Rosh Hashanah 43

מעשה שעברו יותר מארבעים זוג ועיכבן ר"ע כו': תניא אמר רבי יהודה ח"ו שר"ע עיכבן אלא שזפר ראשה של גדר עיכבן ושלח רבן גמליאל והורידוהו מגדולתו:

IT HAPPENED ONCE THAT MORE THEN FORTY PAIRS [OF WITNESSES] WERE ON THEIR WAY [TO JERUSALEM] AND R'AKIBA DETAINED THEM etc. It has been taught: R'Judah said: Far be it from us to think that R'Akiba detained them. It was Shazpar the head of Geder<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Gederah in Judah. V. Josh. XV, 36].');">¹</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> אב ובנו שראו את החדש ילכו לא שמצטרפין זה עם זה אלא שאם יפסל אחד מהן יצטרף השני עם אחר ר"ש אומר אב ובנו וכל הקרובין כשרין לעדות החדש

who detained them, and Rabban Gamaliel thereupon sent and they deposed him from his office.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'greatness'.');">²</span> <big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>IF A FATHER AND A SON HAVE SEEN THE NEW MOON, THEY SHOULD BOTH GO [TO JERUSALEM], NOT THAT THEY CAN ACT AS JOINT WITNESSES<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Near relatives being disqualified from offering evidence together.');">³</span>

א"ר יוסי מעשה בטוביה הרופא שראה את החדש בירושלים הוא ובנו ועבדו משוחרר וקבלו הכהנים אותו ואת בנו ופסלו את עבדו וכשבאו לפני בית דין קבלו אותו ואת עבדו ופסלו את בנו:

BUT SO THAT IF ONE OF THEM IS DISQUALIFIED<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., found by the Beth din to be unreliable.');">⁴</span> THE OTHER MAY JOIN WITH SOME OTHER WITNESS.

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> א"ר לוי מאי טעמא דר"ש דכתיב (שמות יב, א) ויאמר ה' אל משה ואל אהרן בארץ מצרים לאמר החדש הזה לכם עדות זו תהא כשרה בכם

R'SIMEON, HOWEVER, SAYS THAT A FATHER AND SON AND ALL RELATIVES ARE ELIGIBLE TO TESTIFY TO THE APPEARANCE OF THE NEW MOON. R'JOSE SAID: IT HAPPENED ONCE WITH TOBIAH THE PHYSICIAN THAT HE SAW THE NEW MOON IN JERUSALEM ALONG WITH HIS SON AND HIS EMANCIPATED SLAVE, AND THE PRIESTS ACCEPTED HIS EVIDENCE AND THAT OF HIS SON AND DISQUALIFIED HIS SLAVE, BUT WHEN THEY APPEARED BEFORE THE BETH DIN THEY ACCEPTED HIS EVIDENCE AND THAT OF HIS SLAVE AND DISQUALIFIED HIS SON.

ורבנן עדות זו תהא מסורה לכם:

<big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>R'Levi said: What is the reason of R'Simeon? - Because it is written, and the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XII, 1, 2.');">⁵</span> which implies, 'this testimony shall be valid [when given] by you'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Even if you are near relatives.');">⁶</span>

א"ר יוסי מעשה בטוביה הרופא כו': אמר רב חנן בר רבא הלכתא כר"ש א"ל רב הונא לרב חנן בר רבא רבי יוסי ומעשה ואת אמרת הלכתא כר"ש

And the Rabbis? - [It implies], this evidence shall be entrusted to you.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The communal leaders, to sanctify the month on the strength of it. Nothing, however, is implied about relatives.');">⁷</span> R'JOSE SAID, IT HAPPENED ONCE WITH TOBIAH THE PHYSICIAN etc. R'Hanan B'Raba said: The law<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [MS.M. 'the Halachah' and so in all other cases in this passage].');">⁸</span>

אמר לו והא זמנין סגיאין אמרית קמיה דרב הלכתא כר"ש ולא אמר לי ולא מידי א"ל היכי תנית א"ל אפכא א"ל משום הכי לא אמר לך ולא מידי אמר טבי בריה דמרי טבי אמר מר עוקבא אמר שמואל הלכתא כר"ש:

is as stated by R'Simeon, Said R'Huna to R'Hanan B'Raba, We have R'Jose and an incident [on the other side], and you say that the law is as stated by R'Simeon! - He replied: Many times I said in the presence of Rab, 'The law is as stated by R'Simeon', and he did not correct me.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'he did mot say anything to me'.');">⁹</span> He then asked him, How did you repeat [the Mishnah]? - He [R'Hanan] replied [I repeated it to him with the names] reversed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., saying that R. Jose declared a father and son to be eligible, and that R. Simeon related the incident.');">¹⁰</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> אלו הן הפסולין המשחק בקוביא ומלוי ברבית ומפריחי יונים וסוחרי שביעית ועבדים זה הכלל כל עדות שאין האשה כשירה לה אף הן אינן כשירין לה:

