Masora Year 1 Big Idea #1 Part 2

(1) Observe the month of Aviv, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God; for in the month of Aviv the LORD thy God brought you forth out of Egypt by night.

(1) If [the judges] didn't know [the witness], others were sent with him to testify about him. At first, testimony about the new moon was received from any one; [but] from when the heretics corrupted [and bribed witnesses to lie], it was ordained, that [testimony] should be received only of those witnesses who were known.

(2) At first, bonfires were lighted on the tops of the mountains [to transmit the appearance of the new moon]; but when the Cutheans [the Samaritans] corrupted [the process], it was ordained that messengers should be sent out.

(3) How were these mountain fires lighted? They brought long staves of cedar wood, and shoots, and sticks from oil trees, and the scraps of flax, which were [all] tied on the top of [the staves] with twine; [with these, the court's agent] went to the top of the mountain, and lighted the fire; and waved them to and fro, upward and downward, until he could see his fellow, [and] that [the latter] was doing the same on the top of the next mountain; and so too, [this process was repeated with regards to the next fellow] on the top of the third mountain.

(4) And from where did they light these mountain fires? From the Mount of Olives to Sartava, and from Sartava to Grofina, and from Grofina to Havran, and from Havran to Beit Biltin; and from Beit Biltin, [the agents] did not move from there, but [rather] he would wave [the flaming brands] to and fro, upward and downward, until he could see the whole Diaspora in front of him [lit up] like a torch fire.

(5) There was a large courtyard in Jerusalem and it was called Beit Ya'azek; it was there that all the witnesses gathered, and the court would examine them there. Large meals were made for them, in order that they be accustomed to come [and testify]. At first, they did not move from [that courtyard] all day [on Shabbat. Later,] Rabban Gamliel the Elder ordained that they would [be permitted to] go two thousand amot [a specific unit of length] on every side; and it is not only [witnesses that were given this dispensation on Shabbat], but also the midwife, who comes to deliver [a baby]; and one who comes to save [others] from a fire, or from [the attack of a hostile] troop, or from a [flood], or from under the ruins of fallen buildings; behold they are considered as inhabitants of that town [to which they arrived on Shabbat], and [hence] they have two thousand amot on every side [of the town in which they are allowed to move].

(6) How were witnesses examined? The pair that came first were examined first. [The judges] would bring in the eldest of them, and say to him: "Say [to us], how did you see the moon; was it [with the crescent turned] towards the sun, or away from the sun? To the north or to the south [of the sun]? What was its elevation and towards which side was it inclining? And how wide was it?" If he said [the crescent was turned] towards the sun, he did not say anything [of value and is dismissed]. Afterwards, they would bring in the second witness and examine him; if their words were found to match, their testimony stood [and was accepted]. And [then] all the other pairs of witnesses would be asked [questions in outline form], not because the [judges] would need them, but only that they not leave with bitter spirits, in order that they be accustomed to come [and testify in the future].

(7) The head of the court [then] said, "[The new month is] consecrated" and all the people answered after him, "Consecrated, consecrated." Whether [the new moon] had been seen at its time [meaning, on the first of the two possible days] or whether it had not been seen at its time, it was consecrated. Rabbi Eliezer bar Tsadok, said, "If it had not been seen at its time, it was not consecrated, because it had already been consecrated by the Heavens [on the second day]."

(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 [drawing] that you saw, or like [the other one]?" It happened once, that two witnesses came and said, "We saw [the moon] in the East in the morning, and in the evening in the West." [In that case,] Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri said, "They are false witnesses." [But] when they came to Yavneh, Rabban Gamliel accepted [their testimony. 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 [certain] woman gave birth [on a certain day], and, on the next day that her 'womb was between her teeth' [and the fetus still inside]?" [Then] Rabbi Yehoshua said to him, "I perceive [the truth of] your words."

(9) [Upon hearing this,] Rabban Gamliel sent [Rabbi Yehoshua] word, saving, "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 have with what to teach, that all that Rabban Gamliel has done is [bindingly] 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 Rabbi Yehoshua] 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. [At that point], 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."

