Observe that the same applies to New Year Day and to the Day of Atonement. That is the time when the world is on trial and Satan brings his accusations. Hence it is needful for Israel to give a blast on the trumpet and to emit a sound which is a compound of fire, water, and air; that sound ascends to the place of the Throne of Judgement, where the Court of Justice is sitting, and impinges on it and ascends further.
As soon as the sound arrives from beneath, the voice of Jacob is reinforced on high, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is stirred to mercy. For corresponding to the sound uniting fire, water, and air, which Israel emits here below, there goes forth a blast from on high. Through the two blasts, the one on high and the other below, the world is fortified and mercy prevails.
The accuser then, who thought to prevail in judgement and to obtain sentence on the world, becomes confounded; his strength fails and he is unable to achieve anything. The Holy One then, sitting in judgement, joins mercy to justice, and so the world is judged by mercy, and not rigorously.
Observe the verse: “Blow the horn at the new moon, at the time of its covering for our feast day” (Ps. 81, 4). The word ba-keseh (at the covering) means the time when the moon is invisible. For at that time the evil serpent is in power and is able to do hurt to the world. But when mercy is aroused, the moon ascends and is removed from that place, and so the evil serpent is confounded, loses his power and is unable to approach there. Hence on New Year Day it is necessary to confound him, so that he should be like one awakening from sleep and still half-conscious.
Again, on the Day of Atonement it is requisite to pacify and propitiate him by means of the scapegoat which is brought to him, whereby he is induced to undertake the defence of Israel. But on New Year Day he becomes confused, and is unable to do anything. He sees the stirring of mercy ascending from below, the awakening of mercy on high, and the moon between them, and he is thereby confounded, and remains bewildered and powerless,
and so the Holy One dispenses His judgement to Israel in a spirit of mercy, and accords them as a time of grace those ten days between New Year Day and the Day of Atonement, for the acceptance of all those who repent of their sins and for forgiveness of their iniquities, by giving them a respite till the Day of Atonement.
The Holy One had thus given Israel all these commandments to save them from falling into the wrong hands and from being judged with rigour, so that they should all come out innocent on earth, through His mercy which is like the mercy of a father towards his children. All depends on actions and words, as we have explained.’
תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּגווָֹנָא דָא בְּיוֹם רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים דְּדִינָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בְּעָלְמָא, אִיהוּ קָאִים לְקַטְרְגָא וְיִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעְיָין לְאִתְעָרָא בְּשׁוֹפָר, וּלְאַתְעָרָא קוֹל דְּכָלִיל בְּאֶשָׁ"א וּמַיָ"א וְרוּחָ"א וְאִתְעֲבִידוּ חָד, וּלְאַשְׁמָעָא הַהוּא קוֹל מִגּוֹ שׁוֹפָר.
Observe that the same applies to New Year Day and to the Day of Atonement. That is the time when the world is on trial and Satan brings his accusations. Hence it is needful for Israel to give a blast on the trumpet and to emit a sound which is a compound of fire, water, and air; that sound ascends to the place of the Throne of Judgement, where the Court of Justice is sitting, and impinges on it and ascends further.
וְהַהוּא קוֹל סָלְקָא עַד אֲתַר דְּכָרְסְיָא דְדִינָא יָתְבָא וּבָטַשׁ בָּהּ וְסָלְקָא. כֵּיוָן דְּמָטָא הַאי קוֹל מִתַּתָּא, קוֹל דְּיַעֲקֹב אִתְתַּקַּן לְעֵילָא, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְעַר רַחֲמֵי, דְּהָא כְּגַוְונָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מִתְעָרֵי לְתַתָּא קוֹל חַד כָּלִיל בְּאֶשָׁ"א וְרוּחָ"א וּמַיָ"א דְּנָפְקֵי כְּחֲדָא מִגּוֹ שׁוֹפָר, הָכִי נָמֵי אִתְעַר לְעֵילָא שׁוֹפָר. וְהַהוּא קוֹל דְּכָלִיל בְּאֶשָׁ"א וּמַיָ"א וְרוּחָ"א אִתְתַּקַּן, וְנָפַק דָּא מִתַּתָּא וְדָא מֵעֵילָא, וְאִתְתַּקַּן עָלְמָא וְרַחֲמֵי אִשְׁתְּכָחוּ.
As soon as the sound arrives from beneath, the voice of Jacob is reinforced on high, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is stirred to mercy. For corresponding to the sound uniting fire, water, and air, which Israel emits here below, there goes forth a blast from on high. Through the two blasts, the one on high and the other below, the world is fortified and mercy prevails.