He [R'Huna] thereupon said to him, That was the reason why Rab did not correct you. Tabi said in the name of Mari Tabi who had it from Mar 'Ukba: The law is as stated by R'Simeon, MISHNAH THE FOLLOWING ARE INELIGIBLE: GAMBLERS,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'those who play with dice'.');">¹¹</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> הא אשה כשירה לה אף הן כשירין לה אמר רב אשי זאת אומרת גזלן דדבריהם כשירין לעדות אשה:

USURERS, PIGEON-FLYERS,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For wagers.');">¹²</span> THOSE WHO TRAFFIC IN PRODUCE OF THE SABBATICAL YEAR,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Sanh., Sonc. ed. p. 142, nn. 3-5.');">¹³</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> מי שראה את החדש ואינו יכול להלך מוליכים אותו על החמור אפי' במטה ואם צודה להם לוקחין בידן מקלות

AND SLAVES. IT IS A GENERAL RULE THAT FOR ANY TESTIMONY FOR WHICH A WOMAN IS DISQUALIFIED THESE ALSO ARE DISQUALIFIED.

ואם היתה דרך רחוקה לוקחין בידם מזונות שעל מהלך לילה ויום מחללין את השבת ויוצאין לעדות החדש שנאמר (ויקרא כג, לז) אלה מועדי ה' אשר תקראו אותם במועדם:

<big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>I infer from this that any testimony which a woman is qualified to give<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., to testify the death of a husband so as to enable the widow to remarry.');">¹⁴</span> they are also qualified to give.

<br><br><big><strong>הדרן עלך ארבעה ראשי שנים</strong></big><br><br>

R'Ashi said: This is equivalent to saying that one who is Rabbinically<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Like those mentioned above, who are not accounted robbers according to the strict letter of the Pentateuch, since although they acquire money wrongfully they do not take anything by force: v. Yeb. 25a');">¹⁵</span> accounted a robber is qualified to give the same evidence as a woman.

מתני׳ <big><strong>אם</strong></big> אינן מכירין אותו משלחין עמו אחר להעידו בראשונה היו מקבלין עדות החדש מכל אדם משקלקלו הבייתוסים התקינו שלא יהו מקבלין אלא מן המכירין:

<big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>IF ONE WHO HAS SEEN THE MOON IS NOT ABLE TO GO ON FOOT, HE MAY BE BROUGHT ON AN ASS OR EVEN IN A LITTER [ON SABBATH]. IF THEY [THE WITNESSES] ARE LIKELY TO BE WAYLAID,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'if there are lyers-in-wait for them'.');">¹⁶</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> מאי אחר חד

THEY MAY TAKE CUDGELS [TO DEFEND THEMSELVES].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Although it was forbidden to carry on Sabbath.');">¹⁷</span> IF THE DISTANCE IS GREAT [TO JERUSALEM], THEY MAY TAKE PROVISIONS WITH THEM, SINCE FOR AS MUCH AS A NIGHT AND A DAY'S JOURNEY<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If the distance was much larger there would be no point in their evidence since in the absence of witnesses the New Moon is on the first day.');">¹⁸</span> THEY WERE ALLOWED TO PROFANE SABBATH AND GO FORTH TO TESTIFY TO THE APPEARANCE OF THE NEW MOON, AS IT SAYS: THESE ARE THE APPOINTED SEASONS OF THE LORD. WHICH YE SHALL PROCLAIM IN THEIR APPOINTED SEASON.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XXIII, 4. V. supra, p. 89. n. 5.');">¹⁹</span> <big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>IF THAT ONE<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Gemara, infra.');">²⁰</span> IS NOT KNOWN TO THEM [THE BETH DIN IN JERUSALEM], THEY [THE BETH DIN OF HIS OWN PLACE] SEND ANOTHER WITH HIM TO CERTIFY HIM [AS RELIABLE]. ORIGINALLY TESTIMONY WITH REGARD TO [THE APPEARANCE OF] THE NEW MOON WAS RECEIVED FROM ANYONE. WHEN, HOWEVER, THE BOETHUSIANS<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The followers of a certain Boethus, who seems to have lived in the second century B.C.E. Like the Sadducees, they rejected the Oral Law and opposed the Rabbis. [MS.M. 'Minim' (v. Glos. s.v. Min.) ]');">²¹</span> ADOPTED EVIL COURSES, IT WAS ORDAINED THAT TESTIMONY SHOULD BE RECEIVED ONLY FROM PERSONS KNOWN [TO THE BETH DIN]. <big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>What is meant by ANOTHER? [I would naturally suppose], one other person.