofar and after inspecting it I
see that it is not punctured or cracked except at the extreme edges. The Gemara in our daf Rosh
Hashanah 27b writes that as long as it maintains a minimum dimension, even if a shofar is cut
down, it is still kosher.

We can shorten this shofar and it will still be one hundred percent valid.” The family still seemed
unimpressed. Why should they keep it just because it could be made kosher? The Rav answered,
“We find in Chullin 9 that a scholar must know how to practice safrus, circumcision, and
kosher slaughtering, because it is possible that he will find himself in a place where no one
else can perform these integral services for the community. The same holds true about
blowing a shofar, especially in our small community where we have only one really qualified
ba’al tokei’ah. I am out of practice because I didn’t have access to a shofar, but now that we
have this one, I will be able to practice just in case.”

That very year, the regular ba’al tokei’ah fell terribly ill on Rosh Hashanah. Fortunately, the Rav
himself, who had practiced, was able to assume the responsibility!

Sounds Good
David Zvi Kalman writes:8

There are rules for hearing the sound of the shofar, and those rules can be divided into two groups:
rules for how the sound is made, and rules for how the sound is heard.

The rules for the former, at first glance, seem straightforward: Use the right kind of horn. Don’t
put gold around the shofar’s mouthpiece. Don’t use a broken shofar, even if you glued it back
together. Make sure the blasts are the right duration, and don’t blow the shofar at the same time as
you blow another instrument. Don’t mutilate the shofar, don’t turn the shofar inside out — and in
the event that you find yourself blowing a shofar inserted inside of another shofar, make sure it is
the sound of the inner one that people hear.

8
Myjewishlearning.com

21
We’ve already discussed some of these rules, and a few are self-explanatory. The rule about
blowing the shofar alone might be the most interesting of the bunch, since it relies on a theory —
recently elaborated by Lynn Kaye in her book about time in the Babylonian Talmud — that
simultaneity is divine. For the rabbis of the Talmud, God alone can say two things at once,
and hearing two things at once is also an exclusively divine trait.

So there are rules for the blower. But there are rules for the listener and chief among them is that
one must hear the sound of the shofar and not an echo of that sound. This might come up if, say,
you were hearing the sound of the shofar from the bottom of a pit or cistern.

Figuring out the reason for this prohibition is harder than it looks. A modern might say that we
want listeners to perceive the oscillations in the air before they have had a chance to bounce off
anything; framed this way, the rules for shofar sound a little like the rules for a kosher mikveh ,
which require a certain amount of water that has fallen straight from the sky without humans
interfering with it along the way. But this just isn’t how sound works. Unless you are hearing the
shofar in an anechoic chamber, the sound you hear will always be a mixture of the sound that went
straight to your ears and the sound that bounced around the room. In the podcasting business we
call this amalgam of echoes reverb.

But the ancient rabbis didn’t know about reverb, and their understanding of echoes and sound itself
was likely quite different from our own. Exactly how sound propagated was unknown until
the early modern period, when — ironically — echoes tool to understand the mechanism of sound
transmission. This is to say that a person curious about the Talmud’s concern with echoes may
need to begin by studying the history and mythology of echoes. I leave the invitation open — if
you figure something out, please let me know!

What confounds all of this, however, is that none of this rigmarole about blowing and hearing the
shofar seems to be in the service of engendering the experience of any specific sound. In fact, says
Rabban Gamliel, “all shofar sounds are fit” — that is, we care about the procedure for making
and hearing that sound, but not the sound itself. What, then, are all these rules trying to preserve
— and what should we make of the disdain for echoes and deformed horns?

Rabbi Johnny Solomon writes:9

One of the things that people, young and old alike, enjoy doing is to call out or scream while in a
pit or cave and then hear the echo of their voice as it bounces back to them. And why? Because
the echo is both familiar and different. True, it is their voice. But it also sounds different.

The Mishna (Rosh Hashanah 3:7) in our daf (Rosh Hashanah 27b) explores this fact in terms of
the mitzvah of hearing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah: ‘If someone blows [a shofar] into a pit or
into a cistern or into a large barrel, then if a listener is able to hear the sound of the shofar that was

9
www.rabbijohnnysolomon.com

22
blown, they have fulfilled their duty. However, if they only hear the sound of the echo, they have
not fulfilled their duty.’

