teshuva; simcha of Rosh Hashanah

Selichos, which b'ezras Hashem will begin Motzei Shabbos, represents not only an intensification of tefillah in terms of ribui hatefillah, but also represents a fundamental shift in terms of tzoras hatefillah. What I want to discuss is devarim peshutim, but perhaps just to accentuate it, I'd like to again review a little bit a sugya b'halacha. The Rosh in the end of Rosh Hashanah quotes the discussion from the Geonim about fasting on Rosh Hashanah, fasting on Shabbos Shuva.

ולהתענות בשני ימים טובים של ראש השנה ובשבת שבין ראש השנה ליום הכיפורים הכי אמר מר רב נטרונאי גאון. ביום טוב של ראש השנה אי אפשר לישב בו בתענית משום דמדאורייתא הוא אבל ביום טוב שני ובשבת לית בה קושיא משום דעשרה יומי אינון משונים מכל ימות השנה לפיכך נהגו רבותינו לישב בהן בתעניות בין בחול בין בשבת.

So Rav Natronai Gaon only assers first day Rosh Hashanah, but says second day Rosh Hashanah, Shabbos Shuva a person may fast. Other Geonim held you could fast first day Rosh Hashanah as well. The Rosh proceeds to quote Rav Hai Gaon.

ונראה דברי רב האי שכתב ולהתענות בשני ימים טובים של ראש השנה אנו רואין שיפה הוא שלא להתענות שכך אמרו פרנסי ישראל הראשונים לישראל בראש השנה אכלו מעדנים ושתו ממתקים כי קדוש היום. וכן בשבת שובה אין אנו רואין שיתענה אדם שהרי תשעה באב שהוא תענית חמורה לא רצו לקבוע אותו בשבת אלא דחו אותו.

So Rav Hai doesn't like fasting on Rosh Hashanah. But what's so, so difficult to understand about this discussion, about this debate in the Rishonim, is that we would have expected that Rav Hai Gaon should have come into the Beis Medrash, should have given a klop on the shtender, and should have explained bekama vekhama ta'amei that it's assur to fast on Rosh Hashanah. The Gaon in Shulchan Aruch regarding this question quotes a Toras Kohanim. Toras Kohanim says מקרא קודש קדשהו במאכל ובמשתה ובכסות נקייה. So wherever it says Mikra Kodesh, there's a din of ma’achal umishte. Rosh Hashanah is Mikra Kodesh. According to some Rishonim, one could add to the list that there's a mitzvah simcha on Rosh Hashanah, right, the famous diyuk in the Rambam in Hilchos Chanukah that you don't say Hallel on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Hakippurim לפי שאינן ימי שמחה יתירה, but the mashma’us is that yemei simcha they takka are. Earlier the Rosh here in the end of Rosh Hashanah quotes how some of the Geonim were of the opinion that you say והשיאנו ה' אלהינו ברכת מועדיך לחיים ולשלום לשמחה ולששון on Rosh Hashanah as well. According to other Rishonim, you can add to the list of reasons not to fast on Rosh Hashanah that Yom Tov, Rosh Hashanah bikhlal, has a mitzvah of kavod va’oneg. And the mitzvah of kavod va’oneg is mechayev achilah. And then you have the einfal or the chappa of the Sha’agas Aryeh that Rosh Hashanah has an issur ta'anis betoras Rosh Chodesh. So takka when you look in the Sha’agas Aryeh, when the Sha’agas Aryeh has his siman about this question of fasting on Rosh Hashanah, so the Sha’agas Aryeh doesn't say... ענווין שיפה הוא לשלש תענית. Sha'agas Aryeh says asur lehisanos. It's asur to fast on Rosh Hashanah. And Rav Hai Gaon, first of all, he's very, very diffident about it. ענווין שיפה הוא לשלש תענית. I don't know if you asked Rav Hai Gaon, can you eat neveilah? Mistama Rav Hai Gaon wouldn't say ענווין שיפה הוא לשלש לאכול נבילה. Asur leechol neveilah. And then even the reason Rav Hai Gaon proceeds to give, he doesn't give any of these reasons we gave. We just gave—okay, not everyone agrees with all the four reasons, but everyone agrees with some of those four reasons. And Rav Hai Gaon bypasses all of them. He refers to the psukim in Ezra Nechemiah and says, look, the psukim in Ezra Nechemiah were there mezaarez, they exhort the people, אכלו מעדנים ושתו ממתקים כי קדוש היום. So what's the pshat here? So the emes is that there are mekoros in the Rishonim, at least two that come to mind, of where there's an exception to this rule of isur ta'anis, at least meforash on Shabbos, and perhaps by extension on Yom Tov as well. First of all, you have in the Rambam, in Hilchos Ta'aniyos in perek alef, halacha vav, the Rambam writes

