Thursday, December 21, 2006

Daf Yomi - Rosh Hashana 16 - So Many Judgments

The Mishna states that there are four occasions in the year that the world is judged. On Pesach for the grain, on Shavuos for the fruits of the tree, on Rosh Hashanah all the people pass before Hashem and on Sukkos there is a judgment on water.

The commentators ask that if man is judged on Rosh Hashana, it would be assumed that the judgment includes anything which affects him. What is the necessity to have other days to judge how much rain will fall on his field or how well his grain will grow when the judgment for this was issued on Rosh Hashana?

The Ran answers that on the other three junctures of the year, the world as a whole is judged as to how much rain will fall in the entire world and how much grain will all field produce. On Rosh Hashana, each person is judged individually as to what percentage of the world's rain or grain will affect him.

We recite in the tefilos on Rosh Hashana "Who will have a year of famine and who will merit a plentiful year?" This prayer would seem to indicate that there is a specific judgment regarding grain or rain to every person. The Ritva writes in the name of Rabbeinu Tam that this tefillah can be referring to the hunger pangs that a person can feel when he would eat and remain unsatisfied. We are praying that the food with which we have should be able to sustain us.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

SM"B states based on Tosfos thatit is said before that "v'al hamedinos bo yeomar" it is said - so perhaps it means that the sating is on R"H but the din was paskened beforehand.