Kitzur Shulchan Aruch - Chapter 129: Laws of Rosh Hashanah

In all the kaddish prayers recited from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, you should repeat the word le'eila [He is higher]; thus you should say le'eila le'eila, [He is exceedingly higher], (without adding the vav, ule'eila). Since the kaddish must contain twenty-eight words [from yehei shemei rabba until be'alema] and the entire year you say le'eila min kol birchasa [He is beyond any blessing], you say now le'eila le'eila mikol birchasa.

Some people have the custom when praying on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur [to pray] every Shemoneh esrei with their bodies bent and their heads bowed. However, since you must bow at the berachah, Magein Avraham [Shield of Abraham] and Modim [we give thanks], at the beginning and at the end, therefore, before reaching these berachos it is necessary to straighten up in order to bow as required by our Sages of blessed memory. It is also forbidden to bow at the beginning and at the end of any berachah that was not instituted by our Sages of blessed memory. It is best [therefore] to pray while standing erect,1 but with a humble heart and with tears. The practice of praying in a loud voice should be abolished, because you should pray quietly as you do the entire year. Some authorities permit to raise the voice slightly, but not too much. You should be careful to pronounce your prayers correctly; not to change even one vowel. You should try to obtain a Siddur or Machzor that is carefully edited, from which to pray.

All through the year you say in the Shemoneh Esrei, hakeil hakadosh [the Almighty, the Holy One], and melech oheiv tzedakah umishpat [King Lover of righteousness and justice] except from Rosh Hashanah until after Yom Kippur, when you must say instead Hamelech hakadosh (the King, the Holy One) and Hamelech hamishpat (the King of Justice), because on these days the Holy One blessed is He manifests His dominion by judging the world. If, by mistake, you said Hakeil hakadosh, or if you are in doubt whether you said Hakeil hakadosh or Hamelech hakadosh; if you become aware of the error within the time needed to utter a short greeting, [Shalom Alecha Rebbe] you should say Hamelech hakadosh2 and you need not start again from the beginning. The same law applies to Hamelech hamishpat. But, if you only became aware of it after the time needed for a short greeting, then, at Hamelech hakadosh you must repeat Shemoneh Esrei from the beginning, (even if in doubt),3 because the first three berachos are considered as one (as is written in Chapter 19:2). Even the Chazzan during the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei, must repeat from the beginning [if he did not say Hamelech hakadosh], and the kedusha must be said again. But at Hamelech hamishpat, even an individual need not repeat, even that berachah, since he mentioned the word melech "King" in that berachah. During the entire year, if you said, by mistake, Hamelech hakadosh or Hamelech hamishpat, you need not repeat the Shemoneh Esrei.

In the Maariv service on Friday night, in the abridged form of the seven berachos, in Magein avos (Shield of our forefathers etc.) you also say, instead of Hakeil hakadosh the words Hamelech hakadosh. If the Chazzan made an error and said Hakeil hakadosh, then, if he becomes aware of it immediately, within the time span needed for a short greeting, he should say Hamelech hakadosh etc.; but if he becomes aware of it later he need not repeat the berachah.

If you forgot to say Zochreinu [Remember us], or Mi chamocha [Who is like You], or Uchsov [And inscribe], or Beseifer chayim [In the book of life] and you do not become aware of it until you said Baruch ata Hashem, [Blessed are You, Hashem], since you mentioned Hashem, you should conclude the berachah,4 and continue the Shemoneh Esrei, and you need not repeat it. Similarly, if you forgot to say [the entire section beginning with] Uvechein tein pachdecha [And so, grant that Your awe] and you concluded the berachah, Hamelech hakadosh, even if you only said Baruch ata Hashem, you should conclude Hamelech hakadosh, and then say Ata vechartanu [You have chosen us] etc.

At the conclusion of the Shemoneh esrei, some are accustomed to say Oseh ha shalom [He Who makes the peace], while others do not change, and say [the usual text], Hamevareich es amo Yisrael ba shalom, [Who blesses His people Israel with peace]. But in the kaddish, we say Ose ha shalom bimeromav [He Who makes the peace in His high heavens.]

