ראש השנה 21 — Soncino English Talmud

¹— If two [successive] months are declared short, the thing becomes known. Levi once arrived in Babylon on the eleventh of Tishri. He said [to the people there]: How good and sweet is the dish of the Babylonians on the great day of the West. They said to him, Testify [that this is the tenth day]. He replied: I did not [personally] hear the Beth din [in Jerusalem proclaim] ‘sanctified’. R. Johanan issued a proclamation: ‘In all those places which can be reached by the messengers sent out in Nisan but not by those sent out in Tishri, two days should be kept [on Passover], Nisan being included so that there should be no mistake as to Tishri’. R. Aibu b. Nagri and R. Hiyya b. Abba once arrived at a certain place which had been reached by the messengers sent out in Nisan but not by those sent out in Tishri, and though the inhabitants kept only one day [of Passover] they did not reprove them. When R. Johanan heard this he was annoyed and said to them: Did I not tell you that in places which have been reached by the messengers sent out in Nisan but not by those sent out in Tishri they should keep two days, Nisan being included so that no mistake should be made in Tishri? Rabbah was accustomed to fast two days [on the Day of Atonement]. Once he was found to be right. R. Nahman had once fasted the whole of the Day of Atonement, when in the evening a man came and told him, To-morrow is the great day in the West. He said to him, Whence are you? He replied, From Damharia. ‘Blood will be his latter end’ he ejaculated, applying to himself the verse, Swift were our pursuers. R. Huna b. Abin sent an instruction to Raba: When you see that the cycle of Tebeth extends to the sixteenth of Nisan, declare that year a leap year and have no scruples, since it is written, Observe the month [hodesh] of Abib, which signifies, See to it that the Abib of the cycle should commence in the earlier half [hodesh] of Nisan. R. Nahman said to those who were going to sea: As you will not know when New Moon is fixed, [I will tell you what to do]. When you see the moon ceases shining with daylight, clear away leaven [for Passover]. When does it so shine? On the fifteenth [of the month]. But we clear away leaven on the fourteenth? — For them, as they had a clear view, the moon commenced to shine into the day from the fourteenth.^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ^ᵘ^ᵛ

^ᵃnote:Viz., (apparently) Ab and Elul, or Tebeth and Shebat. Rashi: Tebeth and Tammuz are always, according to the principles of fixed calendar, defective, and if Shebat’ which follows Tebeth, Ab and Tammuz were also to be defective, it would have become known to the Diaspora before the advent of the festivals.
^ᵇnote:I.e., according to the reckoning of the Babylonians who were not aware that the previous month had been prolonged in Palestine by one day. He either came from near the frontier or just before nightfall, before they had broken their fast (v. Tosaf. s.v. huk ).
^ᶜnote:I.e., this is the Day of Atonement in Palestine, and you are eating, or you are ready to break your fast, cf. p. 86, n. 10.
^ᵈnote:And we will keep this day too.
^ᵉnote:I.e., that the day was sanctified as New Moon and therefore he could not testify, although he knew from independent sources that this was only ten days before, v. infra 21b. [MS.M.: ‘(proclaim)’, ‘prolonged’ rcugn instead of asuen ].
^ᶠnote:The messengers sent out from Jerusalem to announce the New Moon of Nisan would be able to travel further by Passover than the messengers sent out in Tishri would be able to travel by Tabernacles, because the latter would lose two days on New Year and the Day of Atonement, when it was forbidden to travel.
^ᵍnote:Although the inhabitants would know when the New Moon of Nisan had been proclaimed.
^ʰnote:I.e., if they kept Passover only one day, they might come to keep Tabernacles only one day.
^ⁱnote:Being uncertain whether the month of Elul, which normally consisted of twenty-nine days, had not been prolonged by the Beth din in Jerusalem.
^ʲnote:Lit., ‘it was found (to be) according to him’.
^ᵏnote:[Damar S.W. of Sura. V. Obermeyer p. 298.]
^ˡnote:Heb. Dam tehi Aharitho — a play on the name Damharia.
^ᵐnote:Lam. IV, 19.
^ⁿnote:V. supra p. 30, n. 5.
^ᵒnote:Inclusive. V. Tosaf. s.v.
^ᵖnote:In other words, if the vernal equinox is known by calculation to fall after the sixteenth of Nisan a leap year is proclaimed.
^ᵠnote:Although this follows the view only of an individual authority, as recorded in Sanh. 13b.
^ʳnote:Deut. XVI, 1.
^ˢnote:I.e., the beginning of the vernal equinox. The day on which the vernal equinox begins is called Abib because on that day the corn begins to ripen by the effects of the sun (Rashi). V. Sanh., Sonc. ed., p. 60 notes.
^ᵗnote:Lit., ‘newness’. I.e., the first fourteen days. The New Moon of Nisan must be timed so that this can take place.
^ᵘnote:Lit., ‘completing (its course) by day’.
^ᵛnote:Lit., ‘as the world was revealed to them’.

