Rosh Hashanah 9a — the Talmud in English

And we answer:

And the Rabbis

derive from the verse, “It is the Jubilee, the fiftieth year,” to teach you that in that year only

“the fiftieth year”

alone

do you count.

And you do not count

that same year as belonging to two reckonings:

a.

The fiftieth year

of the previous Jubilee.

b.

And one

for the next Jubilee.

For one does not begin counting fifty years for the next Jubilee starting from the Jubilee year itself, but only beginning from the year after the Jubilee.

And the verse comes to teach according to the Rabbis,

to exclude

—to exclude

Rabbi Judah, who says: The fiftieth year counts

for this reckoning and for that reckoning!

In his view, it is considered both the year of the previous Jubilee and the first year in the counting of the next Sabbatical cycle.

It teaches us—

the verse has informed us—

that it is not so.

And the Gemara returns to explain the beraita, which follows the view of Rabbi Ishmael, son of Rabbi Yohanan ben Beroka. For we learned in it:

One might have thought: Just as it becomes sanctified progressively from its beginning, so does it become sanctified progressively at its end. And do not wonder at this, for “we add from the profane onto the sacred.”

And we raise the question:

And “we add from the profane onto the sacred”—

from where do we know it?

From where do we learn this?

For it was taught:

It is stated [Exodus 34:21]: “Six days you shall work, and on the seventh day you shall rest,”

“in plowing and in harvesting you shall rest.”

And this verse requires explanation: Is it only plowing and harvesting that were prohibited on Shabbat? Surely there are thirty-nine primary labors that were prohibited on Shabbat?!

Rabbi Akiva says:

Although the beginning of the verse concerns observance of Shabbat, the end of the verse, “in plowing and in harvesting you shall rest,” necessarily refers to the Sabbatical year and not to Shabbat.

For it is impossible to say that on Shabbat only plowing and harvesting, which are field labors, are forbidden, but not the other labors.

But with regard to the Sabbatical year, in which only four labors of the field and tree are forbidden by Torah law [sowing, pruning, harvesting, and gathering grapes], it is possible to say that the verse mentions only the two labors of the field, and from them we also know the two labors of the tree—pruning and gathering grapes—which correspond to plowing and harvesting:

a. Pruning, which is a labor that brings about the growth of the tree, is learned from “plowing” stated in the verse, for the meaning of this “plowing” is the labor of sowing, because through plowing one turns the seeds into the soil.

b. Gathering grapes is learned from “harvesting” stated in the verse, for gathering grapes is also a labor of harvesting.

But even if it is possible to establish this verse as referring to the prohibition of labor during the Sabbatical year, it can still be challenged, for it is superfluous.

For

the verse does not need

this verse

to say

that

plowing and harvesting of the Sabbatical year

are forbidden.

For it has already been stated [Leviticus 25:4–5], concerning the Sabbatical year:

“

You shall not sow your field.

You shall not harvest the aftergrowth of your harvest.” If so, what does this verse come to teach us?

Rather,

if this verse “does not concern” the Sabbatical year itself, “assign it a concern” and establish it as referring to the prohibition of

plowing on the eve of the Sabbatical year that extends into the Sabbatical year.

That is, this verse is not superfluous; rather, it contains a novel teaching that cannot be learned from another place.

And through it the Torah taught that there is a prohibition even during the sixth year, the eve of the Sabbatical year, against plowing before the Sabbatical year for the benefit of the crops that will grow during the Sabbatical year!

And from here we learn that there is an addition to the Sabbatical year at its beginning, before the Sabbatical year began.

And

if the harvesting mentioned in the verse comes to teach anew that the laws of the Sabbatical year apply even to

the harvesting of the Sabbatical year that extends into the year after the Sabbatical year,

that is, to grain that grew and reached one-third of its growth during the Sabbatical year, but was not harvested until the year after the Sabbatical year,

the verse informed us that with regard to that grain one must observe both its harvesting and its sanctity according to the law of grain that grew and was harvested during the Sabbatical year itself.

And from here we learn that there is an addition to the Sabbatical year at its end, after the Sabbatical year has ended. And

Rabbi Ishmael

disagrees with Rabbi Akiva and

says:

The verse, “In plowing and in harvesting you shall rest,” does not speak concerning the Sabbatical year or concerning the addition to the Sabbatical year, but concerning Shabbat itself. Just as the beginning of the verse refers to Shabbat: “Six days you shall work, and on the seventh day you shall rest.”

