תלמוד על ראש השנה 38:7

⁴¹This paragraph and the three following ones are from Roš Haššanah3:1 (fol. 58c). They are included here only because the two days of the New Year are mentioned in the Mishnah. Rebbi says, Nisan never was lengthened⁴²This means that the start of Nisan (and Tishre) was never delayed when the New Moon was declared only after it had been observed. In these two months, messengers were sent to proclaim the exact dates of the holidays (Roš Haššanah 1:5). [For the details of the Tannaitic calendar, see the author’s Seder Olam (Northvale, NJ, 1998), p. 268–269.]. But did we not state⁴³Mishnah Šeqalim 4:5: Incense was prepared in one batch for an entire year, starting with the first of Nisan. Then it is stated that on the first of Nisan, “if the New Moon appeared in time, incense was taken from the new batch; otherwise, it was taken from the incense prepared the previous year.” This Mishnah implies that the month of Adar preceding Nisan could have either 29 or 30 days. Rebbi implies that this Mishnah is purely hypothetical.: “If the New Moon appeared in time”? If it would appear, it did not appear. Rav said, Tishre was never lengthened⁴⁴Babli Roš Haššanah 19b, also in the name of Rav, stating a tradition going back to the days of Ezra. The same statement is also in Yerushalmi Šeqalim 10:2 (fol. 39b), Sanhedrin 1:2 (fol. 18d).. But did we not state⁴⁵In the Mishnah here.: “If the month was long”? If it would be, it never was.