Laws of Rosh Hashanah for Women - Rabbi Menachem Mendel Harel shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You are listening to “Lema’an Yishme’u,” a podcast of Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 Shalom u’vracha. In this class, with Hashem’s help, we’ll discuss halachic matters relating to the festivals and special days that have particular significance for the conduct of women and girls. As is well known, generally speaking, men are obligated in time-bound positive mitzvos, while women are not. That is why the halachic authorities differ regarding certain mitzvos of the festivals: Must women fulfill them? May they fulfill them? And if they do want to fulfill them, may they recite a bracha over them? Of course, women are just as obligated as men to observe the festivals themselves properly; there is no difference. The differences of opinion concern only particular mitzvos within the festivals—whether women may fulfill them with a bracha, or whether it is customary for women to perform one or another mitzvah associated with a given festival. So, with Hashem’s help, this class will focus especially on the customs and mitzvos that pertain specifically to women. We won’t cover all the mitzvos and halachos of each festival here, because those are covered in separate classes. It is therefore important, alongside what we learn here, to listen to and study the halachos of the festivals themselves, which apply equally to women and men. Erev Rosh Hashanah is the special day when we prepare for the new year. It is the last day of the departing year, the day on which we make up for the month of Elul—and, if we take that thought a step further, the day on which we make up for the entire past year as we enter the new one. The last Maariv of the year, the last Shacharis of the year, and, above all, Mincha, which elevates the prayers of the entire year. This day, 29 Elul, Erev Rosh Hashanah, therefore has very special significance for our avodah and for the way we conduct ourselves. As chassidim, we must

03:07 Speaker 2 also remember that 29 Elul, Erev Rosh Hashanah, is the birthday of the Tzemach Tzedek. And every year, alongside all the preparations for Rosh Hashanah, as is well known, the Rebbe held a farbrengen on Erev Rosh Hashanah. So we should certainly hold a farbrengen too, and awaken ourselves to matters connected with this important and special day, Erev Rosh Hashanah. Early in the morning, we go to shul to say the Selichos of Erev Rosh Hashanah. After Selichos, we daven Shacharis, and we do not say Tachanun. After Shacharis, we perform hataras nedarim, the annulment of vows. Our custom is that only men perform hataras nedarim; women do not perform the hataras nedarim of Erev Rosh Hashanah. When women come to the recitation of Kol Nidrei on the night of Yom Kippur, they should have in mind all their vows from throughout the year. But it is men, from the age of bar mitzvah, who recite the text of hataras nedarim. Some have the custom that twelve-year-old boys also perform hataras nedarim. Among the rabbis of Anash, it is not clear whether that is our custom, but it is worth knowing that such a custom exists. An important point about hataras nedarim in general needs to be clarified here: The hataras nedarim performed on Erev Rosh Hashanah is not for specific vows. For example, a woman made a good resolution, took on a good practice that she cannot maintain, did not remember to say “bli neder,” and now wants to annul the vow. That vow is not annulled by the hataras nedarim of Erev Rosh Hashanah. This applies not only to women but to men as well. Anyone who made a vow, or made a good resolution without saying “bli neder,” and now wants to retract it and have the vow annulled—the hataras nedarim of Erev Rosh Hashanah does not help with that at all. In other words, even if a woman says to her husband, “When you perform hataras nedarim,

