Arakhin 9a — the Talmud in English

Because

if so, ![](pamud.bmp "

exact page location")

the moon comes early

than the molad of Tishrei

by three days

,before Rosh HaShana, and it will appear strange to people, and they will murmur against the Sages, that they do whatever they wish,

now also,

when eight full months are made, likewise

the molad comes early

the molad of Tishrei

by two days

before Rosh HaShana.

And we answer:

as Rav Mesharsheya said

below, to resolve [it] in another manner, and they established it:

for example, it was a leap year; here too

we shall establish that this case, in which eight months are made full, is speaking

for example, [in which] the preceding year was a leap year. And the intercalation of the year

we are able to make

new

either full or deficient. And we made the month of intercalation in the preceding year deficient. deficient. It follows that we advanced the preceding Rosh HaShana by half a day before the molad, for we made the additional month twenty-nine days, whereas the time between one molad and the next is twenty-nine and a half days.

Subtract

from the measure of the delay of Rosh HaShana after the molad, which was caused by

a full month

the eighth,

together with

the measure of the advancement of the preceding Rosh HaShana, which was caused by

a deficient month

the intercalary month of the preceding year, and they cancel one another. It follows that Rosh HaShana in this year will be delayed after the molad by only one day and not by two days. [With exact calculation, it will be found that it is delayed by a day and a half; but for our purposes this is considered one day. Rashi].

And furthermore we ask:

and still, one day

the molad is earlier than Rosh HaShana.

And we answer:

one day is not noticed by people,

and they will not murmur because of such a small measure.

Ulla said

to explain the Mishna in another manner:

it did not appear proper to the Sages to make more than eight

months deficient, and this is the first clause, that one does not reduce the number of full months below four. And the tanna did not come to add anything by this, but only to explain:

And what reason does he state? What is the reason that one does not reduce the number of full months in the year below four? Because it did not appear proper to the Sages to make more than eight deficient.

And we ask:

what is different about nine, that one does not

make them deficient? And it must be said that the reason is because

if so, it would be left over

continues

the moon

the old one from the molad of Elul

for three days

after Rosh HaShana. [For if six full and six deficient months are made, Rosh HaShana falls on the day of the molad, as stated; and when nine deficient months are made, we advance Rosh HaShana by three days before the molad of Tishrei.] And they will murmur against the Sages,

now also,

when eight deficient months are made,

the moon of Elul remains

the moon of Elul

for two days

after Rosh HaShana.

And we answer:

as Rav Mesharsheya said

below, and he established it:

for example, it was a leap year; here too

we shall say that this case, in which eight months are made deficient, is speaking

for example, [in which] the preceding year was

a leap year.

And they made the intercalary month full. It follows that we delayed the preceding Rosh HaShana by half a day after the molad, for it was delayed by thirty days, whereas the molad was delayed by only twenty-nine and a half days.

Subtract

the measure of the advancement of Rosh HaShana in this year, which was caused by

a deficient month

the eighth,

together with

the measure of the delay of the preceding Rosh HaShana, which was caused by

a full month

of the intercalary month of the preceding year, and they cancel one another. It follows that Rosh HaShana in this year will be advanced before the molad of Tishrei by only one day and not by two days.

And furthermore we ask:

and still there is one day

during which the old moon remains after Rosh HaShana.

And we answer:

people think, it appeared

the new moon to the court,

but we did not notice

seeing it; and since the delay of the molad is only by one day, they will attribute it to their error. It emerges from the sugya that according to Rabbi Huna there are no more than eight full months, but eight are made. And according to Ulla, the eight in the Mishna are deficient months, but as for full months, even eight are not made.