Rav Aryeh Levin, in his commentary on the Mishna, explains this by noting that this case refers
to a ‫ – שעת שמד‬a time of persecution - when the shofar was deliberately blown in a more hidden
location such as a cave or pit. As Rav Huna explains in our daf, ‘this Mishna was only taught for
those standing at the edge of the [cave or] pit [who may only hear the echo], whereas all those
standing inside the [cave or] pit always fulfil their obligation.’ Thus, if a shofar is blown in a cave
or pit and someone is standing outside, what our Mishna instructs them to do is to go into the cave
or pit, or at least turn their head towards the pit or cave, so that what they hear is the actual voice
of the shofar and not just its echo.

Baruch Hashem we are not living in a time of persecution. Still, the problem of just hearing the
echo of a sound – rather than the original sound - does not only apply to a time of persecution, and
it does not only apply to the shofar. For example, when we read or hear a Torah idea from a person
or in a book that attempts to summarise Torah thoughts, we are often – at best - only hearing an
echo of its original text and source which has changed its sound over time (and in some instances,
what we are reading and hearing is not even an echo of the original, but simply the personal
opinions of the speaker or author which they purport to be the voice of Torah!).

So how do we ensure that what we are reading or hearing is not mere opinion, or a mere echo, but
the sound of Torah itself? The answer, as explained in our Mishna, is by stepping closer to the
source so that what we hear is the actual voice.

Until recently, many primary Torah works were not easily accessible, and they did not exist in
translation, and so we all relied on the echo we heard from our teachers and Rabbis or that we read
in Jewish books. Of course, many teachers and Rabbis authentically represent the direct echo of
Torah from Har Sinai as transmitted through the chain of generations, and this, coupled with their
faithful transmission of the words of Torah itself, is what Mesorah is all about. However, there are
occasions when they do not, and whatever the case, how clearly we are able to hear their words
often depends on our proximity to them.

Today, along with the need to learn from teachers, given the texts and tools now at our disposal,
each of us are able to step closer to the source ourselves and hear the actual voice of Torah. And
when we do, we discover – as we do when contrasting the sound of our voice and its echo – that
the original sounds slightly different, and in so many ways, so much better.

23
Rav Frand
The Sound of a Shofar or a Donkey?

Rabbi Yissocher Frand writes:10

The Mishna on our daf says [Rosh HaShanah 27b] that someone who passes the back side of a
shul or someone whose house is next to a shul and he hears the Shofar has fulfilled his
obligation if he intends to fulfill the mitzvah while listening to the sounds of the shofar. Lacking
such intention, he has not fulfilled the mitzvah. The Mishna concludes that two people can hear
the identical sound and one will have fulfilled the mitzvah while the other will not have fulfilled
the mitzvah. The reason is that the first one had ‘intent of heart’ and the second one did not have
‘intent of heart.’

The Tolner Rebbe, shlit”a, wonders why the Mishna needs to cite two different cases – the case
of the person passing by the shul and the case of the person whose house was next to the shul.
Apparently the principle is exactly the same in each case and we could have clearly inferred one

10
https://torah.org/torah-portion/ravfrand-5778-nitzavim/

24
case from the other. In many contexts, the Gemara states, “The Tanna is not like a peddler who
has to put out all of his wares.” Why, here, does the Mishna mention both cases?

The Tolner Rebbe asks a second question. The Gemara seeks to bring a proof from this Mishna
that “mitzvos tzereechos kavanah” (commandments are only fulfilled when the person performing
the commandment has in mind to fulfill the particular mitzvah). The Gemara refutes this proof by
claiming that it is possible to argue that when the mitzvah speaks of “having intent” it does not
mean having intent to fulfill the mitzvah (which would indicate that mitzvos tzereechos kavanah).
It merely means that the person has intent to hear the sounds! The Gemara does not seem to
understand this answer and asks, “What do you mean “have intention to hear the sounds”? – he
did hear the sounds! The Gemara answers that he has to know that the sound he is hearing is that
of a shofar (as opposed to thinking that he is listening to the sound of a donkey braying).

This Gemara seems strange. The Tolner Rebbe asks – which Jew walks by a shul on Rosh HaShana
and hears the sounds of Tekiah Teruah Tekiah, etc. and thinks to himself “hmm – must be a donkey
braying?”

