Whenever (witnesses) must be on the road a day and a night, it will be lawful to violate the Sabbath to travel thereon, to give their evidence as to the appearance of the moon. For thus it is written [Lev. xxiii. 4]: "These are the feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their appointed seasons.
Footnotes
1 This refers to the law concerning vows. If one made a vow it had to be fulfilled before the three festivals elapsed in the order of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, as will be explained further on.
2 A date had to be appointed in order to keep the tithes of animals born and products of the earth, distinct from year to year.
3 Vide Lev. xxv. and Deut. xv.
4 With regard to the prohibition of eating fruit of newly planted trees [Lev. xix. 23-25].
5 So as not to mix the tithe of herbs from year to year.
6 With regard to the tithe due on fruit trees.
7 The Gemara fully discusses the reasons for these institutions, but we deem it wise to anticipate, for the sake of clearness.
1 No reference should be made after the first of Nissan to the reign of the king just deceased. For instance: it was not permitted to speak of the year beginning with Nissan, as the second year after the death of the king.
1 The statement of R. Papa is quoted here, because it is a rule of the Talmud that no comparisons by analogy may be cited unless they emanate from a tradition or teaching known to the master making such a comparison, and this rule applies throughout the Talmud.
2 Because the life of the righteous is a protection for the whole people.
1 The Rabbis of the Talmud must have had a different version of the book of Haggai from that existing at present. In the second passage quoted, namely Haggai ii. 1, the words "in the second year" cannot be found. There is, therefore, a great difficulty in understanding the discussion. Even Rashi is unable to enlighten us on this point.
2 This law of "Thou shalt not slack to pay," is known as "BAL TE'AHER"; i.e., the law against procrastination or delay.
1 Lev. xxiii, 22.
1 The privilege of bringing on one of the later days of a festival a sacrifice that should have been offered on the first day.
1 Lev. xxvii. 32.
1 Leap year occurs seven times in a cycle of nineteen years. On such occasions one month, the second Adar, is added to the twelve lunar months.
1 As soon as Nissan had been consecrated, there could be no further debate about making the past year intercalary, for once the new month had been called Nissan, it was forbidden to call it by any other name.
1 The TAMID or daily offering could not be presented to the Temple by an individual.
1 This is the literal translation of the verse in Psalms; the free translation is "at the appointed time," according to Isaac Leeser.
1 i.e., the jubilee year is, at the same time, the fiftieth year of the last and the first of the coming series.
1 TEQUPHA--Solstice or equinox; hence, the period of three months, which elapses between a solstice and the next equinox, is also called TEQUPHA. Mar Zutra reads the biblical term Tequphoit in the plural.
1 Tithes must be given even to-day, according to the Rabbinical law, throughout Palestine and Syria.
It was the duty of the Israelite to give of his produce the following offerings and tithes: (1) THERUMA, a heave-offering, to be given to the priest every year; the measure was not fixed by the Bible; (2) MAÄSER RISHON, or first tithe, to be given every year to the Levite; (3) MAÄSER SHENI, or second tithe, was to be taken in the second year to Jerusalem and eaten there, or to be converted into money, which was to be spent there; (4) MAÄSER ANI, or the poor tithe, to be given in the third year.
1 The opinion of R. Gamaliel is stated a little further on.
2 Produce of which the levitical and priestly tithe has not been yet separated, and which must not be used.
1 Vide Introduction.
1 These are the divisions of the Additional Service for the New Year's Day. The Malkhioth consist of ten scriptural passages in which God is proclaimed King. The Zikhronoth consist of an equal number of scriptural passages in which Divine remembrance is alluded to. The Shophroth are a similar series of selections in which the Shophar (cornet) is referred to. In Chapter IV. of this tract there is a discussion as to the composition of these selections. We retain the Hebrew names, because we feel that no translation or paraphrase will adequately express what they mean.
2 This is taken from Tract Baba Kama.
1 There were sects at that time who did not wear the phylacteries on the frontal bone, but on other places. The people here referred to are those mentioned in Mishna Megillah III. 5. Those who do not wear phylacteries at all are, under no circumstances, included under the head of these transgressors. (Vide Tosaphoth, ad loc.) For fuller information the reader is referred to our "The History of Amulets, Charms, and Talismans" (New York, 1893).
1 See Slekalim I. i.
2 e.g. Tabernacles. This was necessary since the Beth Din might have made the month intercalary.
3 Vide, Numb. ix. 10, 11.
