Rosh Hashanah

, and because they perverted their ways, the Holy One, blessed be He, changed for them the work of creation, and caused the constellation of Pleiades to rise at daybreak and took away two stars [from it] and brought a flood on the world’.1 Now accepting the view of R. Joshua, we can understand why the word ‘second’ is used;2 but on R. Eliezer's view, what is meant by ‘second’? — [It means], the second to [the day of] judgment.3 Again, on R. Joshua's view we see what change there was in the work of creation; but on R. Eliezer's view what change was there?4 — The answer is found in the dictum of R. Hisda; for R. Hisda said: With hot liquid they sinned and with hot liquid they were punished. ‘With hot liquid they sinned’, namely, in [sexual] transgression. ‘With hot liquid they were punished’: it is written here5 , and the waters assuaged,6 and it is written elsewhere, and the wrath of the king was assuaged.7 Our Rabbis taught: ‘The wise men of Israel follow R. Eliezer in dating the Flood8 and R. Joshua in dating the annual cycles,9 while the scholars of other peoples follow R. Joshua in dating the Flood also’. AND FOR VEGETABLES. A Tanna taught: ‘For vegetables and for tithes and for vows’. What is meant by vegetables? The tithe of vegetables? But this is the same as ‘tithes’? — [The Tanna] mentions first a tithe prescribed by the Rabbis and then those prescribed by the Torah.10 But let him mention those prescribed by the Torah first? — Since he was specially pleased with the others,11 he mentions them first. And our Tanna [ — why does he not mention tithes]? — He mentions a tithe prescribed by the Rabbis,12 and [leaves us to infer] a fortiori those prescribed by the Torah. Why does not the Tanna here say simply ‘tithe’ [in the singular]? — He desires to include both the tithe of cattle and the tithe of cereals. Then why does he not say vegetable’ [in the singular]? — He refers to two kinds of vegetables, as we have learnt: ‘[Tithe is to be given from] vegetables which are commonly made up into bundles, from the time they are so made up, and from those which are not commonly so made up, from the time when he fills a vessel with them. Our Rabbis taught: If one13 gathered herbs on the eve of New Year before sunset, and then gathered some more Olam) in the dictum of R. Joshua, ‘When Pleiades rises at daybreak’, and in the dictum of R. Eliezer, ‘sets at daybreak’. Land of Israel) from the beginning of the year’. Tosaf. s.v. tb, .