[Avodah] Brisker Chumeros and Shammuti Chumeros

[Micha Berger]

After Mussaf, our toqeia blew a number of variants of the qolos. This had
me thinking.

First, about how many variants are there, and how many different consistent
ways could they be combined...

Teru'ah:
    - 9 short sounds
    - 3 short sounds, each 1/9 of a teqi'ah (Rashi)
    - a single sound that wavers 9 times (Frankfurt)

Shevarim:
    - 3 middle-length sounds
    - 3 short blasts
    - 5 sounds, each 2 beats long (*)

The idea behind this one: According to Rashi, a teru'ah is 1/3 of a
teqi'ah in total duraction, not 1/9. Therefore, each sound within our
shevarim would be one Rashi teqi'ah. So, RYBS came up with the idea,
and R' Chaim Brisker was masqim, of being yotzei both. We don't need 3
shevarim as much as shevareim that take as long as 9 short sounds. So, 5x2
exceeds 9 beats, with no one sound being a Rashi-teqi'ah of 3 beats long.

Shevarim-Teru'ah:
    - beneshimah achas
    - bishnei neshimos

Teqiah:
    - one flat note (Ramban, Ritva)
    - rising in pitch toward the end

They might not all combine consistently, eg does the reasoning that
connects the pieces of a teru'ah in minhag Frankfurt rule out the
possibility that shevarim-teru'ah bishnei neshimos can be considered
on sound?

Feel free to contribute to the list.


The topic that gave me more pause, though...

RYBS's idea grossly violates minhag avos (mimetic tradition). It's an
invention trying to be yotzei lekhol hadei'os that invents an entirely
new kind of sound. But in my experience, this practice of blowing various
variants after davening for those who wish to stay and listen is common.

In general, this is true of many Brisker chumeros -- the machmir is
being chosheish for shitos that minhag avos rejected.

In contrast, "ha'oseh... mechomerei Beis Shammai umechomerei BH, alav
hakasuv omer, 'hakesil bechoshekh holeikh'". (Chullin 44a, top) Rashi
(ad loc) clearifies that this is when the two shitos are soseros, so
that the chumeros of both leaves one with an inconsistent practice. Which
doesn't usually happen with Brisker chumeros but can -- and is what we're
doing here trying to be yotzei without taking a position on which qolos
are which.

Unlike hanging a mezuzah on a diagonal. There the goal is avoiding
attaching it like a doornail, and by not attaching it vertically nor
horizontally, one is avoiding all definitions of doornail. No problem
of inconsistency.

Here by shofar there is also another factor... The whole reason for
teru'ah vs shevarim vs shevarim-teru'ah was originally to be yotzei all
the shitos. Thus making my question about "hakesil bechoshekh holeikh"
not just on modern chumeros, but it is now a question about why the
gemara thought it was proper to say do all the sounds, even though each
shitah makes the other two superfluous, and unless your mesorah was
shevarim-teru'ah, a hefseq after the berakhah (over laasiyasan)?

But now that Chazal did make a single consistent practice by including
all three, how can we invent new ways to blow and lost that consistency?

In general, the whole thing makes me feel like we're expressing a lack of
confidence in halachic process; and thus that chumeros of this "maybe the
other shitah is correct" sort of carry with them a huge qulah WRT emunah.

GCT!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             If you're going through hell
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