Gemara Rosh Hashanah - Any Year That They Do Not Blow at its Beginning
It is stated in the Gemara Rosh Hashanah (16b): Rabbi Yitzchak said, any year that they do not blow [the shofar] at its beginning, they wail at its end. [Some explain "mar'ian" as from the language of "ra" - that something bad will happen, and some explain it from the language of "yari'u" - that they will cry out with the shofar because something bad will happen].
And the Ba'al Halachot Gedolot explained that this is not referring to when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, but rather to when an accident happened [and he could not blow]. That is, Rabbi Yitzchak's words do not refer to a case where Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat when it is forbidden by law to blow the shofar, but rather to a case where an accident occurred and he could not blow the shofar.
And the Taz (Siman 585, seif katan 7) asks, why should they wail at its end if it was an accident? Do we not have a principle that "Anus Rachmana Patrei" - the Merciful One exempts one who was forced?
Explanation of the Law of Ones - Shvut Yaakov and Mahari"l
And this can be resolved based on what is written in the Shvut Yaakov (Vol. 2, Siman 10, and brought in Kehillat Yaakov Algazi, Siman 88, s.v. Ones) that this [that anus is exempt] is only in an unusual accident, but in a common accident where if he had been diligent in the mitzvah he could have guarded against the accident, we do not say so. See there. And according to this, here too we can explain the words of Rabbi Yitzchak in this manner - that he was forced by a severe accident that he could have been careful about.
However, the Mahari"l disagrees and apparently holds that even in such an accident where he should have been diligent, they still do not wail at its end, but rather that which they wail at its end is in a case of intentional neglect, but if it was nullified due to an accident, no evil will befall them, and this is not like the words of the Behag.
The Foundation of the Meshech Chochmah - The Shofar as a Remedy and its Abolition as an Akedah
And the Meshech Chochmah (Parshat Emor) implies that in every type of accident they do wail at its end, for he wrote that despite the well-known rule that "Anus Rachmana Patrei" and there is no punishment for an accident, nevertheless, blowing the shofar is like a medicine against the prosecution of the Satan, and when there is no medicine, even due to an accident, the reality is that it is impossible to cure the disease. And if so, how is there a remedy for the blow of the Satan's prosecution on Rosh Hashanah that falls on Shabbat?
And the Meshech Chochmah explains that the matter of the blowing and how it helps to protect the Jewish people on Rosh Hashanah is that the blowings remind us of the Akedah, and included in this is also all that the Jewish people have given their lives throughout the generations for the sake of His blessed Name, for this power of self-sacrifice we inherited from the self-sacrifice of Yitzchak at the Akedah. And contained in this is also what Jews bind their desires and lusts upon the altar of love for Hashem.
And it is known, continues Rabbi Meir Simcha, that the Jewish people and Hashem are like two lovers, where each one is concerned for the honor of the other more than for his own honor, and if so, when Chazal decreed against the shofar on Shabbat, the Jewish people were concerned for the honor of Hashem, lest, Heaven forbid, the severe mitzvah of Shabbat be harmed, and even though withholding the blowing of the shofar could bring, Heaven forbid, danger to the Jewish people in that they would lack the remedy against the prosecution of the Satan, nevertheless they were concerned for the honor of Heaven and were not concerned for their own danger. And if so, this self-sacrifice constitutes a spiritual Akedah and a merit for the Jewish people no less than the blowing of the shofar, and through this it nullifies the power of prosecution. See there.
And similar to this wrote the Imrei Emet zt"l, that the joy and the cherishing of the mitzvah itself seals the mouth of the Satan.
The Words of the Minchat Ani - Is Rosh Hashanah on Shabbat a Good Sign?
And it is impossible to speak about this topic without mentioning the book Minchat Ani (Parshat Ha'azinu) by the author of the Aruch LaNer, who wrote that the worst years and the best years that were in history were when their Rosh Hashanah fell on Shabbat, and therefore we must investigate whether it is a good sign when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat or not.
And of course this does not relate to what Chazal said in the Gemara Rosh Hashanah - And Rabbi Yitzchak said any year that they do not blow at its beginning they wail at its end etc., for Tosafot already wrote in the name of the Behag that the intention is not that they did not blow on Rosh Hashanah that fell on Shabbat, but rather that an accident occurred, as was mentioned.[16b]
And he brought there that in the years when the first and second Temples were destroyed, Rosh Hashanah fell on Shabbat (also the Spanish Expulsion and the tragedy of the Twin Towers) and on the other hand, the year of the forgiveness of the sin of the Golden Calf and the year of the establishment of the Mishkan and the year they entered the Land of Israel, Rosh Hashanah fell on Shabbat.