אין גוזרים תענית על הציבור לא בשבתות ולא בימים טובים וכן אין תוקעים בהן לא בשופר ולא בחצוצרות ולא זועקים ומתחננים בהם בתפילה אלא אם כן הייתה עיר שהקיפוה עכו"ם או נהר או ספינה המטרפת בים אפילו יחיד הנרדף מפני עכו"ם מפני ליסטים ומפני רוח רעה מתענים עליהם בשבת וזועקים ומתחננים עליהם בתפילה.

So the Rambam says that a יחיד הנרדף מפני עכו"ם, mipnei listim, it's a little bit of a shailah in the girsa'os, but the Frankel Rambam also seems to have what we have in the parentheses here, that the Rambam says misanen aleihem be-Shabbos, misanen aleihem be-Shabbos. The other, the other makor that you find in, possibly, in at least some of the Rishonim for ta'anis on Shabbos is the Gemara says in Berachos in the fifth perek that

כל היושב בתענית בשבת קורעין לו גזר דינו אפילו של שבעים שנה.

So the better known understanding of that Gemara is what Tosafos quotes from Rabbeinu Chananel, that it's talking about a ta'anis chalom, that a person had a, had a, had a troubling dream Friday night and then he's fasting the ta'anis chalom on Shabbos. But there is a second pshat that the Meiri alludes to, the Shita Mekubetzet has, the Einayim la-Mishpat mentions this.

כל היושב בתענית בשבת קורעין לו גזר דין של שבעים שנה, פירוש בתענית תשובה מיירי. כלומר כשהאדם חטא ורוצה לשוב להשם בכל לבו ומתחרט מפשעו ומתענה אפילו בשבת כשהאחרים מתענגים ודאי זו תשובה שלימה וראוי לקרוע גזר דינו מפני כך. ואף על פי שאסור להתענות בשבת תענית תשובה או תענית חלום התירו לו.

So be it al smach the Rambam in Hilchos Ta'aniyos, be it al smach this pshat in the Gemara in Berachos, so the pshat apparently in all the Geonim who used to fast on Rosh Hashanah—and this one line I heard from Rav Sacks zikhrono livrakha is that the Geonim knew all the reasons why it's asur to fast. They knew this that you... and they knew that according to some shitos you have kavod v'oneg and shabbos and they certainly knew that it was Rosh Chodesh but the Gaonim said but in an eis tzara there's a heter to fast in an eis tzara so that's what we just saw whether it's the Rambam in Hilchos Taniyos based on his understanding of a Gemara in Taanis or whether it's this shita in the Teshuvos HaGeonim in the view that the Meiri alludes to in Brachos lamed aleph but in an eis tzara so the eis tzara overrides all this and that's why the Gaonim used to fast on Rosh Hashanah and that's why Rav Hai Gaon doesn't come in and give a klap and say that it's asur. No the Gaonim also understood all the reasons why you're not supposed to fast but they said eis tzara hi. That's so that's why Rav Hai Gaon answers you're right it's an eis tzara you're right it's an eis tzara but אף על פי כן look at the psukim in Ezra Nechemia. We'll come back later what the psukim in Ezra Nechemia are saying bli neder. What is the eis tzara what's the eis tzara of Rosh Hashanah? It's a twofold eis tzara. First of all it's an eis tzara of Yom HaDin. ספרי חיים ספרי מתים פתוחים לפניו is an eis tzara that doesn't require any elaboration. But the emes is that the eis tzara of Rosh Hashanah runs much deeper than that. Rabbeinu Yona writes in Shaarei Teshuva in the Ikarei HaTeshuva in Shaar Rishon Rabbeinu Yona writes ha'ikar hashlishi the third of the ikarei hateshuva hayagon a sense of anguish that when a person is doing teshuva he has to have a sense of anguish. ישתונן כליותיו ויחשוב כמה רבה רעת מי שהמרה יוצרו. A person should ponder a person should meditate on the fact of of just the magnitude of the evil of someone who rebels against Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Veyagdil yagon bilevavo and the sense of anguish should intensify should become magnified וסער מתחולל ברעיוניו ויאנח במרירות לב. When a person recognizes and feels that he's in a matzav of cheit אין לך עת צרה גדולה מזו. That awareness of cheit gufa is what triggers and what constitutes the eis tzara. Mimeila that's what the Gaonim said we know there's a mitzva simcha and we know there's kavod v'oneg and we know it's Rosh Chodesh and we know it's mikra kodesh but there's an eis tzara. Eis tzara.

