Rosh Hashanah 7a (ז.) — the Talmud in English

The

Abaye, who said that one counts for it from the moment it is born, was speaking

about

a firstborn that was born

with a permanent blemish,

which is destined to be slaughtered outside the Temple courtyard as an ordinary animal, and from the day it is born it is fit for that purpose.

And we raise an objection:

an animal with a permanent blemish—

is it fit to be eaten!?

Is it possible to eat an animal with a permanent blemish on the day it is born? It may be a nonviable newborn, which is forbidden to eat, and slaughter does not permit an animal to be eaten until the eighth day and onward, at which point the animal is no longer subject to the doubt that it is a nonviable newborn.

And we resolve the difficulty: Abaye was speaking in a situation

where it is clear to him concerning it

that the owners know

that its gestation months have been completed,

meaning that the animal’s full gestation period had elapsed before it was born. In such a case, it may be eaten immediately.

The Sages taught: On the first of Nisan

it is

the New Year for

the counting of the

months

[Nisan is called the first month, Iyyar the second, and so on].

And for intercalation.

The Gemara assumes that this refers to convening a court to examine whether the coming year needs to be intercalated by adding a second Adar.

For this purpose, the year begins on the first of Nisan, and from then onward the court may deliberate on the matter. The Gemara will discuss this below.

And for the collection of half-shekels,

to begin offering offerings purchased with the contributions from the collection boxes of the new year’s half-shekels.

And some say: also for the rental of houses.

If one says to another: “I am renting you a house for this year,” his year ends on the first of Nisan, even if he lived there for only one month.

And the Gemara explains the statement of the beraita:

And we inquire:

For the months—

from where do we derive this?

From where do we know that the first of Nisan is the New Year for the months?

And we answer:

As it is written

[Exodus 12]:

“This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be for you the first of the months of the year.”

And from where do we know that the verse is speaking of Nisan and not of another month?

As is stated immediately after this verse:

“Speak to the entire assembly of Israel, saying: On the tenth of this month, each of them shall take a lamb for each parental home, a lamb for each household. And you shall have

the lamb

under guard until the fourteenth day of this month, and they shall slaughter it

the entire congregation of the assembly of Israel at twilight.”

From here we see that in the first month they offered the Paschal offering. But I still do not know which month is “the first month.”

And it is written

[Deuteronomy 16:1]:

“Observe the month of spring,

and perform the Pasover offering to the Lord your God.”

“Spring” refers to the first grain crop. That is, the barley, which ripens first, finishes ripening in this month.

Which month contains “spring”

that is, the ripening of the grain?

You must say: This is Nisan!

And the verse calls it

the month of Nisan

“the first.”

And from here we see that Nisan is the first month.

And we challenge this:

But perhaps

the first month is

Iyyar,

since there is still grain ripening in it!

And we answer:

We require

that in the first month the grain be

“spring,”

meaning the first grain to ripen.

And

this

is not found

in Iyyar, since the grain that ripens in Iyyar is not the first grain but late grain.

And we challenge this:

But perhaps

the first month is

Adar,

since the first barley ripens in it!

And we answer:

We require

that in the first month there be

most of the spring grain,

meaning that most of the grain should ripen in it,

and this is not found.

Most of the grain does not ripen until Nisan.

And we reject this answer:

Is

[it actually written]

“most of the spring grain”?!

After all, only “spring” is stated. It is possible that the reference is to Adar!

Rather, Rav Hisda said:

From where do we know that Nisan is the first month?—

From here,

from this verse [Leviticus 23]:

“Yet on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the produce of the land,

you shall celebrate the festival of the Lord [Sukkot] for seven days.”

Which month contains gathering?

The month in which the fruits lying in the fields to dry are gathered.

You must say: This is Tishrei!

For that is when people customarily bring the fruits into their houses, so that rain will not fall upon them and make them wet.

And it calls it,

the verse calls it

“the seventh”!

Since Tishrei is the seventh month, it necessarily follows that the counting of the months begins with Nisan.

And we challenge this:

But perhaps

the seventh month is

Marheshvan.

And what does “the seventh” mean,

the seventh relative to which month?—

The seventh relative to Iyyar!

And we would say that Iyyar is the first month!

And we answer:

We require

that in the seventh month there be

“gathering,”

and this is not found!

There is no gathering in the month of Heshvan.

And from here we see that it is not the seventh month.

And we challenge this:

But perhaps

the seventh month is

Elul,

since some people gather their grain early, in Elul

! And what does “the seventh” mean,

the seventh relative to which month?—

The seventh relative to Adar!

And we would say that Adar is the first month!

And we answer:

We require

that in the seventh month there be

most of the “gathering,”

and this is not found!

Most people do not gather their grain in Elul, but in Tishrei!

And we reject this answer:

Is

it actually

written “most of the gathering”?!

