Shabbat 87b — the Talmud in English

Rava said:

sixth

for their encampment.

For on the first of the month they encamped in the wilderness of Sinai, and the sixth of their encampment was on the sixth of the month and on the sixth day of the week, according to the words of Rabbi Yosei, as we said.

Rav Aha bar Yaakov said:

sixth

for their journeys.

That is, also for their journey from Rephidim, for on that very day on which they came to the wilderness of Sinai, they departed from Rephidim.

And these amoraim, who disputed whether they journeyed from Rephidim on that very day or the day before, that is, on Shabbat,

dispute concerning the Shabbat of Marah,

concerning the mitzva of Shabbat about which they were commanded עוד in Marah, how it was stated.

As it is written: “

Observe the day of Shabbat, to sanctify it,

as the Lord your God commanded you.”

And it follows that they were commanded concerning Shabbat before the giving of the Torah; and where were they commanded?

And Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: “As He commanded you”—

in Marah!

For it is written there: “There He made for him a statute and a judgment.”

The master

Rava

held:

only

concerning Shabbat,

concerning cessation from labor on Shabbat,

they were commanded,

but

concerning the Shabbat limits they were not commanded

in Marah, until the giving of the Torah. Therefore they were able to travel from Rephidim on Shabbat and walk in it more than two thousand cubits, and only the encampment was on Sunday, which was Rosh Hodesh.

And the master

Rav Aha bar Yaakov

held: They were also commanded concerning the Shabbat limits

in Marah, which was before Rephidim. And necessarily, they traveled from Rephidim only on Sunday.

Come and hear:

It was taught in a beraita: The month

of Nisan in which Israel departed from Egypt: On the fourteenth

of it

they slaughtered their Paschal offerings.

And on the fifteenth

of it

they departed.

And toward evening they were struck

by the plague of

the firstborn.

And we raise a difficulty: Is it conceivable that

toward evening

they were struck by the firstborn?

Could it enter your mind?!

For “toward evening” implies the evening following the fifteenth.

And we answer:

Rather, say: From the evening they were struck by the firstborn.

And the beraita continues:

And that day

on which they departed from Egypt

was the fifth day of the week.

And we infer:

Since the fifteenth of Nisan

was on the

fifth day of the week,

if so,

the beginning of the month of Iyar

fell on

Shabbat.

For the month of Nisan, according to the order of the months’ days when they are not sanctified according to the moon, is full, as it always has thirty days.

And since the difference between the fifteenth day of Nisan and the thirtieth of Nisan is fifteen days, which are two weeks and one day, and the following day is Rosh Hodesh Iyar, therefore, if the fifteenth of Nisan fell on Thursday, Rosh Hodesh Iyar fell on Shabbat.

And

it is likewise found that

the beginning of the month of Sivan

fell on

the first day of the week.

For the month of Iyar is deficient according to the order, and has only twenty-nine days, since the months are in their order, one full and one deficient. And since the month of Iyar has twenty-nine days, it contains four weeks and one day. It follows that the twenty-ninth day of the month of Iyar was Shabbat, for the beginning of the month was on Shabbat. And on the Sunday following it, Rosh Hodesh Sivan fell.

This is a difficulty for the Rabbis,

who say that Rosh Hodesh Sivan was on the second day of the week?

And we answer:

The Rabbis can say to you: Iyar of that year—

they intercalated it,

and made it full, with thirty days. And if so, Rosh Hodesh Sivan was on the second day of the week.

Come and hear

an explicit beraita

that they did not intercalate it

Iyar in that year.

For it was taught:

Nisan in which Israel departed from Egypt: On the fourteenth

of it

they slaughtered their Paschal offerings; on the fifteenth

of it

they departed, and toward evening the firstborn were struck.

And we raise a difficulty: Is it conceivable that

“toward evening” could enter your mind?!

And we answer:

Rather, say: From the evening the firstborn were struck.

And the beraita continues:

And that day

on which they departed from Egypt

was the fifth day of the week.

Nisan was completed,

for they filled it to thirty days, “full” in the sense of “filled,”

and it occurred,

Rosh Hodesh

Iyar was on Shabbat.

The month of Iyar was deficient,

the month

of Iyar,

and it was twenty-nine days, since the months are in their order, one full and one deficient,

and it occurred that

Rosh Hodesh

Sivan was on the first day of the week.

This is a difficulty for the Rabbis,

for it is proven that they did not intercalate Iyar.

And we answer:

Whose view is this

this beraita?

It is Rabbi Yosei’s.

