תקצב תפלת מוסף בקול רם וסדר התקיעות ובו י"א סעיפים

The Musaf Prayer Aloud and the Order of the Shofar Blasts

1. When the Musaf prayer is recited with a congregation, the Sages instituted that one should blow a set of Teru’ah-Tekiah-Teru’ah (Teret) for Malchiyos, a set of Teret for Zichronos, and a set of Teret for Shofaros.

And since during the silent Musaf prayer, each person prays individually and does not finish the blessings at the same time as his fellow, therefore, the shofar is not blown during this prayer, just as it is not blown for an individual, as will be explained.

Rather, they wait to blow until the chazan repeats the prayer aloud.

There are places where the custom is to blow twice: once during the silent prayer, and once during the chazan’s repetition.

But in a place where there is no established custom, one should not do so initially.

2. These blasts are called “standing blasts,”

because even those who are listening must stand while hearing these blasts.

This is not the case with the “sitting blasts,” where only the one blowing needs to stand.

As stated in Siman 585.

3. And now that the Sages instituted that we fulfill all doubts regarding the Teru’ah, as explained in Siman 590, see there,

it would have been proper to blow Tashrat, Tashat, and Tarat for Malchiyos, and likewise for Zichronos and Shofaros, in order to fulfill all doubts about the Teru’ah.

However, since we do not impose excessive burden on the congregation, the custom is to blow only Tashrat for Malchiyos, and likewise for Zichronos and Shofaros.

For in this way, all the doubts regarding the Teru’ah are addressed.

The only concern would be (perhaps the Teru’ah is only Shevarim alone, or Teru’ah alone, and thus) perhaps there is an interruption between the Teru’ah and the simple blast before or after it.

But we are not concerned about this,

since we have already fulfilled our Torah obligation with the sitting blasts, for with those blasts we have fulfilled all the doubts, as explained in Siman 590.

4. There are those who have the custom to blow for Malchiyos one Tashrat, for Zichronos one Tashat, and for Shofaros one Tarat.

For according to Torah law, whether Shevarim or our Teru’ah, all are called “Teru’ah.”

And however a person does it, whether only Shevarim or only our Teru’ah, he fulfills his obligation.

In earlier generations, some places had the custom to do Shevarim, and some had the custom to do our Teru’ah.

And both fulfilled their Torah obligation.

But since this appeared as a dispute in the eyes of the masses, the Sages saw fit to institute that all of Israel should act uniformly, so that nothing would appear as a dispute among the people.

They instituted to blow Tashrat three times, Tashat three times, and Tarat three times, to resolve the doubts of the masses due to the differences in custom.

Therefore, they did not impose this manner of blowing also for the standing blasts.

Rather, with the standing blasts, they show that all the doubts regarding the Teru’ah are called “Teru’ah,” and a person fulfills his obligation with them.

Therefore, they blow once Tashrat, once Tashat, and once Tarat,

to show that each of these arrangements is valid and proper.

5. There are those who have the custom to blow three times Tashrat for Malchiyos, three times Tashat for Zichronos, and three times Tarat for Shofaros.

And there are those who have the custom to blow Tashrat, Tashat, and Tarat for Malchiyos, and likewise for Zichronos and for Shofaros.

And this custom is the most preferred of the customs.

6. The custom is to say each time the shofar is blown, “Hayom Haras Olam,” etc., and “Areshet Sefaseinu,” etc.

And even when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos and the shofar is not blown, “Hayom Haras,” etc., is still recited.

But “Areshet,” etc., is not recited.

7. One who prays Musaf alone does not interrupt to blow the shofar during the blessings.

And even if he has someone to blow for him, he does not interrupt to listen to them,

for this was only instituted for a congregation.

Nevertheless, the blasts that one is obligated to hear by Torah law, namely, three times Tashrat, three times Tashat, and three times Tarat, it is best to hear them before the Musaf prayer.

Although the standing blasts are a mitzvah of rabbinic origin, nevertheless, a blessing is not recited over them as is recited over every rabbinic mitzvah,

because one is already covered by the blessing recited over the sitting blasts.

