TheSanhedrin.NET

[Binyomin]

101 Years after Rabbi Schlezinger, again the Shofar is blown on Shabbat
By Nadav Shragai
http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/766399.html

23 people, mostly hareidim, participated in the breaking of a taboo in Jewish Law, initiated by the members of the "nascent Sanhedrin", who see themselves as the continuation of the classical Sanhedrin.

A group of worshipers broke a taboo in Jewish Law on Shabbat, when they organized services in one of the synagogues in the old city in Jerusalem. and blew the Shofar on Shabbat. According to Jewish law, nowadays we are not to blow the Shofar on a Rosh Hashanah that falls on Shabbat, because of the possibility that someone will carry the Shofar in a public place. For the same reason it is forbidden to wave the Lulav on Succot that falls on Shabbat, or read the Megilah on Purim that falls on Shabbat.

The worshipers that heard the blasts of the Shofar on Shabbat included 23 people that are members of the "nascent Sanhedrin" under the presidency of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. This group sees itself a continuation of the ancient Sanhedrin. Most of the worshipers were Hareidim: Two belonged to Chassidut "Toldos Aharon", four were from Chassidut "Ger", two were Litvish, two were Sefardic, two were "Knitted-Kipah" and the rest were American or French. Rabbi Zvi Eidan, the first president of the "nascent Sanhedrin" was present. Rabbi Zvi Rogin and Rabbi Leifer blew the Shofar.

This was the initiative of the "nascent Sanhedrin" and among them was Rabbi Prof. Hillel Weiss... In an announcement that was published concerning this event on the day before Rosh Hashanah, it was explained that among other things, because "now that we are faced with the wars of Gog and Magog, shouldn't we [begin the spiritual fight by] pushing off the offspring of Haman through the sound of the Shofar?"

This is not the first time that an event of this kind occurred in Jerusalem. 101 years ago, Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlezinger blew the Shofar on Shabbat, although he did it almost in secret, for fear of the Hareidi zealots of Jerusalem. The actions of Rabbi Schlezinger aroused much discussion and according to historians of the period, he received the quiet approval of the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem during that period, Rabbi Shmuel Salant, and the Rishon Letsiyon, Rabbi Yakov Shaul Elishar.