[I will admit that the answer he gives requires somewhat of a Chassidic spirit somewhere deep in
the recesses of the listener’s bones to fully appreciate. But the basic point he makes is a very
beautiful and fundamental idea.]
The Gemara [Rosh HaShannah 11a] tells us that Yosef left prison on Rosh Hashanah, based on
the pesukim “Blow the shofar at the moon’s renewal, at the time appointed for our festive day…
He appointed it as a testimony for Yosef when He went out over the land of Egypt…I removed his
shoulder from the burden…” [Tehillim 81:4-7] Now, why is that fact of interest to us? Is the
Gemara merely telling us a historical fact that the day when Yosef left the dungeon happened to
be on the First of Tishrei?

The Tolner Rebbe says that Chazal make the point that Yosef came out of prison on Rosh Hashana
to teach us something: A prison, in Biblical times, did not resemble, in any way, shape or form,
today’s prisons. I am not talking about minimum security facilities set aside for white collar crimes.
Even a maximum security prison today in Texas – where it is 120 degrees in the summer, and the
prisoners are living in eight by ten cells without air conditioning – they are still living in the Taj
Mahal compared to prisons in Biblical times. In Biblical times, they dug a hole in the ground, a
dungeon, and they threw the prisoners in. There was no ventilation and there was no sanitation. It
was literally living in a rat hole. For those old enough to remember this, think back to what the
prisons looked like for the POWs (prisoners of war) during the Vietnam War. That was already in
“civilized times.”

So consider the following: Yosef is in this pit with minimum food, minimum water, no ventilation,
and no sanitation. Who is he with? He is with the dregs of society. He is abused there because he
is a Jew and because he is accused of assaulting Potiphar’s wife.

And yet, something miraculous happens. They take him out of this pit. They put him in front of
the most powerful man in the world and he is asked to give advice. Did they not know of the
concept of PTS (Post Traumatic Stress syndrome)? It was miraculous that he was sane. And yet,
Yosef came out, they gave him a haircut, they gave him new clothes, and they put him in front of

25
Pharoah – the most powerful man in the world – in the presence of all his advisors. They told
Yosef, “Let’s hear what you have to say about the matter?”

Yosef came up with this brilliant plan and in a matter of days he went from being in the pit to being
the second most powerful person in the world. Overnight! What does that tell us? It tells us that a
person can go from being the lowest of the low and almost instantly he can reach the greatest
heights. You can be in prison and then the next day you can literally rule the world.

When Chazal say that Yosef left prison on Rosh Hashanah, the message they are trying to teach
us is that people can feel imprisoned – they can feel imprisoned by their lusts, by their evil
inclinations, by their troubles. Nebech, people have so many problems and it weighs them down.
They feel literally like they are walking around with a ball and chain. However, the lesson of Yosef
is that — in a flash — you can go from the greatest depths to the highest heights. A person can rid
himself of his imprisoners and his tormentors and his captors and that can all happen in one fell
swoop.
This is what King Solomon alludes to in Koheles when he says “For from prison, he went out to
rule…” [Koheles 4:14]. This is why it is so important for us to know that on Rosh Hashanah, Yosef
left prison. It is because we too can all leave our “prisons” on this day of the New Year.

With this preface, the Tolner Rebbe says, we can now answer our two original questions:

The first case of the Mishna is someone passing by outside a shul and he hears the shofar blowing.
Fine. This is the case of a regular person. But the second case – “or his house is next door to the
shul.” So, the question is – if his house is right next to the synagogue, why is he not coming to
shul on Rosh Hashanah? What is he doing listening to the shofar from his house? The answer is
that we are speaking about someone who has no interest in going to shul. This person is so far
removed from Rosh Hashanah that when he hears the shofar blast, he thinks it might be a donkey
braying. What kind of a Jew can think such a thing? The answer is we are speaking of a Jew who
is that far away from proper behavior and thoughts on this holy day. Nevertheless, the Mishna is
teaching us that “No!” If in one minute, he says “Hey! That is a shofar” then that recognition can
lift him out of the dungeon. In that one minute, he can experience “from the trash heaps, He lifts
up the destitute.” [Tehillim 113:7]

We may wonder “Who hears a shofar sound on Rosh Hashanah and thinks he is hearing a donkey?”
However, do you know how many millions of Jews there are in the world like that? I once saw a
statistic, perhaps my numbers are wrong – but there are 6,000 seats in Reform Temples on Long
Island. Do you know how many tens of thousands of Jews live on Long Island? So where do all
these Jews go to shul? There is nowhere near enough space in all the Reform Temples on Long
Island to fit all the Jews who live there!

