Rosh Hashanah 21b — the Talmud in English

Mishna:

According to Torah law, witnesses who saw the renewal of the moon on Shabbat indeed profane Shabbat and go outside the Shabbat limit, to Jerusalem, in order to testify before the court.

But the Sages prohibited profaning Shabbat for most of the new months, except for Nisan and Tishrei, as follows:

For two new months they profane Shabbat: for Nisan and for Tishrei.

For the establishment of these new months is important. And we find that the Sages instituted

that for them messengers go out to Syria

to inform the people of the Diaspora when the beginning of the new month was established.

And for them the festivals are arranged.

And since the arrangement of the festivals depends upon these two new months, they permitted profaning Shabbat for them.

And when the Temple was standing,

they

would profane [Shabbat] even for all of them,

for all the new months,

because of the regulation of the offering,

so that they would offer the additional offering of the beginning of the new month at its proper time.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: For two new months they profane Shabbat. For them [for Nisan and Tishrei] messengers go out to Syria.

And we raise an objection: Is it so that

for two new months

alone the messengers would go out,

and no more,

and not beyond this?!

And we raise a contradiction

from the preceding Mishna: For this is what we learned in the preceding Mishna:

For six new months the messengers go out!

Said

and resolved

Abaye:

This is what it says,

this is what the tannai intended to say:

For all of them,

for the other new months for which the messengers go out, the

messengers would go out from the evening.

Even though the court does not sit and sanctify the new month except during the day, if the messengers knew that the court would certainly sanctify the new month on the following day, they would go out on the preceding evening.

For example, when already on the twenty-ninth day of the month, or on the night of the thirtieth, the renewal of the moon was clearly seen, and there would certainly be witnesses to the matter.

Or, for example, when the court did not sanctify the new month on the thirtieth day. They would certainly sanctify it on the following day.

But,

for Nisan and for Tishrei

the messengers would not go out

until they heard from the mouth of the court

that they said

“Sanctified”

during the day. [For this reason, in the other new months for which the messengers go out, the profaning of Shabbat by the witnesses would not provide additional time for the messengers’ journey, as follows, whereas this is not so with Nisan and Tishrei:

Because when it happened that the moon was renewed on Shabbat, then in the other new months for which the messengers go out, whether the witnesses would testify on Shabbat and sanctify the new month that very day, or whether the witnesses would not profane Shabbat and the court would sanctify the new month on the following day [on the day of intercalation], in every case the messengers go out at the conclusion of Shabbat:

If they sanctified it on Shabbat, they go out at the conclusion of Shabbat because their journey does not override Shabbat. And if they did not sanctify it on Shabbat, it is clear that they will sanctify it tomorrow, and in the other new months the messengers go out from the evening.

But in Nisan and Tishrei, if the witnesses do not profane Shabbat and the court sanctifies the month on the following day, they will not be able to go out at the conclusion of Shabbat until the day arrives and the court says “Sanctified.” It follows that the time during which the witnesses can travel will be shortened, and they will not reach the distant places before Passover.

A beraita also taught so: For all of them they go out from the evening; for Nisan and for Tishrei

until they hear from the mouth of the court “Sanctified.”

The Sages taught:

From where is it derived that they profane Shabbat for them?

The verse states [Leviticus 23]:

Leviticus 23 ]:

“These are the appointed times of the Lord,

holy convocations

which you shall proclaim in their appointed times.”

The verse warned that the proclamation of the festivals as holy convocations should be in their appointed time and not afterward, and the matter depends upon the sanctification of the new month by the court. [And the beginning of the new month is also called an appointed time, and therefore by Torah law they profane Shabbat for all the new months, even though there are no festivals in them].

The new month is also called an appointed time; therefore, by Torah law, Shabbat is desecrated for all the months, even those in which there are no festivals].

One might have thought,

perhaps you will say:

Just as they profane

the witnesses Shabbat

until they are sanctified [before the new months were sanctified],

so that they will be sanctified at their proper time,

so they profane

the messengers Shabbat after the new months have been sanctified

until

so that]

the festivals are fulfilled

at their proper time.