If Rosh Hashanah occurs on Shabbos, in some communities they say Lechu neranenah [Come, let us sing], the same as on any other Shabbos; in other communities they begin with Mizmor leDovid [A psalm of David]; still in other communities they begin with Mizmor shir leyom haShabbos [A Psalm, a song for the Shabbos day]. Every community should follow its custom.

After the Maariv service on the first night of Rosh Hashanah, it is customary for people to wish each other Leshanah tovah tikaseiv veseichaseim [May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year], and to a woman [you use the feminine form] tikaseivi veseichaseimi. But you do not extend these wishes in the daytime,5 because the writing has been finished before midday. On the second night, some have the custom of saying [Leshanah tovah] because sometimes we are judged on the second day.6

At the evening meal it is customary to prepare symbolic dishes [as auspicious omens] for a good year: you dip the piece of challah of Hamotzi in honey, and after eating a kazayis of challah7 you should say: Yehi ratzon shetechadeish aleinu8 shanah tovah umesukah [May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year]. After this you should dip a piece of apple in honey, say the berachah, Borei peri ha'eitz, and eat it. Then you say again Yehi ratzon etc. It is customary to eat the head of an animal and say Yehi ratzon shenih'yeh lerosh [May it be Your will] that we will be heads (leaders). You should try to obtain the head of a sheep, which will also serve as a remembrance of the ram of Isaac. You should also eat vegetables the names of which, in the language of your country, allude to good things,9 such as in our country, carrots (mehren) [mehren means to increase] and you should say Yehi ratzon sheyirbu zechuyoseinu [May it be Your will that our merits increase.] Some people have the custom to eat an elaborate fish course, symbolizing the blessing of fertility like the fish. The fish should not be cooked in vinegar because we must not eat sour or bitter foods on Rosh Hashanah. You should eat choice meats and all kinds of sweets. It is also customary not to eat nuts and almonds,10 because the numerical value of אֶגוֹז egoz (nut) is 17, the same as חֵט cheit, which means sin. Also, nuts increase phlegm and mucus which interferes with praying. It is proper to study Torah during the meal. Some have the custom of studying the Mishnah, Maseches Rosh Hashanah.

It is proper to abstain from marital relations during the two nights of Rosh Hashanah even if [the first night] occurs on Shabbos. But if it is the night of her immersion in the mikvah, you should not withold her conjugal rights, and you should immerse yourself in the mikvah, in the morning.

On Rosh Hashanah, when you say Avinu malkeinu chatanu lefanecha [Our Father, our King, we have sinned before You] you should not beat your breast as on weekdays and on Yom Kippur, because we do not say vidui —confession, on Rosh Hashanah, which is a Yom Tov. You should have this interpretation in mind [when saying Avinu malkeinu]: Our Father, our King, we have sinned before You, meaning, our forefathers sinned before You, because they worshiped idols, but as for us, we have no King but You. Therefore, our Father, our King, deal [kindly] with us for Your Name's sake.

When the Seifer Torah is removed from the Ark, it is customary to recite the Thirteen Attributes. You should begin with Vaya'avor [and He passed by], and say Vaya'avor Hashem al panav vayikra11 [Hashem passed by before him and He proclaimed] Hashem, Hashem, etc. On Shabbos, in some communities they say neither the Thirteen Attributes nor Ribbono shel olam [Master of the Universe].

The lengths of the various shofar tones, initially must be as follows: the Teruah consists of nine short sounds. The Shevarim should be blown as three consecutive sounds, each to be as long as three short Teruah sounds, so that the Shevarim is also equal to nine sounds. You should be very careful not to draw out the Shevarim until each [of the three] Shevarim sounds equals nine Teruah sounds, for in that case, even ex post facto, after it is already done, you have not fulfilled your duty. The Tekios are simple blasts. In the order of Tekiah, Shevarim, Teruah, Tekiah, each Tekiah should be as long as the Shevarim and the Teruah, combined, which is as long as eighteen sounds.12 In the order of Tekiah, Shevarim, Tekiah, the sound of each Tekiah should be as long as the Shevarim, which is as long as nine sounds;13 this is also true for the order of Tekiah, Teruah, Tekiah. In the sounding of the shofar before the Musaf service the Shevarim and the Teruah should be blown in one breath. Therefore, the prompter should call them at the same time, Shevarim-Teruah. In the blowing of the shofar during the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei, they should be sounded in two breaths. Nevertheless, there should be no pause between them, but they should be sounded in immediate succession, and the prompter should also call them at the same time.

