Reconnecting To Hashem

The Rambam (Teshuva 1:1) says חַיָּב לְהִתְוַדּוֹת לִפְנֵי הָאֵל בָּרוּךְ הוּא, viduy must be done before Hashem.  Regarding Yom Kippur as well the Torah says לפני ה תטהרו.  What does it mean that viduy must be done before Hashem and why is it necessary?  Why is it that one who does teshuva is called a בַּעַל תְּשׁוּבָה, we don't call someone who wears tefillin a בעל תפילין?  

When one does teshuva one is not merely removing a negative, reversing his wrongs of the past but rather bringing a whole new light into his relationship with Hashem.  As the Rambam says (7:6) אֶמֶשׁ הָיָה זֶה שָׂנאוּי לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם מְשֻׁקָּץ וּמְרֻחָק וְתוֹעֵבָה. וְהַיּוֹם הוּא אָהוּב וְנֶחְמָד קָרוֹב וְיָדִיד.  One who does teshuva enjoys a new close relationship with Hashem.  Why is this so?  

Rav Soloveitchik says every Jew has their own covenant with Hashem as being a member of Klal Yisrael.  Since there was a bris made with Klal Yisrael, a member becomes automatically part of this bris.  When one sins they are breaking this bris.  When one does teshuva they need to create a new bris with Hashem.  That is what it means viduy must be done לפני ה, one must reconnect with Hashem and personally recreate his own bris.  To create this new connection one must come personally to Hashem and ask to be given a new connection.  That is why such a person is described as a בעל תשובה, he is not merely one that has fulfilled a mitzvah of teshuva, he is someone who has established an entire new connection to Hashem. 

Rav Yeruchom Levovitz (Daas CHachma U'Mussar volume 2 #90, see also volume 1 #91) says that teshuva is not a means of refersing sin and therefore if one did many sins they need to do many acts of teshuva.  Rather, teshuva is a life changing experience.  One's entire service to Hashem now stems from teshuva.  He adds that is why Rabbenu Yona in Shaarey Teshuva gives a vast description of the mitzvot and halachot for a baal teshuva needs a new kabbalah of the mitzvot.  His new connection, new bris with Hashem, obligates a new acceptance of the Torah.  That is why the giving of the luchos happens on Yom Kippur for teshuva goes hand in hand with reaccepting the Torah.  That is why the Midrash says it is only Hashem that allows a sinner to do teshuva for it is only Hashem that has the capability of creating a new bris with the sinner.  

Additional Shofar Blasts And בל תוסיף

Tosfos Rosh Hashana (16b) asks how we can blow an additional set of shofar blasts in order to לערבב השטן if it is a violation of בל תוסיף, adding on to the Bibical mitzvah?  Tosfos ends up answering that doing a mitzvah multiple times does not constitute בל תוסיף.  The simple understanding is that the Torah gives a minimal shiur to do the mitzvah but it is not the maximum that one should violate בל תוסיף for doing more.  The Rashba answers the question of Tosfos that since one is blowing to fulfill the takanah of Chazal that is not a violation of בל תוסיף.  The Achronim discuss is there a machlokes in the answers, does Tosfos not hold like the answer of the Rashba and visa versa or did they just give alternate answers.  

The Minchas Chinuch (454) says the Rashba must agree to the severah of Tosfos for וכי תעלה על הדעת דלהרשב"א אסור ליטול לולב או להניח תפילין כ"פ ביום או הרבה זיתים מצה וכדומה, how can it be that Rashba won't allow you to carry around a luluv or eat a lot of matzah?  He must agree to Tosfos.  One could argue that the Rashba holds that is not a proof for all those examples are cases where adding to the mtizvah is an additional kium mitzvah, every taking of the luluv, every eating of the matzah, the mitzvah of tefillin is to wear it all day but blowing more shofar blasts is no additional kium mitzvah and maybe that is בל תוסיף to add to the mitzvah.  

