Chagigah 17b — the Talmud in English

Because

as it is written: "

For only to the place that the Lord your God will choose to cause His Name to dwell, there shall you slaughter the Passover-offering in the evening. And you shall cook and eat in the place that the Lord your God will choose in it.

And you shall turn in the morning and go to your tents."

And necessarily, this morning is that of the intermediate days of the festival, for on the morning of a festival he cannot go to his tent, because of the prohibition of techumin [Rashi]].

We learned

in our Mishna:

Atzeret that occurs on the eve of Shabbat:

Beit Shammai say: Its day of slaughter

is

after Shabbat.

And Beit Hillel say: It has no day of slaughter.

Is it not so that

this is what Beit Hillel are saying:

it has no

for Atzeret

day of slaughter at all;

that is to say: If he did not sacrifice on the festival, he may not sacrifice at all thereafter [Rashi], because Atzeret has no compensation.

And we answer:

No,

not as you interpreted, but rather:

it does not require a day of slaughter,

since according to Beit Hillel he sacrifices it on the festival.

And we object to this:

And

since you interpret it thus, then

what does it teach us

Beit Hillel—that

we sacrifice it on its day [

it is permitted to sacrifice the burnt-offering of appearance on a festival]?!

And

they already disagreed concerning it [

Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel already disagreed concerning this matter]

once,

at the beginning of our Mishna, and consequently you learn that it does not require a day of slaughter?!

As we learned: Beit Shammai say: They bring peace-offerings, but they do not lay hands upon them, but not burnt-offerings,

even burnt-offerings of appearance;

and Beit Hillel say: They bring peace-offerings and burnt-offerings, and they lay hands upon them.

And we answer:

It is necessary

for the conclusion of our Mishna to make known the disagreement between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel as to whether it is permitted to sacrifice it on a festival when Shabbat follows it, for in that case as well it is impossible to sacrifice it.

If he had taught us

our Mishna only

in this case [

on a festival that is not followed by Shabbat], we would have said:

In this case Beit Shammai say

that he does not sacrifice it on the festival

because it is possible

to sacrifice it

on the following day,

which is an ordinary day,

but in this case [

on a festival that is followed by Shabbat],

say that they agree with Beit Hillel

that he sacrifices it on the festival, since there is concern that, because he despairs of it, he will become negligent and not sacrifice it thereafter.

And if he had taught us

our Mishna only

in this case [

on a festival that is followed by Shabbat], we would have said:

In this case Beit Hillel say

that it is permitted to sacrifice it on the festival

because it is impossible on the following day,

for it is Shabbat.

But in this case [

on another festival, which is not followed by Shabbat],

say that they agree with Beit Shammai

that they do not sacrifice it on the festival.

Therefore:

It is necessary!

Come and hear: One who did not celebrate [

bring the celebration-offering]

during the seven days of Passover, the eight days of Sukkot, and the festival of Atzeret, may no longer celebrate.

Is it not so that

the interpretation is literal, that if he did not celebrate on

the festival of Atzeret,

he has no compensation thereafter? We have thus learned that Atzeret has no compensation?!

And we reject this:

No,

what is meant by “the festival of Atzeret”?

The day of slaughter.

That is to say: If he did not sacrifice on the day designated for the compensation of Atzeret, he may no longer celebrate.

If so,

at any rate

let us resolve from it

since it teaches “day,” which implies one day,

that there is only one day of slaughter

available.

That is to say: Atzeret has compensation for only one day?!

And we reject this as well: This too cannot be resolved, because

say: “days of slaughter.”

Come and hear

from this

which Rabbah bar Shmuel taught:

Behold,

the Torah said: Count days and sanctify the month [

the New Moon] for the offering of the additional offerings.

And the Torah said:

Count days [

the counting of the Omer]

and sanctify Atzeret

for the offering of its sacrifices.

You have therefore learned:

Just as the month according to its counting,

that is to say: Just as in the month the time for offering the additional offerings is one day out of the days by which it is counted,

so too Atzeret—

according to its counting!

As it explains and proceeds.

Is it not so: he derives

Atzeret

from the month: Just as the month is one day

of the counted days alone that he sacrifices,

so too Atzeret is one day

alone on which he sacrifices, since Atzeret comes after the counting of days?!

He said,

explaining,

Rava: But can you understand it thus

to prove from here that one sacrifices only on one day?!

Is that so?

Do we count for

Atzeret only days [

we count only days], and

do we not count weeks [

do we not count weeks in the counting of the Omer until Atzeret]?!

For Abaye said: It is a mitzva to count days, as it is written:

“And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbat,” etc.,

“you shall count fifty days”; and it is a mitzva to count weeks, as it is written: “Seven weeks you shall count for yourself,” and further,

you learn that it is a mitzva to count weeks, because

the festival of “Weeks” is written.

And since this is so, on the contrary, you should interpret that this is what it says: Just as in the month you sacrifice on one day, since it is counted in days, so too with Atzeret you sacrifice for one week, since it is counted in weeks—and to teach you: It has compensation for all seven days.

Here the Gemara returns to the essential teaching that Atzeret also has compensation for all seven days, and adds another teaching besides the teaching of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Oshaya on the first side, who derived it from the comparison of the festival of Weeks to the festival of Matzot.

The school of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov taught:

From here you learn that Atzeret has compensation for all seven days, for

the verse says: “And you shall proclaim

on this very day, there shall be a proclamation of holiness for you.”

And adjacent to it the verse says:

“And when you reap

the harvest of your land, you shall not finish off the corner of your field.”

Which festival is it that you proclaim

on it “a proclamation of holiness”

and

also

reap on it?

You must say: This is the festival of Atzeret,

as it explains and proceeds.

For

when

do you proclaim and reap?

If we say on the festival itself,

this is not possible, for

is reaping on a festival permitted?!

Rather, is it not for compensation,

that is to say: After Atzeret there is a day that is a proclamation of holiness with regard to compensation, and nevertheless it is permitted to perform labor [Rashi]].

And we explain:

And although it was stated that Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Oshaya

that Atzeret has compensation for all seven days by comparison with the festival of Matzot,

it is necessary

also to have his teaching,

that of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov!

And because:

If only from Rabbi Elazar, who said in the name of Rabbi Oshaya,

alone,

I would have said: Just as the compensation of the festival of Matzot is forbidden

on that day

to perform labor,

for it is an intermediate day of the festival,

so too the compensation of Atzeret is forbidden to perform labor.

Therefore

it teaches us

his teaching,

that of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov,

that the day of compensation is not forbidden for performing labor, for reaping is permitted on it.