Rosh Hashanah on Shabbat: Shofar and Shabbat as Advocate

Mishneh Torah, Shofar, Sukkah and Lulav 2:6

משנה תורה, שופר פרק א א והלאה, וראה שם עוד פרק ב א והלאה, וראה שם עוד וערך תקיעה

Mishneh Torah, Shofar, Sukkah and Lulav 2:6

When Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, the shofar is not blown anywhere, because the Rabbis decreed against it out of concern that someone might carry the shofar in public or transport it from one domain to another on Shabbat, thereby transgressing the prohibition of carrying; although the positive commandment of shofar-blowing would ordinarily override a Rabbinic prohibition, here the Rabbis were concerned that not everyone knows how to blow the shofar properly.

Minchat Ani on Torah, Ha'Azinu 19

מנחת עני על התורה, האזינו י״ט

Minchat Ani on Torah, Ha'Azinu 19

Yaakov Ettlinger explains that when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat and the shofar cannot be sounded, Shabbat itself—as the covenant-sign and companion of Israel—serves as the advocate before God in place of the shofar's notes, provided Israel observes Shabbat properly; but if Israel desecrates Shabbat throughout the year, Shabbat becomes an accuser rather than a defender, and according to Rabbi Yitzchak, such a year lacking the shofar's blast at its beginning will require lamentation at its end.

משך חכמה, ויקרא כג כד

משך חכמה, ויקרא כג כד

The passage states that on Shabbat, the shofar's special power—to invoke the merit of the Akedah through the ram's horn—must be foregone to preserve the sanctity of Shabbat, which testifies to God's creation of the world from absolute nothingness; therefore, when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, the very abstention from blowing constitutes a supreme spiritual sacrifice (Akedah) that achieves the same effect of gaining divine favor as the shofar itself would.

Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 588:5

שולחן ערוך, אורח חיים תקפ״ח

Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 588:5

When the second day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos, the shofar is not blown, and it is prohibited to move it unless necessary for its own welfare or placement.

Mishnah Berurah 583:3

משנה ברורה תקפ״ג

Mishnah Berurah 583:3

Israel Meir Kagan (Chafetz Chaim) states that apple with honey is prepared with the apple as the primary fruit over which one recites the blessing and which exempts the honey, yet one must still recite a blessing over the apple even after having eaten it following the blessing over bread, and some have a custom to dip the bread in honey.

Rav Mordechai Eliyahu (Maamar Mordechai Hilchot Shabbat, Chelek 3 55:54)

מאמר מרדכי הלכות שבת, Chelek 3 נ״ה:נ״ד — ד"ה הגמרא בר"ה

Maamar Mordechai Hilchot Shabbat, Chelek 3 55:54

The Gemara in Rosh Hashanah explains that when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, the shofar is not blown because one verse states "shabbaton zikaron truah" (a remembrance of shouting, without actual blowing) while another states "yom truah yihyeh lachem" (a day of shouting with actual blowing)—the first applying when Rosh Hashanah coincides with Shabbat and the second when it falls on a weekday, making the prohibition against shofar-blowing on Shabbat a Torah-level law.

Kitzur Shulchan Arukh Yalkut Yosef, Orach Chaim, קצת הערות בנוסח תפלת ימים הנוראים 582:14

קיצור שלחן ערוך ילקוט יוסף, Orach Chaim תקפ״ב:י״ד — ד"ה בשבת אומרים זכרון תרועה באהבה מקרא

Kitzur Shulchan Arukh Yalkut Yosef, Orach Chaim, קצת הערות בנוסח תפלת ימים הנוראים 582:14

Rav Yitzchak Yosef cites the Raavan in the name of Rabenu Shmuel ben Chafni, who transmits a custom of two yeshivot: when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, they say "zichron truah" because shofar-blowing does not override Shabbat in the territories, and when it falls on a weekday they say "yom truah," a ruling also decided by the Tur and Shulchan Aruch.