Other Achronim attack the other way, how can Tosfos not say like the Rashba, why is sitting in the Sukkah on Shemini Atzeret not a violation of בל תוסיף if Tosfos does not say doing an acting to fulfill the takkanah of Chazal is not in violation of בל תוסיף?  The Pney Yehoshua and Pri Migadim (Pesicha Kolleles volume 1 #38) both suggest Tosfos is agreement with the Rashba when the takkanah serves to alleviate a need, where there was some problem Chazal had to fix, but just to enact an additional blowing does not fit in the rubric of the license for takkanas and would be subject to בל תוסיף.  Rebbe Akiva Eger says that this is not so for Tosfos himself (28b) [on the same page where he repeats his yesod from 16b] says that sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret (to fulfill the takkanah derabbanan of ספיקא דיומא) would be a violation of בל תוסיף according to what the Gemarah entertains that בל תוסיף applies even outside the timeframe of the mitzvah even with out intent to fulfill a mitzvah.  In other words, Tosfos is saying that בל תוסיף does apply to a Rabbinic decree and it is not a violation merely because one is not intending to do a mitzvah; not like the Rashba?  

My great-grandfather suggests that the Tosfos there does not necessarily contradict the Rashba.  The point of the Rashba is that it is not בל תוסיף when one's intent is to fulfill the Rabbinic law, not to add to the mitzvah. Tosfos is talking in the opinion that one's intent doesn't matter, one violates בל תוסיף even without intent for a mitzvah so over there the words of the Rashba do not hold water and doing a Rabbinic law will be בל תוסיף.  However, according to the conclusion of the Gemarah that when violates בל תוסיף outside the timeframe of the mitzvah only with intent for a mitzvah, Tosfos will agree to the Rashba.  

If everyone is on the same page why did the Tosfos and the Rashba give two different answers?  My great-grandfather says that they are addressing two different forms of בל תוסיף.  Tosfos (16b) says that the additional shofar blows are considered in the timeframe of the mitzvah for one may be summoned to blow for a different tzibbur.  The בל תוסיף that one is violating is the בל תוסיף of adding to a mitzvah like adding a 5^th species to the 4 species taken on Sukkot.  For that form of בל תוסיף it doesn't help if your intent is to fulfill a Rabbinic decree, one is still changing the form of a mitzvah and will violate בל תוסיף.  Therefore, Tosfos needs to be מחדש doing the mitzvah many times is not בל תוסיף.  However, there is room to argue with Tosfos (as R.A.E. 16b does,) and say even though one may be called to blow for someone else, it is still not considered within the timeframe of the mitzvah for the one blowing the shofar already did his mitzvah and he is just being מוציא the new crowd.  The Rashba maybe held like that and he is not addressing the form of בל תוסיף of adding to the form of a mitzvah for the mitzvah is done.  The Rashba is addressing a different form of בל תוסיף and that is the Chazal adding another mitzvah to the Torah is also a violation of בל תוסיף and for that he answers a Rabbinic decree not given over a new mitzvah is not subject to בל תוסיף. 

(For further reading on the topic see Yarech L'moadim siman 16, ראש השנה – תקיעות דרבנן ואיסור בל תוסיף of Rav Asher Weiss, עשיית מצוות יותר מכשיעור ואיסור בל תוסיף by Rabbi Ehrman.)

How Much Torah Will You Learn

The Chidushay HaRim comments on Ha'azenu:

The ספר החיים  is the sefer of understanding of Torah as Torah is the עץ חיים.  We daven to be able to access new understandings in Torah.  That is בינו שנות דור ודור that every year a new understanding is given, the inspiration of brain power for the year is determined on Rosh Hashana as well (see also post of my father last year, "yom ha'din -- on Torah".) 

In the introduction of שארית יוסף volume 3 Rabbi Wahrman cites this Rim in conjunction with other sources that there is a precise time for a chiddush in Torah to be brought into the world.  We are davening to be able to merit to access the chiddushim that are meant to be revealed specifically in תשפ"ה.

Rebbe Nasan in Likutay Halachat Beis Hakeneset (5:19) notes that the word תרועה is made of the words תורה ע, the 70 various modes of interpreting Torah.  In the mitzvah of shofar itself we allude to the Torah for it is through the Torah that everything else falls in place.  

The Kedushas Levi says that we blow shofar on Rosh Hashana to "remind" Hashem of the time of Mattan Torah when the shofar was blown.  Every other nation said no to the Torah but we accepted.  It is that time of favor when Klal Yisrael chose to accept the Torah in which we seek to imitate now in order to arouse favor that no matter how far removed we seem from that exalted time deep down we are the same people.  It is the merit of the Torah that we seek to evoke through the shofar and blow new understandings into our learning for the new year. 