כל היושב בתענית בשבת אפילו גזר דין של שבעים שנה קורעין לו.

The yesod of selichos is from the Gemara in Rosh Hashanah kayadu'a not just the description of Hakadosh Baruch Hu with the Yud Gimmel Middos but also the well known ma'amar of

אמר רבי יצחק ד' דברים מקרעין גזר דינו של אדם אלו הן צדקה צעקה שינוי השם ושינוי מעשה.

So the inyan of ribui tfillah be it aseres yemei teshuva be it that we advance it already before Rosh Hashanah is rooted in tza'aka is קורעת גזר דינו של אדם. But tza'aka isn't just a synonym for tfillah. The Rambam also אף על פי שהתשובה והצעקה יפה לעולם but in aseres yemei teshuva it's especially timely and miskabel. Tza'akah as distinct from tefillah is associated with eis tzara. You find, for instance, if you contrast the Rambam in Hilchos Taniyos with the Rambam where he defines the daily mitzvah of tefillah: מצות עשה להתפלל בכל יום. At the beginning of Hilchos Taniyos, the Rambam talks about the mitzvah of chatzotzros: מצות עשה מן התורה לזעוק ולהריע בחצוצרות. The mitzvas tefillah which accompanies chatzotzros is not just stam a tefillah, but the ofen hatefillah, the tzuras hatefillah is different. It's not stam a person is mispallel, but a person is mispallel bederech tza'akah, bederech ze'akah. What's the difference between tza'akah? How does a person emit a tza'akah as opposed to just a kol tefillah? The difference is this: a person davens his daily Shmoneh Esrei, he says the bracha Refaeinu. He, bli ayin hara, is in good health, his family, all his friends, associates, everyone he knows is, baruch Hashem, bli ayin hara, in good health. He says Refaeinu. He says Refaeinu. He doesn't cry. He doesn't shed a tear when he says Refaeinu. Rachmana litzlan, someone close to him is sick. Rachmana litzlan, someone close to him is seriously ill. Then a person doesn't just sort of routinely say Refaeinu, but there's a tza'akah. There's a tza'akah mimamakei halev of Refaeinu Hashem venerafei. Tefillah, the tefillah of Selichos is not just to be marbeh bitefillah quantitatively, but to daven differently. The tefillah of Selichos is to be a tza'akah, to be a ze'akah. And be'emes, this Gemara in Rosh Hashanah really says it meforesh. The Gemara in Rosh Hashanah says, how do you know that צעקה מקרעת גזר דינו של אדם? Because ויצעקו אל ה' בצר להם. It was an eis tzara. ויצעקו אל ה' בצר להם with the result that umimmitzukoseihem yotziem. There's nothing casual about cheit. And because there's nothing casual about cheit, there can't be anything casual or superficial about our response to cheit, about the teshuva and the tefillah which come in response to cheit. So what did Rav Hai Gaon takeh answer the other Gaon? So if Rav Hai Gaon concedes this point, I can't assur fasting on Rosh Hashanah because I hear the taina, I hear that it's an eis tzara. So what did Rav Hai Gaon answer?

שכך אמרו פרנסי ישראל הראשונים לישראל בראש השנה: אכלו משמנים ושתו ממתקים כי קדוש היום.

