Rosh Hashanah 11a — the Talmud in English

7.

On Rosh Hashanah the labor of our ancestors in Egypt ceased.

8.

In Nisan they were redeemed

from Egypt, and

in Tishrei they are destined to be redeemed

in the future.

Rabbi Yehoshua says:

1.

In Nisan the world was created.

2.

In Nisan were born

the

Patriarchs,

Abraham and Jacob.

3.

In Nisan died

the

Patriarchs,

Abraham and Jacob.

4.

On Passover Isaac was born.

5.

On Rosh Hashanah Sarah was remembered

for good and pregnancy was decreed for her. And on it

Rachel and Hannah

were also remembered. 6.

On Rosh Hashanah Joseph went out from the prison.

7.

On Rosh Hashanah the labor of our ancestors in Egypt ceased.

8.

In Nisan they were redeemed

from Egypt, and

in Nisan they are destined to be redeemed

in the future.

And now the Gemara brings a beraita, containing the sources for the words of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua:

It was taught: Rabbi Eliezer says: From where [do we know] that in Tishrei the world was created?

As it is stated

on the third day of the creation of the world [Genesis 1:11]:

“And God said: Let the earth sprout vegetation

[let the earth be covered with vegetation],

herb yielding seed, fruit tree

[a tree filled with fruit].”

Which is the month

of

which the earth is full

of

vegetation, and

the

tree is full

of

fruit?

You must say: This is

the month of

Tishrei!

And there is further support that in Tishrei the world was created, since

that season,

the time in which the world was created—for it was

the time of rainfall

[the falling of rain]

—was

when the rains fell and caused

the plants to grow.

As it is stated

[there, 2:6]:

“And a mist went up from the earth,

and watered the whole surface of the ground.”

And the month of Tishrei is the time when the plants require the rains to water them.

Rabbi Yehoshua says: From where [do we know] that in Nisan the world was created?

As it is stated

on the third day of the creation of the world [Genesis 1:12]:

“And the earth brought forth vegetation, herb yielding seed, and tree producing fruit.”

From the fact that it says, “And the earth brought forth,” and it does not say, “And the earth sprouted vegetation,” we understand that the month in which the world was created is the month in which the earth is already finishing bringing forth the vegetation.

But from the fact that in that verse it says, “tree producing fruit,” and it does not say, “fruit tree,” we understand that it is referring to a month in which the tree has not yet finished bringing forth its fruits.

Which is

the

month in which the earth

has already

brought forth

in it

vegetation, and

whereas the

tree

is still

bringing forth fruit

[and has not finished bringing it forth]?

You must say: This is

the month of

Nisan!

And there is further support that in Nisan the world was created: for at that time the animals and beasts needed to mate for the first time, and if we say that in Nisan the world was created, this is the fitting time for that, since

that season

[the time] is

the time when cattle, beasts, and birds mate with one another.

As it is stated

[Psalms 65]:

“The sheep-clad rams.”

And the Gemara above [8a] already proved from this verse that the time when sheep mate is in the month of Nisan.

We have learned that Rabbi Eliezer proved his view that the world was created in Tishrei from God’s command to the earth to bring forth vegetation and a fruit tree. Rabbi Yehoshua, however, proved his view that the world was created in Nisan from the bringing forth of the vegetation and the trees.

And we raise an objection against Rabbi Eliezer:

But the other one,

and Rabbi Eliezer

also—

is it not written, “tree producing fruit,”

which implies that the tree had not yet become full of fruit? And why did Rabbi Eliezer say that that month is Tishrei, when at that time the tree is full of fruit?

And we answer: According to Rabbi Eliezer, that verse

that—

was written for a blessing for the generations.

The tree was then blessed that it should produce fruit for the generations. But the tree itself that was created then was created as a tree that had already finished producing its fruit, since it was created in the month of Tishrei.

And we raise an objection against Rabbi Yehoshua:

But the other one,

Rabbi Yehoshua

also—

is it not written, “fruit tree,”

which implies that the tree had already become full of fruit? And why did Rabbi Yehoshua say that that month is Nisan, when the trees are not yet full of fruit then?

And we answer: According to Rabbi Yehoshua, that verse

that—

comes to teach us

in accordance with the words

of

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi:

For Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: All the works of Creation

in their full stature

the complete

were created.

They were created according to their will,

for God asked them whether they wished to be created, and they answered yes.

According to their appearance,

in their form and taste, they

were created.

As it is stated

[Genesis 2]:

“And the heavens and the earth and all their host were completed.”

Do not read “their host,” but rather “their appearance.”

But they had not yet produced fruit, as it is written, “tree producing [in the future] fruit.” Rather, they were already of their full stature, and were fit to produce fruit immediately. Therefore it says, “fruit tree.”

And the beraita continues to bring the source for the words of Rabbi Eliezer, that in Tishrei the Patriarchs [Abraham and Jacob] were born:

Rabbi Eliezer says: From where

do I say

that in Tishrei were born

the

Patriarchs?