The verse states: “which you shall proclaim.”

This teaches you that specifically

for their proclamation you profane [Shabbat], but you do not profane [Shabbat] for their fulfillment.

We learned in the Mishna:

And when the Temple was standing, they would profane [Shabbat] even for all of them, because of the regulation of the offering.

The Sages taught:

At first they would profane [Shabbat] even for all of them,

even

after the Temple was destroyed.

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai said to them: Is it so that

now

there is an offering

for which it is necessary to profane Shabbat?

Therefore,

they instituted that they should profane [Shabbat] only for Nisan and Tishrei.

Mishna:

Our Mishna continues to discuss the profaning of Shabbat by the witnesses:

Whether it was seen

the moon at the time of its renewal

clearly,

distinctly, when the sky was clear [Tiferet Yisrael],

or whether it was not seen clearly, they profane Shabbat for it.

Rabbi Yose says: If it was seen clearly, they do not profane Shabbat for it,

because the people of Jerusalem certainly also saw it, and they can testify without profaning Shabbat.

An incident occurred in which

in Lod

more than forty pairs [of pairs] of witnesses passed

on their way to Jerusalem to testify about the renewal of the moon, and it was Shabbat,

and Rabbi Akiva detained them in Lod,

because there was no need for all these witnesses.

Rabban Gamaliel sent to him: If you detain the many

when there is no need for them,

you will cause them to stumble in the future,

so that they will refrain from coming to testify when they see that their words are not heeded, and perhaps in the future there will be a need for one of them, who alone saw the renewal of the moon.

Gemara:

And we raise the matter:

What indicates that this “clearly”

is an expression of being revealed?!

From where did we learn that “clearly” is an expression of revelation [that the matter is apparent to everyone]?

Rabbi Abbahu said: The verse says [Psalms 12]:

Psalms 12 ]:

“The sayings of the Lord are pure sayings,

like

refined silver

that is refined

in a revealed place of the earth,

in an exposed place in the depths of the earth,

purified sevenfold.”

And since the Gemara brought the verse, the Gemara brings a teaching in the name of Rav and Shmuel, who expounded this verse:

Rav and Shmuel

disagreed whether the gates of understanding were given to King Solomon as they were given to Moses our teacher, as follows:

One said:

What is “purified sevenfold”?

“Sevenfold” means seven times seven, that is, 49.

From here

[we learn that] fifty gates of understanding were created in the world.

And all of them

were given to Moses, lacking

one

gate.

As it is stated [Psalms 8]: “What is man that You remember him,

Psalms 8 ]: “What is man that You are mindful of him,

and You have made him slightly less than God,”

than the angels.

And that psalm is expounded [in the chapter “Rabbi Akiva”] concerning Moses our teacher.

And since it was stated about Moses “sevenfold,” meaning that 49 gates of understanding were given to him, we learn that fifty gates of understanding were created, for it is stated, “and You have made him slightly less.”

And concerning this it is stated [Ecclesiastes 12]:

“Kohelet sought to find words of delight,”

that is,

Kohelet sought to be like Moses.

A heavenly voice went forth and said to him [there in the continuation of the verse]:

there, later in the verse]:

“And what is written is upright, words of truth!”

It has already been stated in the Mishne Torah [Deuteronomy 34]:

“And no prophet arose again in Israel like Moses.”

And one

of them

said: Among the prophets, none arose like Moses,

but

among the kings, one arose.

Rather,

how

do I understand

the verse

“Kohelet sought to find words of delight”?

This is the meaning of the verse:

Kohelet sought to judge judgments of the heart

according to his wisdom,

without witnesses and without warning.

A heavenly voice went forth and said to him [in the continuation of the verse],

later in the verse]:

“And what is written is upright, words of truth!”

That is, it has already been stated in the Mishne Torah [Deuteronomy 17]:

“By the mouth of two witnesses

shall a matter be established.”