The Parable of Shabbat as the Spouse - Defender or Prosecutor
And from now the question is whether it is good when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat or not.
And the "Minchat Ani" writes there: And this can be understood with a parable - One minister in the King's service sinned and the King was very angry with him and commanded the judges to judge him according to the strict law. And the minister went to seek the best advocates who would stand for him at the time of his judgment, but the advocates slipped away one by one and no man remained who wanted to take upon himself this position, saying that he has no excuse and his law is to be punished. And the minister, seeing that no man was standing for him in his time of distress, was very distressed and told his wife all these things. And his wife comforted him and said to him, why is your face fallen and why do you turn to the advocates, do I not go in and out of the inner court of the King's house and there I have a beloved friend bound to my soul who will stand for me in my time of distress, be quiet and listen, I will speak for you to the King and to the judges.
And so it was as she said, and when the day of judgment arrived, the woman stood as a good advocate beside her husband and the minister's judgment was sealed for merit. And only a few days passed and behold also another minister in the King's service sinned like the sin of the first minister and him too the King commanded to stand before the judges that judgment should pass over him and his lovers said to him, go now and seek a man who will advocate for you before the judges. And the minister, remembering that a short time ago his friend was also acquitted in judgment, laughed at them and replied, do not my wife also have many acquaintances in the court of the King's house, she too will speak well of me to the King and the judges and I too will go out innocent.
However, this latter minister was a man of anger and wrath and did not properly guard the love and honor of his wife and in his anger he rose and beat her with cruel blows until the signs of his cruelty remained outside for all eyes to see. And nevertheless the woman went with him to the court to advocate for him before the King. Indeed, as soon as she opened her mouth to speak and the King saw the burn of the wound on her face, he asked what is this and why is this and the woman trembled and answered this and that in order to seek a pretext for her husband and did not succeed. And another of those standing there answered and said, are these not the signs from the blows of her cruel husband, and the King was greatly astonished and spoke to the woman, for a man to whom these things were done you have become an advocate, indeed only as a prosecutor can you present before us, and the judgment of the judges went out to convict the minister and to punish him.
And with this it will be explained how Rosh Hashanah that falls on Shabbat sometimes is for our benefit and sometimes it is a sign for evil, Heaven forbid, because Israel who sinned all year, when the sound of the shofar goes up on the Day of Judgment, they expect that with our blowing the Satan will be confused and the merit of the blowings will be as a defender. And all this is when Rosh Hashanah falls on a weekday, but when it falls on Shabbat how will we find merit to justify us on the Day of Judgment.
Indeed for this comes Shabbat which is the spouse of Israel as Chazal said in Bereishit Rabbah [Chapter 11] to be a defender for us before the King of Kings, and Shabbat goes in and out before the Throne of Glory as it is written "It is a sign forever between Me and the children of Israel" and in the merit that Israel properly guards Shabbat, Hashem forgives their sins, but all this is specifically as long as Israel keeps Shabbat, but when they do not guard their spouse properly and on the contrary desecrate her honor in public, how can Shabbat act as a defender to justify our judgment, will it not act as a prosecutor. End of his words.
Conclusion - The Merit of Shabbat and the Akedah
We have learned from this, that Rosh Hashanah that falls on Shabbat is a day of double self-sacrifice. We give our lives for the honor of Shabbat and give up the shofar, and Shabbat herself, who is the spouse of the Jewish people, stands and advocates for us before the Throne of Glory.
If we guard Shabbat properly, with honor and delight, and cherish our spouse, she will be for us the greatest advocate for good.
And just as we give our lives for the holiness of Shabbat, so too will Hashem remember for us the Akedah of Yitzchak and the self-sacrifice of our forefathers and of all of Israel throughout the generations, and He will nullify all prosecution from upon us.
And may we all merit that the merit of the holy Shabbat and the merit of the Akedah will rise like the sound of a great shofar before the Throne of Glory, and we will be written and sealed immediately in the Book of Remembrances, in the Book of good life, for a good and sweet year, Ketiva V'Chatima Tova, and may we merit to soon hear the sound of Mashiach's shofar, the great blast that will herald the eternal redemption speedily in our days, Amen.