Where do they go? They don’t go anywhere. They don’t even know it is Rosh Hashanah. There
are many “traditional Jews” there who do “at least” go to Eddie’s of Roland Park (a non-kosher
Baltimore deli) and buy their “traditional New Year’s dinner” – tsimmes with honey and raisin
challah – and still not go to shul. However, beyond that, there are tens of thousands more Jews
there who do not have any connection with their religion – not even to Challah and honey! They

26
walk right past the Beis HaKnesses and do not walk in. They hear a shofar blowing from the Shul
next door to them and they can only wonder – is there such a thing, is there not such a thing?

The Mishna is teaching us that they can come out of their desperate situation. They can hear it and
say “Hey! That is a Shofar.” It can make an impression on their hearts.

Even we, fine upstanding Jews — observers of Torah and Mitzvos, Bnei Torah, students who
learn Daf Yomi, and who daven 3 times a day with a minyan — we too all have our “tormentors”
and we all feel imprisoned to some extent by our evil inclinations and desires.

Rosh Hashanah is the day that Yosef left prison and in a moment he went from being a prisoner to
being a ruler. I wish everyone a healthy New Year. We should all have health, nachas from our
children, we should have prosperity, and we should see the complete redemption, speedily in our
days.

Rav David Silverberg writes:11

The Mishna in Masekhet Rosh Hashanah (27b) addresses the case of somebody who sounded
the shofar on Rosh Hashanah in a cavern, giving rise to the question of whether this satisfies the
obligation of hearing the sounding of the shofar. The answer to this question, the Mishna
establishes, depends on whether one heard the actual sound of the shofar, or “kol havara” – the
sound of the echo. The Gemara clarifies that this refers only to those standing outside the cavern,
whereas those who are inside fulfill their obligation.

Rashi understands the Gemara’s remark to mean that those situated inside the cavern fulfill
the obligation under all circumstances, whereas those situated outside the cavern fulfill the
obligation only if they hear the actual sound of the shofar, and not an echo. This is the ruling of
the Rambam, in Hilkhot Shofar (1:8). The Rosh, however, disagrees. He questions why
sometimes those standing outside the cavern would hear the actual sound, and at other times, they
would hear the echo sound. And, he adds, if this depends on the factors such as the depth of the
cavern and the people’s distance from the cavern, then Chazal should have established specific
guidelines, rather than leave it to people to determine whether or not they heard the
actual shofar sound. Therefore, the Rosh understood the Gemara to mean that in such a case, when
a shofar is sounded inside the cavern, those standing outside do not fulfill their obligation, even if
they feel that they heard the actual sound of the shofar. The Rosh explains that when the shofar is
blown inside a cavern, the sound heard outside is the combination of the actual sound and the echo
sound produced by the walls, and so anyone who hears the sound outside the cavern does not fulfill
the mitzva.

The Tur (O.C. 586) follows the view of his father, the Rosh, whereas the Shulchan
Arukh (586:1) accepts the Rambam’s position, that those standing outside the cavern fulfill
the mitzva if they determine that they heard the actual shofar sound.

11
https://etzion.org.il/en/holidays/rosh-hashana/salt-rosh-hashana-5781-2020

27
 The Taz (587:1) expands the Shulchan Aruch’s ruling beyond the specific case of a
cavern. He writes that even if a shofar is sounded in a synagogue, and people are standing outside,
at a distance from the synagogue, they might not necessarily fulfill their obligation by hearing
the shofar blasts. In this instance, too, according to the Taz, a determination will need to be made
that the actual sound of the shofar was heard, and not an echo reverberating off the walls of the
building.