And since one is covered by a single blessing, care should be taken not to interrupt between them with idle talk.

And not only the one who blew and recited the blessing over the shofar, but even the congregation who did not recite the blessing themselves but heard the blessing from the blower, they too should not converse from the beginning of the sitting blasts until after the standing blasts.

And if one did converse, whether the blower or the listeners, there is no need to recite a blessing over the standing blasts.

And even though one who covers two mitzvos with one blessing and converses between them must recite a new blessing for the second mitzvah,

as stated in Siman 8 and Siman 25,

nevertheless, since these blasts—standing and sitting—are like one mitzvah, for the Torah obligated us to hear nine blasts on Rosh Hashanah, and the Sages instituted to hear them in the order of the blessings of Malchiyos, Zichronos, and Shofaros,

but only to confuse the Satan,

(meaning, so that he will be confused immediately by the blasts before the prayer and not accuse during the prayer),

therefore, all of Israel have the custom to divide the Torah blasts and the rabbinic blasts into two times.

And the sitting blasts are blown to fulfill the Torah mitzvah, and a blessing is recited over them, and the rabbinic mitzvah is completed with the standing blasts, in the order of the blessings, as the Sages instituted.

And since they are one mitzvah, though they appear as two, therefore, one should not interrupt between them with idle talk.

But it is permitted to converse between them about matters relating to the prayer and the blasts, since they are truly one mitzvah.

And if one did converse, even idle matters, there is no need to recite a new blessing,

for an interruption is not relevant in the middle of one mitzvah.

Just as one who sits in a sukkah or wears tefillin is permitted to converse,

even though every moment he sits in the sukkah or wears tefillin he is fulfilling the mitzvah of the Holy One, blessed be He.

But if one conversed between the blessing and the sitting blasts, even if it was about matters of prayer, he must recite the blessing again,

since he interrupted between the blessing and the matter over which he blessed.

The Musaf Prayer Aloud and the Order of the Shofar Blasts

8. However, if one spoke about matters relating to the shofar blasts, he does not need to repeat the blessing.

But initially, it is forbidden to speak between the blessing and the shofar blast, even about matters relating to the shofar blasts.

Unless it is impossible for him to fulfill the mitzvah without speaking, such as saying, "Give me the shofar," or similar cases.

And during the shofar blasts themselves, whether the seated blasts or the standing blasts, it is forbidden to spit.

Because one must hear the entire blast from beginning to end, even if it is very long, as stated in siman 590.

Therefore, one should not bring young children who have not reached the age of education to the synagogue at the time of the shofar blasts, so that they do not disturb the concentration of the listeners.

However, women may take them with them, since they are exempt.

As explained in siman 589.

9. The custom is that for the seated blasts, the one sounding the shofar ascends the bimah and blows there, out of respect for the congregation.

But for the standing blasts, since they are within the prayer, he is not required to ascend, but stands in his place and blows.

10. The shofar blasts that are sounded in the order of the blessings should not be blown by the chazan who is leading Musaf.

He might become confused and be unable to return to his prayer without distraction.

But if he is confident that he can return to his prayer without distraction, or if he is praying from a siddur, in which case he is certainly confident, he may blow, even if there is another person who knows how to blow as well as he does.

Because the blowing is not considered an interruption in the prayer at all, since it is necessary to blow in the order of the blessings, it is therefore a requirement of the prayer.

Therefore, the one who blows the seated blasts should also blow the standing blasts, for one who begins a mitzvah is told to complete it, unless he is the chazan leading Musaf and is not confident that he can return to his prayer without distraction.

11. When does this apply? In earlier generations, when the custom was to blow the shofar without specification, and thus he immediately acquired the merit of all the blasts, even those in the order of the blessings, for the reason explained.

And the mitzvah should not be taken away from him.

But now, since in some places the custom is to give the standing blasts to another person, the first one never acquired the merit of the standing blasts.

And it is permitted to give them to another person in any place.