And the verse comes to say:

What—

just as

plowing

that is prohibited on Shabbat refers to plowing

of a voluntary matter,

and not of a mitzva, for there is no plowing that is obligatory,

and even one who plows and sows for the purpose of fulfilling the mitzva of the Omer or the mitzva of the two loaves has no mitzva in his plowing or sowing, such that we should permit him to plow and sow on Shabbat for the purpose of the mitzva of the Omer,

for if he found a plowed or sown field, it would be fit for harvesting and for bringing grain from it for the purpose of the Omer,

and the Torah did not permit plowing and sowing for the purpose of the Omer, since there is no mitzva in plowing or sowing in order to grow grain for the mitzva of offering the Omer,

it follows that the harvesting that the Torah prohibited on Shabbat is only harvesting of a voluntary matter and not of a mitzva [for “harvesting of a mitzva” is not applicable].

Even harvesting

that the Torah prohibited on Shabbat is specifically harvesting of a

voluntary matter.

Excluded

from this prohibition is

the harvesting of the Omer,

which is permitted to perform on Shabbat, since

it

is harvesting

of a mitzva.

For even if there are already cut wheat stalks before us, it is a mitzva to cut others for the purpose of the mitzva of the Omer. And here the Torah permitted harvesting the Omer on Shabbat.

And now, according to Rabbi Akiva, we have learned what the source is for the law that one adds from the profane onto the sacred.

But it is still necessary to find the source for this according to Rabbi Ishmael.

And the Gemara explains:

And Rabbi Ishmael,

who does not derive the addition to the Sabbatical year from this verse—if so, the law that

“one adds from the profane onto the sacred”—

from where does he derive it!?

He derives it—

this law emerges for him

from that which was taught:

It is stated [Leviticus 23:32], concerning Yom Kippur:

“And you shall afflict your souls on the ninth

of the month [Tishrei].”

One might have thought

that they would be obligated to fast

on the ninth

of the month.

The verse teaches

in the continuation of the verse: “On the ninth of the month,”

“in the evening!”

The meaning is: In the evening following the ninth of the month—then the mitzva of fasting begins.

If “in the evening,” one might have thought

that the mitzva of affliction begins only

when it grows dark?

The verse teaches: “On the ninth

of the month.” But when it grows dark, it is already the tenth of the month, and not the ninth; necessarily, the mitzva of affliction begins while it is still day

! How is this so?

He begins and fasts while it is still day.

And here the verse

teaches that one adds from the profane onto the sacred.

From the ninth day, which is profane, onto the tenth day, which is sacred.

I have no

source from which to learn that one adds from the profane onto the sacred

except at its entry,

of Yom Kippur, before Yom Kippur began.

At its departure,

of Yom Kippur—

from where

do we know that one adds onto it?

The verse teaches

in the continuation of the verse:

“From evening to evening.”

That is, until the evening [night] after Yom Kippur, including that time.

And from here we learn that one adds onto Yom Kippur also at its departure.

And

I have no

source from which to learn that one adds from the profane onto the sacred,

except

on

Yom Kippur,

about which the verse spoke.

Shabbatot—

from where

do we know that we must add onto them from the profane onto the sacred, at their entry and at their departure?

The verse teaches

in the continuation of that verse: “[From evening to evening]

you shall rest.”

And this word is superfluous, and it comes to teach that even on Shabbat, concerning which the law of resting from all labor was stated, one adds from the profane onto the sacred.

Festivals—

from where

do we know that one adds from the profane onto the sacred?

The verse says

in the continuation of the verse: “ [From evening until evening you shall rest

your rest.”]

And this word is superfluous. And it comes to include that there are additional days to which one must add from the profane to the sacred.

How so?

Every place where there is a cessation [a law of cessation from work] —

правило воздержания от работы] —

one adds

to it

from the profane to the sacred.

And now the Gemara raises a difficulty against Rabbi Akiva, who holds that they learn from “You shall cease from plowing and harvesting” that one adds from the profane to the sacred:

And Rabbi Akiva, this

verse,

“And you shall afflict your souls on the ninth

of the month in the evening”—

what does he do with it?

What will he learn from this verse? Is the verse not unnecessary according to his view to teach us that one adds from the profane to the sacred, since this law is already learned from “You shall cease from plowing and harvesting”!

We answer:

He needs it

for this verse is needed for another exposition,

as Hiyya bar Rav of Difti taught:

For Hiyya bar Rav of Difti taught:

It is stated:

“And you shall afflict your souls on the ninth.”

And this verse requires explanation:

But on the ninth

day

do they fast?

Is it not on the tenth

only

that they fast,

for it is stated: “On the ninth of the month—in the evening”!

Rather,

the verse comes

to tell you:

Anyone who eats and drinks on the ninth—

the verse considers it for him: ![](pamud.bmp "

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as though he fasted on the ninth and the tenth.

And so the verse said: Eating on the ninth of the month is considered like affliction. And since eating on the ninth is important like affliction, it is a mitzva to increase eating and drinking on the ninth.