Mussaf Rosh haShana

The Mishnah Rosh HaShana (perek 4, Mishnah 5, daf 32a) provides a detailed description of the Mussaf prayers of Rosh HaShana. The Mishnah does not provide a description of the other formas of the Amidah. The following factors appear to make the Mussaf a unique prayer:

1. The standard formula is for 18 (or 19) blessings in the three daily Amida prayers. The standard for all other days (Rosh Chodesh, Shabbos, Yom Tov) is seven. The Mussaf of Rosh HaShana has nine blessings. Yet the Mussaf Amidah for Rosh HaShana is the longest.
2. The role that verses perform in the three middle prayers is also unique. There are at least thirty complete verses in Mussaf Rosha HaShana. How many in the standard daily Amidah of 18 (19) blessings? None.
3. The silent individual prayer and the public repetition of the Mussaf prayers are interrupted by a non-verbal act of prayer, i.e. the blowing of the shofar. On no other occasion does a non-verbal act occur during an Amidah prayer.
4. We combine two blessings into one, the fourth blessing of the Mussaf: one regarding the holiness of the day and another for the blessing of kingship. The standard rule is that we do not combine blessings.
5. The extreme lengthening and the change in the conclusion of the third blessing is also unique.

I. Unique Structure of Blessings

Standard Structures of the Amidah prayerStandard WeekdayShabbos, Yom Tov, Rosh ChodeshRosh Hashana MussafThree Shevach (Praise): Avos, Gevuros, KedushaStandard threeStandard threeStandard with change in length and ending of the third blessingMiddle Blessings12 (13) blessings of requestOne blessing about the kedusha of the dayThree blessings: Kingship, Remembrances, ShofrosFinal Three Hodaah (Thanks): Avodah, Hodaah, ShalomStandard threeStandard threeStandard three

The Gemara (Rosh Hashana 32) derives the unique concept of the three middle blessings for Mussaf Rosh HaShana from a verse:

שבתון זכרון תרועה מקרא קדש )ויקרא כג, כד(
מקרא קדש תרועה זכרון שבתון
קדשתו בעשיית מלאכה
שאמר פסוקי שופרות שאמר פסוקי זכרונות
שאמר קדושת היום לר' אליעזר
שאמר קדושת היום קדשתו בעשיית מלאכה לר' עקיבא

We combine the blessings of this Mussaf not once but twice in order to fulfill both opinions.
The third blessing combines the blessing of the Malchyous with the holiness of the His Name. The blessing is changed to HaMelech, adding the paragraph ובכן, plus the paragraph ותמלך.

The fourth blessing combines the holiness of the day with the blessing of Malchyous;

• The Tur (as elaborated by Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch) draws a parallel between the concepts of the three blessings of Malchuyos, Zichoranos and Shofros to the three “U’Vachein” stanzas that are inserted in the third blessing of the Mussaf Amidah:
  “Say before Me on Rosh Hashanah; Malchuyos, Zichronos and Shofaros:
  Malchuyos – so that you should make Me King over you.
  Zichronos – so that the memory of you should come before Me for good,
  And with what? With Shofar” (Rosh Hashannah 16a).

II. Structure of the middle 3 blessings: Malchyous, Zichronos, and Shofaros

Malchyous, Zichronos, and Shofaros are each a collection of 10 verses selected from Tanach. The order is which we recite these verses is 3 verses from the Torah, 3 verses from the Kesuvim, 3 verses from the Neviim, and one additional verse from the Torah.

Some of the reasons provided why we recite 10 pesukim (verses):

• The 10 Utterances from HaShem at Creation
• The 10 Words from HaShem at Har Sinai
• The 10 praises of Dovid haMelech in the last chapter of Tehillim (which includes the praise of Him with the blowing of the Shofar)

The theme of the 10 verses of Malchyous is the acceptance of HaShem as our King. The verses from Tanach are about the kingship of HaShem with the concluding verse Shema Yisrael.

The theme of the 10 verses of Zichronos is that HaShem has total recall of all of our actions since the beginning of time. He reviews everyone’s deeds, good and bad, and passes verdict on this Day of Judgment. There is nothing that HaShem can not remember.

The theme of the 10 verses of Shofaros i s the special connection between the Jewish people and HaShem.

• In the selections of the 10 verses, we recite the verses from Kesuvim prior to the verses from Neviim. Some say we honor Dovid haMelech since most of the verses from Tehillim chronologically preceded the verses from most of the Kesuvim.

Despite the fact that we do not include complete verses from Tanach in our daily silent Amidah, complete verses do play an integral part in many basic prayers such as Kedusha, i.e., Hallel, Bircas HaCohanim, additions for fast days, etc. Thus, the recitation of over 30 complete verses in the middle blessings is an early method of prayer.

Rav Soloveitchik remarks that verses (pesukim) have always played an integral part in Jewish prayer, because it is an integration of Tefillah and Limud Torah as we strive for closeness to HaShem.

III. Blowing of the Shofar during the Amidah of Mussaf

There are those that have the custom of blowing the Shofar during the quiet (personal) Amidah that everyone says for themselves (Sephardic and Chasidic) at the end of each of the middle three blessings. After completing any of the three middle blessings one should wait for the blowing of the Shofar before proceeding to the next blessing. If one hears the Shofar before completing the blessing one should be careful to stop and listen and resume at the same place one left off after the Shofar blowing.

The amount of Shofar blows that need to be sounded during the Amidah is a matter of dispute amongst the Geonim and the Rishonim, and the custom today varies from community to community.

After the quiet (personal) Amidah is recited by the individuals of the congregation, the Chazzan begins the Chazoras HaShatz repeating the same basic Amidah that was just said quietly with some additions. The Shofar is again blown according to all at the end of each of the middle three blessings.

On no other occasion during the year is either the personal or communal Amidah interrupted with a non-verbal act of prayer. Apparently from the Mishnah the main blasts of the Shofar as a request for leniency are linked to the three middle blessings celebrating the reign of HaShem over the world with His perfect memory. The other blasts of the Shofar were evidently added later (to confuse the Satan?) are called “seated Tekious.” These Tekious are sounded prior to Mussaf to fulfill the obligation to all those present. After the fulfillment of the Mitzvah, the main blasts during Mussaf could be divided in three groups of ten sounds to be connected to each blessing.

IV. The Third Blessing – lengthening; Fourth blessing -combining

The changing of the “position” of HaShem to the throne of Judgment )מלך( is reflected in the third prayer (1st Avos –historical; 2nd Gevurah – nature; 3rd Holiness – separation). This third prayer is lengthened to include references to HaShem now serving as King of the Creations. Thus, the prayer is changed to reflect the changed theme of the prayer. In the fourth blessing the theme of Kingship was added to the existing standard fourth prayer of a holiday, adding Kingship as an adjective describing HaShem.