06:08 Speaker 2 also act as my representative and request hataras nedarim for me,” that will not help with specific vows. Let’s take an example. A woman undertook to give, say, three coins to tzedakah every day before davening. She did not say “bli neder,” and suddenly she finds that she cannot keep it up. To annul the vow, she needs hataras nedarim for that specific vow. Since, for various reasons, a woman cannot always get to a rabbi to perform hataras nedarim for her, she may appoint her husband as her representative for the annulment of that specific vow. He goes to the rabbi, who performs hataras nedarim in accordance with the relevant laws. Because the husband is her representative, the rabbi asks him the questions relevant to annulling the vow and annuls it for her. But as we said, the general hataras nedarim does not help with specific vows a person took on, or good practices a person knowingly undertook without saying “bli neder.” What does hataras nedarim help with? It helps with vows a person did not consciously take on: perhaps someone followed a good practice, or did something else, three times without saying “bli neder.” Since the repeated practice itself has made it a vow, and the person may have forgotten about it, we perform hataras nedarim on Erev Rosh Hashanah. The custom is to write a pidyon nefesh on Erev Rosh Hashanah. Among chassidim, the head of the family—the father—customarily signs a pidyon nefesh known as the general pan. But in addition to the general pan, each person, man or woman, should write a pidyon nefesh personally. Before writing a pidyon nefesh, one washes one’s hands, gives a coin to tzedakah, and begins the letter with “Pidyon nefesh. Please arouse abundant mercy for...” Some chassidim add “nefesh, ruach, neshamah,” and so on, followed by the person’s name and her mother’s name. Then one writes all the requests and blessings one wishes to ask for. One may also ask

09:08 Speaker 2 for other Jews, for family members, both immediate and extended. It is perfectly fine and permissible to mention the names of friends and relatives. But the main thing is for each person to write a pidyon nefesh for themselves. The custom is to visit the resting places of tzaddikim on Erev Rosh Hashanah and ask Hashem to arouse mercy for us in the merit of the tzaddikim who rest there. Being in those places can also awaken a person to teshuvah. Women, too, may visit the resting places of tzaddikim, and it is fitting that they do so. However, during the days of menstruation themselves, it is appropriate not to come within four amos of a tzaddik’s grave. On the days afterward, they may go without concern. As a preparation for Rosh Hashanah, the Rebbe mentions the importance of taking on an additional good resolution for the new year. Of course, a person should choose something they can actually do and maintain, and should take it on “bli neder.” During Erev Rosh Hashanah, one should get a haircut, trim one’s nails, and come to Rosh Hashanah ready, like royalty. As the expression says: “See the character of this nation, which knows the character of its G-d.” That is why they come to Rosh Hashanah—the Day of Judgment, the day we accept Hashem’s kingship—nicely dressed, with their hair cut and themselves clean, because they know that Hakadosh Boruch Hu will find us worthy in judgment. It is therefore very important to make sure the children have had haircuts, and the husband as well; to make sure the children trim their nails, and the woman and girls too. This way, they enter Rosh Hashanah neat and well-groomed, rather than, G-d forbid, looking unkempt—“menuval,” in the language of halacha—meaning not in order, either physically or spiritually. Regarding our spiritual entry into Rosh Hashanah, the Rebbe says that first and foremost, a person must pay attention to the way they conduct themselves and will conduct themselves as Rosh Hashanah begins.

12:28 Speaker 2 In the collection of letters attached to the book of Tehillim, there is a letter the Frierdiker Rebbe wrote to yeshiva students, but it applies to women as well. The point is that on Rosh Hashanah one should be careful to avoid idle talk to the utmost. That is the negative side: not speaking idle words on Rosh Hashanah. On the positive side, one should say Tehillim abundantly, beginning an hour before the festival starts. In other words, even before Rosh Hashanah begins, one should already increase the amount of Tehillim one says. This applies to both men and women. Everyone should be involved in saying Tehillim, since Rosh Hashanah is about building malchus, and “malchus is the mouth.” Malchus is built through a Jew’s mouth, through reciting the Tehillim of David, King of Israel, the sweet singer of Israel, David Malka Meshicha. So it is very important to say a great deal of Tehillim and not to engage in idle talk at all. When something needs to be said—particularly for people on our level—then we speak. But if it does not need to be said, we should refrain from saying it to the utmost. There is something wonderful the Rebbe writes about preparing for Rosh Hashanah in the matter of peace in the home. The Rebbe writes that the extraordinary extent of our Rebbeim’s preparations for Rosh Hashanah is well known. Their conduct changed completely from the rest of the year: they withdrew into seclusion and engaged in spiritual work on the loftiest level. Yet, in the very last minutes before Rosh Hashanah, our Rebbeim had a very special custom: they would spend some time alone with their wives and speak with them. The Rebbe says that this shows how important peace in the home is as a preparation for Rosh Hashanah. And the Rebbe adds that this applies to every person. In those few minutes before Rosh Hashanah, the husband and wife should go into a room together, talk to each other, bless each other, and briefly discuss matters that concern them. With Hashem’s help, this will strengthen the wholeness of their home and the peace within it.

