Rosh Hashanah

based his rule on the view enunciated [later] by R. Judah, who said: [Ye shall neither eat bread . . .] until this selfsame day:1 this means, until the termination2 of the day, and he was of the opinion that the expression ‘until’ is inclusive [of its object]. But did Rabban Johanan concur with him [R. Judah]? Did he not join issue with him, as we have learnt:3 ‘When the Temple was destroyed, Rabban Johanan b. Zaccai ordained that during the whole of the day of waving the ‘omer the new corn should be forbidden. Said R. Judah: Is it not forbidden from the Torah, [as it is written, until this selfsame day]?4 — On that occasion it was R. Judah who made a mistake. He thought that Rabban Johanan b. Zaccai declared it only Rabbinically forbidden, but this is not the case: he declared it forbidden from the Pentateuch. But it is stated that ‘he ordained’?5 — What is meant [here] by ‘ordained’? It means, he expounded [the text] and ordained’.6 MISHNAH. ORIGINALLY THEY USED TO ACCEPT TESTIMONY WITH REGARD TO THE NEW MOON DURING THE WHOLE OF THE DAY. ON ONE OCCASION7 THE WITNESSES WERE LATE IN ARRIVING, AND THE LEVITES WENT WRONG IN THE DAILY HYMN.8 IT WAS THEREFORE ORDAINED THAT TESTIMONY SHOULD BE ACCEPTED [ON NEW YEAR] ONLY UNTIL THE AFTERNOON SACRIFICE, AND THAT IF WITNESSES CAME AFTER THE AFTERNOON SACRIFICE THAT DAY9 SHOULD BE KEPT AS HOLY10 AND ALSO THE NEXT DAY. AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE RABBAN JOHANAN B. ZACCAI ORDAINED THAT TESTIMONY WITH REGARD TO THE NEW MOON SHOULD BE RECEIVED DURING THE WHOLE OF THE DAY. GEMARA. How did the Levites go wrong in the daily Psalm?11 — Here [in Babylon] it was explained that they did not say any psalm at all.12 R. Zera, however, said that they recited the weekday psalm along with the regular sacrifice of the afternoon.13 Said R. Zera to Ahabah his son: Go and cite to them [the Babylonians] [the following Baraitha]: ‘They made a rule that testimony with regard to the new moon should not be received unless there was still time left to offer the regular sacrifices and the additional sacrifices and their drink-offerings and to recite the psalm without confusion’.14 Now if you hold that they said the weekday psalm, we understand how there is a possibility of confusion, but if they did not say any psalm at all, how could there be confusion? — Since they did not say a psalm at all, there could be no confusion15 greater than this. R. Aha b. Huna raised the following objection [against this latter view]: The regular morning sacrifice on New Year is offered In the usual way.16 Over the additional sacrifice what psalm is said? [The one commencing], Sing aloud unto God our strength, make a teru'ah17 unto the God of Jacob.18 At the afternoon sacrifice what did they say? [The psalm containing the words], The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness.19 When New Year fell on a Thursday, for which the regular psalm is ‘Sing aloud unto God our strength’,20 they did not say ‘Sing aloud’ at the morning service because the same section was afterwards repeated. What then did they say? I removed his shoulder from the burden.21 If, however, witnesses came after the regular morning sacrifice,22 they said ‘Sing aloud’, although the verse might afterwards have to be repeated’. Now if you hold that wherever there is a doubt we say the weekday psalm, we understand the statement here that ‘it might be repeated’. But if you hold that they said no psalm at all, what is meant by repeating it’? — the Scripture. kept as holy, although the New Moon would not be sanctified till to-morrow, the thirty-first day, which naturally would also be holy. The reason why the rest of the thirtieth clay was declared holy was as a precaution lest, if the public were allowed to keep this part as a weekday, they might in future years keep the whole day as a weekday on the assumption that after all the witnesses would not come, or not come till late (Rashi). sacrifices was being offered, as explained in the Gemara infra. was instituted to be recited in connection with the morning sacrifice on New Year as witnesses rarely came so early.] Year (v. supra 11a). Apparently the latter half of this psalm was said with the morning sacrifice and the first half with the additional sacrifice.