Interestingly, the Taz further asserts that although the Shulchan Arukh rules that those who
stand outside the cavern fulfill their obligation if they determine that they heard the
actual shofar sound, we should not rely on such a determination. The Taz notes that there are
numerous areas in Halakha regarding which we do not presume expertise to definitively identify
certain conditions, and thus in this case, too, those who stand outside a cavern in which
the shofar is sounded should hear the shofar blowing again. Rav Asher Weiss questions the
Rosh’s claim, noting that although there are, indeed, ten different areas in Halakha regarding
which we do not presume expertise, nevertheless, when it comes to the shofar sound, this does not
require expertise. There is no skill needed to distinguish between the actual shofar sound and the
sound of the echo, and so a person standing outside the cavern may rely on his assessment that he
heard the actual sound of the shofar.

Curiously, the Taz does not combine his two claims vis-à-vis this halakha. We would have
assumed that according to the Taz, those who stand outside the synagogue and hear the sounding
of the shofar do not fulfill their obligation, since, in his view, this is akin to the situation of
a shofar sounded in a cavern, such that one cannot rely on his own assessment. However,
the Taz stops short of this conclusion. He writes that in the case of people standing outside the
synagogue, they can rely on their assessment that they heard the actual shofar sound, even though
such an assessment cannot be trusted when hearing the sound of the shofar blown in a cavern.

As Rav Weiss notes, this discussion is particularly relevant to shofar blowing this
year (Rosh Hashanah, 5781), when, due to the coronavirus pandemic, many will be listening to
the shofar blowing outside synagogues, or in different “capsules” within the same building. Even
according to the stringent view of the Taz, one fulfills the mitzva in this fashion if he assesses that
he heard the actual shofar sound. (Rav Weiss adds that in any event, this year, the shofar is not
sounded on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, because it falls on Shabbat, and shofar blowing on the
second day is required only by force of Rabbinic enactment, allowing greater room for leniency.)

Sunday

The Gemara in Masekhet Rosh Hashanah (27b) addresses the status of a shofar that was
plated with metal, such as gold, and establishes that if the interior of the shofar is plated, then
the shofar is invalid for the mitzva on Rosh Hashanah. If, however, the plating is along
the shofar’s exterior, the Gemara rules, then the shofar is invalid only if the plating has the effect
of altering the shofar’s sound. Despite the fact that, as the Gemara there notes, the shofar sound
is valid regardless of its quality, this applies only if the sound is natural. If the sound was
manipulated in any way, such as by a substance attached to the shofar’s exterior surface, the sound
does not fulfill the mitzva.

28
 The Ritva understands the Gemara’s ruling to mean that if a shofar has plating or any sort
of decoration on its exterior, then it is presumed invalid for use for the mitzva unless experts have
determined that the metal or decoration does not change the shofar’s sound. Intuitively, one might
have reasoned that if the foreign substance is on the shofar’s exterior, the shofar retains its
presumed status of validity unless it is determined that the sound has been altered. But the Ritva
argues that since we deal here with a Torah obligation, such a shofar may not be used until it has
first been conclusively determined that the sound is not altered by the presence of the foreign
substance.

Rav Asher Weiss cites the Ritva’s discussion in reference to the question that arises this
year (Rosh Hashanah, 5781) as to whether the opening the shofar may be covered by material to
obstruct the germs of the one blowing the shofar. As part of the efforts to avoid the risk of
spreading coronavirus, some have recommended wrapping material around the end of the shofar in
order to prevent the germs from exiting through the shofar and scattering throughout the
room. Would this be allowed, or does this affect the shofar sound, thus invalidating the blowing?

Rav Weiss notes that the Gemara speaks of material that alters, rather than muffles, the
sound. The disqualification discussed here is a change in the nature of the sound, but not a
reduction in the volume. Indeed, as mentioned, the Gemara states explicitly that there is no
required quality of sound, and even a low, muffled sound fulfills the mitzva. Necessarily, then, it
is only when the foreign material transforms the sound that it disqualifies the blowing, and not
when it has merely a muffling effect.

Moreover, Rav Weiss adds, the Ritva writes that a shofar with a foreign substance on its
exterior must be presumed invalid because we deal with a Biblical obligation, regarding which we
must apply strict standards of certainty. This year, when the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on
Shabbat, the shofar is sounded only on the second day, when blowing the shofar is required only
by force of rabbinic enactment. Certainly, then, there is room to allow sounding the shofar this
year with material covering the shofar’s opening if one feels this is necessary as a safety
precaution.

