ShmuelBen Atar, the director of Kol Ha'emet station was imprisoned for teaching Torah on the Israeli airwaves and was denied the possibility of spending the holidays with his wife and family of 10 children. The *judges* have sentenced him to jail time intead for this *crime* and yet murderers and lynchers are set free. PRAY!

The Rav has a fascinating website at www.machonshilo.org

The audio-shiurim of Rav David Bar-Hayim at www.machonshilo.org are fantastic!

Rav David Bar-Hayim is a vewry courageous visionary! There is much to learn from www.machonshilo.org

May you continue to bring us interesting articles on our heritage.

Interesting. However, since there is no temple and no ability to blow the Shofar on Shabbos, in years when 1 Tishrei falls out on Shabbos, we would totally miss out on blowing the Shofar, the key aspect of Rosh Hashonah, Yom Teruah, or day of blowing of the Shofar.

If the article's author cites the Rambam in stating that when given 2 tenable positions, one must consider tradition and the facts on the ground, then that principle must be applied now -- there are 11 centuries of 2 days of R"H in Israel. If one should not have been swayed away from 8 centuries of tradition by "an influx of great rabbis " then kal vachomer, people should not be swayed by a single voice or a small number of voices when the tradition is 300 years more developed.

i WISH ALL JEWISH FROM THE DIASPORA AND ISRAEL TO ENJOY A HAPPY NEW YEAR EXPPECTING ISRAEL TO BE FULL ACCEPTED IN THE MAP OF WORLD NATIONS.

we observe rosh hashanah together for 1 day------this year september 13.that is the only day required by moshe in the tanakh.what would be the point of keeping 2 days running on into the shabbat so that we end up having to keep a 3 day shabbat by ourselves ?

look around nd I assure your will have someone to share you and your wife no only the 1st night, but the 2nd too, to celebrate Rosh haShana. Shana Tova

I see no logical reason why Jews in Israel should be keeping two days of Rosh Hashanah - and no traditional reason, either, since our tradition was not to, and our tradition was snuffed out by external forces. I'm so glad that Rabbi Bary-Hayim brought the issue to light! PS. I understand that Jews from the US might like us to have to keep two days just like they do, but that's not a compelling reason for us to do it.

who tell they are Jewish , converted by unknown "rabbis" as this paqid . Yahn is the same

Shaul Chana Kook [brother of the famous Rav] in his book "Iyunim Umechkarim" vol.2 p.25 gives the whole history of this controversy but concludes that the then population agreed gladly to the proposition of the immigrant rabbis as that would guarantee that the Shofar would be heard every year, even when the first of Tishri fell on Shabbat

Yes - without a Temple, we miss hearing the shofar on one-day Rosh Hashanah that falls on Shabbat. You have a good point there - but Hillel and his Sanhedrin (358 CE) apparently didn't agree with you, since they opted for one day of RH, almost 300 years after the destruction of the 2nd Temple (70 CE). Apparently, keeping RH properly (i.e. one day, when there's no doubt which day it's supposed to be) is more important than hearing the shofar. May the Temple be speedily rebuilt, so that we can have both!

Dan, it's not a kal v'chomer, because the original one-day practice was a decree of a Sanhedrin. As "great" as those influxing rabbis were 800 years later, what right did they have to strong-arm the "Israelis" into changing their 800 year-old practice? Rabbi Bar-Hayim is suggesting that we correct an historical injustice. Should we respect facts on the ground that got there unjustly?

The only problem with 1 day Rosh Hashana is when it falls on Shabbat and as is well known Chazal forbid Shofar blowing on Shabbat except where the Sanhedrin sits. Therefore the second day is necessary.

For those concerned about not hearing shofar on shabat, we can solve that problem as well. 1. Renew the Sanhedrin and than we can blow the shofar on shabat. (Many will claim we don't even need a Sanhedrin for that.) 2. Even if we don't do the above. We can blow the shofar on the 2nd of Tishrei with out making it a yom tov. That way we will still hear shofar.

Joel - why do you say that the second day is "necessary" to hear the shofar? Hillel and his Sanhedrin didn't think so! Do we need it more than they did? Shlomo - who claims that we don't need a Sanhedrin for Shabbat shofar blowing? And why blow it on the 2nd of Tishrei? At most daily minyanim, they blow it every day of Elul, the month before Tishrei. Isn't that enough? I didn't see anyone say that the reason for the 2nd day is so that we can at least hear the shofar on Sunday...

If you are really concerned about missing hearing the shofar if RH is on shabbat, simply take yourself to slichot services. there you can hear the shofar every morning during the month of Elul. As far a shofar blowing on shabbat goes, if you check the rules and arguements for and against, you will find that the prohibition is not the shofar blowing itself but the carrying of the shofar (tiltul). there are congregations that solve this by tying the shofar to the lectern before shabbat, so there will be no suspicion of tiltul and then they can just blow away to their hearts content. Shana tova and my the kidnapped soldiers return this year.

www.machonshilo.org is great!

Three cheers for a great Talmid chacham-I highly recommend Rav David Bar-Hayim's shiurim at www.machonshilo.org!

There is a machloket whether the Beit Din has to be a Sanhedrin. The RIF blew the shofar on Shabat. I am not takin stand on it but just saying that many did not think a Sanhedrin was necessary. Rav Rav Shlezinger's

There is a machloket whether the Beit Din mentioned in the Mishna has to be a Sanhedrin. The RIF blew the shofar on Shabat. Rav Shlezinger blew the shofar 100 years ago in Jerusalem. I have read Rav Bar Hayim's opinion that we shouldn't blow the shofar on Shabat yet, but I still fail to see the problem with allowing a Beit Din to blow the Shofar on Shabat. Even if the Mishna did not mean a Sanhedrin, what is the problem with extending that permision to a regular Beit Din , now that we don't have smuchim..

I love www.machonshilo.org

Rav David Bar-Hayim is a fascinating visionary! Everybody has got to see www.machonshilo.org

I recommend the audio-shiurim at www.machonshilo.org

Highly recommended to go to www.machonshilo.org

Doesn't it make sense to do that which was done in Eretz Yisrael by our forefathers?