By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com

Perhaps in one hundred years it will be known as “the Great Shofar Blowing Controversy of the COVID era.” This Rosh HaShana, there are many shuls that will be cutting the blasts to a minimum of thirty.  Others are keeping it to the classical one hundred blasts.  What is the reasoning behind the controversy?

There is no question, of course, that when there is a danger we should be modifying what we do in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19.  It is this author’s opinion that outside minyanim are far, far preferable to indoor minyanim.  Infection rates of outdoor gatherings without masks and social distancing were tested to be 1/19^th the rate of indoor gatherings.

But let’s get to the issues.

SISREH’S MOTHER

The Tur in Orech Chaim Siman 592 cites the view of the Aruch that we perform 100 blasts in order to counter the 100 wails of the mother of Sisreh discussed in Shoftim 5 when he does not come home after Yael smashed his head with a tent peg.  We need zechusim to counter any possible charge against the nation of Israel.  The extra blasts are seen either as a merit out of our love for the Mitzvah (See Rashi, Rosh haShana 16b) or as a means of confusing the Satan (See Tosfos ibid citing the Aruch and Yerushalmi).  The Torah requirement is that we perform 9 blasts but out of a doubt as to what they are exactly – we perform 30 blasts.

THE 30 VIEW

The contemporary Rabbis that say, “just do thirty blasts” are of the opinion that the Rabbinic obligation is for only thirty blasts. The extra blasts that we do in the davening are just a mere minhag or custom that could be done away with – when necessary.

This may be seen from the implication of the words highlighted below in the very last Mishna in Rosh haShana.

The order of the shofar blasts are: three sets of three. The length of a tekiah is equal to three teruahs, and the length of a teruah is equal to three yevavos. If one lengthened the first tekiah so that it connected to the second, it counts only as one. One who has already said the Mussaf shmoneh esreh and then a shofar is given to him, he sounds a tekiah teruah tekiah three times. Just as the shliach tzibbur is obligated, so too is every single individual obligated. Rabban Gamaliel says: the shliach tzibbur causes the whole congregation to fulfill their obligation.

THE 100 VIEW

The contemporary Rabbis that say that we should not change up the hundred blasts are of the opinion that there were actually two enactments of the sages as to how to blow the Shofar.  There was one enactment for single daveners (by single, we mean without a minyan) and there was a different enactment for a Tzibbur.  The second enactment created an obligation of performing sixty blasts –  NOT 30 BLASTS. [All would agree that the Rabbinic obligation is not more than 70 blasts].

NO DIFFERENT THAN THE FOUR CUPS OF WINE

This second track of enactments was no different than the enactment of the four cups of wine on the Haggadah.  In other words, just like one does not fulfill the Mitzvah of the four cups of wine when they are not consumed at the specific places they must be consumed in the Hagaddah, so too must the Shofar blasts be blown at the specific places of Malchios, Zichronos, and Shofros in the Mussaf davening.

The Mishna in the fourth chapter of Rosh haShana states as follows:

The order of the blessings in the Musaf Amidah of Rosh Hashanah:  He says

1. “avos”,
2. “gvuros” and
3. “kedushas hashem” and includes the malchios psukim and does not blow the shofar.
4. The kedushas hayom and blows the shofar,
5. the zichronos psukim and blows the shofar, and the
6. shofros psukim and blows the shofar.
7. Then he says the blessing of avodah and
8. modim and
9. the birchas kohanim – these are the words of Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri.

Rabbi Akiva said to him: if he does not blow the shofar for the malchios psukim, why should he say them? Rather he says:

1. “avos”,
2. “gvuros” and the
3. “kedushas hashem” and includes the malchios psukim with the kdushas hayom and blows the shofar,
4. then he says the zichronos psukim and blows, and the shofros psukim and blows.
5. Then he says the avodah and
6. modim and
7. birchas kohanim.

DIFFERENCE IS BASED UPON HOW THE RISHONIM VIEW ALL THE GEMORAHS TOGETHER

There are two types of tekiyos in the Gemorah described as the tekiyos d’meyushav and the tekiyos d’meumad. One is the main one and the other is for confusing the Satan.  But which one is which?  Our custom now is that the ones immediately following the reading of the Torah are the ones in which we fulfill the Torah obligation ones – while the ones in Mussaf are the ones in which we fulfill the Rabbinic obligation ones (or the customary ones according to the other contemporary Rabbis).  In the past it was the opposite.

