Study Rosh Hashanah folio 8B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
שהחדש מתכסה בו — הוי אומר זה ראש השנה. וכתיב: ״כי חק לישראל הוא משפט לאלהי יעקב״.
on which the moon is covered, i.e., hidden? You must say that this is Rosh HaShana, which is the only Festival that occurs at the beginning of a month, when the moon cannot be seen. And it is written in the next verse: “For this is a statute for Israel, a judgment of the God of Jacob” (Psalms 81:5), implying that this is the day of judgment.
תנו רבנן: ״כי חק לישראל הוא משפט לאלהי יעקב״ — מלמד שאין בית דין של מעלה נכנסין לדין אלא אם כן קידשו בית דין של מטה את החדש.
With regard to this same verse, A baraita states: “For this is a statute for Israel, a judgment of the God of Jacob”; this teaches that the heavenly court does not assemble for judgment until the earthly court has sanctified the month, once the Sanhedrin has declared that day as Rosh HaShana.
תניא אידך: ״כי חק לישראל הוא״ — אין לי אלא לישראל, לאומות העולם מנין? תלמוד לומר: ״משפט לאלהי יעקב״. אם כן, מה תלמוד לומר: ״כי חק לישראל״, מלמד שישראל נכנסין תחילה לדין.
It is taught in another baraita: The verse states: “For this is a statute for Israel.” From here I have derived only that this is the day of judgment for the Jewish people; from where do I derive that it is also the day of judgment for the non-Jew non-Jewish nations? Therefore, the verse states: “A judgment for the God of Jacob,” Who rules over the entire world. If so, what is the meaning when the verse states: “A statute for Israel”? This teaches that the Jewish people enter for judgment first.
כדרב חסדא. דאמר רב חסדא: מלך וציבור — מלך נכנס תחילה לדין, שנאמר: ״משפט עבדו ומשפט עמו״.
The Talmud notes: This is in accordance with the opinion of Rav Ḥisda, as Rav Ḥisda said: When a king and a community are brought before God for judgment, the king is brought in for judgment first, as it is stated: “And let these my words, with which I have made supplication before YHWH, be near to YHWH our God day and night, that He make the judgment of His servant and the judgment of His people Israel at all times” (I Kings 8:59). This verse is from King Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple, and he is referring to himself a servant of God.
Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.