15:35 Speaker 2 As for Minchah, a woman should daven before candle-lighting. We mentioned earlier that this Minchah is the last Minchah of the year and has very special significance, so we daven it more slowly and calmly. A woman who wants to manage to daven before candle-lighting therefore needs to plan accordingly, so that she can daven Minchah and light candles on time. The custom is that even when Rosh Hashanah falls on a weekday and it is permitted to transfer a flame from an existing flame, the Rosh Hashanah candles are lit as on Erev Shabbos—that is, at the time listed in the local calendar. Our custom is eighteen minutes before sunset. Before candle-lighting, one should light a large candle that will last through the two days of Rosh Hashanah, a forty-eight-hour candle, so that a flame can be transferred from it when needed. This is a separate candle; it is not connected to the mitzvah of lighting the Rosh Hashanah candles. It is therefore lit on its own, separately from the woman’s candle-lighting. If, for some reason, a woman did not manage to light candles before sunset—when Rosh Hashanah falls on a weekday, of course—she may light them close to Kiddush by transferring a flame from an existing flame. Even when she lights the candles during Yom Tov, our custom is to light the candles first and then recite the blessings. There are two blessings over candle-lighting on Erev Rosh Hashanah. The first is “to kindle the light of the Day of Remembrance.” The second is Shehecheyanu. If she mistakenly said “to kindle the light of the holy Shabbos,” she must immediately correct it, within the time it takes to say a few words, to “to kindle the light of the Day of Remembrance.” But if she said “the light of Yom Tov,” she has fulfilled her obligation. Let us now discuss preparing the food for Rosh Hashanah. As mentioned earlier, on Rosh Hashanah there is the idea of

18:21 Speaker 2 “Eat rich foods and drink sweet beverages.” That means eating pleasant foods on Rosh Hashanah, foods that taste sweet. The custom is not to eat foods cooked with vinegar on Rosh Hashanah. We do not eat sour foods on Rosh Hashanah. Other kinds of seasoning, however, are permitted. Some people are careful not to eat spicy foods, but it is worth knowing that there were also tzaddikim who made a point of eating spicy foods. The bottom line is: what is the main thing we are careful not to eat on Rosh Hashanah? Foods seasoned with vinegar, and foods whose sourness is noticeable and can be tasted. So if you are making a dish and need to add a little vinegar as part of the sauce, that is not a problem, because the vinegar cannot be tasted. But if the vinegar can be tasted in the dish, then it should not be added on Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish custom is to eat special foods on Rosh Hashanah that serve as signs for a good year, as we will discuss later. Our custom is to do this on the first night only, so preparations need to be made. The first of these symbolic foods, with which we also begin the meal, is apple dipped in honey. The Alter Rebbe writes that the apple should be sweet. So when choosing apples, since stores carry different varieties, some sweet and some sour, the custom is to choose a specifically sweet apple. Incidentally, there is no prohibition against eating sour apples on Rosh Hashanah; it is only for dipping the apple in honey that it must specifically be sweet. Another custom in Jewish communities, mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch, is to eat the head of a ram—a remembrance of the ram of Yitzchak, meaning the head of a sheep. If there is no sheep’s head, one can use the head of another kosher animal or the head of a fish. If using a fish head, one must first make sure it is a type of head for which there is no concern about worms. Unfortunately, today there is a concern about worms in the heads of many fish,

