Chief Rabbi Urges Calm Over Rosh Hashanah Shofar Absence on Shabbat

Israel's Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Kalman Bar, has issued a ruling regarding the upcoming Rosh Hashanah holiday, which in the years תשפ"ז (2026-2027) and תשפ"ח (2027-2028) will fall on Shabbat. The central ritual of Rosh Hashanah is blowing the shofar, a sound meant to awaken repentance and bolster the Jewish people's merits before God. However, due to the sanctity of Shabbat, the shofar will not be sounded on the first day of Rosh Hashanah in these years.

Rabbi Bar addressed potential anxiety stemming from a Talmudic passage warning that a year without the shofar's call at its beginning might face hardship later. He cited the Halachic authority "Halachot Gedolot" (as referenced in the Tosafot commentary) which clarifies that this warning does not apply when the shofar is omitted due to Shabbat's sanctity.

He recalled that Rosh Hashanah also fell on Shabbat in תשפ"ד (2023-2024), a year that was tragically marked by the October 7th Hamas attacks three weeks later. However, Rabbi Bar also pointed to historical examples where Rosh Hashanah falling on Shabbat coincided with highly auspicious events, such as the atonement for the Golden Calf, the erection of the Tabernacle, and the Israelites' entry into the Land of Israel.

In these instances, when the shofar cannot serve as an advocate for Israel, Shabbat itself takes on that role. Rabbi Bar emphasized that this protective status is contingent upon observing Shabbat's sanctity properly. He urged the public to enhance their observance and respect for Shabbat, both privately and publicly, as a means of earning its merit, especially in years when the shofar cannot be sounded.