Part III: May a woman blast shofar on behalf of others in Elul? Rabbanit Debbie Zimmerman

On one foot:

Shofar in Elul is fundamentally different from shofar on Rosh HaShana. It is a custom and most halakhic authorities agree there is no individual obligation to hear it. There are several reasons for shofar in Elul, but it is generally agreed that the practice is not related to the mitzvah of shofar on Rosh HaShana; therefore there is little reason to object to women sounding shofar for men in Elul because this would not fulfill a man’s obligation on Rosh HaShana.

While generally considered a custom, in the last couple of centuries there are many who claim there is a communal obligation to sound the shofar. Since women are exempt from certain commandments and are not counted in the quorum to make a minyan, some may claim women have a different role in the community and should not act as leaders to fulfill communal obligations. We advance one halakhic model to allow for women to fulfill certain communal obligations based on custom, such as shofar in Elul, based on Meiri’s explanation that Torah reading is a communal custom and even those not obligated can lead the community.^[1]

Outside of regular community prayers there’s little reason to differentiate between sounding shofar in Elul, and woman may sound the shofar for other women or men in other settings, such as a school assembly. Regarding women sounding the shofar after communal prayers in Elul, we note that there are valid reasons both to permit or object, and so it should only be done with the community’s agreement.

Comparing Elul and Rosh HaShana

In Part II  that most halakhic authorities view the rabbinic enactment and resulting custom to blast shofar in Elul as a communal obligation; one who misses hearing shofar with a minyan is not obligated to seek alternative shofar blasts. This fundamentally differs from Rosh HaShana blasts in several ways. Shofar on Rosh HaShana is a biblical mitzvah for individuals.

The gemara lists shofar among the positive, time-bound mitzvot from which women are exempt. Even though women do not have a biblical obligation, they have taken this mitzvah upon themselves; this has created its own form of obligation – one that differs from that of a man – which we’ve discussed in a previous teshuva.^[2]

Halakhically “anyone that is not obligated to do something may not fulfill another’s obligation.”^[3] Therefore, a man who is biblically obligated to hear shofar can’t fulfill his obligation by listening to a woman blast shofar. Shulkhan Arukh and Rema rule that women may blast shofar to fulfill their own obligation – and therefore the obligation of other women as well.^[4]

May a woman sound the shofar for individual women or men in Elul?

If shofar in Elul is an individual requirement, then, regardless of her obligation, a woman should be able to sound the shofar on behalf of women – herself or others.^[5] But can women blast shofar on behalf of men?

As women and men have equal requirements to do teshuva it seems they should have the same requirement to hear shofar in Elul. And since we rule that people with the same obligation can fulfill one another’s obligation, women should be able to blast the shofar on behalf of men.

Yet there are several reasons to oppose this idea. Chiefly, we already noted that rabbinic enactments are modeled after Torah counterparts (if they have them). Several halakhic authorities rule that the enactment of the shofar blasts should follow the Biblical rules. Therefore, Bach teaches that the Elul blasts should follow the same pattern of the ten basic blasts on Rosh HaShana.^[6] Similarly, Shut Shevet Kehati rules that one doesn’t fulfill the obligation if a child blasts the shofar or the shofar is not kosher.^[7] As we will see, it seems these opinions were not accepted, perhaps precisely because shofar  in Elul is already fundamentally different from Rosh HaShana because it is a communal mitzvah.

As we will see, there are also good reasons not to model shofar in Elul after shofar on Rosh HaShana. Perhaps foremost is that the enactment was related to the shofar blasts on Rosh Chodesh Elul in the desert and not those of Rosh HaShana.^[8] Additionally, as halakhic authorities such as Magen Avraham note, we purposely don’t blast shofar the day before Rosh HaShana to separate between the voluntary shofar of Elul and the obligation on Rosh HaShana. There are other differences between the two. The obligation to hear shofar on Rosh HaShana is only during the day; many sources note a custom to sound the shofar at night as well.^[9] Likewise, in Elul we do not recite a blessing before the shofar blasts and we only blast tekia – shevarim/terua – tekia, not enough blasts to fulfill the obligation on Rosh HaShana. Furthermore, we rule that if there is a mistake with the shofar blowing in Elul there is no need to repeat it.^[10]

Finally, as Tzitz Eliezer notes, a person who was not able to hear shofar with a minyan does not generally seek out alternatives. This reality leads Tzitz Eliezer to the conclusion that shofar in Elul is a communal obligation, not individual, and sounding shofar in a home, or in general outside of synagogue or communal setting, is clearly not included.

As we’ve seen, there’s little reason to differentiate between the obligation of individual men and women to hear shofar in Elul. Outside of a minyan our main concern is misunderstanding – so if those around understand that a man does not fulfill his Rosh HaShana obligation to hear shofar if it is sounded by a woman, it seems that a woman may blast shofar for men in Elul.^[11]

May a woman fulfill a communal obligation of shofar in Elul?

The nature of this communal obligation is debated. Those who view it as more of a custom focusing on the effect of the shofar – inspiring us to do teshuva – place few restraints on the blasts. Rav Shmuel Kaminetzky reportedly ruled that the Rosh HaShana requirements are not applicable to Elul Shofar, and even a minor may blast shofar if an adult is not available.^[12]

Since the majority of poskim rule that shofar in Elul is a communal obligation, the question is whether a woman can fulfill this obligation. This is a bit more complicated. In general, the nature of an individual’s relationship to communal obligations is debated, as is the place of women in the tzibbur, community.  A full examination of these questions is far beyond the scope of this teshuva.

There are certainly reasons to object to a woman blasting shofar in Synagogue during Elul – slippery slope arguments, the concern for misunderstanding noted above, and opinions that limit the tzibbur to those who are counted for minyan. Some of these are more persuasive than others. But as few have discussed these concepts in relation to women and shofar in Elul, let’s present a halakhic model that allows for a woman to sound shofar during Elul to fulfill the community’s obligation.

Comparing communal obligations: Torah reading

Many halakhic authorities rule that the enactment of keriyat haTorah, public Torah reading, is a communal obligation. The Hakhel ceremony once every seven years is the only Torah mandated public Torah reading.^[13] The Talmud explains that Moshe established regular Torah readings and Ezra expanded on his enactment.^[14]

The mishnah teaches that “we do not read from the Torah… with less than ten.”^[15] Some, such as Mishneh Berura, explain that Torah reading is a davar she’bi’kedusha, a halakhic category largely consisting of prayers that may only be recited in the presence of an eidah, which is defined as ten Jewish men.^[16] Others, such as Ran, differentiate between the tzibbur, community, and a minyan. He explains that Torah reading is a communal (tzibbur) obligation – individuals praying alone do not read from the Torah; yet the need for a minyan specifically is a later rabbinic addition and not intrinsic to the original takana (enactment).^[17]

Halakhic authorities agree women are not counted as part of the quorum necessary to recite devarim she’bi’kedusha and may not lead such prayers; this does not mean women are not part of the tzibbur, the community.^[18] Several halakhic authorities mention this distinction when discussing women and keriyat HaTorah.

The beraita states that all count towards the seven people who are called to the Torah (aliyot) on Shabbat – including women and minors.^[19] Immediately following we learn that the sages said a woman should not read from the Torah because of kavod hatzibbur – the honor of the community.^[20] Later sources discuss the issue of kavod hatzibbur at length – this is less material to our discussion. The more pressing issue is the assertion that women can count towards the seven aliyot and read from the Torah for the community when most halakhic authorities agree women are not obligated in communal Torah reading.^[21]

Meiri explains that a minor may read from the Torah because it is not a “full mitzvah” like other mitzvot, the point is to sound the Torah for the people.^[22] This explains why – if not for the issue of kavod hatzibbur – women are allowed to read Torah for the community.^[23]

This approach bears a certain similarity to the shofar blasts in Elul, a rabbinic enactment for a communal obligation, the point of which is the effect of the action – hearing. The relationship of women to these mitzvot is also somewhat similar – women are not obligated in the Torah mitzvah of Torah study but have certain related obligations such as Hakhel and learning the laws that apply to them, and women are not obligated in the Torah mitzvah to hear shofar on Rosh HaShana but are obligated to pray and do teshuva.

Furthermore, the main reasons to preclude women from getting aliyot don’t necessarily apply to communal shofar in Elul. Unlike Torah reading, shofar (in Elul or Rosh HaShana) is undisputedly not a davar she’bi’kedusha and it is not included in the gemara’s list of things that require a minyan.