So he cited a Maaseh Rav. He cited it's no more of an eis tzara now than it was mimei Ezra v'Nechemia when they were so assimilated and they were intermarried and Ezra v'Nechemia had to give them so much mussar. But what's the hesber? What's the hesber? So the Rosh goes on and he quotes:

ועוד הביא רב יהודאי ראיה מירושלמי, פרק קמא דראש השנה. אמר רבי סימון כתיב כי מי גוי גדול. ר' חנניה ור' יהושע,

chad amar

איזו אומה כאומה זו שיודעת אופיו של אלוהיה בנוהג שבעולם.

V'eino choteich tzipornav

לפי שאינו יודע איך דינו יוצא. אבל ישראל אינן כן. לובשים לבנים ומתעטפים לבנים ומגלחים זקנם וחותכים צפרניהם ואוכלים ושותים ושמחים בראש השנה לפי שיודעין שהקדוש ברוך הוא עושה להם נסים ומטה את דינם לכף זכות וקורע להם גזר דינם. והכי איתא נמי בויקרא רבה.

So be'emes it's the same diyuk in the Ravyah, the Yerushalmi. What does the Yerushalmi have to say that

ואוכלים ושותים ושמחים לפי שיודעין שהקדוש ברוך הוא עושה להם נסים?

No, ואוכלים ושותים ושמחים לקיים מה שנאמר מקרא קודש וכולי. So ella mai, hem hem hadevarim, that be'emes, the only way a person can eat on Rosh Hashanah, the only way a person can eat on Rosh Hashanah is if he knows that we're being mis'ametz in malchiyos, we're being mis'ametz in tefillah, bi'tshuvah, and because of that the Ribbono Shel Olam says that we should have bitachon that the verdict will be a good one, that the verdict will be a favorable one. Just mitzvas simcha, just mitzvas kavod ve'oneg isn't reason to eat on Rosh Hashanah, because that doesn't address the issue of eis tzarah. What addresses the issue of eis tzarah is this bitachon that we're told to have, that if only again we'll be mis'ametz bi'tshuvah, we'll be mis'ametz in our malchiyos, in our tefillah, so then

יודעין שהקדוש ברוך הוא עושה להם נסים ומטה את דינם לכף זכות.

But there is another kasov hashlishi oso in addition to this kasov hashlishi of how it is that on the one hand אין לך עת צרה גדולה מזו of Rosh Hashanah and not just by virtue of the fact that it's a yom hadin, but by virtue of the awareness of cheit and the sense of just complete failure that a person has when he becomes aware of cheit. There's another kasov hashlishi to how simcha coexists. The Me'or Einayim comments the pasuk in last week's keriyas Hatorah

תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' אלהיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב.

A person has a mitzvah to be עובד את ה' בשמחה. You bench lulav, you should bench lulav bisimcha.

תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' אלהיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב.

You're going to light Chanukah licht, you should light Chanukah licht bisimcha. Says the Me'or Einayim, so tshuvah is also a mitzvah. Tshuvah is also a mitzvah. A person's doing tshuvah, a person's doing tshuvah, so simultaneously yes, the need for tshuvah, the awareness for cheit is as devastating and crushing an awareness as a person can have. Imagine a person whose dream is to go to medical school, and he spends years studying, studying, and then come the day of the MCATs, or maybe the day of the medical boards after the second year of medical school, and he just fails miserably. So he just feels totally empty, everything, everything that he's geared for, everything that he's invested in, what he feels like is tachlis in life, totally lost. So a person has such a sense of yagon as Rabbeinu Yonah says, and yet simultaneously that sense of yagon due to the failure, due to the awareness of tumas hacheit, alongside that, a person has a gevaldige simcha. Alongside that, a person has the simcha of doing tshuvah.

תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' אלהיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב

applies to mitzvas tshuvah the way it applies to the rest of taryag mitzvos. The Halacha Lema'aseh for us, we have to try as much as possible that the Seudos on Rosh Hashanah shouldn't result in any lapse in the Koved Rosh about the Kedushas Hayom. The Simcha, the Achilah, Shtiyah on Rosh Hashanah shouldn't be a break from the intensity of the Davening, after the length of the Davening, but rather as Rav Hai Gaon says, it should be rooted in the Bitachon, in the Hakaras Hatov to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for that Havtacha, and in the Simcha which should accompany our fulfillment of Mitzvas Teshuva. Beli Neder in the next week we'll talk a little bit about Inyanei Malchuyos.