Bava Batra 121a (קכא.) — the Talmud in English

“And Moses declared the appointed times of the Lord to the children of Israel.” Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says:

The Festivals of the Lord were stated, but the Sabbath of Creation was not stated.

Ben Azzai says: The Festivals of the Lord were stated, but the annulment of vows was not stated.

This concludes the beraita. It will all be explained below.

Rabbi Yosei bar Natan had learned this beraita [

he had learned this beraita ],

but he did not know how to explain it.

He followed [

he went after ]

Rav Sheshet to Neharde’a, but did not find him [

he did not find him ].

He followed him to Meḥoza and found him there.

He said to him,

Rabbi Yosei said to Rav Sheshet:

What is the meaning of: “The Festivals of the Lord were stated, but the Sabbath of Creation was not stated”?

He said to him:

The intention of the beraita is to say: Only

the Festivals of the Lord require the sanctification of the court ,

but

the

Sabbath

of Creation—that is, every Sabbath —

does not require the sanctification of the court.

It was necessary to inform us of this law, for

it might have entered your mind to say: Since “the Sabbath of Creation” is written

Sabbath of Creation

in connection with the Festivals ,

it too

would require the sanctification of the court like the Festivals; therefore, it teaches us

that the day of the Sabbath is not dependent on the sanctification of the court. In any event, the seventh day is always the Sabbath.

Rabbi Yosei further asked him:

What is the meaning of: “The Festivals of the Lord were stated, but the annulment of vows was not stated”?

He said to him: The intention of the beraita is to say: Only

the Festivals of the Lord,

that is, the sanctification of the month on the basis of sighting the new moon,

require experts,

but

the annulment of vows does not require experts.

Rather, three ordinary people suffice.

And from here Beit Shammai learned that the annulment of vows does not require an expert court; rather, three ordinary people suffice.

The Gemara raises an objection:

But

in the passage concerning vows

“the heads

of the tribes,” is written,

which implies experts.

Rav Ḥisda said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said:

The verse comes to teach us that if one wishes to annul the vow

alone,

he may annul it if he is

an expert.

Indeed, with regard to the sanctification of the month, a single individual does not suffice, even if he is an expert like Moses our Teacher; rather, there must be three experts.

The Gemara returns to discuss the matter of “the tribes were permitted to marry one another”:

We learned there: Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as festive for Israel as the fifteenth of Av

and Yom Kippur, on which the young women of Jerusalem would go out in borrowed white garments,

and even if a woman had garments of her own, she would borrow from her friend, in order

not to embarrass one who did not have any.

And we inquire about this:

Granted, concerning Yom Kippur, the day of forgiveness and pardon, the day on which the second Tablets were given ,

it is understandable why there were no days as festive for Israel as it.

But what is the significance of the fifteenth of Av?

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: It was the day on which the tribes were permitted to marry one another .

For on that day the generation that entered the Land, who had been forbidden to transfer an inheritance from one tribe to another, came to an end, and they were permitted to marry whomever they wished.

What exposition did they derive?

From where did they derive the permission?

From what is written,

“This is the matter,”

and they expounded:

This matter shall apply only in this generation.

As stated above.

Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It was the day on which the tribe of Benjamin was permitted to enter the congregation.

As it is written: “And the men of Israel had sworn at Mitzpa, saying: None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”

And on the fifteenth of Av, that generation which had sworn not to give their daughters to the men of Benjamin came to an end.

What exposition did they derive?

That is, where did they find an opening to annul the oath sworn by their ancestors?

Rather, they expounded:

“From us,” but not from our sons.

Rav Dimi bar Yosef said that Rav Naḥman said: It was the day on which the dead of the wilderness had come to an end .