{"id":10410,"date":"2006-12-21T23:17:00","date_gmt":"2006-12-21T23:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/masechet_roshhashanah1723\/"},"modified":"2015-10-22T09:29:46","modified_gmt":"2015-10-22T14:29:46","slug":"masechet_roshhashanah1723","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_roshhashanah1723\/","title":{"rendered":"Masechet Rosh Hashanah 17a-23b"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Coming Week’s Daf Yomi by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz<\/em><\/p>\n

This essay is based upon the insights and chidushim (original ideas) of Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, as published in the Hebrew version of the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud.<\/em><\/p>\n

This month\u2019s Steinsaltz Daf Yomi is sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Alan Harris, the Lewy Family Foundation, and Marilyn and Edward Kaplan<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Rosh HaShanah 17a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Most of today’s daf <\/em>deals with issues of teshuva<\/a><\/em> (repentance) and kappara<\/em> (forgiveness). We find Rabbi Yochanan<\/a> introducing the 13 attributes of mercy<\/a> presented by God to Moshe<\/a> on Mount Sinai<\/a> following the sin of the Golden Calf<\/a> (see Shemot<\/a> 34:6<\/a>) as a formula taught by God that guarantees forgiveness. According to Rabbi Yochanan, God played the role of the chazzan<\/a><\/em> – the prayer leader – covering Himself with a tallit<\/a><\/em> and reciting the verse acknowledging God’s mercy and compassion.<\/p>\n

The Ritva<\/a> accepts a simple understanding of this incident, explaining that God “role-played” so that Moshe would understand what needed to be done. Rabbenu Hananel<\/a> suggests that there was an angel who played this role for Moshe. Rav Hai Ga’on<\/a> goes so far as to say that the recitation of the 13 middot<\/em> (attributes) creates a protecting angel, which is what Moshe saw. The Maharsha<\/a> moves in a different direction, suggesting that being covered in a tallit<\/em> hints to the power of God’s creative force, and that the act of forgiving sins stems from a return to the pristine state of existence prior to creation.<\/p>\n

The Gemara<\/a> explains the first (or, perhaps, the first two) attributes, beginning with the double expression of God’s manifestation \u2013 Hashem<\/a>, Hashem<\/em>. The statement of God’s name twice is understood to refer to the eternalness of God, who exists both before the sin and after the sinner repents. The Rosh<\/a> raises an obvious question – what need is there for an attribute of mercy before the act of sin? He answers that this is a reference to a thought of sinning. Even before a sinful act takes place, there is already forgiveness in place for the contemplation of that act. An alternative approach is to recognize that God does not judge a person based on his or her future misdeeds, but rather on one\u2019s present situation in life. The Maharsha, again, suggests that “before the sin” does not refer to the act of any individual, but rather to God’s role in creating the world with His attribute of mercy. Just as God acted out of mercy in creating the world, so He acts even after sin is introduced to the world.<\/p>\n

(For more on teshuva<\/em> and the sinner’s relationship with God, see Chapter 8 – “Repentance” – in the new edition of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s classic work of Kabbalah, The Thirteen Petalled Rose<\/a><\/em>.)<\/p>\n

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Rosh HaShanah 18a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

There are four traditional fasts that appear on the Jewish calendar<\/a> to commemorate events connected with the destruction of the Temple. These are based on the passage in Zechariah<\/a> (8:19<\/a>), where the prophet speaks in the name of God, promising that the fast days of –<\/p>\n