Sanhedrin 23

Chapter 23

א בשני רעבון

1 in years of famine.1 It has been taught: Rabbi says: A man came from Baal Shalisha and brought to the man of God bread of the first fruits; twenty loaves of barley, [bread of the newly ripened crop].2

ב תניא רבי אומר (מלכים ב ד, מב) ואיש בא מבעל שלישה ויבא לאיש האלהים לחם בכורים עשרים לחם שעורים וגו'

2 Now, there was no other place in Palestine where the fruit ripened earlier than in Baal Shalisha; yet, according to this account, only one species had ripened there [by that date]. If you suggest that it was wheat,3 the text reads 'barley'. If again you suggest that it was ripened before the bringing of the Omer, the text reads further: Give unto the people that they may eat, which must have been after the bringing of the Omer.4

ג ואין לך קלה בכל ארץ ישראל לבשל פירותיה יותר מבעל שלישה ואף על פי כן לא בכרה אלא מין אחד שמא תאמר חטים תלמוד לומר שעורים שמא תאמר לפני העומר תלמוד לומר (מלכים ב ד, מב) תן לעם ויאכלו אחר העומר היה

3 We may conclude therefore that the year should have been intercalated.5 But why did Elisha not do so? — For the reason that it was a year of famine6

ד אמור מעתה ראויה היתה אותה שנה שתתעבר ומפני מה לא עיברה אלישע ששנת בצורת היתה והיו הכל רצין לבית הגרנות

4 and all hastened to the threshing floor [to procure food]. Our Rabbis taught: The year may not be intercalated before the New Year,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., Beth din may not declare before Tishri that a second Adar shall be added six months later, because in the meantime it may be forgotten and so the prohibition of leaven on the Passover be infringed through misdating. ');">7

ה ת"ר אין מעברין את השנה לפני ראש השנה ואם עיברוה אינה מעוברת אבל מפני הדחק מעברין אותה אחר ראש השנה מיד ואעפ"כ אין מעברין אלא אדר

5 and if it be intercalated, the intercalation is invalid. In case of necessity,8 however, a year may be intercalated immediately after the New Year; yet even so, only a [second] Adar is added.9

ו איני והא שלחו ליה לרבא זוג בא מרקת ותפשו נשר ובידם דברים הנעשה בלוז ומאי ניהו תכלת בזכות הרחמים ובזכותם יצאו בשלום

6 But is this really so? Was not a message once sent to Raba:10 'A couple [of scholars] have arrived from Rakkath11

ז ועמוסי יריכי נחשון בקשו לקבוע נציב אחד ולא הניחן אדומי הלז אבל בעלי אסופות נאספו וקבעו לו נציב אחד בירח שמת בו אהרן הכהן חשובי מחשבי גלויי לא מגלו

7 who had been captured by an eagle12 whilst in possession of articles manufactured at Luz, such as purple,13

ח מאי משמע דהאי נציב לישנא דירחא הוא דכתיב (מלכים א ד, ז) ולשלמה שנים עשר נציבים על כל ישראל וכלכלו את המלך ואת (אנשיו) חדש בשנה והכתיב (מלכים א ד, יט) ונציב אחד [אשר] בארץ רב יהודה ורב נחמן חד אמר אחד ממונה על כולם וחד אמר כנגד חדש העיבור

8 yet through Divine mercy and their own merits they escaped safely. Further, the offspring of Nahshon14 wished to establish a Nezib,15

ט ת"ר אין מעברין את השנה לא משנה לחברתה ולא שלש שנים זו אחר זו אמר רבי שמעון מעשה ברבי עקיבא שהיה חבוש בבית האסורים ועיבר שלש שנים זו אחר זו אמרו לו משם ראיה ב"ד ישבו וקבעו אחת אחת בזמנה

