Pensamiento judío sobre Levítico 9:24

In order to lend more emphasis to the wonderful concept of hashgachah peratit, this month was chosen as the beginning of "holy convocations" for all times. All holy convocations are rooted in the Exodus from Egypt. They have therefore been granted exclusively to the Jewish people. Rabbi Akiva expresses this fittingly when he says (Shabbat 87), "This day has been given ten crowns to symbolize the ten directives by means of which this universe came into existence. The last of the eight days during which the tabernacle was consecrated was Sunday the first day in the month of Nissan. On that day, Aaron commenced to perform the daily service in the tabernacle."

The reason the Talmud discusses the exact nature of the teruah sound at great length, (Rosh Hashanah 32) is to show the importance attached to the value of external stimuli to achieve a certain frame of mind. Just as we are told in Kings II 3,15, that a certain frame of mind is necessary to achieve prophetic visions, -Elisha had to listen to music to achieve that frame of mind,- and just as we find David playing music when transporting the holy ark, (Samuel II 6,5) the frame of mind we are supposed to be in on Rosh Hashanah requires the sounds of a different instrument, i.e. the shofar. Since the prophet Amos proclaims "who does not tremble when the shofar is sounded?," we get the idea. (Amos 3,6) Blowing trumpets is not prescribed for this day. In fact, if someone manages to blow the shofar in such a manner that its sounds would be like real music, he has not fulfilled his duty. All this lends weight to the discussion in the Talmud about which is the right sound to be produced. Its is a wailing sound, kind of a sigh; the halachic decision is to arrange all the sounds in such an order as to insure that at some stage or other the correct sequence of tekiyah -teruah-tekiyah has been blown.

And there is yet another kind of separation (involving) what was eaten by the owners, but only in Jerusalem, as was the case with fruits of the fourth year and second-tithe. Eating in the place where the L-rd had chosen to repose His name resulted in many benefits: Residing in the holy city and in the place of the Divine service impresses one with G-d's exaltedness and His fear, this being the intent of (Devarim 14:23) "… so that you learn to fear the L-rd your G-d all of the days." Also, the gathering of the people in one city to eat and rejoice was a great force for national unity and a great incentive for individuals to recognize and love one another and to love their people. The fruits of the fourth year were "holy for praise to the L-rd" (Vayikra 9:24). This was the rationale for their being commanded to wait for the fourth year (to eat them), so that they be choice and ripe. Until that year the fruit was arlah ("rejected") and forbidden, analogous to the ban on bread, kali, and karmel before the bringing of the omer (viz. Vayikra 23:14).