29
Moshe Zvi Segal was born on 23 February 1904 (6 Shevat 5664) in Poltava, Ukraine.[3] His father
was Abraham Mordechai Segal from Mohilov, situated above the Dnieper River in White Russia.
His mother was Henna Leah Menkin, whose family moved from Mohilov to Vortinschina-
Zeberzhia as farmers to escape the Tzar's decree to kidnap Jewish children from their homes,
forcefully prevent them from religious observance, and recruit them in the army.[3]
The seeds of Segal's love for Jerusalem and the Holy Land were sown at an early age, when he
learned about the forefathers of the Jewish People, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Torah.[3]
In 1914, as a result of the First World War, the Mir Yeshiva relocated to Poltava. Segal studied
there from the age of 10 until the age of 15.[3] In 1919, when the yeshiva returned to Poland, Segal
declined the Rosh Yeshiva's invitation to join them because of his prior obligation to assist his
parents with the family's meager finances.[3]
During his years in the yeshiva he was also an avid reader of books at Poltava's Hebrew Library.
His reading significantly broadened his knowledge of Jewish philosophy in the Middle Ages and
later generations.[3]

30
At the age of 17, Segal was accepted as a member of the HeHalutz Jewish underground
organization in Poltava.[3]
In 1924, at the age of 20, Segal immigrated with his parents and siblings to the land of Israel (then
under the British Mandate for Palestine).
In 1929, in response to King George VI's decrees limiting Jewish rights and religious observance
in Palestine and Jerusalem, Segal organized a large demonstration to the Kotel on 9 Av, the day of
Jewish national mourning.[3]
During the 1929 Arab riots and the pogroms in Hebron and Safed he defended Tel Aviv as a
member of the Hagana. He later co-founded the Etzel military movement. Segal was also one of
the founders of Brit HaBirionim.[4]
In 1930, Segal prayed the Yom Kippur service at the Western Wall. He borrowed a shofar from
Rabbi Isaac Orenstein, then Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall, and hid it until the end of
the Ne'ila service, when it is the custom to sound the shofar. When the service reached its climax,
Segal boldly blew the shofar for all to hear, against the law of the British Mandate, and was
promptly arrested for doing so. Upon hearing of the incident, Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac
Kook announced that he would not break his fast until the young Segal was allowed to eat.
Rabbi Kook telephoned the British High Commissioner of Palestine requesting Segal's release,
and at about midnight that same evening, he was freed. In the years that followed, until the
founding of the State of Israel in 1948, Segal arranged that a shofar be smuggled into the Western
Wall area and he trained young men to sound it at the appropriate moment every year at the end
of the Yom Kippur service.[5]

31
 Yom Kippur: The Shofar and the Wall12
The Holy Temple in Jerusalem was twice destroyed — first by the Babylonians and then by the
Romans. But one wall remains standing, a living symbol of the Jewish people’s ownership over
the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem: the Kotel HaMa’aravi, the Western Wall.
What follows is an excerpt (translated from the Hebrew) from the memoirs of Rabbi Moshe
Segal (1904-1985), a Lubavitcher Chassid who was active in the struggle to free the Holy Land
from British rule.

In those years, the area in front of the Kotel did not look as it does today. Only a narrow alley
separated the Kotel and the Arab houses on the other side. The British Mandatory government
prohibited placing a Torah ark, tables, or benches in the alley in front of the Kotel. Even a small
stool could not be brought there.
The British also instituted ordinances designed to humiliate the Jews at the holiest place of their
faith. It was forbidden to pray out loud, lest one disturb the Arab residents. It was forbidden to
read from the Torah (those praying at the Kotel had to go to one of the synagogues in the Jewish
quarter to conduct the Torah reading). And it was forbidden to sound the shofar on Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur. The British placed policemen at the Kotel to enforce these rules.

