(11) In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst apart, And the floodgates of the sky broke open. ( (12) The rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.)
Genesis 8
(2) The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were stopped up, and the rain from the sky was held back; (3) the waters then receded steadily from the earth. At the end of one hundred and fifty days the waters diminished, (4) so that in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
(13) In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the waters began to dry from the earth; and when Noah removed the covering of the ark, he saw that the surface of the ground was drying.
(14) And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.
(לו) ותרום התיבה מעל הארץ ותלך על פני המים לז== ויהיו המים על פני הארץ חמשה חודשים חמישים ומאת יום:
(36) And the ark was lift up above the earth, And it moved upon the face of the waters. And the water prevailed on the face of the earth five months-one hundred and fifty days.
4Q252 (Commentary on Genesis)
On the seventeenth day of the second month the land dried up, on the first (day) of the week. On that day, Noah went out of the ark, at the end of a complete year of three-hundred and sixty-four days, on the first (day) of the week.
(לג) כי אנכי כתבתי אותו בספר התורה הראשון בספר אשר כתבתי לך כי תחוג אותו יום אחד יום אחד בשנה:
(לד) וגם הוריתי לך את קרבנותיו לזכר אותן ובני ישראל יחוגו אותו לדורותיהם בחודש הזה יום אחד יום אחד בשנה:
(לה) וראשי חודשי הראשון הרביעי השביעי והעשירי המה ימי הזיכרון וימי חג בארבע תקופות השנה:
(לו) כתובים וחקוקים המה לעדות מימים ימימה:
(לז) וישם אותם נוח לו למועדים לדורות עולם להיות לו בהם חג זיכרון:
(לח) בראש החודש הראשון נאמר אליו לעשות את התיבה ובו יבשה הארץ ויפתח וירא את הארץ:
(לט) בראש החודש הרביעי נכלא פי מעינות התהום בארץ:
(מ) ובראש החודש השביעי נבקעו כל מעינות תהום רבה והמים החלו לרדת אל קרבנה:
(מא) ובראש החודש העשירי נראו ראשי ההרים ונוח היה שמח:
(מב) לכן עשה אותו לו למועדי זיכרון לעולם וככה יסדו:
(מג) ונחרתו על לוחות השמים שלושה עשר שבועות לכל אחד ואחד מן האחד ועד השני בוא יבוא זכרונם:
(מד) מן הראשון עד השני מן השני עד השלישי מן השלישי עד הרביעי:
(מה) וכל הימים אשר נועדו הם שתים וחמישים שבתות ימים עד מלאת שנה תמימה:
(מו) ככה חרות וחקוק על לוחות השמים חוק שנה בשנה ולא יעבור:
(מז) ואתה צו את בני ישראל ושמרו את השנים על פי המספר הזה ארבעה ושישים יום ושלוש מאות יום:
(מח) והיה שנה תמימה ומספר מפקד ימי השנה ומועדיה לא ישחת:
(מט) כי הכל בוא יבוא בה כפי אשר הועד עליו ולא יעברו כל יום ולא יחללו כל מועד:
(נ) והיה כי יעברו ולא ישמרו אותם כמצותיו ישחיתו בפעם אחת כל עת וזמן השנים תעתקנה ממקומן:
(נא) ויעבטון אורחות סדרם וכל בני ישראל ישכחו את דרך השנים ולא ימצאו עוד:
(נב) ויזנחו את ראש החודש וזמנו ואת השבתות והעוו את כל דרכי השנים:
(נג) כי ידעתי את הדבר וכהיום הזה אגידהו לך ולא אל בינתי אשען כי כן כתוב לפני על הספר ועל לוחות השמים מיוסדות חלוקת הימים:
(נד) ולא ישכחו את מועדי הברית ולא ילכו במועדי הגויים לפי תעתועיהם ולפי דעתם:
(נה) והיו אנשים אשר יביטו יראו בירח הוא המשחית את הזמנים ויקדים עשרת ימים בכל שנה ושנה נו== ולכן ישחיתו את השנים בימים הבאים ועשו יום שוא ליום העדות ויום בלתי טהור ליום המועד:
(נו) וכל איש לא יבדיל בין ימי קודש ובין ימי חול כי יתעו בחודשים ובשבתות ובמועדים ובשנות היובל:
(נז) לכן הנני מצווך ומעיד בך למען תעיד בם:
(נח) כי אחרי מותך ישחיתו בניך את הדבר למען יספרו בשנה רק שלוש מאות יום ושישים יום וארבעה ימים:
(נט) ועל כן יתעו בראש החודש ובשבת ובחג ובמועד ואכלו תמיד את הדם בבשר:
(43) And they placed them [the division of the year into four periods of three months] on the heavenly tables, each had thirteen weeks; from one to another (passed) their memorial,
(44) from the first to the second, and from the second to the third, and from the third to the fourth.