But the Rabbis hold that Iyar in that year was intercalated.

Rav Pappa said: Come and hear:

It was taught: It is written,

“And they journeyed from Elim, and the entire assembly of the children of Israel came

to the wilderness of Sin ...

on the fifteenth day of the second month

after their departure from the land of Egypt.”

And that day was Shabbat,

for on that day the children of Israel complained that they had no food. As it is written: “And they complained ... against Moses and against Aaron ... for you have brought us out into this wilderness to put this entire assembly to death with hunger,” and the Holy One, blessed is He, promised them that He would bring down manna for them on the following day.

For it is written: “And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord.”

And the manna began to descend on the first day of the week, but on Shabbat itself manna did not descend, for

it is written: “For six days you shall gather it,

and on the seventh day, Shabbat, there will be none on it.””

It follows that the day of their coming to the wilderness of Sin, which was the preceding day, was Shabbat.

And we infer:

And since the fifteenth of Iyar was Shabbat,

if so,

the beginning of the month of Sivan was the first day of the week,

for the month of Iyar is deficient.

A difficulty for the Rabbis!

And we answer:

The Rabbis can say to you: Iyar of that year—

they intercalated it,

and Rosh Hodesh Sivan was only on the second day of the week.

Rav Havivi of Mehoza said to Rav Ashi: Come and hear:

It is written:

“And it was in the first month, in the second year, on the first of the month—

the Tabernacle was erected.”

It was taught: That day received ten crowns,

for it was the first with regard to ten matters:

a.

The first of the acts of Creation,

for it was on the first day of the week.

b.

The first for the leaders,

for the bringing of the offerings of the leaders for the dedication of the House.

c.

The first for the priesthood,

for until then the sacrificial service was performed by the firstborn, and from then on it was performed by Aaron and his sons.

d.

The first for the service,

for arranging the public service, that is, the offering of the daily offerings and the other public offerings.

e.

The first for the descent of the fire

from Heaven upon the altar.

f.

The first for the eating of consecrated things.

For it was not permitted to eat consecrated things except within the partition appropriate to them: the most holy offerings within the curtains in the courtyard of the Tabernacle, and lesser holy offerings throughout the camp of Israel. Whereas until then they ate peace offerings wherever they wished.

g.

The first for the dwelling of the Shekhinah

among Israel, for it is written: “And they shall make Me a Sanctuary, and I shall dwell among them,” which implies that until then the Shekhinah had not rested among them.

h.

The first for blessing Israel

with the priestly blessing, as it is stated in the section “And it was on the eighth day”: “And Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them.”

i.

The first for the prohibition of private altars,

for until then each one offered on a private altar, and from then on they were prohibited, as it is written: “And to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting they did not bring them.”

j.

The first for the months,

as it is written: “And it was in the first month.”

And we infer:

And since the beginning of the month of Nisan of that year

of the second year after their departure from Egypt

was on the first day of the week,

if so, necessarily

in the preceding year,

when they departed from Egypt, Rosh Hodesh Nisan

was on the fourth day of the week

.

For it was taught: Others [that is,

Rabbi Meir]

say: There is no difference between the Festival of Weeks

of this year

and the Festival of Weeks

of the following year,

and

likewise

there is no difference between Rosh Hashanah

and Rosh Hashanah

except

a difference of

only four days.

That is, if Rosh Hashanah falls this year on the first day of the week, the following year it will fall on Thursday. For according to their view, the establishment of the months is always one full and one deficient; it follows that the days of six full months and six deficient months together total three hundred and fifty-four days.

Three hundred and fifty of them divide into complete weeks, and four days remain, which are the excess expressed in the days of the week from one year to the next.

And if it was a leap year,

the difference is

five

days. For the additional month of Adar is twenty-nine days. Twenty-eight of them divide into complete weeks, and one extra day of the week remains.

And since Rosh Hodesh Nisan in the first year was on the fourth day of the week,

it follows that the beginning of the month of Iyar

in the first year was on

the eve of Shabbat,

on Friday,

and the beginning of the month of Sivan was on Shabbat.

This is a difficulty both according to Rabbi Yosei and according to the Rabbis!

For according to everyone, Rosh Hodesh Sivan did not fall on Shabbat.

And we answer:

According to Rabbi Yosei, seven

months

they made deficient

in the first year. He does not hold like Others, who say that it is always one full and one deficient. And if so, between the first year and the second there were only three days. It follows that Rosh Hodesh Nisan in the first year fell on Thursday, and Rosh Hodesh Sivan on the first day of the week.