“Give Me a Shofar!”
On Yom Kippur of that year [1930], I was praying at the Kotel. During the brief intermission
between the Musaf and Minchah prayers, I overheard people whispering to each other: “Where
will we go to hear the shofar? It will be impossible to blow here. There are as many policemen as
there are people praying...” The police commander himself was there, to make sure that the Jews
will not, God forbid, sound the single blast that indicates the end of the Yom Kippur fast.
I listened to these whisperings, and thought to myself: Can we possibly forgo the sounding of the
shofar that accompanies our proclamation of God’s sovereignty over the world? Can we possibly
forgo the sounding of the shofar, which symbolizes the redemption of Israel? True, the sounding
of the shofar at the close of Yom Kippur is only a custom, but “a Jewish custom is Torah”!
I approached Rabbi Yitzchak Horenstein, who served as the rabbi of our ‘congregation,’ and said,
“Give me a shofar.”
“What for?”
“I will blow.”
“What are you talking about? Don’t you see the police?”
“I will blow.”

12
Adapted from the Hebrew by Yanki Tauber and posted on Chabad.org, with some additional notes from An Angel Among Men,
pp. 220-221, and “The Man Who Sounded the Shofar,” In Jerusalem (Greer Fay Cashman, 5/10/2007). See also The Outlawed
Shofar Blower from Chabad.org.

32
The rabbi abruptly turned away from me, but not before he cast a glance at the prayer stand at the
left end of the alley. I understood the hint: the shofar is located inside the stand.
When the hour of the blowing approached, I walked over to the stand and leaned against it.
Surreptitiously, I opened the drawer and slipped the shofar into my shirt. I had the shofar; but what
if they saw me before I had a chance to blow it? I was still unmarried at the time, and following
the Ashkenazic custom, did not wear a tallit. I turned to person praying at my side, and asked to
borrow his tallit. My request must have seemed strange to him, but the Jews are a kind people,
especially at the holiest moments of the holiest day. He handed me his tallit without a word.
I wrapped myself in the tallit. At that moment, I felt that I had created my own private domain. All
around me, a foreign government prevailed, ruling over the people of Israel even on their holiest
day and at their holiest place, and we are not free to serve our God. But under this tallit, I thought
to myself, is another domain. Here I am under no dominion, save that of my Father in Heaven.
Here I shall do as He commands me; and no force on earth will stop me.
When the closing verses of the Ne'illah prayer — “Hear O Israel,” “Blessed be the Name” and
“The Eternal is God” — were proclaimed, I took the shofar and blew a long, resounding blast.
After that, everything happened very quickly. Many hands grabbed me. I removed the tallit from
over my head, and before me stood the police commander, who ordered my arrest.

Arrest and Release

I was taken to the ‘Kishleh,’ the prison in the Old City, and an Arab policeman was appointed to
watch over me. Many hours passed, but I was given no food or water to break my fast. At midnight,
the policeman received an order to release me, and he let me out without a word.
As I exited the gate, I met a group of young men from Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav, the Jerusalem
yeshiva founded by Rav Kook.1
“My friends!” I called out to them. “What are you doing here at midnight?”
They told me that immediately after I blew the shofar, some Mercaz HaRav students who had
prayed at the Kotel hurried off to tell Rav Kook what had happened. The chief rabbi was happy to
hear that someone sounded the shofar at the Kotel, but saddened to hear that I had been arrested.
All this took place before Rav Kook had broken his fast. He did not eat, but on the spot called the
High Commissioner’s secretary, demanding my immediate release. When his request was turned
down, Rav Kook informed the secretary that he would not break his fast until I was freed. The
High Commissioner resisted for several hours; but finally, out of respect for the chief rabbi, he had
no choice but to set me free.
For the next eighteen years, until the Arab conquest of the Old City in 1948, the shofar was sounded
at the Kotel every Yom Kippur.2 The British well understood the significance of this blast. They
knew that it would ultimately demolish their reign over our land, just as the walls of Jericho
crumbled before the shofar of Joshua, and they did everything in their power to prevent it. But
every Yom Kippur, the shofar was sounded by brave men who knew they would be arrested for
their part in staking our claim on the holiest of our possessions.

33
Postscript
Rabbi Moshe Segal was one of the first Jews to move into the Old City of Jerusalem after its
liberation in 1967.
Immediately after the paratroopers captured the Old City, Segal arrived, determined to take up
residence there. The soldiers on guard were reluctant to allow him in, explaining that they could
not take responsibility for his safety.
Segal replied that he relied on a Higher Power for his safety.
“We have received a gift from God,” he exclaimed. “Do you really expect me to remain outside
while the Arabs are still inside?” In the end he was escorted through the streets with an armored
jeep. It was inconceivable to him that Jerusalem should be reunited without a single Jew living in
the Jewish Quarter.
At the end of Yom Kippur that year, Rabbi Segal once again blew the shofar at the Kotel. This
time, though, without fear of arrest by British policemen.
Rabbi Segal passed away in 1985 — on Yom Kippur. Like Rav Kook, he is buried in the ancient
Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

1
Rabbi Segal had studied for a short time in the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva after arriving in Eretz Yisrael in 1924.
2
In fact, Segal was determined that shofar-blowing at the Kotel on Yom Kippur would become an annual tradition. He often helped
plan these operations, preparing young men to blow the shofar. Since they were different young men each year, the British did not
know their identities and could not arrest them in advance.

34
Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Segal was born in in 1904 Poltava, Russia. He taught Torah in yeshivot that
had to go "underground" following the Russian Revolution. He made aliya with his family in the
1920s and registered as the seventh member of Betar in Eretz Israel. Rabbi Segal was a member
of the Haganah in the mid-1920s but was ejected for agitating on behalf of a Jewish state.13

In 1929, Rabbi Segal organized the march to the Kotel (the Western Wall) on Tisha B'Av. During
the Arab riots and pogroms of that year he defended Tel Aviv as a member of the Nationalist
Haganah, and later helped negotiate the formation of the Irgun Zvai Leumi (IZL). He also helped
Abba Ahimeir, Uri Zvi Greenberg and Dr. Yehoshua Yevin found the first revolutionary Zionist
movement in modern Eretz Israel: the Brit Habirionim.

In 1930, Rabbi Segal violated the British prohibition against blowing the shofar at the Kotel to
mark the end of the Yom Kippur fast and was arrested. Every year following, someone followed in
his footsteps and blew the shofar as an act of defiance against the British regime. Segal helped
prepare many of these operations. Even today, Rabbi Segal is known in Israel as "the first of the
shofar blowers."

Segal went on to become a member of the Irgun High Command (when Yaacov Meridor was
Commander in Chief), and later he joined the Lehi (Stern Group). He was also the national
commander of a religious semi-underground, the Brit Hashmonaim.

In 1967, Rabbi Segal left Kfar Chabad, where he was living, and became the first Jew to move
back to the Old City of Jerusalem after its liberation. He rebuilt the Chabad synagogue there, and
later helped organize the rebuilding of the Ramban synagogue.

Rabbi Segal was a leader of the campaigns to allow Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, to prevent
the withdrawal from Sinai, and to strengthen Jewish settlement in all areas liberated by the Israeli
army. He was one of the initiators of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, and founded the Shavei
Zion Society there. He befriended a young Israeli soldier, David Ben Shimol, who was sentenced
to life imprisonment after he fired on an Arab bus to protest the Israeli government's apathy
towards the murder of Jews, including Ben Shimol's girlfriend, by terrorists.

Rabbi Segal died in 1984 on Yom Kippur and was buried on the Mount of Olives.

13
http://www.saveisrael.com/segal/segalbio.htm

35
 In this book Zev Golan tells the full story of the battle between British
Colonial Authorities and Jews that was fought alongside the Western Wall in
Jerusalem

36
 Echoes of a Shofar

Under a British law in Palestine passed in 1930, Jews were forbidden to blow the shofar at the
Kotel, pray loudly there, or bring Torah scrolls, so as not to offend the Arab population.

Despite this restriction, for the next seventeen years, the shofar was sounded at the Kotel every
Yom Kippur. Shofars were smuggled in to the Kotel where brave teenagers defiantly blew them
at the conclusion of the fast. Some managed to get away – others were captured and sent to jail for
up to six months.

Six of these men are still alive.

37
Two weeks ago, these six men returned to the scene of their “crime”. Armed with shofars, they
recounted their individual stories and blew shofar again at the Kotel.

This is their powerful and inspiring story.14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIfLbkx4ZIM

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2246/jewish/The-Shofar-and-the-Wall.htm

14
About: “Echoes of a Shofar” is the premiere episode in the “Eyewitness 1948” short film series produced by Toldot Yisrael and

the History Channel. It is the centerpiece of an educational pilot program being developed with The iCenter and made possible

through the generous support of the Jim Joseph Foundation.

38