וְהַהוּא מְקַטְרְגָא אִעַרְבֵּב דְּחֲשִׁיב לְשַׁלְטָאָה בְּדִינָא וּלְקַטְרְגָא בְּעָלְמָא, וְחָמֵי דְּמִתְעָרֵי רַחֲמֵי, כְּדֵין אִעַרְבָּב וְאִתְּשַׁשׁ חֵילֵיהּ וְלָא יָכִיל לְמֶעְבַּד מִידִי, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דָּאִין עָלְמָא בְּרַחֲמֵי, דְּאִי תֵימָא דְדִינָא אִתְעֲבִיד, לָאו הָכִי, אֶלָּא אִתְחַבָּרוּ רַחֲמֵי בְּדִינָא, וְעָלְמָא אִתְדָּן בְּרַחֲמֵי.
The accuser then, who thought to prevail in judgement and to obtain sentence on the world, becomes confounded; his strength fails and he is unable to achieve anything. The Holy One then, sitting in judgement, joins mercy to justice, and so the world is judged by mercy, and not rigorously.
תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב, (תהילים פ״א:ד׳) תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֶּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ דְּאִתְכַּסְיָא סִיהֲרָא. דְּהָא כְּדֵין שָׁלְטָא הַאי חִיוְיָא בִּישָׁא וְיָכִיל לְנַזְקָא עָלְמָא, וְכַד מִתְעָרֵי רַחֲמֵי, סָלְקָא סִיהֲרָא וְאִתְעֲבָרַת מִתַּמָּן, וְאִיהוּ אִתְעַרְבֵּב וְלָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְטָאָה, וְאִתְעֲבַר דְּלָא יִתְקְרַב תַּמָּן, וְעַל דָּא בְּיוֹם רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה בָּעֵי לְעַרְבְּבָא לֵיהּ כְּמַאן דְּאִתְעַר מִשְּׁנָתֵיהּ וְלָא יְדַע כְּלוּם.
Observe the verse: “Blow the horn at the new moon, at the time of its covering for our feast day” (Ps. 81, 4). The word ba-keseh (at the covering) means the time when the moon is invisible. For at that time the evil serpent is in power and is able to do hurt to the world. But when mercy is aroused, the moon ascends and is removed from that place, and so the evil serpent is confounded, loses his power and is unable to approach there. Hence on New Year Day it is necessary to confound him, so that he should be like one awakening from sleep and still half-conscious.
בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים בָּעֵי לְנַיְיחָא וּלְמֶעְבַּד לֵיהּ נַיְיחָא דְּרוּחָא בְּשָׂעִיר דְּקָרֵבִין לֵיהּ, וּכְדֵין אִתְהַפַּךְ סַנֵּיגוֹרְיָא עֲלַיְיהוּ דְיִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲבָל בְּיוֹמָא דְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה אִתְעַרְבָּב דְּלָא יְדַע וְלָא יָכִיל לְמֶעְבַּד כְּלוּם. חָמֵי אִתְעֲרוּתָא דְּרַחֲמֵי סָלְקִין מִתַּתָּא, וְרַחֲמֵי מִלְּעֵילָא וְסִיהֲרָא סָלְקָא בֵּינַיְיהוּ. כְּדֵין אִתְעַרְבָּב וְלָא יְדַע כְּלוּם וְלָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְטָאָה.
Again, on the Day of Atonement it is requisite to pacify and propitiate him by means of the scapegoat which is brought to him, whereby he is induced to undertake the defence of Israel. But on New Year Day he becomes confused, and is unable to do anything. He sees the stirring of mercy ascending from below, the awakening of mercy on high, and the moon between them, and he is thereby confounded, and remains bewildered and powerless,
וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דָּן לְהוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרַחֲמֵי, וְחָיִיס עֲלַיְיהוּ וְאִשְׁתְּכַח לְהוּ זִמְנָא כָּל אִנּוּן י' יוֹמִין דְּבֵין רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים לְקַבְּלָא כָּל אִנּוּן דְּתָיְיבִין קַמֵּיהּ וּלְכַפָּרָא לוֹן מֵחוֹבַיְיהוּ וְסָלִיק לוֹן לְיוֹמָא דְכִפּוּרֵי.
and so the Holy One dispenses His judgement to Israel in a spirit of mercy, and accords them as a time of grace those ten days between New Year Day and the Day of Atonement, for the acceptance of all those who repent of their sins and for forgiveness of their iniquities, by giving them a respite till the Day of Atonement.
וְעַל דָּא בְּכוֹלָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא פַּקִּיד לוֹן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְמֶעְבַּד עוֹבָדָא בְּגִין דְּלָא יִשְׁלוֹט עֲלַיְיהוּ מַאן דְּלָא אִצְטְרִיךְ, וְלָא יִשְׁלוֹט עֲלַיְיהוּ דִינָא, וִיהוֹן כֻּלְהוֹן זַכָּאִין בְּאַרְעָא כִּרְחִימוּ דְּאַבָּא עַל בְּנִין, וְכוֹלָּא בְּעוֹבָדָא וּבְמִלִּין תַּלְיָא, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא מִלִּין.
The Holy One had thus given Israel all these commandments to save them from falling into the wrong hands and from being judged with rigour, so that they should all come out innocent on earth, through His mercy which is like the mercy of a father towards his children. All depends on actions and words, as we have explained.’