ראוהו בית דין וכל ישראל – on the night of the thirtieth, for you might think I should say that since the Jewish court and the enter Jewish people saw him, it became revealed that on the thirtieth day, it (i.e., the New Moon) appeared to be sanctified. This tells us that if it got dark and the night of the thirty-first arrived and the Jewish court had not said that it was sanctified, we intercalate the month and establish Rosh to be on the thirty-first day.

נחקרו העדים – this is how it should be understood. Alternatively, only the witnesses were examined but there was insufficient time for them to state that it (i.e., the New Month), was sanctified until the night of the thirty-first arrived, and we intercalate the month. For you might think I should say, that the examination of the witnesses should come at the beginning of the legal proceedings, and [the announcing] of “it is sanctified, it is sanctified” should be like the conclusion of the legal proceedings. For the conclusion of the deliberations should be at night and we should sanctify it at night. This comes to teach us that it is not so, for we do not sanctify the [New] Month at night. But however, if on the night of the thirtieth, they (i.e., the witnesses) saw the moon with the setting of the sun, and there is a delay in the day to state that it is sanctified prior to the appearance of the stars, we sanctify it, for it is not considered nighttime until the appearance of the stars.

יעמדו שמים ויעידו – Our Mishnah is speaking about a case such as where the Jewish court saw it (i.e., the New Moon) at night on the night of the thirtieth, and it is impossible to sanctify the moon at night. Therefore, the next day, two [witnesses] would stand up and testify, for if not for the testimony of these [two], on what would then sanctify? But if the Jewish court saw it (i.e., the New Moon) with sunset at the time when there was a delay to state, “it is sanctified,” they should sanctify through their observation, and that the hearing that they hear from witnesses would not be greater than seeing, for concerning the Sanctification of the Moon, it is not written “testimony/"עדות" , but like this, they saw and sanctified.

יעמדו שנים – on the morrow when they come to state, “it is sanctified.”

ויושיבו מחבריהם אצל היחיד – And even though an individual who is an expert can judge even on his own, the Sanctification of the [New] Moon is not [done] by a [sole] individual., For there is no one recognized by the public as an expert judge (see Talmud Rosh Hashanah 25b) besides Moses our Teacher, and yet the All-Merciful says to him [only after] Aaron is with him, as it is written (Exodus 12:1-2): “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron [in the land of Egypt]: This month shall mark for you [the beginning of months]…..”

שהוא קרן – and it is not called a Shofar, as it is written (Deuteronomy 33:17): “Like the firstling bull in his majesty, he has horns like the horns of a wild ox; [with them he gores the peoples…].” But regarding the Shofar, it is written (Leviticus 25:9): “Then you shall sound the horn loud…” And we learn Rosh Hashanah from the Jubilee [year].

בקרן היובל – the ram is male, as Rabbi Akiba said: When I walked to Galacia (Talmud Rosh Hashanah 26a), they called the male a ram, so we see that even a Shofar of a ram is called קרן /horn, and the Rabbis state that all the Shofars are called קרן/horn, and are called Shofar, except for a cow, it is called a horn, but not a Shofar, and the Halakha is according to the Sages.

של יעל פשוט – since for the prayer/Amidah, we require straight horns [of the mountain goat]

שופר מאריך – after the trumpets stop their Tekiot, the sound of the Shofar is heard.

בשל זכרים – rams

ושתי חצוצרות באמצע – they had two Shofarot, one on the one side and one on the other and trumpets in the middle.

שמצות היום בחצוצרות- for a mere fast is for the troubles of the community, and it is written (Numbers 10:9): “[When you are at war in your land] against an aggressor who attacks you, you shall sound short blasts on the trumpets, [that you may be remembered before the LORD your God and delivered from your enemies],” and specifically in the Temple they do this, but in the country (i.e., outside of the Temple) at the time when there is a Shofar, there are no trumpets, and when there are trumpets, there is no Shofar, as it is written (Psalms 98:6): “With trumpets and the blast of the horn, raise a shout before the LORD, the King;” “Before the Lord, the King” – yes; but not before the LORD, the King, no.

שוה היובל לה"ה לתקיעה – With straight horns, for event though the Tekiah on the Jubilee [year] is not for prayer nor for remembrance, but rather as a sign to sending slaves [free] and the return of the fields to their owners, and even so, we it is required something like Rosh Hashanah, for we learn through an analogy from [the words] שביעי שביעי/seventh, seventh (see Leviticus 23:24: “…in the seventh month, on the first day of the month [you shall observe complete rest], a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts; and Leviticus 25:9: “Then you shall sound the horn loud, in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month – the Day of Atonement – you shall have the horn sounded throughout your land.”) – that all of the soundings of he Shofar in the seventh month shall be similar one to another. Another commentary: לתקיעה – the number of Shofar sounds. ולברכות – to the number of blessings, that it is required to state Malkhuyot, Zikhronot and Shofarot on Yom Kippur of the Jubilee [year] just like on Rosh Hashanah.

רבי יהודה אומר וכו' – The Halakha is not like Rabbi Yehuda nor is it like the First Tanna, but the Halalkha, whether on Rosh Hashanah, whether on Yom Kippur of the Jubilee year, both are with [horns] from male [rams] that are bent.

שופר שנסדק ודבקו – with glue

פסול – for it is like two ram’s horns/Shofarot, and these words [refer to] split length-wise, but if it was split width-wise, if there remains from the place where one places one’s mouth until the place of the split in order that it be like the measure of a Tekiah, it is valid; but if not, it is invalid. And how much is the measurement of a Tekivah? In order that one can hold it in his hand see it from this [side] to the other [side].

ניקב וסתמו – specifically if he closed it up with its own kind, and the rest of it remained whole and holes which were stopped up did not present the Tekiah [from being sounded], it is fit, and if it is missing one of these conditions, it is invalid.

בור – pit in the ground

דות – a place surrounded by barriers on the ground.

פיטם – a large earthenware utensil

אם קול שופר שמע – he who stands outside the pit, and heard the sound of the Tekiah of the person sounding the Shofar in the put, for those who were in the pit, always fulfill their religious obligation, for they always hear the sound of the Shofar.

אם כיון לבו – to fulfill [their religious obligation]

יצא – and even though they the person sounding the Shofar did not intend to fulfill [his religious obligation], here we are speaking of the Cantor of the synagogue who sounds the Shofar that he intends to fulfill [the religious obligation] of all those who hear the sound of his Tekiah. Therefore, even though that he did not intend to fulfill [the religious obligation] of this [person] who passes the back of the synagogue and did not know of him, he has fulfilled [his religious obligation]. But the person who sounds the Shofar to fulfill an individual’s religious obligation, we require that the listener and the person who causes to hear (that blows) have the intention [to perform a religious act] (see Talmud Rosh Hashanah 28b).

והיה כאשר ירים משה ידו וכו' – since we were speaking above (Mishnah 7) about the intention of the heart, [the Mishnah] teaches this that has at the time when they have the religious intention (literally: “direct their hearts”) to their Father that is in heaven, they would be victorious.