(45) And all the days of the commandment will be two and fifty weeks of days, and (these will make) the entire year complete.
(46) Thus it is engraven and ordained on the heavenly tables. And there is no neglecting (this commandment) for a single -year or from year to year.
(47) And command the children of Israel that they observe the years according to this reckoning-three hundred and sixty-four days, (48) and (these) will constitute a complete year, and they will not disturb its time from its days and from its feasts;
(49) for everything will fall out in them according to their testimony, and they will not leave out any day nor disturb any feasts.
(50) But if they do neglect and do not observe them according to His commandment, then they will disturb all their seasons, and the years will be dislodged from this (order)...
(52) And all the children of Israel will forget, and will not find the path of the years, and will forget the new moons, and seasons, and sabbaths, and they will go wrong as to all the order of the years....
(55) For there will be those who will assuredly make observations of the moon--now (it) disturbs the seasons and comes in from year to year ten days too soon.
For this reason the years will come upon them when they will disturb (the order), and make an abominable (day) the day of testimony, and an unclean day a feast day,
(56) and they will confound all the days, the holy with the unclean, and the unclean day with the holy; for they will go wrong as to the months and sabbaths and feasts and jubilees...
(57) For this reason I command and testify to you that you may testify to them;
(58) for after your death your children will disturb (them), so that they will not make the year three hundred and sixty-four days only, (59) and for this reason they will go wrong as to the new moons and seasons and sabbaths and festivals...
Pesher Habbakuk 11:4-8
Woe to anyone making his companion drunk, spilling out his anger, or even making him drunk to look at their festivals! (Habbakuk 2:15) Its interpretation (פשרו) concerns the Wicked Priest who pursued the Teacher of Righteousness to consume him with the heat of his anger in the place of his banishment. In festival time, during the rest of the day of Atonement, he appeared to them, to consume them and make them fall on the day of fasting, the sabbath of their rest.
(יד) בראשונה היו מקבלין עדות החדש מכל אדם. פעם אחת שכרו בייתוסין שני עדים לבא להטעות את [חכמים] לפי שאין [בייתוסין] מודים שתהא עצרת אלא [בא'] בשבת.
At first they would accept testimony concerning the new month from any person. One time the Boethusians hired two witnesses to go and trick the sages, for the Boethusians do not agree that Shavuot should fall on anything but the first day of the week.
(ב) בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיוּ מַשִּׂיאִין מַשּׂוּאוֹת. מִשֶּׁקִּלְקְלוּ הַכּוּתִים, הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהוּ שְׁלוּחִין יוֹצְאִין:
(2) At first, bonfires were lit on the tops of the mountains [to transmit the appearance of the new moon]; but when the Cutheans corrupted [the process], it was ordained that messengers should be sent out.
(ד) עַל שְׁנֵי חֳדָשִׁים מְחַלְּלִין אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת, עַל נִיסָן וְעַל תִּשְׁרֵי, שֶׁבָּהֶן הַשְּׁלוּחִין יוֹצְאִין לְסוּרְיָא, וּבָהֶן מְתַקְּנִין אֶת הַמּוֹעֲדוֹת. וּכְשֶׁהָיָה בֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּם, מְחַלְּלִין אַף עַל כֻּלָּן מִפְּנֵי תַקָּנַת הַקָּרְבָּן:
(4) On two months they desecrate the Shabbat, on Nisan and on Tishrei. For in those months, they were sent out to Syria to correct for the festivals. And when the Temple existed, they desecrated Shabbat in all of them -- to correct for the sacrifices.
(ו) מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁעָבְרוּ יוֹתֵר מֵאַרְבָּעִים זוּג, וְעִכְּבָן רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא בְלוּד. שָׁלַח לוֹ רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, אִם מְעַכֵּב אַתָּה אֶת הָרַבִּים, נִמְצֵאתָ מַכְשִׁילָן לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא...
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, מַעֲשֶׂה בְטוֹבִיָּה הָרוֹפֵא, שֶׁרָאָה אֶת הַחֹדֶשׁ בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, הוּא וּבְנוֹ וְעַבְדּוֹ מְשֻׁחְרָר, וְקִבְּלוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים אוֹתוֹ וְאֶת בְּנוֹ, וּפָסְלוּ אֶת עַבְדּוֹ. וּכְשֶׁבָּאוּ לִפְנֵי בֵית דִּין, קִבְּלוּ אוֹתוֹ וְאֶת עַבְדּוֹ, וּפָסְלוּ אֶת בְּנוֹ:
(6) It happened once, that more than forty pairs of witnesses passed through on [Shabbat] and Rabbi Akiva detained them in Lod. Rabban Gamliel [then] sent word to him, "If you detain the multitudes [from passing through on Shabbat to testify], it will come out that you will be causing them to stumble in the future....
