Arakhin

and the prolongation of a year is by thirty days. and last year we made the two full, put the three full against the three defective, and it will come to Its proper place.1 He answered to him: Light of Israel! So it was! MISHNAH. THEY BLEW NEVER LESS THAN TWENTY-ONE BLASTS IN THE SANCTUARY AND NEVER MORE THAN FORTY-EIGHT.2 THEY PLAYED NEVER ON LESS THAN TWO HARPS,3 OR MORE THAN SIX, NOR EVER ON LESS THAN TWO FLUTES OR MORE THAN TWELVE. ON TWELVE DAYS IN THE YEAR WAS THE FLUTE [HALIL] PLAYED BEFORE THE ALTAR:4 AT THE KILLING OF THE FIRST PASSOVER-SACRIFICE,5 AT THE KILLING OF THE SECOND PASSOVER-SACRIFICE,6 ON THE FIRST FESTIVAL DAY OF PASSOVER, ON THE FESTIVAL DAY OF THE FEAST OF WEEKS, AND ON THE EIGHT DAYS OF THE FEAST [OF TABERNACLES].7 AND THEY DID NOT PLAY ON A PIPE [ABUB]8 OF BRONZE BUT ON A REED PIPE, BECAUSE ITS TUNE IS SWEETER. NOR WAS ANY BUT A PIPE SOLO USED FOR CLOSING9 A TUNE. BECAUSE IT MAKES A PLEASANT FINALE. THEY10 WERE SLAVES OF THE PRIESTS. ACCORDING TO R. MEIR. R. JOSE SAID: THEY WERE OF THE FAMILIES BETH HAPEGARIM, BETH-ZIPPORUA AND FROM EMMAUS,11 FROM WHICH PRIESTS WOULD MARRY [WOMEN].12 R. HANINA B. ANTIGONOS SAID: THEY WERE LEVltes.13 GEMARA. Our Mishnah14 will not be in accord with R. Judah. for it was taught: R. Judah said: One who sounds a smaller number of blasts may not sound less than seven, and one who sounds a larger number must not exceed sixteen. What principle are they disputing? — R. Judah says: Teki'ah, teru'ah, teki'ah15 constitute one sound,16 whereas the Sages hold: Teki'ah is a separate sound, so is teru'ah, and so the [second] teki'ah.17 What is the reason for R. Judah's view? — It is written: And when ye blow an alarm [teki'ah],18 and again it is written: They shall blow an alarm [teru'ah],19 from this it is evident that teki'ah, teru'ah and teki'ah are one sound.20 And the Sages? — That merely indicates that the teru'ah sound is to be both preceded and followed by a teki'ah sound.21 What is the reason of the Sages’ view? — Scripture says: But when the assembly is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm.22 Now, if one should assume that teki'ah, teru'ah, and teki'ah are together only one sound would the Divine Law have said: perform but one half of the command! And R. Judah? — This is no more than a signal.23 According to whom will be the following teaching of R. Kahana: There may be no interruption whatever between teki'ah and teru'ah? — According to whom? According to R. Judah. But this is obvious. You might have said: It may be in accord even with the Rabbis, and it is taught thus only to exclude the view of R. Johanan who said that if one heard nine sounds even in the course of nine hours during the day, he had fulfilled his duty,24 therefore we are informed [that this is not so]. But say, perhaps it is indeed so? — If that were the case, what means: ‘No interruption whatever’? ON TWELVE DAYS IN THE YEAR WAS THE FLUTE PLAYED etc. Why just on these days? Because an individual25 completes the Hallel psalms on them.26 For R. Johanan said in the name of R. Simeon b. Jehozadak: There are eighteen days on which an individual completes the Hallel: the eight days of the Feast [of Tabernacles], the eight days of Hanukkah, the first Festival day of Passover and the Festival day of the Feast of Weeks. In the exile27 [one praying individually completes the Hallel] on twenty-one days: the nine days of the Feast [of Tabernacles], the eight days of Hanukkah, the two Festival days of Passover, and the two Festival days of the Feast of Weeks. Why this difference that on the Feast [of Tabernacles] we complete Hallel on all the days, and on the Passover Festival we do proper time in spite of the additional incomplete months. Last year the two normally defective months (Heshwan and Iyyar) were made full and the intercalated month was full. If the three defective ones of this year are placed against the three full ones of last year a normal situation is achieved, hence the new moon of Tishri appeared at the moment when it was fixed. either, ‘on these days the flute was played before the altar, whereas on other days it was played together with all other instruments on the Dukhan by the Levites’, or on these days alone the flute was played, on other days other instruments only. The technical term ‘beat’ ( vfn ) applies to the flute, because tunes are evoked thereon by beating with the fingers on the holes. off, or in an unclean state, was offered up. V. Num. IX, 9ff. offering up the sacrifices, and overriding both Sabbath and Holy Days. But the playing of the flute at the Water Festival (Suk. 50a) overrode neither, and was permissible on a week-day only. or, the overture, before the song commences. practical difference arising from this dispute has something to do with a man's claim to descent and desire to marry into a priestly family. If none but the youths of such excellent families were admitted to such service, participation in the latter would be sufficient evidence of noble descent and would eo ipso be sufficient ground for admission into such family. According to R. Meir even servants were admitted to such service, hence former participation therein is no evidence of noble descent, and no self-sufficient ground for admission into a priestly family. participation was sufficient proof of levitical descent, teki'ah is equal to a teru'ah. V. R.H. 34a as to the significance and form of the sounds. ‘teki'ah’, interpreted here as indicative of the form the blast took.