Thursday, December 21, 2006

Daf Yomi - Rosh Hashana 16 - Why Rosh Hashana is in Tishrei

Why is man judged on the first of Tishrei? The Ran explains that people are judged on Rosh Hashana since that is the day that the world was created according to Rabbi Eliezer. He offers a different reason according to Rabbi Yehoshua who maintains that the world was created in Nissan. Hashem wanted that Klal Yisroel should be judged favorably and therefore the first of Tishrei was chosen as the Day of Judgment since it is close to Yom Kippur which is the day that has been designated for forgiveness and atonement for all future generations.

The Maharsha asks that the Ran didn’t explain completely why the judgment begins ten days prior to Yom Kippur. The Maharsha writes that since we learned previously that Hashem decreed that Sara, Rochel and Leah will bear children and this was the day that Yosef was released from prison, it is fitting that Rosh Hashana was designated to be the Day of Judgment.

The Tzlach answers that Rabbi Yehoshua maintains that Hashem thought about creating the world in Tishrei but he didn’t actually create it until Nissan. The reason the first of Tishrei was chosen over Nissan is because the first of Tishrei is close to Yom Kippur which is the day designated for forgiveness.

Abudraham writes in the name of the Rambam that Hashem is not like a regular king. A human king judges his friends when he is in a good mood and judges his enemy when he is angry. Hashem judges the entire world in the month of Tisrei which is a time of apeasement due to all the mitzvos and festivals contained in that month.

Meshech Chochma in Parshas Emor cites a Medrash that Rosh Hashana is immediately after the harvest season indicating that it is in the merit of the mitzvos of sustaining and providing the poor from one's grain even without checking the poor person’s credentials (they didn't need a green card, Hashem provides life to all even if they might not deserve it.

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