The Inspiration For Teshuva

 וְהָיָה֩ כִֽי⁠־יָבֹ֨אוּ עָלֶ֜יךָ כׇּל⁠־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה הַבְּרָכָה֙ וְהַקְּלָלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לְפָנֶ֑יךָ וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ֙ אֶל⁠־לְבָבֶ֔ךָ בְּכׇ֨ל⁠־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר הִדִּיחֲךָ֛ י״י֥ אלקיך שמה.  The Kozhnitzer Maggid reads the possuk as וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ֙ אֶל⁠־לְבָבֶ֔ךָ בְּכׇ֨ל⁠־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר הִדִּיחֲךָ֛, why do you want to do teshuva even as you are dispersed amongst the gentiles? י״י֥ אלקיך שמה, since Hashem inserts Himself in the deep depths of impurity surrounding a person and gives one the spark to do teshuva.  That is what Dovid says (86:13) והצלת נפשי משאול תחתיה, You came to pull me out of the depths of darkness.  The next possuk continues ושבת עד ה אלקיך, when you take that inspiration and due true teshuva, then the pessukim continue Hashem will gather you from the ends of the earth, meaning Hashem will elevate and gather together all the holy sparks that you left behind.  

The Pirkay D'Rebbe Eliezer (Ch. 43) says שלח הב"ה ביד עבדיו הנביאים אל ישראל ואמר, שובה ישראל עד ה' אלהיך, עד ההוא ששמעכם בהר סיני אומ' אנכי ה' אלהיך, meaning the ability to do teshuva stems from that connection to Sinai.  That voice of Hashem experienced at Sinai is heard by the Jewish soul down through the generations.  The Be'ar Moshe cites the Baal Shem Tov that the the בת קול  that says אוי לבריות מעלבונה של תורה is the thoughts of teshuva that pop into a person's mind.  This is the spirit of inspiration that allows one to do teshuva.  He says that is the intent of the next words, וְשָׁמַעְתָּ֣ בְקֹל֔וֹ כְּכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר⁠־אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם, if one hears the internal voice of the commandments at Sinai today, if one hears the בת קול, then one will be able to do teshuva. 

A New Path

The Minchas Chinuch (364:1) points out that it would seem that the mitzvah of teshuva and mitzvah of viduy are two distinct ideas.  One can do teshuva mentally without viduy and viduy is another mitzvah to confess one's sins.  He cites proof from open pessukim in this week's parsha which mention doing teshuva but no viduy.  In addition he cites the Gemarah Kiddushin (49b) that one is called a צדיק for הרהר תשובה and the Gemarah Yoma with Rashi (85b) that a korban atones without viduy.  He is troubled then as to why the Rambam in the beginning of the Laws of Teshuva indicates that one needs viduy to complete teshuva?  A similar issue is apparent is the Beis Shmuel (38:55) who rules that a thief who repents, even if one has not returned the stolen goods is a tzaddik (at least vis-a-vis the law marrying on condition that one is a tzaddik,) how can the thief be a tzaddik if his teshuva is not complete?   This issue is also apparent in our avodah on Rosh Hashana for it is one of the days of the repentance but we do not say and viduy on Rosh Hashana?   

The Midrash Tehillim (81) says תקעו בחדש שופר. רבנן אמרי חדשו מעשיכם ושפרו מעשיכם ואני מכסה על עונותיכם שנאמר (תהלים פה ג) נשאת עון עמך כסית כל חטאתם.  What does it mean תחדשו מעשיכם and then the sins will be covered?  

The Gemarah Rosh Hashana (16b) says אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: אֵין דָּנִין אֶת הָאָדָם אֶלָּא לְפִי מַעֲשָׂיו שֶׁל אוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה.  Rabbenu Channanel adds (it only appears in some editions) ירושלמי ריב"ל אמר מהאי קרא אם זך וישר היית אין כתיב אלא אם זך וישר אתה עכשיו.  The past is ignored, only the current state of the person is judged.  How is the past just ignored, what happened to the need for teshuva? 