21:32 Speaker 2 so not every head can be put on the table—especially not on the night of Rosh Hashanah, when we are seeking merits. One must therefore check that the particular head one wants to buy is not one in which, G-d forbid, there is a concern about worms. It is important to emphasize that if one eats the head of a ram, it cannot be served at the beginning of the meal, when fish is eaten, because fish and meat may not be eaten at the same time or with the same utensils. So those who eat the head of a ram will, of course, eat it during the second part of the meal, when the meat is eaten. Alternatively, if it is eaten on its own, it must be completely separate, without touching the fish, G-d forbid. It is preferable that there be no fish on the table at all at that time, because eating meat and fish together poses an actual danger, and our Sages taught us that “danger is treated more stringently than prohibition.” As mentioned, the Jewish custom is to eat other foods that serve as good signs, such as carrots, rubia, beets, and so on. The custom is to eat foods whose names suggest the drawing down of good things and favorable decrees upon the Jewish people, so these should also be prepared before the festival. If you want to cook the carrots or the beets, do so then. That is why we are mentioning this now: so that a woman preparing the dishes and salads she wants to make for the Rosh Hashanah meal will remember to plan for the foods it is customary among the Jewish people to eat that night. Another thing to remember in preparing for Rosh Hashanah is to buy a new fruit. Since on the second night of Rosh Hashanah we recite Shehecheyanu with the intention that it also apply to the new fruit, it is important to buy a new fruit, or several new fruits, during the shopping—fruits over which the family members have not yet recited Shehecheyanu. It is important to note

24:12 Speaker 2 Shehecheyanu may be recited only over fresh fruit—what we call seasonal fruit. It cannot be recited over canned or dried fruit, even if a person has not eaten any all year. The same applies to fruit available in the market year-round, such as apples. Even if someone has not eaten apples all year, they cannot recite Shehecheyanu over them. So we need to find fruit that is genuinely seasonal: first, it is not available in the market all year, but only in its season; second, it really is fruit of the season, not fruit that has been kept in cold storage; and third, the family members have not yet eaten it, so they can recite Shehecheyanu over it on the second night of Rosh Hashanah. If Rosh Hashanah falls on Thursday and its second day is Friday, so that Shabbos follows directly after Rosh Hashanah, an eruv tavshilin must be made. Usually, this is the husband’s responsibility. Even if the wife is home alone because her husband has traveled to the Rebbe, or for any other reason, she must make an eruv tavshilin herself. The purpose of the eruv tavshilin is to permit preparing everything needed for Shabbos on Yom Tov. It is best to make the eruv tavshilin on the day before the holiday, even before midday. It can be done in the morning. Take bread and a hard-boiled egg; if there is no hard-boiled egg, a can of tuna or any other cooked food can also be used. Then recite the blessing: “Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the mitzvah of eruv.” Then recite the text declaring that, through this eruv, we are permitted to light a candle, bake, cook, and do everything needed for Shabbos on Yom Tov, for ourselves and for all Jews who live in this city. In a year when

27:05 Speaker 2 Rosh Hashanah falls on Thursday and Friday—or whenever Yom Tov falls on the day before Shabbos—it is worth setting a reminder on your phone or asking someone to remind you, so you do not forget. Why? Because if you forget to make an eruv tavshilin, you may not do any preparation on Yom Tov for Shabbos. Sometimes there is a remedy if the rabbi included other people in his eruv so they could rely on it, but halachah says this does not always help. Therefore, do not put off making the eruv on the day before Yom Tov; do it at the first opportunity. The challah and the food used for the eruv tavshilin must be kept in a safe place until Shabbos, because only while they remain will it be permitted to prepare food on Yom Tov for Shabbos. So put the challah somewhere safe, well sealed in a bag. Keep the other food safely in the refrigerator as well, so it will remain until Shabbos, when we can eat it. But do not eat either the challah or that food during Yom Tov. As mentioned, if the husband is home, he makes the eruv tavshilin himself. If he is away, the wife can certainly make it, but it can only be made by someone above bar or bas mitzvah age. A child, even one who is mature and intelligent, cannot establish the eruv for others if they are below that age. It is important to bear this in mind: even if the father has traveled to the Rebbe and a bright, capable twelve-year-old son is at home, that is not enough. In that case, the mother makes the eruv tavshilin. Like every Shabbos and Yom Tov meal, the meal begins with Kiddush. Kiddush must be recited by an adult. Of course, if the father is home, he makes Kiddush. But sometimes he is away—he has traveled to the Rebbe, as mentioned, or is away for some other

