Considering Rosh HaShanah Through the Prism of Consumption

(23) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (24) Speak to the Israelite people thus: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts. (25) You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall bring an offering by fire to the LORD.

(1) In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations. You shall observe it as a day when the horn is sounded.

(9) Nehemiah the Tirshatha, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were explaining to the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God: you must not mourn or weep,” for all the people were weeping as they listened to the words of the Teaching. (10) He further said to them, “Go, eat choice foods and drink sweet drinks and send portions to whoever has nothing prepared, for the day is holy to our Lord. Do not be sad, for your rejoicing in the LORD is the source of your strength.” (11) The Levites were quieting the people, saying, “Hush, for the day is holy; do not be sad.” (12) Then all the people went to eat and drink and send portions and make great merriment, for they understood the things they were told.

A man is obligated to gladden his children and the members of his household on a Festival, as it is stated: “And you shall rejoice on your Festival, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow that are within your gates” (Deuteronomy 16:14).

With what should one make them rejoice?

Rabbi Yehudah says: "Men with what is fit for them and women with what is fit for them."

Rabbi Akiva says: "They blow the shofar but do not fast, since we find that on New Year’s Day one blows the shofar but does not fast."

Rabbi Abbahu said: "The ministering angels said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: 'Master of the Universe, for what reason don’t the Jewish people recite songs of praise, i.e., hallel, before You on Rosh HaShana and on Yom Kippur?' He said to them: 'Is it possible that while the King is sitting on the throne of judgment and the books of life and the books of death are open before Him, the Jewish people are reciting joyous songs of praise.'"

Rabbi Simon said, "It is written 'and what great nation has laws and rules as perfect as all this Teaching that I set before you this day?' (Deut. 4:7)."

Rabbi Hama, son of Rabbi Hanina, and Rabbi Hoshaya--

One said, "Is there a nation like this nation? The common practice of the world is that someone who knows he is on trial wears black and wraps himself in black and lets his beard grow since he does not know how his trial will turn out. But that is not how it is with Israel. Rather, on the day of their trial, they wear white and shave their beards and eat, drink, and rejoice, for they know that the Holy One, blessed by He, does miracles for them."

And the other said, "Is there a nation like this nation? Ordinarily, the ruler says, 'The trial is today', and the robber says, 'The trial is tomorrow'. So to whom do they listen? Is it not the ruler? But that is not how it is with the Holy One, blessed be He. The court says, 'Today is the new year.' The Holy One, blessed be He, then says to the ministering angels, 'Set up the platform, let the defenders rise and let the prosecutors rise, for my children have announced today is the new year.' If the court determined to declare the month of Elul full 30 days so that the New Year falls on the next day and the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the ministering angels, 'Now remove the platform, remove the defense attorneys, remove the prosecutors, for my children have determined to declare a full month.'

What is the proof? 'For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob' (Ps. 81:5). If it is not a statute for Israel, then as it were, it is also no ordinance for the God of Jacob."

We eat, drink, and are merry [on Rosh HaShanah], and it is forbidden to fast at all.

Rav Netronai Gaon [Sura, 9th c.] wrote that we cannot sit and fast on the first day, since it is [a festival] from the Torah, but on the second day one may, since these ten days are different from all others, and our rabbis would sit and fast, even on Shabbat.

But my father, of blessed memory, wrote that this is baffling to forbid fasting on the first day of Rosh HaShanah but permitting fasting on Shabbat.

Better are the words of Rav Hai Gaon [Pumbedita, 939-1038] who wrote that it is better not to fast on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, since the early leaders of Israel said "Go, eat sweet food and drink sweet drinks...(Neh. 8:10)." And, similarly, with the Repentance Sabbath, we do not see that a person should fast, since Av 9th is a more severe fast, yet we do not wish to have it occur on Shabbat.

Also, Rabbi Isaac ibn Giat [Cordova, 1038-1089] wrote that these days are called days of repentance, not days of fasting!

And similarly, it is seen from the midrash that I mentioned above "who is like this nation?" as in the Jerusalem Talmud that we sound the shofar, but do not fast.

And what is in the Jerusalem Talmud that we blast but don't fast on Rosh HaShanah is mentioned by the Rosh, the Mordechi, the Hagahot Maimoniot, and Rabbeinu Nachshon brought several proofs for forbidding this... However, I have found in the book Sefer Aguda that nonetheless, one should not eat one's fill, so that one does not become light-headed, and the fear of God should remain...

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And it seems to me that those who do regularly fast on the second day and want to change their practice should come before a Beit Din and absolve their vow... since there is some validity to their practice. Also, I saw it written in the Book of Agur [Naples, d.1493] that there is an ancient tradition that anyone who fasts on Rosh Hashana and then changes their practice will die within a year... And [some say that] anyone who has a terrible dream on Rosh Hashana and fasts in order to cancel its effect, they should fast every year after that.

There is a custom to fast on the eve of Rosh Hashana.

The RAMA [Kraków, 1530-1572] adds: And those that are exacting are accustomed to fast every one of the ten days. And such is correct to do... If there is a circumcision on the eve of Rosh Hashana, one may eat. And according to the Maharil [Mainz, 1365-1427], most people, even if they fast, eat on the eve of Rosh Hashana before daybreak; because the non-Jews have a custom to fast on the eve of their holidays.

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We eat, drink, and are happy [on Rosh HaShanah], and we do not fast either on Rosh Hashanah nor on Repentance Shabbat. However, people should not eat to the fullness of their satiety so that they do not come to levity in order that there should be awe of the Lord upon their faces.

Which is to say that even though it is Judgement Day, nevertheless, there is a mitzvah of rejoicing on your holiday that is relevant to this day that it is also within the category of חג, as it is written, "Blast the horn at the new moon, at the full moon for our feast-day" (Ps. 81.4), and it is said in Nehemiah 8, "eat fatty foods and drink sweet drinks...for this day is holy unto our Lord; do not be sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh. 8.10).