There are different nuances found in the Rishonim as to the implications of all of these Gemorahs together.  For example, the Ramban in the milchamos is of the opinion that the brachos were enacted after those tekiyos rather than the other way around.  His view fits better with the latter view than with the former.  Rashi in BaMidbar (10:10) understands it as an asmachta which indicates a super-powerful derabanan – not just a Minhag.

The Acharonim also indicate that they view it not just as a minhag.  The responsum of the Radbaz (Vol. I #347) is indicative that it is a full Rabbinic obligation on the shul.  Rav Yaakov Emden even writes that is positive that Moshe Rabbeinu himself blew one hundred blasts.

THERE IS AEROSOLIZED LIQUID THAT COMES OUT OF THE SHOFAR

It has been shown scientifically that there are, in fact, liquid particles that come out of the other end of the shofar.  We know that epidemiologists have 3 different terms when they study diseases:  There is “r”, there is “k” and there is the mortality rate. They define  “r” as how many people, on average, get the disease from every person that was diagnosed.  That number for COVID-19, as of a few months ago was 3.  Mortality is the percentage of people who actually die from the disease (numerator) divided by the total number of people who have the disease (denominator).  This is a hard number to calculate because we do not really have an accurate denominator and probably never did.  Also, we now know how to treat it better – so that number is going down.  The key term here is “k” – which is defined as the number of people that had the virus who gave it to 80% of the people that got it later.  This “k” term helps us to identify the “Super-Spreaders.”  This number has been identified at .10 or ten percent.

DIFFERENT THEORIES AS TO WHO ARE THE SUPER-SPREADERS

But who are these “k”-ers?  There seems to be four predominant theories:

• Theory A is that they are primarily the super popular people who come in contact with more people.
• Theory B is that they are primarily those people that have a tendency to invade our personal space more than others.
• Theory C is that they are the “wet talkers” who have just a wee bit more liquid in their speech than we would generally care to encounter.
• Theory D is that they are some sort of heretofore undiscovered combination of the previous three or some other factor as yet undiscovered.

Regardless, it seems pretty clear that shofar blasts blown by a COVID-10 spreader could be dangerous.  Different approaches, and combinations thereof, have been suggested:

• Blow the shofar outside.
• Make sure the Baal Tokaya has anti-bodies.
• Blow the shofar to the window
• Anyone within 20 feet of the shofar blower must, unconditionally, wear a mask.
• Cover the shofar with its own makeshift mask

Some have suggested that we just blow thirty blasts.  Others say that we should just keep it to seventy blasts in order to minimize exposure.  This author’s personal view is that the view that there were two takanos is the more normative halachic one and that we should continue the minhag of blowing the 100 – and adopt some of the approaches suggested directly above.  Each person, of course, should follow the directives of his or her own Rav or Posaik who will be in consultation with a medical expert.

It is important to remember throughout all of this discussion, however, to keep in mind what the shofar reminds us of:  The Rambam writes that the shofar tells us:

“Awaken from your sleep, you sleeper! Think about your deeds.  Remember Hashem and go back to Him in Teshuvah.  Don’t be like those who miss everything that is real and important and instead chase after things that are just a shadow.  Don’t waste your years chasing after vain things that won’t help you.   Look to your souls and consider your actions.”

This year, the combination of COVID with the shofar certainly enhances the Rambam’s message.

The Gemorah tells us that any year in which the Shofar is not blown ends up as a calamitous year.  What about Shabbos then?  Rabbi Aharon Kotler explains that the merit of Shabbos observance — in having given up the item that will silence the Satan — will serve to silence him.

The Gemorah tells us that one set of Shofar blasts is to fulfill the Mitzvah, while the other set of shofar blasts is to confound or confuse the Satan.  Rashi explains that the Satan will be unable to prosecute us when he sees us lovingly perform Hashem’s Mitzvah again.

Tosfos explains that the Satan is afraid that he will lose his job, thinking that this shofar blast is the one that hails the arrival of the Messianic era.  One may ask how it is that the Satan can be confounded and confused so easily?  The Taamei haMinhagim explains that the Satan is concerned that the Jewish people are not just doing Teshuvah.  He is worried that they are doing Teshuva m”Ahavah — repentance out of Love of Hashem.  When that happens all the Aveiros that the Jewish people performed are turned into Mitzvos.  This is what worries and confuses him.

Let us all take this to heart and try to perform a real Teshuvah m’Ahava this year.

The author can be reached at [email protected]