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Rosh Hashanah 30b

ראש השנה ל׳ ע״ב

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Topic

רבן יוחנן בן זכאי's rulings after the חורבן on חדש and on accepting witnesses for the new month, and the mistake the לויים made in the שיר

Overview

The amud opens by explaining why רבן יוחנן בן זכאי forbade new grain (חדש) for the whole sixteenth of ניסן after the חורבן. He followed רבי יהודה, who reads 'עד עצם היום הזה' as 'until and including that day,' so the prohibition is from the Torah. The גמרא deals with a משנה where רבי יהודה seems to argue with him. It answers that רבי יהודה misunderstood him, and that 'התקין' there means 'he explained the פסוק and set the practice.' Then a new משנה tells a three-stage history: witnesses for the new month were first accepted all day. After a late arrival made the לויים go wrong in their שיר, they were accepted only until מנחה. After the חורבן, רבן יוחנן בן זכאי brought back the all-day practice. The גמרא asks what the לויים' mistake was. The scholars in בבל say they sang nothing, while רבי זירא says they sang the weekday song. רבי זירא's proof from the word 'שיבוש' is answered. Then רב אחא בר הונא brings a ברייתא about a Thursday ראש השנה. Its words 'says it and repeats it' show that the weekday song was sung while the day was in doubt.

Opening lines

בְּשִׁיטַת רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אַמְרַהּ,

He said it following the approach of Rabbi Yehuda,

דְּאָמַר: ״עַד עֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה״,

who said: "Until this very day"

עַד עַצְמוֹ שֶׁל יוֹם.

means until the day itself.

וְקָסָבַר: עַד, וְעַד בַּכְּלָל.

And he holds: "until" means until and including.

The steps (19)

  1. Resolutionרבן יוחנן בן זכאי followed רבי יהודה's reading of the verse
  2. ChallengeA משנה shows רבי יהודה disagreeing with רבן יוחנן בן זכאי
  3. Resolutionרבי יהודה misunderstood רבן יוחנן בן זכאי
  4. ChallengeBut the משנה says he 'instituted'
  5. Resolution'Instituted' means he explained the verse and set the practice
  6. StatementOriginally, witnesses were accepted all day
  7. StatementA late arrival leads to a new cutoff at מנחה
  8. StatementWitnesses after מנחה: keep both days holy
  9. Statementרבן יוחנן בן זכאי restores the all-day practice
  10. QuestionWhat did the לויים get wrong in the שיר?
  11. ResponseThe view in בבל: they sang no song at all
  12. Responseרבי זירא: they sang the weekday song
  13. Proofרבי זירא sends a ברייתא to בבל
  14. ChallengeThe word 'mistake' fits only a wrong song
  15. ResolutionSilence is the biggest mistake of all
  16. Challengeרב אחא בר הונא quotes the songs of ראש השנה
  17. ChallengeOn a Thursday ראש השנה, the morning song is changed to avoid repeating
  18. ChallengeIf the witnesses came late, the song is repeated anyway
  19. ChallengeThe repetition proves the weekday song is sung when in doubt