(27) On the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; there shall be a holy day for you, and you shall afflict your souls; and you shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD. (28) And you shall do no manner of work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. (29) For any soul that is not afflicted on that same day, he shall be cut off from his people. (30) For any person that does any manner of work on that same day, I will destroy that soul from among his people. (31) You shall do no manner of work; it is a commandment for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

(1) On Yom Kippur, it is forbidden to eat, to drink, to wash, to anoint, and to wear leather shoes and to have sexual relations. The King and the bride may wash their faces, and the newly delivered mother may wear leather shoes: the words of Rabbi Eliezer; and the Sages prohibit this.

(2) One who eats food to the size of a large date, that is, the date with the kernel, or drinks a mouthful, is guilty. All kinds of food combine for the size of the date, and all liquids for the mouthful; but food and drink do not combine in the computation.

(3) If one eats and drinks on a single occasion of obliviousness, he is liable to one sin-offering; if he has eaten and [also] done work, he is liable to two [separate] sin-offerings; if he has eaten food which is not suitable for consumption, or has drunk liquids which are not suitable for drinking, or brine or fish-brine, he is exempt [from bringing a sin-offering].

(4) We do not force small children to fast on Yom Kippur. Rather, we train them a year or two before [they reach the age of being subject to the commandments] so that they will become accustomed to [performing] the commandments.

(5) We feed a pregnant woman who smells [and craves food], even unkosher [food] until she recovers. We feed a sick person on the advice of an expert [doctor]. And if there is not an expert there, we feed him on his own word, until he says enough.

(6) If one is seized with faintness from fasting [bulmos], he is to be fed even with unkosher food, until he recovers. A person who is bitten by a mad dog must not be fed any of the dog's liver, but Rabbi Matya ben Charash permits it. Moreover, Rabbi Matya ben Charash said, If a person has a sore throat, it is permitted to put medicines into his mouth on the Sabbath, because of possible danger to his life, and whatever threatens to endanger life supersedes [the observance of] the Sabbath.

(7) If debris falls and it is unknown whether any person is buried [under it] or not; or whether he is dead or alive, or whether he is a gentile or a Jew, we remove the debris from him on the Sabbath; if he be found alive, we extricate him, but if he is dead, we leave him.

(8) The sin-offering and guilt-offering atone [for sin]. Death and Yom Kippur atone with repentance. Repentance atones for minor transgressions of positive or negative commandments; for grave transgressions, it obtains a respite until Yom Kippur completes the atonement.

(9) One who says, "I will sin, and then repent, I will sin [again], and then repent," will not receive an opportunity to repent; [for one who says] "I will sin, and Yom Kipur will atone," Yom Kippur will not atone. Yom Kippur atones for transgressions between a person and God, but for a transgression against one's neighbor, Yom Kipur cannot atone, until he appeases his neighbor. Thus R. Eleazar ben Azariah expounds the text, "From all your sins before the Lord shall ye be clean": For transgressions between a person and God, Yom Kippur atones, for transgressions against one's neighbor, Yom Kippur cannot atone, until he appeases his neighbor. R. Akiva says, Happy are you, Israel! Before whom are you purified, and who purifies you [of your transgressions]? Your Father Who is in heaven. For it is said, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean"; and it is also said, "The ‏ritual bath‎ [lit. Hope] of Israel is the Lord"; even as a ritual bath purifies the unclean, so does the Holy One, Blessed be He, purify Israel.

(34) Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of booths for seven days unto the LORD. (35) On the first day shall be a holy day; you shall do no manner of swork. (36) Seven days you shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD; on the eighth day shall be a holy celebration for you; and you shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD; it is a day of solemn assembly; you shall do no manner of work. (37) These are the appointed seasons of the LORD, which yo shall proclaim to be holy celebrations, to bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt-offering, and a meal-offering, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, each on its own day; (38) beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill-offerings, which ye give unto the LORD. (39) On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruits of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. (40) And you shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

(1) A sukkah taller than twenty cubits is invalid. Rabbi Yehudah validates it. And one which is not ten hand-breadths tall, or does not contain three walls, or whose whose [area of] sun is greater than its shade is invalid. Regarding an old sukkah, Beit Shammai invalidate it, and Beit Hillel validate it. What is an old sukkah? Any [sukkah] which one made it thirty days before the festival. But if one made it for the sake of the festival, even [if he made it] from the beginning of the year, it is valid.