When the one blowing the shofar recites the berachos, the congregation should not respond Baruch hu uvaruch shemo [Blessed is He and blessed is His Name] (see chapter 6:8, above), but they should listen attentively to the berachos and after each berachah they should respond Amein, with concentration. It is forbidden to make any interruption from that point until after all the Tekios that are blown during the repetition of the Shemoneh Eesrei.14 Therefore, the Shammos should not announce: "Silence please during the services!" even if he usually does so at other times.

People have the custom to recite Yehi ratzon [May it be the will] etc., between the three sets of shofar tones, as it is printed in the Machzor. You should be very careful not to articulate the names of the angels mentioned there. In many communities the Yehi ratzon is omitted entirely, and this is preferable. The main [reason for blowing the shofar] is to stir the people to wholehearted repentance. The Rambam, of blessed memory wrote, (Laws of Repentance 3:4) and these are his words: "Although the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, is ordained by Scriptural verse, it has an underlying message, as if the shofar were telling us, 'Wake up from your sleep, you slumberers, and you who are soundly asleep, awake from your deep sleep, scrutinize your deeds and repent, and remember your Creator. You, who are oblivious of the truth in your futile pursuit of transitory values, and engrossed all your years in the pursuit of vain and hollow things that are useless and will not save you, — look at the state of your souls, and improve your ways and your deeds. Let each of you abandon his evil ways and his thoughts which are not good.'"

During the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei when the Chazzan recites [the prayer] Va'anachnu kore'im [But we bow], it is customary for the congregation to say it along with him, and the people also bow and prostrate themselves, but they do not fall on their faces,15 except on Yom Kippur, during the Avodah [the service of the Kohein gadol.] The Chazzan also bows, but since he is forbidden to move from his place during the Shemoneh Esrei; therefore, he stands slightly removed from the amud [Chazzan's desk] so that he can fall to his knees without moving from his place, and those who stand near him help him stand up so that he will not have to move his feet. The Tekios during the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei should not be blown by the Chazzan unless he is sure that he will not be confused [in his prayers]16 as a result of it.

Regarding the Tekios in the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei, there are different customs regarding the number of sounds to be blown. Each community should maintain its custom. Regarding the Tekios at the conclusion of the prayers, there are also different customs.17 After the conclusion of all the Tekios, according to the local custom, the shofar should be hidden, and it should not be blown any more. Even a person wishing to officiate as tokei'a on the second day of Rosh Hashanah may not blow it on the first day in order to practice.

If a bris is to be held in the synagogue it should be performed after the reading of the haftarah, before the blowing of the shofar. An allusion [to this sequence can be found in the Selichos prayer] "Remember the covenant with Abraham (this refers to bris milah) and the binding of Isaac" (this alludes to the shofar). On Shabbos the bris is performed after Ashrei. If the bris must be performed at the house of the infant's mother, it should be held after leaving the synagogue.

If you already fulfilled your obligation of blowing the shofar, and you must blow it for other people, you may also say the berachos. Nevertheless, it is best, that the person who has to fulfill his obligation [by virtue of listening to you blowing the shofar], should say the berachos himself. If you blow shofar for women, then, if you already fulfilled your obligation, you should not say the berachos, but the women should say the berachos, because, according to the law, women are exempt from blowing the shofar, since it is a positive precept dependent on a particular time. Other authorities say that a person who has already fulfilled his duty should not blow the shofar at all for women.18 If you wish to blow the shofar for women you should do it before hearing the Tekios at the synagogue; and you should say the berachos on the Tekios with the intention of fulfilling your obligation thereby, but you should not do it during the first three hours of the day, for at that time you may not blow the shofar privately. You should either blow the shofar for the women at the time it is blown in the synagogue or after that; but you should have in mind [when you are in the synagogue] not to fulfill your duty with these Tekios but only with the Tekios which you will sound for the women, and [on these Tekios] you should say the berachos. Although you will go to the synagogue afterwards to pray Musaf, and hear the Tekios sounded during the Shemoneh Esrei, the interruption does not require you to repeat the berachos, since all the Tekios constitute one mitzvah. If a woman feels weak and needs to eat before the Tekios, she is permitted to eat.