Rabbi Yose said, "It once happened that Toviah the physician, his son, and his freed slave saw the new moon in Jerusalem, and the Kohanim accepted him and his son [as witnesses together], but declared his slave unfit; but when they came to [testify before] the court, they accepted him and his slave [as witnesses together], but declared his son unfit."
(ח) דְּמוּת צוּרוֹת לְבָנוֹת הָיוּ לוֹ לְרַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל בַּטַּבְלָא וּבַכֹּתֶל בַּעֲלִיָּתוֹ, שֶׁבָּהֶן מַרְאֶה אֶת הַהֶדְיוֹטוֹת וְאוֹמֵר, הֲכָזֶה רָאִיתָ אוֹ כָזֶה. ...
וְעוֹד בָּאוּ שְׁנַיִם וְאָמְרוּ, רְאִינוּהוּ בִזְמַנּוֹ, וּבְלֵיל עִבּוּרוֹ לֹא נִרְאָה, וְקִבְּלָן רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל.
אָמַר רַבִּי דוֹסָא בֶּן הַרְכִּינָס, עֵדֵי שֶׁקֶר הֵן, הֵיאָךְ מְעִידִין עַל הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁיָּלְדָה, וּלְמָחָר כְּרֵסָהּ בֵּין שִׁנֶּיהָ. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, רוֹאֶה אֲנִי אֶת דְּבָרֶיךָ:
(ט) שָׁלַח לוֹ רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, גּוֹזְרַנִי עָלֶיךָ שֶׁתָּבֹא אֶצְלִי בְּמַקֶּלְךָ וּבִמְעוֹתֶיךָ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים שֶׁחָל לִהְיוֹת בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹנְךָ.
הָלַךְ וּמְצָאוֹ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא מֵצֵר, אָמַר לוֹ, יֶשׁ לִי לִלְמוֹד שֶׁכָּל מַה שֶּׁעָשָׂה רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל עָשׂוּי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כג), אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי יְיָ מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ, אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ אֹתָם, בֵּין בִּזְמַנָּן בֵּין שֶׁלֹּא בִזְמַנָּן, אֵין לִי מוֹעֲדוֹת אֶלָּא אֵלּוּ.
בָּא לוֹ אֵצֶל רַבִּי דוֹסָא בֶּן הַרְכִּינָס, אָמַר לוֹ, אִם בָּאִין אָנוּ לָדוּן אַחַר בֵּית דִּינוֹ שֶׁל רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, צְרִיכִין אָנוּ לָדוּן אַחַר כָּל בֵּית דִּין וּבֵית דִּין שֶׁעָמַד מִימוֹת משֶׁה וְעַד עַכְשָׁיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כד), וַיַּעַל משֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא וְשִׁבְעִים מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְלָמָּה לֹא נִתְפָּרְשׁוּ שְׁמוֹתָן שֶׁל זְקֵנִים, אֶלָּא לְלַמֵּד, שֶׁכָּל שְׁלשָׁה וּשְׁלשָׁה שֶׁעָמְדוּ בֵית דִּין עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, הֲרֵי הוּא כְבֵית דִּינוֹ שֶׁל משֶׁה.
נָטַל מַקְלוֹ וּמְעוֹתָיו בְּיָדוֹ, וְהָלַךְ לְיַבְנֶה אֵצֶל רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל בְּיוֹם שֶׁחָל יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים לִהְיוֹת בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹנוֹ.
עָמַד רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל וּנְשָׁקוֹ עַל רֹאשׁוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ, בֹּא בְשָׁלוֹם, רַבִּי וְתַלְמִידִי, רַבִּי בְחָכְמָה, וְתַלְמִידִי שֶׁקִּבַּלְתָּ דְּבָרָי:
(8) Rabban Gamliel had, on a tablet, and on the walls of his loft, various drawings of the moon, which he showed to simple witnesses, and said, "Was it like this that you saw, or like [the other one]?"...
It] also [happened once that] two witnesses came and said, "We saw the moon at its time [meaning, on the first of the two possible days], but it was not [to be] seen [afterwards] on the evening of its intercalation," and Rabban Gamliel accepted [their testimony].
Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinus said, "They are false witnesses; how can they testify that a woman gave birth, and, on the next day that her 'womb was between her teeth' ?" [Then] Rabbi Yehoshua said to him, "I perceive [the truth of] your words."
[Upon hearing this,] Rabban Gamliel sent [Rabbi Yehoshua] word, saying, "I decree upon you to come to me with your staff and your money on the day that comes out to be Yom Kippur, according to your calculation."
Rabbi Akiva went to [Rabbi Yehoshua], and found him grieving; he said to him, "I something to teach, that all that Rabban Gamliel has done is done, as it is stated (Leveticus 23:4), 'These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim;' whether at their [proper] time, or whether not at their [proper] time, I have no holy convocations except [for the ones proclaimed by the court."
When he came to Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinus, [the latter] said to him, "If we are to [question the decisions] of the court of Rabban Gamliel, we must [also question the decisions] of all the courts which have stood, from the days of Moshe until [today]; as it is stated, (Exodus 24:2), 'Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up.' Why were the names of the elders not specified? Rather [it was] to teach, that every three men that form a court [to be responsible] over Israel, behold [that court] is to be [considered] like the court of Moshe."
[After this], Rabbi Yehoshua took his staff and his money in his hand, and went to Yavneh to Rabban Gamliel on the day that came out to be Yom Kippur, according to his calculation.
[Rabban Gamliel stood up, and kissed him on his head, [and] he said to him, "Come in peace, my teacher and my disciple! My teacher — in wisdom; and my disciple — in that you accepted my words."
Excerpted from Yitz Greenberg, The Jewish Way
For two years in the Knesset, the two main antagonists over the commemoration bill blocked each other. The turning point came in late 1950, when earnest bargaining began.
The ghetto fighters and their allies wanted a special day, as close to 14-15 Nissan as possible [to mark the beginning of the Warsaw ghetto uprising]. Their terminus ad quem was May 16, the date on which Jurgen Stroop, the German general, declared that the ghetto was totally destroyed.
The Orthodox wanted to push the date as far back as possible from Passover–at the least, into the next month of Iyar so as not to infringe on the prohibitions of mourning and eulogies in the month of Nissan. If the date could be deferred to the month of Iyar, it would fall within the Sefirat Ha’Omer mourning period, which would make it less troublingly “innovative” to the current mindset of the halachic authorities.
A Leading Rabbi Holds Fast to Tradition
As the parties jockeyed back and forth, the Orthodox representatives, hoping for some leeway, privately sought out the leading posek of the Orthodox right, a man of towering stature, the Chazon Ish. But the Chazon Ish was unyielding; it was prohibited to disrupt the joy of Nissan with any such public mourning. In effect, the Chazon Ish ruled that not the slightest hair on the head of tradition could be touched for the sake of remembering the Holocaust. The inherited practice was unaffected by historical experience; the halakhah and Judaism remained outside of history, untouched by the flux of time or the sledgehammer blows of the Holocaust.
The Labor Zionist establishment provided the “swing” vote that decided the outcome. They agreed with the Orthodox that Passover should be spared, and they felt that Holocaust Commemoration Day should precede Israel Independence Day, which occurred on the fifth of Iyar.
Reaching A Compromise
Finally, after much negotiating and sparring, the deal was struck (there were even rumors of job trading and other “payoffs” to obtain the necessary agreement, although a number of the key negotiators deny that story to this day). As close to Passover as possible turned out to be 27 Nissan.
For the Orthodox, this was a breach of the unmitigated joyfulness of the month. Setting this date for mourning directly violated a halakhic tradition, albeit a minor one. Indeed, the right-wing Orthodox were so unhappy that they have never accepted this date. (In the late 1980s, elements of the Chasidic and Agudas Israel communities began to participate in Yom Hashoah commemorations in New York City.) There could be no “compromise” of a jot or tittle of the halakhah. To somewhat assuage their feelings, the Orthodox were granted a further concession: If the memorial date fell on Friday or Saturday, it would be postponed until Sunday.
No one was satisfied with the outcome. The Orthodox were unhappy because they had been forced to accept an official day that incorporated a violation of the halakhah. The fighters were unhappy because the commemoration was not on the day of the uprising. There was no significant event or special association with 27 Nissan, and thanks to the Shabbat protection, the memorial day was not even fixed on the same date every year. But the overall pressures to create a memorial day could no longer be denied. On April 12, 1951, the Knesset declared 27 Nissan as Yom Hashoah U’Mered HaGetaot (Holocaust and Ghetto Revolt Remembrance Day). The day was soon referred to as Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah (Devastation [Holocaust] and Heroism Day). In 1953, the memorial authority was established and named Reshut Zikkaron Yad Vashem (Memory and Memorial Authority).