²MISHNAH. FOR THE SAKE OF TWO MONTHS SABBATH MAY BE PROFANED, NAMELY, NISAN AND TISHRI, SINCE IN THEM MESSENGERS GO FORTH TO SYRIA AND IN THEM THE DATES OF THE FESTIVALS ARE FIXED. WHEN THE TEMPLE WAS STANDING THEY USED TO PROFANE SABBATH FOR ALL THE MONTHS, IN ORDER THAT THE SACRIFICE [OF NEW MOON] MIGHT BE OFFERED ON THE RIGHT DAY. GEMARA. [Do messengers go forth] for two months only? The following was cited as conflicting with this: ‘Messengers go forth to proclaim six months’! — Abaye replied: What is meant is this: For all [the other months] the messengers set out while is is still night, but for Nisan and Tishri they do not set out till they have heard the Beth din proclaim, ‘sanctified’. It has been taught to the same effect: ‘For all [the other months] they [the messengers] went forth while it was still night, but for Nisan and Tishri not until they had heard the Beth din proclaim ‘sanctified’. Our Rabbis taught: How do we know [from the Scripture] that Sabbath may be profaned on account of these? Because it says, These are the appointed seasons of the Lord . . . which ye shall proclaim in their appointed season. I might say then that just as it may be profaned until they [the months] are sanctified, so it may be profaned [further] until they are promulgated? Not so, since it says, ‘which ye shall proclaim:’ for their proclamation you may profane the Sabbath, but not for their promulgation. WHEN THE TEMPLE WAS STANDING THEY USED TO PROFANE SABBATH FOR ALL THE MONTHS, IN ORDER THAT THE SACRIFICE MIGHT BE OFFERED ON THE RIGHT DAY. Our Rabbis taught : Originally the Sabbath could be profaned for all of them. When the Temple was destroyed, Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai said to them [the Beth din], Is there then a sacrifice [waiting to be brought]? They therefore ordained that Sabbath should not be profaned save for Nisan and Tishri alone. MISHNAH. WHETHER [THE NEW MOON] HAS BEEN SEEN CLEARLY OR HAS NOT BEEN SEEN CLEARLY, SABBATH MAY BE PROFANED ON ACCOUNT OF IT. R. JOSE SAYS, HOWEVER, THAT IF IT HAS BEEN SEEN CLEARLY SABBATH IS NOT TO BE PROFANED ON ACCOUNT OF IT. IT HAPPENED ONCE THAT MORE THAN FORTY PAIRS OF WITNESSES WERE ON THEIR WAY [TO JERUSALEM] AND R. AKIBA DETAINED THEM IN LYDDA. R. GAMALIEL THEREUPON SENT TO HIM SAYING: IF YOU PREVENT THE MULTITUDE [FROM COMING TO GIVE EVIDENCE] YOU WILL PROVE TO BE THE CAUSE OF THEIR STUMBLING IN THE TIME TO COME. GEMARA. How do we know that the word ‘alil here means ‘clear’? — R. Abbahu replied: Because the Scripture says, The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in the clear sight [ba-’alil] of the earth, refined seven times. Rab and Samuel [gave different interpretations of a certain text]. One said: Fifty gates of understanding were created in the world, and all were given to Moses save one, as it says, Yet thou hast made him but little lower than a God, Now, Koheleth sought to find out words of delight. [That is to say,] Koheleth sought to be like Moses, but a bath kol went forth and said to him, It is written uprightly even words of truth, ‘There arose not a prophet again in Israel like Moses’. The other said: Among the prophets there arose not, but among the kings there did arise. How then do I interpret the words, Koheleth sought to find out words of delight? Koheleth sought to pronounce verdicts from his own insight, without witnesses and without warning, whereupon a bath kol went forth and said, It is written uprightly even words of truth, ‘At the mouth of two witnesses’ etc. 23^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ^ᵃᵃ^ᵃᵇ^ᵃᶜ^ᵃᵈ^ᵃᵉ^ᵃᶠ^ᵃᵍ^ᵃʰ^ᵃⁱ^ᵃʲ^ᵃᵏ^ᵃˡ^ᵃᵐ^ᵃⁿ^ᵃᵒ^ᵃᵖ^ᵃᵠ^ᵃʳ^ᵃˢ

^ʷnote:By witnesses who have seen the new moon, in order that they may give information in Jerusalem at the earliest possible moment. V. supra.
^ˣnote:It is difficult to see what reason this furnishes for allowing the witnesses to break the Sabbath. Rashi explains that if the witnesses are not allowed to bring the news on Sabbath, the New Moon will not be sanctified till Sunday, and so the messengers instead of setting out as soon as Sabbath is over will not set out till several hours later, and this might make them late in some places in giving notice of the date of Passover. V. Rashi and Tosaf.
^ʸnote:Lit., ‘for the proper adjustment of the sacrifice’.
^ᶻnote:I.e., whenever the month is lengthened to thirty days.
^ᵃᵃnote:On the thirty-first day, since it is already certain that New Moon will be on this day.
^ᵃᵇnote:Which would be at some hour in the daytime.
^ᵃᶜnote:Lev. XXIII, 4. Stress is laid on the words ‘in their appointed season’.
^ᵃᵈnote:I. e., to the Diaspora, by the messengers.
^ᵃᵉnote:I. e., the witnesses may profane, but not the messengers.
^ᵃᶠnote:On account of their extra sanctity.
^ᵃᵍnote:Lit., ‘in an ‘alil’. V. Gemara infra.
^ᵃʰnote:There being no necessity, as many people will have seen it.
^ᵃⁱnote:Lit., ‘were passing’.
^ᵃʲnote:As people will be reluctant to come to give evidence.
^ᵃᵏnote:Ps. XII, 7. E.V. ‘in a crucible’.
^ᵃˡnote:Ps. VIII, 6. E.V. ‘than the angels’.
^ᵃᵐnote:Eccl. XII, 10.
^ᵃⁿnote:A voice from heaven, V. Glos.
^ᵃᵒnote:Ibid.
^ᵃᵖnote:Deut. XXXIV, 10.
^ᵃᵠnote:Lit., ‘that are in the heart’. [Omitted in MS.M.].
^ᵃʳnote:The forewarning required by law for the punishment of an offender.
^ᵃˢnote:Deut. XIX, 15.