[Avodah] 100 kolot and Sisera's mother

[nachmanl at juno.com]

See Chavas Yair 192; Rabbi Soloveichik’s comments (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveichik on the Days of Awe, A. Lustiger ed. (Ohr Publishing:Union City 1998) and B.D. Schreiber, Noraot HaRav, New York, 1996, pp. 84, 165.

The Meshech Chochmahs’s chap (the parallel to Tanhuma Tazria 4; Yelamdeinu, Emor 11; Lev. Rabah 27:7: “A woman in birth cries one hundred wails (Meah Pe`iyos) ninety-nine for death and one for life”)  is predated in Sefer HaManhig Hilchos Rosh HaShanah 21. 

However since there really is no such “Yerushalmi” that the Aruch cites about Sisera’s mom (B.M. Levin, Otzar HaGeonim, Rosh HaShanah, Kuntres Irvuv Satan BiRosh HaShanah, demonstrates that the “Yerushalmi” cited there is probably a “Midrash Yerushalayim”, (and nobody can find it anywhere)) R. Aharon Alfandri, Yad Aharon 534, cites R Shmuel Abuhav that the Aruch’s “one hundred wails of Sisera’s mother” should actually be “of a birthing mother”, and is not a parallel, but the same Midrash itself that the Meshech Chochamah and Sefer haManhig cite.

And in Lev. Rabah 20:2; Kohelet Zuta 89:7; Or HaAfelah, Pirkei DiRabi Eliezer 32, Hemdat HaYamim: “When Sarah heard of the Akeidah on Rosh HaShanah she was “meyaleles” wailing six cries as three Tekiot, three wails paralleling three yevavos until her soul left her.”

In fact, R.Menachem. Kasher, in Divrei Menahem 2:12 (and Torah Sheleimah, Hayei Sarah note 17), thus wishes to amend the Aruch’s “one hundred wails of Sisera’s mother” to “one hundred wails of Sarah our mother”, particularly based on the Midrashim, that Sarah cried ninety cries, to connect the Tekiot blown “to confuse the Satan” with his telling Sarah the news. He cites R. Zedakiah HaRofe, Shibolei HaLeket, Hilchot Rosh HaShanah 298: “We learn from “vetayavev” of Sisera’s mother that it is a crying sound, we must blow a Teruah like the crying of Sarah our mother who cried about the news of the Akedah,” (cited also in Eliyahu Zuta 590). R. Kasher conjectures that “crying” is derived from Sisera’s mother and the number of blasts replicates Sarah’s cries. He notes that Sisera’s mother’s hundred wails appears in no known Midrash (similarly R. Aharon Alfandri, Yad Aharon 534) or the Zohar or the early Kabbalah, including Pri Etz Haim which brings three explanations for one hundred blasts without mentioning this motif, though the Ari (Shaar HaKavanot, Derush 9, Rosh HaShanah 99, Pri Eitz Hayim Shaar 26:83) was primarily responsible for the practice. 

(Actually Shelah, Maseches Rosh HaShanah mentions the new custom of adding Tekiot after the Musaf to bring them to one hundred without mentioning Siera’s mother’s cries, but R. Moshe ibn Machir’s Seder HaYom (of the Ari’s circle) which predates this, mentions them as the reason to complete the hundred blasts.)  

And 100 kolos takes on a life of its own (Minhag Tzanz and Bobov is to blow an additional hundred blasts after Musaf)

However it is indisputable that BT Rosh HaShanah 33b derives the Shofar’s crying sound from Sisera’s mother. 

And the connection of the  motif of Mothers, Chavah, The Imahos, Chanah, the Shunamis in the Zohar (good ones and others: Hagar, Sisera’s mom) crying for their children, to all the Rosh HaShanah Tefilos, piyutim, leinings, haftoras, etc. is very clear.

Kesiva VeChasimah Tovah LeShanah Tovah Umesukah!
nachman


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