To reconcile these ideas Rav Solevetchik (and others) suggest that there are two levels to doing teshuva.  Full-blown bonified teshuva has all of the technical aspects of teshuva of abstaining from the sin, regret, accepting to not be a  repeat sinner and viduy.  That process is the full process that one must go through to become a complete ball teshuva.  However ,at its most basic level, the beginning of teshuva is about finding a new direction in life.  As the possuk says יעזב רשע דרכו, the wicked must change direction, forge a new path.  It is that שעה אחת, single turn ,when one commits to finding a new direction in life, that one can already be called a tzaddik.  The pessukim in the parsha, the man who is מהרהר תשובה, the thief who mentally decides to repent, have completed the first level of teshuva, they turned their life around and committed to lead a better life.  

This is the avodah of Rosh Hashana.  We do not mention a formal declaration of the teshuva process in the prayer service for what we are striving to do is to change our direction, to turn from the path of sin to the path of goodness.  This is what the Gemarah is teaching that דָּנִין אֶת הָאָדָם אֶלָּא לְפִי מַעֲשָׂיו שֶׁל אוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה.  According to the direction one is pointing toward, where one wishes to go on Rosh Hashana, will determine his judgement.  Although the past mat be riddled with sin and that will have to be examined and repaired correctly in due time, what matters on Rosh Hashana is where one wants to go.  That is what the Midrash is telling us; תחדשו מעשיכם, by choosing a new path, the sins will not be looked at, one will be judged according to the path that they are committing themselves to currently. 

Blow The Shofar Early

I saw the following suggestion on a otzar hachachma forum,  נשמע מצחיק, אך ראיתי מי שמפלפל שאפשר שבתאריך א' בתשרי יש לתקוע בשופר ורק שהלילה התמעט, ומי שקיבל תספת יו"ט יוכל לתקוע שהרי אצלו זהו תאריך של א' בתשרי ואין זה לילה.    

The Gemarah Rosh Hashana (34a) says we have a derash ביום ולא בלילה to tell us that the mitzvah of shofar does not apply by night.  The suggestion here is that if one accepts Rosh Hashana early and it is hence day, one can blow the shofar at that time.  

The basis for this chidush would seem to be based upon a number of (debatable) assumptions.

There are three ways to view tosefes Yom Tov.  One is that one has the ability to accept the isur melacha upon one's self at an earlier time but the keusha of the day only comes in when the actual Yom Tov commences.  Another way to understand is that one is able to even advance the kedushat hachag earlier and yet a third way is that the old day finishes and it is as if one starts the next day earlier with their acceptance of the Yom Tov.   This chidush assumes like the third way.  However, it says even though the next day is made earlier, it is not viewed as nighttime still it is still day ouside.   

The Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvot #170 says היא שצונו לשמוע קול שופר ביום ראשון מתשרי והוא אמרו יתעלה יום תרועה יהיה לכם.  In the heading of the Laws of Shofar in his description of the mitzvah he says as well לשמוע קול שופר באחד בתשרי.  In the first halacha he says מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל תּוֹרָה לִשְׁמֹעַ תְּרוּעַת הַשּׁוֹפָר בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה so why does he mention twice באחד בתשרי and not just say Rosh Hashana?  Rabbi Brown (Moadanay Moshe siman 36) explains that we see from the Rambam that the mitzvah is to blow on the first day of  Tishray even if it would be lacking in the kedusha of Rosh Hashana.  We see this concept illustrated in Rashi Rosh Hashana (24a) the Gemarah says in a case when everyone saw the new moon סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ אָמֵינָא: הוֹאִיל וְרָאוּהוּ בֵּית דִּין וְכׇל יִשְׂרָאֵל, אִיפַּרְסְמָא וְלָא לִיעְבְּרוּהּ, קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן. and Rashi says סד"א לא ליעברוה ואי תנא הרי זה מתקדש למחר הוה אמינא לעולם מיומא קמא מתקנינן מועדותיה, I would think although since the kiddush of the day didn't occur until the next day it is Rosh Hashana tomorrow but today is day 1 of Tishray to count toward Yom Kippur and Sukkot.  Similarly this may explain the opinion of Rashi Menachot (100b) that even though there was a Rabbinic decree not to accept witnesses for the new moon of Rosh Hashana after the mincha time, we still count that day as 1 Tishray for counting toward the holidays even though the kedusha of Rosh Hashana is only the next day, ואכ"מ.  The Rambam would be telling us then that the mitzvah is dependent on the date of the calendar not the kedusha of the day.  This chiddush also assumes that the mitzvah is dependent on the date of 1 Tishray, not the kedusha of Rosh Hashana.  