When leaving the synagogue, we should walk unhurried and relaxed, happy and cheerful, confident that God has heard our prayers and the sounds of the shofar with compassion. You should eat and drink [in generous measure] enjoying the bountiful gifts of God. You should, nevertheless, take care not to overeat and the fear of God should be upon you. It is proper to study Torah at the table. After saying Birkas Hamazon you should not go to sleep,19 but rather go to the synagogue and recite Psalms with the congregation20 until the Minchah service. Only a person who has a headache may sleep a little before going to the synagogue.

After the Minchah service21 you should go to a river [or stream] (to recall the merit of the Akeidah, [the binding of Yitzchak] for the Midrash relates that when our Father Avraham went to the Akeidah with his son Yitzchak, Satan transformed himself into a river to deter him. But our Father Avraham, peace be upon him, walked into the river until [the water reached] his neck and said, "Deliver me, O God, for the waters have reached until my soul." (Psalm 69:2) There is another reason [for this custom]; for on this day we proclaim the kingship of the Holy One, blessed is He, over us, and it was the custom to anoint kings near a river bank as a sign that their kingdom may endure without end.)22 It is preferable that [this river] should be outside the city limits and it should contain fish (as a reminder that we are compared to living fish who are caught in a net. We too, are caught in the net of death and judgment, and as a result [we will be inclined] to think more of repenting. Another reason is to symbolize that the evil eye shall have no power over us, just as [it has no power] over fish, and that we may be fruitful and multiply as the fish. Others say the reason is that fish have no eyelids, and their eyes are always open, the purpose is thus to arouse the compassion of the All-Seeing Eye above us.) But if there is no river that contains fish you may go to any river, or to a well, and you should recite the verses, Mi keil kamocha [Who, Almighty, is like you] etc. as it is written in the prayer books in the text of Tashlich. You should then shake the ends of your clothes, symbolizing your resolve to cast away your sins, and to examine and scrutinize your ways, from now on; so that your "clothes" will be white and innocent of all sin. If the first day of Rosh Hashanah is on Shabbos you go [to the stream for Tashlich] on the second day.

After returning to the synagogue, if it is not yet time for Maariv you should avoid the company of friends in order not to engage, Heaven forbid, in idle talk. But you should study Torah or recite Psalms or study books on ethics, because this is a holy day unto our Master.

The two days of Rosh Hashanah are considered as one long day, and as one [extended period of] holiness (see Chapter 99:2 above). Therefore, the authorities differ whether in the Kiddush of the second night, or when lighting candles, or when blowing the shofar on the second day, you should say the berachah Shehecheyanu or not. For some authorities say, since both days are one [extended period of] holiness and you already said Shehecheyanu on the first day, you need not say it again on the second day. Therefore, it is the custom, when you recite the Kiddush on the second night, that a new fruit is placed on the table, in order that the Shehecheyanu in the Kiddush should also apply to the fruit; You might also put on a new garment. If you have neither [a new fruit nor a new suit], it does not matter; you should still say Shehecheyanu in the Kiddush, for the Halachah is decided according to the authorities who say that we must say Shehecheyanu on the second night. A woman, too, when lighting the candles on the second night, (if she follows the custom of saying Shehecheyanu,)23 should nevertheless, put on a new garment if possible, or place a new fruit [on the table], so that the Shehecheyanu should apply also to these. But if she has neither of these it does not matter; she should still say Shehecheyanu. Also the person who blows the shofar on the second day should, if possible, put on a new garment. However, if the first day occurs on Shabbos there is no need for this, for he has not yet said Shehecheyanu on the shofar.