After all, only “gathering” is stated. It is possible that this refers to Elul, which would be the seventh month relative to Adar! The question therefore remains: From where do we know that the first month is Nisan?

Rather, Ravina said:

Indeed,

we did not learn this matter from the Torah of Moses our Teacher.

We learned it only

from the words of tradition

[the received teachings of the Prophets],

we learned it:

As it is stated [Zechariah 1]:

“On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month,

the eleventh month, which

is the month of Shevat.”

From here we see that the first month is Nisan, since Shevat is the eleventh month relative to it.

Rabba bar Ulla said: From here,

we learn that Nisan is the first month from this verse [Esther 2]:

“And Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, to his royal house, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tevet.”

And from here we see that the first month is Nisan.

Rav Kahana said: From here

[Zechariah 7]:

“On the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Kislev.”

Rav Aha bar Yaakov said: From here

[Esther 8]:

“And the king’s scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan.”

Rav Ashi said: From here

[Esther 3:7]:

“They cast

the lot before Haman from day to day and from month to month, to the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.”

And if you wish, say instead,

if you wish, you can learn that Nisan is the first month

from here,

from what is stated [at the beginning of the verse]:

“In the first month, which is the month of Nisan,

they cast the lot before Haman.”

It is explicitly stated that Nisan is the first month!

And we challenge this:

And all of them,

all the amoraim who proved from the numbering of the other months that Nisan is the first month—

why did they not say it from this verse!?

Why did they not derive from this verse, which explicitly speaks of Nisan itself, that it is the first month?

And we answer: They maintain that one cannot prove from here that Nisan is the first month in every context, because it can be rejected:

Perhaps

[perhaps]

what

is meant by

“first”

mentioned here is

first for its particular matter!

That is, first in the context of Haman’s decree to annihilate all the Jews. One cannot infer from here that, throughout the Torah, the first month is Nisan.

The Gemara now explains why our Mishna did not mention that the first of Nisan is also the New Year for the months:

And our tanna,

the tanna who taught our Mishna,

was speaking about years,

he spoke only with regard to the New Years. But

with regard to

the matter of

months, he was not speaking,

he did not discuss them.

And the Gemara continues to explain the beraita:

We learned in the beraita: On the first of Nisan, it is the New Year for the months

and for intercalation.

The Gemara understood the beraita to mean that from the first of Nisan the year begins with regard to intercalation; from that point onward, the court may deliberate concerning the needs of the community and determine whether it is appropriate to intercalate that year.

And we inquire: Is it indeed the case that

for intercalation

we count from Nisan!?

Do we count the year from Nisan, so that from then onward it may be intercalated?!

But it was taught in a beraita: A year may not be intercalated before the New Year,

because if the inhabitants of the Diaspora were informed before the New Year that the year had been intercalated, there would be concern that they might forget this by the following Adar and celebrate Passover in Adar.

And if they intercalated it

before the New Year,

it is not intercalated,

and they do not intercalate it until Adar arrives.

But in pressing circumstances,

for example, if the court fears that the gentiles will prevent them from sitting and deliberating on the matter —

they intercalate it immediately after the New Year.

And even so,

although in pressing circumstances it is possible to intercalate the year from Tishrei,

they intercalate only

the month of

Adar,

adding an additional month, the second Adar, after the first Adar. They do not intercalate another month, even though it is already clear that the year must be intercalated by adding an additional month.

In any event, we learned in this beraita that it is impossible to intercalate the year before the New Year. If so, what is the meaning of the earlier beraita, which stated that the first of Nisan is the New Year for intercalation?

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: What is meant by “for intercalation”—

the termination of intercalation!

From the first of Nisan onward, a new year has already begun with regard to intercalation, and therefore the court can no longer intercalate Nisan by declaring that this Nisan is the second Adar.

As we learned

this law in a Mishna [Eduyot 7:7]:

They,

Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Pappaias,

testified

that they had received from their teachers

that they intercalate

the

year

throughout

all

the days of the month of

Adar.

Even if the court saw after Purim that it was appropriate to intercalate the year, it could intercalate it at that time.

And why did they need to testify about this?

Because

there were

Sages

saying

that the year may be intercalated only

until Purim.

Therefore Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Pappaias testified that they had received from their teachers that it may be intercalated throughout the entire month of Adar.

And we inquire:

What is the reason,

what is the reason for the statement

of the one who says

that the year may be intercalated

until Purim

only?

And we explain:

Since the Master said

in a beraita:

The homilists

ask,

engaging in discussion before the public

about the laws of Passover thirty days before Passover,

and the public hears from the homilists that they must observe Passover in thirty days.

And if the court intercalates the year and postpones Passover, there is concern that the people might question the words of the court’s messengers and observe Passover at its appointed time, as they heard from the preachers. and

this could lead to belittling,

and they might come to treat

the

prohibition of

leaven

during its prohibited time with contempt.

