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Hi chevra,
Please make plans to join us for our siyyum of Rosh Hashana, TONIGHT, August 30th at 7:30 in the Beit Midrash! Rachel Grose, Zev Wainberg, Etan and Maccabee Cohen, and Sari Abrams will each teach a Mishna in honor of the occasion!
The second perek of Taanit discusses how to observe public fasts that have been declared in response to a crisis.
We might have thought that these public fasts would take the form of a “mini Yom Kippur” - after all, that is the day that is set aside for supplication and forgiveness. However, as described in the first half of the perek (minshayot 1-5), the tefilot and public expressions of mourning described are a mix of practices from other holidays and observances: several of the brachot that are added to davening come from Rosh Hashana (Zichronot and Shofrot) and there are even instances when a shofar is blown during the extra tefilot. Everyone from the leaders on down are supposed to put ashes on their heads as a sign of mourning, just like Mordechai did in response to Haman’s decree, a practice that we gesture to as we enter Tisha B’Av.
The second mishna goes into detail about the qualifications of the Shaliach Tzibur. He must be “zaken v’ragil,” an elder who is experienced, and who has children, “so that he will be wholehearted in his tefilah.” He isn’t chosen for the beauty of his voice, but rather for his capacity to take his life experience and channel it into heartfelt prayer on behalf of his community. This phrase appears in our davening on Rosh Hashana too, in “Hinini,” the public meditation by the Baal Mussaf.
Mishnayot 6 and 7 discuss the ways that Kohanim serving in the Beit HaMikdash would modify their fasts in order to be able to fulfill their duties. The remainder of the perek discusses the timing of fasts and how they may affect the days before and after them.
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