29:41 Speaker 2 reason—and the mother needs to make Kiddush. A woman is certainly obligated in Kiddush, and she can recite it and fulfill the obligation for her household. Of course, many women find wine difficult to drink, so she can make Kiddush over grape juice or some light wine. But what is important to know? A young boy cannot make Kiddush for the adults—not a twelve-year-old, not even a twelve-and-a-half-year-old, and not even if his bar mitzvah is tomorrow. Even if he has already had his bar mitzvah, if it is not yet clear that he is fully an adult according to halachah—there are halachic signs for this—the mother should make Kiddush. The boy can then take a cup and make Kiddush for himself as well, but only someone halachically considered an adult, male or female, can fulfill the adults’ obligation for them. So if it is not clear that the boy has reached halachic adulthood—and certainly if he is still below bar mitzvah age—the mother makes Kiddush. After a boy reaches bar mitzvah, in most cases he is generally considered an adult in every respect and can make Kiddush. Even then, it is good for the mother to say the text of Kiddush together with him, thereby fulfilling her obligation—apart from the blessing of Borei Pri Hagafen, which she can hear from him after his bar mitzvah. A boy who is clearly an adult, with visible beard growth, certainly presents no issue and can fulfill everyone’s obligation for them. The order of the meal differs between the first night and the second. On the first night, Shehecheyanu is recited during Kiddush. After Kiddush, those present drink from the wine, as on every Shabbos and Yom Tov, and proceed

32:26 Speaker 2 to wash their hands. We wash for the meal as halachah requires, three times on each hand, recite the blessing “Who has sanctified us concerning washing the hands,” and say Hamotzi over two loaves: “Who brings forth bread from the earth.” The custom is to dip the first piece of bread in honey. The husband dips and eats his first piece, then dips a piece and gives it to his wife, who eats after him, and so on for all the boys and girls. After everyone has eaten a kezayis of bread, the first thing we eat in the meal, according to our custom, is apple dipped in honey. Take a sweet apple, as we discussed earlier, dip it in honey, and recite: “Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the tree.” Then say, “May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year,” and eat some of the apple. Since the custom on the first night of Rosh Hashanah is to eat foods that are good signs for the new year, as mentioned earlier, and one of the foods Jews customarily eat is pomegranate, when reciting Borei Pri Ha’eitz over the apple one should intend for the blessing to cover the pomegranate as well. After eating a piece or pieces of the apple, we eat the other Rosh Hashanah foods. Our custom is to eat foods that signify a good year, as mentioned earlier: a fish head, dates, carrots, beets, and so on—all these good foods. At the same time, our custom is to say the Yehi Ratzon only over the apple. We do not say it over the other foods; we simply eat them. As mentioned, there is an emphasis on eating and drinking on Rosh Hashanah: “The joy of Hashem is your strength”; “Eat rich foods and drink sweet beverages.” But the halachic authorities also say to be very careful not to become so absorbed in the meal that, G-d forbid, it leads to frivolity or mockery. A person therefore needs to know that, on the one hand, we honor Rosh Hashanah by enjoying food and drink, but at the same