I don't understand why they would suggest this combination of factors when it would be simpler to suggest that the kedusha of the Yom Tov is advanced earlier but it is still technically day and therefore, one can blow the shofar. 

The Taz (600:2) discusses a case where the khal accepted Shabbas early on second day Rosh Hashana on a cloudy day but they did not blow a shofar earlier that day, can they now blow shofar after they declared it to be Shabbas?  The Taz does not assume it is the next day and therefore they can't blow shofar.

The Maharil (#33) says  ומהר"א מווינא כתב בנימוקו. ויש שאין אוכלין ביום כדי שלא יוסיפו מחול על הקדש בהאי י"ט משום דיומא דדינא הוא וכמדומה שכן הורה מהר"מ ז"ל במעגניצ"א: ועל טעם זה תמהתי דהא כבר קדשוהו בתפלה: ושמא על הכוס עיקר דהוא דאורייתא.  It may be that those that did not eat early on Rosh Hashana but may have davened early is since they hold that the acceptance of the Yom Tov early in davening is accepting the prohibitions of the day early but to eat the seudah of Yom Tov requires accepting the kedusha of the day early and that they did not want to do so as to not extend the day of judgement (It is צ"ע for Yom Kippur is the source of adding to a holiday and that is adding to a day of judgement.  See also גליוני הש"ם יומא פא that asks many questions on the Maharil.)     

Fences

Rabbi Akiva Eiger in Teshuva siman 9 has a back and forth if one who buys a house and it has a mezuzah set up, does one say a beracha on the mezuzah since it is a new mitzvah for the new occupant.  Rav Scheinberg in Mishmeres Chayim asks why no one raises such a possibility regarding the mitzvah of having a fence around a roof, no one suggests that when moving into the house one should say a new beracha on the maakeh?  He answers that when it comes to mezuzah R.A.E. entertains the possability that a new house for this owner is a new mitzvah, there is a new מחייב,  and requires its own beracha.  However, the point of the maakeh, the fence, is merely to avoid danger and since there is no new danger, there is no new מחייב.

Tosfos Chullin (105a) says there is no beracha on removing danger.  So why is there a beracha on putting up a fence at all?  The Chazon Eish says that the bar of danger is not met by the place where one has to put op a maakeh and the mitzvah is to put up a fence despite not meeting the bar to be considered dangerous (discussed in greater detail in the post Put Up A Fence.)  (See also Likutay Sichos volume 2)  .In light of this, the answer of Rav Scheinberg becomes difficult for the מחייב of the fence is an independent mitzvah not due to sakanah?  

Rashi says כִּי תִבְנֶה בַּיִת חָדָשׁ: אִם קִיַּמְתָּ מִצְוַת שִׁלּוּחַ הַקֵּן, סוֹפְךָ לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת חָדָשׁ, וּתְקַיֵּם מִצְוַת מַעֲקֶה, שֶׁמִּצְוָה גּוֹרֶרֶת מִצְוָה, וְתַגִּיעַ לְכֶרֶם וְשָׂדֶה וְלִבְגָדִים נָאִים, לְכָךְ נִסְמְכוּ פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת הַלָּלוּ.  Normally מִּצְוָה גּוֹרֶרֶת מִצְוָה means that one mitzva leads to another but here it is leading to a new house which happens to have a mitzvah etc., how is that מִּצְוָה גּוֹרֶרֶת מִצְוָה?  We see that it doesn't merely mean one mitzvah leads to another but that when one does a mitzvah one's outlook in life becomes different.  When one does a mitzvah he starts viewing additional things as mitzvah opportunities.  When the person gets a new house he sees the mitzva of maakah, the fields, the mitzvot associated with the fields etc.  The mitzvah allows him to see additional mitzvot in other areas (see also Divrei Chaim l'maancha Elokim chaim.)

The Rebbe (Likutay Sichos volume 2) says the message of saying a beracha on making the roof is that when one builds a new house, meaning when one reaches a new form of avodah, in order to avoid stumbling one must build a roof which is raised above the house.  One must bring down a greater level to watch and protect over the person.  How is that possible?  By making a beracha, by connecting and bringing into the world the Divine assistance which will allow for one to tap into a level above their own in order to be successful in their new endeavor.