As it is stated

[I Kings 8]:

“And all the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon in the month of Ethanim, at the festival

[Sukkot], which is the seventh month [Tishrei].”

And why was the seventh month called “the month of Ethanim”? Because it is

the month

of

the month in which were born

the Patriarchs, who are

“the mighty ones of the world.”

And we explain:

What does this indicate?

From where [do we know] that “Ethanim” means the Patriarchs?

Because

this “Eitan”

is an expression of the mighty.

It is an expression of strength.

As it is written

[Numbers 24]:

“Your dwelling is mighty.”

And the Patriarchs are the strength of the nation.

And

the proof that the mighty ones are the Patriarchs:

For the verse

says

[Micah 6]:

“Hear, O mountains, the dispute of the Lord, and the mighty ones, the foundations of the earth.”

From here [it follows] that the mighty ones are the mountains.

And the mountains are the Patriarchs, since

the

verse

says

[Song of Songs 2:8]:

“The voice of my beloved

[the Holy One, blessed be He]

behold, he comes

[before the end of the exile in Egypt].

Leaping

[hastening the redemption]

over the mountains, skipping over the hills”:

“Leaping over the mountains”—

by the merit of

the

Patriarchs

who are called “mountains.”

“Skipping over the hills”—

by the merit of

the

Matriarchs

who are called “hills.”

Accordingly, “the month of Ethanim” is the month in which the Patriarchs were born, for the mighty ones are mountains, and the Patriarchs were called mountains.

And the beraita brings the source for the words of Rabbi Yehoshua, that in Nisan the Patriarchs [Abraham and Jacob] were born:

Rabbi Yehoshua says: From where

do I say

that in Nisan were born

the

Patriarchs?

As it is stated

[I Kings 6]:

“And it was in the four hundred and eightieth year after the Children of Israel went out from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv

[Iyar], which is the second month of Solomon’s reigning over Israel. And he built the House for the Lord.”

What is “in the month of Ziv”?

In the month in which were born the radiant ones of the world.

For when the month of Iyar was renewed, the Patriarchs [who are the radiance of the world] had already been born, since they were born in Nisan.

And we raise an objection against the view of Rabbi Yehoshua:

But it is written

[I Kings 8]:

“In the month of Ethanim,

at the festival [Sukkot], which is the seventh month.” And “Ethanim” are the Patriarchs, as Rabbi Eliezer explained above, and from here [it follows] that the Patriarchs were born in Tishrei!

And we answer: Rabbi Yehoshua holds that the intention of the verse

there

[in that place] is

that it is strong in mitzvot,

for the month of Tishrei is mighty [strong] in many mitzvot: the mitzva of the shofar, Yom Kippur, sukkah, lulav, arava, and the water libation.

And we raise an objection against the view of Rabbi Eliezer:

But the other one,

Rabbi Eliezer,

also—

is it not written, “in the month of Ziv

[Iyar], which is the second month of King Solomon”? And the month of Iyar is called “Ziv” because the Patriarchs were born when Iyar was renewed, as Rabbi Yehoshua explained above, and from here [it follows] that the Patriarchs were born in Nisan!

And we answer: Rabbi Eliezer holds that the intention of that verse is

that

to say

that it has radiance for the trees.

For in Iyar there is radiance for the trees.

And as

Rav Yehuda said: One who goes out during the days of Nisan,

one who goes out during the season of Nisan,

and sees blossoming trees,

and sees trees blossoming,

says:

“Blessed is He who has not left anything lacking in His world, and created in it good creatures and good trees for human beings to take delight

[to benefit]

in them.”

And now the Gemara explains the source for the words of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, who dispute when the Patriarchs died [according to Rabbi Eliezer, in Tishrei, and according to Rabbi Yehoshua, in Nisan]:

The one who says,

Rabbi Yehoshua,

that in Nisan they were born

the Patriarchs, also holds that

in Nisan

they

died.

The one who says,

Rabbi Eliezer,

that in Tishrei they were born,

holds that they also

died in Tishrei.

According to

what is stated

in the Book of Deuteronomy [chapter 31]:

“And he said to them

[Moses to the Children of Israel on the day of his death]:

‘I am one hundred and twenty years old today.’”

There is no need for the word,

there is no need to say

“today,”

for even if he had said that he was “one hundred and twenty,” it would have been self-evident that he meant today.

And

if so,

what is the need for the word,

why was

“today”

said? Rather, Moses said this to Israel:

“Today my days and years have been completed

[for on the same date on which he was born, he also died].

And the verse came

to teach you that the Holy One, blessed be He, completes the years of the righteous from day to day, from month to month,

that they die on the same day of the month on which they were born.

As it is stated

in the verse [Exodus 23:26], where the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed Israel [if they fulfill His will]:

“I shall fill the number of your days.”

Therefore, according to the one who says that the Patriarchs were born in Nisan, they also died in Nisan. And according to the one who says that the Patriarchs were born in Tishrei, they also died in Tishrei.

We learned in a beraita:

On Passover Isaac was born,

according to everyone.