35:22 Speaker 2 At the same time, a person should guard against being drawn where they should not go. Unlike the meal on the first night, when we eat the fruits and the symbolic foods, the practice on the second night is different. On the second night, a woman lights candles only after nightfall, close to Kiddush. The custom is to wear a new garment or have a new fruit for the Shehecheyanu blessing. Even a woman who has neither a new fruit nor a new garment recites Shehecheyanu when lighting the candles. The candles are lit by transferring fire from the candle prepared before Rosh Hashanah. A woman who lit candles and recited the blessing for the Day of Remembrance and Shehecheyanu, and then makes Kiddush herself, does not recite Shehecheyanu again, since she has already said it. When reciting Shehecheyanu at candle-lighting, she should have the new fruit in mind. And here we should pay attention: we make Kiddush, and after Kiddush, before washing our hands, we eat the new fruit, eating a sufficient amount of it. Of course, we recite the blessing before eating it. There is no need to recite Shehecheyanu, because we already said it either at candle-lighting or at Kiddush. We eat a sufficient amount and recite the after-blessing. After the after-blessing, we wash our hands for the meal. On Rosh Hashanah night, after davening, men bless one another and women bless one another with the special blessing: “May you be written and sealed for a good year”—using the masculine form from one man to another, and the feminine form from one woman to another. Of course, we bless the members of our household: a husband blesses his wife, a wife blesses her husband, and we bless each boy and girl with this great blessing for a good year, that they be written and sealed. The Frierdiker Rebbe relates in the name of his father, the Rebbe Rashab, who heard from his father, the Rebbe Maharash, that thousands upon thousands of angels stand during these days of Rosh Hashanah, particularly at the time when people bless one another. They wait to hear how a Jew blesses another Jew and how a Jew speaks favorably of someone else, and they run with it

38:28 Speaker 2 before Hashem to advocate for the Jewish people. So we need to know how important blessing others and speaking well of them is on Rosh Hashanah in particular. Another important point to add: the Rebbe’s custom is that, in addition to dipping the first slice of bread for Hamotzi in honey and eating it with the honey, he then takes another piece of bread, dips it three times in salt as on every Shabbos, and eats that piece as well. It is important to know this. After the meal, we recite Birchas Hamazon. In Birchas Hamazon on Rosh Hashanah, we add Yaaleh Veyavo and say “on this Day of Remembrance.” Someone who forgot Yaaleh Veyavo must repeat Birchas Hamazon. But if she remembers after saying Boneh Yerushalayim, before beginning the following blessing with “Baruch Atah Hashem,” she can say the text printed in the additions to the siddur between Boneh Yerushalayim and the following blessing. But if she has begun saying “Baruch Atah Hashem,” even if that is all she has said, she must return to the beginning of Birchas Hamazon and say Yaaleh Veyavo in its place. Of course, the most important thing is to read from the siddur; that way we do not forget. Nothing may be prepared on the first day of Rosh Hashanah for the second day. All preparations for the second day may be made only after nightfall at the end of the first day. So we need to check the calendar for the time of nightfall, and only then can we begin preparing the meal for the second day of Rosh Hashanah. As we said earlier, our custom on the second day of Rosh Hashanah is to eat the new fruit, and our custom is not to have the symbolic foods on the second night. Everything else is the same on the first and second days. Regarding the Rosh Hashanah davening, if a woman can

41:19 Speaker 2 go to shul, that is wonderful. She davens with the congregation, following the order in which they daven. If she cannot go to shul, she can daven at home from the machzor. One just needs to remember that the text of the Rosh Hashanah davening differs from that of the rest of the year. That is why there is a special machzor, and it is important to daven from it so as not to make a mistake. Otherwise, halachic questions arise that cannot always be answered on the spot, especially when there is no one to ask. So the best advice is to daven from the machzor in an orderly way. At Shacharis on Rosh Hashanah, if a woman is davening alone, she davens the entire service, but she does not need to say the yotzros. The main thing is to say the prayers from Hodu onward, including the Amidah, but there is no need to say the yotzros. Let us now discuss shofar-blowing on Rosh Hashanah. The mitzvah of the day on Rosh Hashanah is to hear the shofar. Since this is a time-bound positive mitzvah, men are obligated and women are exempt. Nevertheless, the custom is to blow the shofar for women too. Moreover, as we will discuss, our custom follows the Rema: a woman recites a blessing over hearing the shofar, and over any positive mitzvah she wishes to perform even though she is not obligated in it. She may recite a blessing—for example, over hearing the shofar here, and over taking the lulav on Sukkos. A woman who performs the mitzvah may recite the blessing. In general, regarding the shofar, the Rebbe writes that the Jewish custom is to bring children to shul to hear the shofar. So if the children need to be brought, the mothers are there too. Of course, we must make sure the children are quiet and provide them with suitable treats so they do not disturb the congregation as it listens to the shofar. But if, for some reason, a woman cannot come to shul to hear the shofar, someone should blow it for her after davening. Therefore, when

