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Week 13 - Wednesday - 23 Feb. 2000

ERUVIN: CHAPTER 3: MISHNA 7

Rabbi Yehudah says: "If a person suspected that Rosh Hashanah might be intercalated, a man may make two eruvs and he says, 'My eruv for the first to the east and for the second to the west'; 'For the first to the west and for the second to the east'; 'My eruv on the first, and on the second as the people of my city'; 'My eruv on the second, and on the first as the people of my city.'" And the Sages did not agree with him.

Kehati

Rabbi Yehudah says: If a person suspected that Rosh Hashanah might be intercalated - As has been explained in several places, during the time of the Mishnah the new month was determined when the moon was sighted, i.e., on the testimony of witnesses, who saw the new moon, given before the Great Court. After examining them and finding their testimony to be correct, the court declared the new month, and announced this to all Israel, both in Eretz Israel and in the neighboring lands of the Diaspora. If the new moon was not seen on the night of the thirtieth, the Court would intercalate the month, i.e., the thirtieth day was included in the past month, and the thirty-first day was determined to be Rosh Hodesh. Rabbi Yehudah says that if it was suspected that the Great Court would intercalate the month of Elul, and Rosh Hashanah would be two days - the thirtieth day of Elul and the first day of Tishrei - and a person had to walk east of the city on the First day, and west on the second day, or vice versa, he may make two eruvs - he sets down two eruvs on Rosh Hashanah eve, i.e., on the twenty-ninth day of Elul, one in the east and one in the west, and he says, "My eruv for - the needs of - the first - day is - to the east and - my eruv - for - the needs of - the second - day is - to the west"; or he says,"My eruv - for - the needs of - the first - day is - to the west and for - the needs of - the second, my eruv shall be established to the east" - and similarly, if he needs to go beyond the Shabbat bounds only on the first day or the second day, he sets down one eruv and he says, "My eruv - shall be established - on - for - the first - day, and on the second - l am - as the people of my city" - who did not set down an eruv, or he says, "My eruv - shall be established - on - for - the second - day, and on the first - I am - as the people of my city"- Rabbi Yehudah holds that the two days of Rosh Hashanah are holy only owing to the doubt whether the Court declared the thirtieth or the thirty-first day of Elul as the first day of the new month, and one of the two days is not holy. Therefore, the law in the preceding mishnah of the Festival that is next to the Shabbat applies here, according to the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer.
But the Sages did not agree with him - Rabbi Yehudah, for according to them the two days are one sanctity. Rosh Hashanah is not observed two days only because of the doubt whether the Court declared the thirtieth day of Elul as the first day of the new month, but rather because witnesses might come on the thirtieth day of Elul, after Minhah time, and will testify that they saw the new moon. It was therefore instituted that the two days of Rosh Hashanah are equally holy (R.H.,4:4) and are considered as one long day, and one may make an eruv on them for two days in one direction only. This is the halakhah. Regarding, however, the two days of the other Festivals, observed outside of Eretz Israel, which were instituted only because of the doubt as to when the Great Court declared the new month, even the Sages agree with Rabbi Yehudah that they are two sanctities, and a person may make two eruvs, for two directions.

ERUVIN: CHAPTER 3: MISHNAH 8

And Rabbi Yehudah said further, A man may stipulate regarding a basket on the first Festival day and he may eat it on the second. And so, too, an egg laid on the first, may be eaten on the second. But the Sages did not agree with him.

Kehati

This mishnah, which deals with the two days ofRosh Hashanah, is also taught incidentally to the preceding mishnah.

And Rabbi Yehudah said further - regarding the two days of Rosh Hashanah, A man may stipulate regarding a basket - containing level (i.e., produce from which terumah and the ma'aserot have not been set aside, on the first Festival - of Rosh Hashanah, and say,"If today is a weekday and tomorrow is a holy day, this shall be terumah for this produce, and if today is a holy day, let my words be void," for terumah and ma'aser may not be set aside on a Festival. And on the following day he says,"If today is a holy day and yesterday was a weekday, then I already set aside terumah for this produce yesterday, and if today is a weekday, then I set aside that terumah now," and he may eat it - the produce in the basket, on the second - day of Rosh Hashanah, for it was made fit in either case. Rabbi Yehudah follows his opinion (see the preceding mishnah) that the two days of Rosh Hashanah are observed because of the doubt, just as the two days of every Festival, celebrated outside Eretz Israel, and one of the two days is actually a weekday. And so, too, an egg laid on the first - day of Rosh Hashanah, may be eaten on the second - for the same reason, for if the first day was a holiday, then the egg that was laid on a Festival is forbidden only on the same day, but may be eaten on the second day. And if the first day is a weekday, then the egg was laid on a weekday, and was prepared from the weekday for the Festival.
But the Sages did not agree with him - Rabbi Yehudah, for the reason explained in the preceding mishnah, i.e., that they hold that the two Rosh Hashanah Festival days are one sanctity, and are both holy. Regarding, however, the two days of the other Festivals, observed outside Eretz Israel, they agree with Rabbi Yehudah that a person may stipulate regarding the basket on the first day and he may eat it on the second. And, so, too, may an egg laid on the first day be eaten on the second.

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