(2) One who makes his sukkah beneath a tree, it is as though he made it inside a house [and is thus invalid]. Regarding a sukkah on top of a sukkah, the top one is valid, and the bottom one invalid. Rabbi Yehudah says: if there is no lodging in the top one, the bottom one is valid.

(3) If one spread a sheet over it because of the sun, or beneath it because of the falling leaves, or if one spread [a sheet] over a four-poster [bed, within a sukkah], it is invalid. However, one may spread over a two-poster bed.

(4) If one raised a grapevine, a gourd, or and ivy upon it, and placed the sekhakh [the leafy roof covering of a sukkah] on top of it, it is invalid. But if there was a greater amount of sekhakh than them, or if one trimmed them [the plants, such that they were not longer attached], it is valid. This is the rule: anything that can be rendered impure or does not grow from the ground cannot be used for sekhakh; and anything that cannot be rendered impure and that grows from the ground can be used for sekhakh.

(5) Bundles of straw, bundles of wood, or bundles of shoots may not be used for sekhakh. And all of them, if they are untied [from their bundles], are valid. And they are all valid for use as walls [of a sukkah].

(6) One may use [wooden] planks for sekhakh, according to Rabbi Yehudah. And Rabbi Meir forbids it. If one placed a plank four hand-breadths wide on top [of his sukkah], it is valid, as long as one does not sleep directly beneath it.

(7) Regarding a ceiling [of planks] that has no plaster on it, Rabbi Yehudah says: Beit Shamai say: one should loosen [the planks], and remove one from between every two [in order to make it a valid sukkah]. And Beit Hillel say: one should either loosen, or remove one from between every two. Rabbi Meir says: one should remove one from between every two, and not loosen them [i.e. loosening does not help].

(8) One who covers the top of his sukkah with spits or bed slats, if there is space between them as wide as they are [and that space is then filled with valid sekhakh], it is valid. If one digs out a haystack to make a sukkah in it, it is not a [valid] sukkah.

(9) If [in constructing one's sukkah] one lowers the walls from the top down, if it [the wall] remains three hand-breaths above the ground, it is invalid. If [one raises the walls] from the bottom up, if it rises ten hand-breadths above the ground, it is valid [regardless of any gap between it and the sekhakh]. Rabbi Yose says: just as [a wall built] from the bottom up is [valid provided it has a height of] ten hand-breadths, so too [a wall built] from the top down is [valid provided it has a height of] ten hand-breadths. If one distanced the sekhakh material three hand-breadths from the wall [leaving a gap of at least that size], it is invalid.

(10) Regarding a house that [its roof] was breached and one put sekhakh on top [of the breach], if there are four cubits [of empty space or solid ceiling] between the wall and the sekhakh, it is invalid. And similarly regarding a courtyard surrounded by a colonnade, [if one covered the empty space above it, but there is a gap of three hand-breadths between the sekhakh and the walls, it is invalid]. Regarding a large sukkah which [its sekhakh] was surrounded by material that may not be used for sekhakh, if there is an area four cubits wide beneath it [the invalid material], it is invalid.

(11) If one makes his sukkah like a shed [i.e. with a sloping roof that meets at a line], or leaned it against a wall, Rabbi Eliezer invalidates [both] because it has no roof, and the Sages validate [them]. Regarding a large reed mat, if one made it for lying upon, it may be rendered impure and it cannot be used as sekhakh; if [one made it] for use as sekhakh, it may be used as sekhakh and it cannot be rendered impure. Rabbi Eliezer says: whether it is small or large, if one made it for lying upon, it may be rendered impure and it cannot be used as sekhakh; if [one made it] for use as sekhakh, it may be used as sekhakh and it cannot be rendered impure.