And we consider it:

From where [do we know]

from where do we know that Isaac was born on Passover?

And we answer:

As it is written

[Genesis 18:14], that the angel announced to Abraham:

“At the appointed time

[at the approaching festival]

I will return to you

at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” From here [we learn] that Isaac was born on the festival closest to the time when Abraham was informed of his birth.

And since from the time of the announcement until the birth all the days of Sarah’s pregnancy passed, we therefore place the time of the announcement before the birth at the preceding festival [and it is impossible to place it earlier, since Isaac was born at the first festival after the announcement].

When does it stand,

when was the festival at which Abraham was informed of the birth of Isaac?

If you say,

if we say that the angel came to Abraham

on Passover, and said to him

that Isaac would be born

on Shavuot

[on the Festival of Weeks],

that is not possible.

For

in fifty days—

could she give birth!?

For it is impossible to give birth after a pregnancy of only fifty days!?

Rather,

perhaps you will say

that it stands,

that the angel stood with Abraham

on Shavuot, and said to him

and announced to him that Isaac would be born

in Tishrei,

on Sukkot? This too is impossible.

For

still

[there is yet] reason to wonder: Could she

give birth after five months?

Is it possible to give birth in the fifth month of pregnancy!? For the fourth month of her pregnancy ended about a week before Sukkot, and it follows that on Sukkot she was at the beginning of the fifth month of her pregnancy?!

Rather,

necessarily,

that it stands,

that the angel stood with Abraham

on the festival

of Sukkot,

and said to her

that Isaac would be born

in Nisan,

for from Sukkot until Passover is the longest interval between two festivals.

And immediately the Gemara wonders: But

still,

there is yet reason to wonder: Could she

give birth after six months!?

Is it possible to give birth after a pregnancy of six months?! For pregnancy is only seven or nine months!

And we answer:

A tanna

taught in a beraita:

That year—

was a leap year!

And it follows that from Sukkot until Passover there were seven months, which are the days of pregnancy.

And we raise an objection: We learned [Bava Metzia 87a] that Sarah our mother, on the same day on which she was informed of the birth of Isaac, became impure with the impurity of menstruation.

And if so, even though that year was a leap year,

in the end, when you subtract

seven

days of impurity

of menstruation,

they are diminished!

When we subtract the seven days of menstruation from the period of seven months, before Sarah could become pregnant, it follows that the days of pregnancy were less than seven complete months! And the difficulty still remains: How could Sarah give birth after a pregnancy that did not contain seven complete months?

Mar Zutra said

to answer:

Even according to the one who says

that a woman

gives birth after nine

months,

she does not give birth

to a viable child

after incomplete [months]

[months that are not full, but specifically after nine complete months]:

A woman

who gives birth after seven—

gives birth

even

after

months

that are incomplete,

which are not full, and the child is viable and not a miscarriage.

As it is stated

[I Samuel 1:19–20]: “And Elkanah knew Hannah.

And it came to pass at the cycles of the days

that Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name Samuel.”

The minimum of “cycles”

is

two

cycles. And every “cycle” is three months.

And the minimum of “days”

is

two

days.

And since it says, “at the cycles of the days,” we learn that Hannah gave birth to Samuel after six months and two days. That is, there were only two days of the seventh month!

We learned in a beraita:

On Rosh Hashanah Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah were remembered

[according to everyone].

And we were examining it:

From where do we know this?

Rabbi Elazar said: It is derived

through a gzera shava

“visitation, visitation.”

And

it is derived

also through a gzera shava

“remembrance, remembrance.”

As follows:

It is written concerning Rachel [

Genesis 30]:

“And God remembered Rachel.”

And it is written concerning Hannah [

I Samuel 1:19]:

“And Hashem remembered her.”

And it is derived,

and we learn the remembrance mentioned concerning Rachel and Hannah through a gzera shava of

“remembrance, remembrance” from Rosh Hashanah.

As it is written [

Leviticus 23] concerning Rosh Hashanah:

“A sabbath-rest, a remembrance of the sounding of the shofar.”

And just as the remembrance mentioned here is on Rosh Hashanah, so too the remembrance mentioned concerning Rachel and Hannah was on Rosh Hashanah.

And from where is it known that Sarah too was visited on Rosh Hashanah?

This matter is learned through a gzera shava

“visitation, visitation”:

It is written concerning Hannah [

I Samuel 2]:

“For Hashem visited Hannah.”

And it is written concerning Sarah [

Genesis 21]:

“And Hashem visited Sarah.”

And just as Hannah was visited on Rosh Hashanah [as above], so too Sarah was visited on Rosh Hashanah.

We learned in a beraita:

On Rosh Hashanah Joseph went out from the prison [

according to all].

And we were examining it:

From where do we know this?

And we answer:

As it is written [

Psalms 81]:

“Sound in the month [

at the New Moon]

the shofar, when it is covered, on the day of our festival” [

at the festival of Rosh Hashanah, in which the moon is covered].

For it is a statute for Israel,

a judgment for the God of Jacob.”