44:06 Speaker 2 someone comes to blow the shofar for a woman, she is the one who recites the blessing. If no men of bar mitzvah age are present, the woman must recite the blessing herself. If, for some reason, she cannot recite it, the person blowing the shofar should not recite it for her. If men who are obligated to hear the shofar are present and have not yet heard it, and they too cannot recite the blessing, then the person blowing can recite it for them. For women, he blows only the thirty sounds required: three times TaSHRaT, three times TaSHaT, and three times TaRaT. This applies not only to women: for anyone who was not in shul and for whom the shofar is blown outside the davening, only the thirty sounds are blown. The other shofar blasts during Musaf are not blown for someone who is not davening with the congregation. Since hearing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah is not an absolute obligation for a woman, women may eat and drink before hearing it. Although men are careful not to eat or drink before hearing the shofar, so as not to eat before fulfilling a positive Torah mitzvah, women have no problem doing so. They may eat and drink, particularly if a woman is weak, and particularly if the shofar-blowing is late. Women should also know that if their sons of bar mitzvah age or their husbands are weak, it is not forbidden for them to eat before hearing the shofar. Refraining is a good custom, but someone whose health would suffer because of this good custom may certainly eat and drink before hearing the shofar. If a woman cannot hear the shofar in the morning for some reason and wants someone to blow it for her at night, she should know that blowing the shofar at night has no significance. So apart from the fact that we do not blow it at night, even if someone were to blow it for her, it would have no halachic significance. There is therefore no reason to blow the shofar at night, whether for men or for women. The time for blowing the shofar begins at sunrise.

47:07 Speaker 2 Until sunset. If a woman is davening in shul and the congregation reaches Aleinu while she is in the middle of Musaf, when the Aron Kodesh is opened and people kneel and prostrate themselves, women do not kneel or prostrate themselves. That custom is only for men. When the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on a weekday, the custom is to go and say Tashlich. The Chabad custom is that women also say Tashlich, but care must be taken to maintain modesty and avoid mingling between men and women. On Rosh Hashanah, when we go to say Tashlich and ask Hakadosh Boruch Hu to arouse the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy for us and “cast all their sins into the depths of the sea,” our conduct must not, G-d forbid, be the opposite, with people mingling against Hashem’s will. So it is very important to pay attention to this. It is best for women to say Tashlich at home. They can turn on the tap and say it at home; they can say it beside an aquarium; or they can open a window and, if they can see the sea from there, say Tashlich there. But if, for some reason, they go to a particular place in the city, they need to be careful. First, to avoid mingling between men and women. Second, to avoid idle conversation. As mentioned, idle talk on Rosh Hashanah is a very serious matter. Instead, they should use the walk to say Tehillim, and if they do converse, it should be about strengthening themselves and serving Hashem in matters connected with Rosh Hashanah. Another custom concerning Rosh Hashanah is not to sleep during the day, because one who sleeps on Rosh Hashanah, so to speak, has a mazal that sleeps as well. This applies under two conditions. First, the person—in this case, the woman—is not occupied with idle talk. If a person is occupied with idle talk, it is as though they are asleep. Perhaps it would be better to sleep than to engage in idle talk, because idle talk on Rosh Hashanah is very serious.

49:56 Speaker 2 The second thing to bear in mind is that if a woman is not feeling well, feels very weak, has a headache, or the like, she can certainly go and rest. Not sleeping is not a halachah, but a good custom. If observing it comes at the expense of a person’s health, then it is good and permissible for her to go and rest.