9 but yon Edomite<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Primarily name given to Esau (Cf. Gen. XXV, 30; XXXVI, 1). [H] (Edom) is used by the Talmudists for the Roman Empire, as they applied to Rome every passage of the Bible referring to Edom or Esau. In the middle ages it came to be used symbolically of Christianity, and that accounts for the substitution of [H] 'Aramean' in censored editions. ');">16 would not permit it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The above messages were sent in this obscure form to prevent them from being stopped by the Government under the reign of Constantius II (337-361 C.E.) when the persecutions of the Jews reached such a height that, as in the days of Hadrian, all religious exercises, including the computation of the Calendar, were forbidden under pain of severe punishment. Cf. Graetz, Geschichte, IV, 332 seq. pp. 402 seq. ');">17

י תנו רבנן אין מעברין את השנה לא בשביעית ולא במוצאי שביעית אימתי רגילין לעבר ערב שביעית של בית רבן גמליאל היו מעברין במוצאי שביעית

10 The Members of the Assembly,18 however, met and established a Nezib in the month in which Aaron the Priest died'?19

יא ובפלוגתא דהני תנאי דתניא אין מביאין ירק מחוצה לארץ ורבותינו התירו מאי בינייהו אמר רבי ירמיה חוששין לגושיהן איכא בינייהו

11 Yes, the calculations were indeed made, but not published [until after the New Year]. How was it implied that the term Nezib [mentioned in the message] connoted 'month'? — Because is is written, Now Solomon had twelve Officers [Nezibim] over all Israel who provided victuals for the king and his household; each man his month in the year.20

יב תנו רבנן אין מעברין את השנה מפני הטומאה

12 (But is it not written, And one officer [Nezib] that was in the land?21 — Rab Judah and R. Nahman — one holds that one single officer was appointed over all [the other officers]: the other is of the opinion that this refers to the [special officer in charge of the provisions during] the intercalated month.)

יג רבי יהודה אומר מעברין אמר רבי יהודה מעשה בחזקיה מלך יהודה שעיבר את השנה מפני הטומאה ובקש רחמים על עצמו דכתיב (דברי הימים ב ל, יח) כי מרבית העם רבת מאפרים ומנשה יששכר וזבולון לא הטהרו

13 Our Rabbis taught: We may not, in the current year, intercalate the following year,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., make the necessary calculations and arrive at the decision to intercalate. So Tosaf. Rashi: One may not intercalate one year instead of the following. Maim. (Yad, Kid. Hahodesh IV, 13) agrees with the former. ');">22 nor intercalate three years in succession. R. Simeon said: It once happened that R. Akiba, when kept in prison,23 intercalated three years in succession. The Rabbis, however, retorted: 'Is that your proof? The court sat and intercalated each year at its proper time.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Akiba only made the calculation of the next three leap years, since he was the accepted authority on the computation of the calendar and the Rabbis always employed his aid in this matter, but the leap years were not in three successive years. ');">24 Our Rabbis taught: We may not intercalate a Sabbatical year25 nor the year following a Sabbatical year.26 But which year was it usual to intercalate? — That preceding the Sabbatical year.27 Those of the House of Rabban Gamaliel, however, used to intercalate the year following the Sabbatical year.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They did not apprehend a shortage of provisions during the Sabbatical year, since importation from outside Palestine, which they held permissible (cf. Ned. 53b, and below), would prevent it. ');">28 And this enters into the dispute of the following Tannaim. For it has been taught: Herbs may not be imported from outside the land [of Israel]. But our Rabbis permitted it.29 Wherein do they differ? — R. Jeremiah said: They differ as to whether we apprehend lest the earth attached to them [should also be imported].30 Our Rabbis taught: We may not intercalate a year because of uncleanness.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Even if it should involve the risk of offering the Paschal lamb in uncleanness. E.g. if the Nasi were dangerously ill, and it was judged that he would die less than a week before Passover, in which case the community, by attending the obsequies in his honour, would become unclean. (Rashi). Cf. Pes. 66b. ');">31 R. Judah said: We may intercalate. R. Judah observed: It once happened that Hezekiah king of Judah declared a leap year because of uncleanness, and then prayed for mercy, for it is written, For the multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not cleansed themselves,

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