That is, at the date established for it after they intercalated the year.

But the other view,

the tannaim who maintain that the year may be intercalated until the first of Nisan—why are they not concerned that people might treat the prohibition of leaven with contempt?

Because

it is immediately known that the year has been intercalated—

the matter depends on a calculation!

Everyone knows that intercalation of the year depends on the calculation of the court.

And they reason,

and they maintain that

the calculation was not completed by the Sages until now.

The calculation had not yet been completed by the Sages, and therefore the preachers expounded the laws of Passover. But ultimately the Sages completed their calculation and intercalated the year.

The Gemara now explains why our Mishna did not mention that the first of Nisan is also the New Year for intercalation:

And we say:

But our tanna,

who formulated our Mishna only

with regard to the beginning,

spoke only of laws that begin to apply at the New Year. But

he did not speak with regard to the cutoff.

He did not speak of laws that bring intercalation to an end at the beginning of the year, from which point onward the year can no longer be intercalated.

The Gemara explains the continuation of the beraita:

We learned in a beraita: On the first of Nisan is the New Year for months and for intercalation,

and for the collection of shekels,

meaning, to begin offering sacrifices purchased from the contributions collected in the collection boxes from the shekels of the new year.

And we inquire:

From where do we know this?

From where do we know that beginning on the first of Nisan they begin offering sacrifices purchased with the shekels of the new year?

Rabbi Yoshaya said: The verse states

Numbers 28]:

“This is the burnt offering of the New Moon in its renewal, for the months of the year.”

The verse repeated the word “month” three times, as an extra expression—

the Torah said: Renew and bring a sacrifice—

from a new contribution.

And they derive,

and the Sages learn the year mentioned here through a gzera shava of

“year, year” from

the month of

Nisan.

As it is written [

Exodus 12:2], concerning the month of Nisan:

“It is the first for you among the months of ‘the year.’”

Just as this year begins in Nisan, so too the year of the sacrifices begins in Nisan.

And we raise an objection:

But let us derive

it through a gzera shava of

“year, year” from Tishrei.

As it is written [

Deuteronomy 12]:

“From the beginning of the year,”

and the Gemara below [8a] proves that this refers to Tishrei, which is the beginning of the year with regard to judgment, when the Almighty judges all the inhabitants of the world. Thus it should be learned from here that the year of the sacrifices begins in Tishrei and not in Nisan!

And we answer:

They derive

the

year

mentioned in the context of sacrifices,

which has months alongside it,

as months were mentioned together with it—“for the months of the year”—

from the year

that begins in Nisan,

which has

also

months alongside it, “It is the first for you among the months of the year.”

And they do not derive

the year

in the context of sacrifices

which has months alongside it, “for the months of the year,”

from the year

which has months alongside it, “for the months of the year,”

from the year

that

begins in Tishrei,

which does not

mention

months alongside it [

as only “from the beginning of the year” is written concerning it].

The Gemara explains the matter of the collection of the shekels:

Rabbi Yehuda said that Shmuel said: With regard to communal sacrifices brought on the first of Nisan—

it is a mitzva to bring

them

from the new

contribution, from the shekels of the new year.

And if he brought them from the old,

from the shekels of the previous year—

he has fulfilled

his obligation,

but he has failed to fulfill a mitzva

of bringing the sacrifices from the shekels of the new year.

It was taught likewise in a beraita,

as we likewise learned in a beraita:

With regard to communal sacrifices brought on the first of Nisan—

it is a mitzva to bring them from the new.

And if he brought them from the old—

he has fulfilled his obligation, but he has failed to fulfill a mitzva.

The beraita continues:

And if an individual dedicated

animals

from his own property,

and consecrated them for the sake of communal sacrifices—

the sacrifices are valid

to be offered as communal sacrifices.

And

only,

on condition that

he transfers them to the community

at the time he consecrates them as communal sacrifices!

And we raise an objection:

Is it obvious?

It is obvious that when an individual consecrates his animals as a communal sacrifice, so that they belong to the community, they are valid! Why did the tanna take the trouble to teach us something so obvious!?

Apparently, there is a very significant novelty here: an individual can consecrate a communal sacrifice, even though this sacrifice was not purchased at all from the shekels donated by the entire Jewish people. How, then, can it be considered a communal sacrifice when it was consecrated by a single person, from his private property!?

The explanation of the matter [in accordance with the Hazon Ish, Orah Hayyim 126:33] is that this individual consecrates the sacrifice as though he were granting it to the community, and consecrates it on behalf of the community.

That is, the designation of the sacrifice as a communal sacrifice applies to the community, as though the community had consecrated it. Therefore, it is unnecessary to purchase it with the community’s shekels, and this is obvious.

And we answer:

Lest you say,

perhaps I would say:

Let us be concerned

that there is reason for concern

perhaps: