Masora Year 2 Big Idea #1 Part 2

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

(1) The four new years are: On the first of Nisan, the new year for the kings and for the festivals; On the first of Elul, the new year for the tithing of animals; Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon say, in the first of Tishrei. On the first of Tishrei, the new year for years, for the Sabbatical years and for the Jubilee years and for the planting and for the vegetables. On the first of Shevat, the new year for the trees, these are the words of the House of Shammai; The House of Hillel says, on the fifteenth thereof.

(2) At four times the world is judged: On Pesach, for the crops. On Shavuot, for the fruits of the tree. On Rosh Hashnah, all the world passes before Him like sheep, as it says, "He that fashioned the hearts of them all, that considered all their doings." (Psalms 33:15) And on Sukkot, they are judged for the water.

(3) On six months messengers go out: On Nisan, because of Pesach; On Av, because of the fast On Elul, because of Rosh Hashnanah; On Tishrei, to correct for the festivals On Kislev, because of Chanukah; On Adar, because of Purim; And when the Temple existed, they also went out on Iyar, because of the little Pesach.

(4) On two months they desecrate the Shabbat, on Nisan and on Tishrei. For in those months, they were sent out to Syria to correct for the festivals. And when the Temple existed, they desecrated Shabbat in all of them-- To correct for the sacrifices.

(5) Regardless of whether the moon was clearly visible or not clearly visible, They desecrate the Shabbat for it; Rabbi Yosei says: If it was clearly visible, they do not desecrate the Shabbat for it.

(6) It happened once, that more than forty pair of witnesses passed through on [Shabbat] and Rabbi Akiva detained them in Lod. Rabban Gamliel [then] sent word to him, [saying], "If you detain the multitudes [from passing through on Shabbat to testify], it will come out that you will be causing them to stumble in the future [and they will not come to testify about the new moon even when there is a need for it]."

(7) If a father and son saw the new moon, they must [both] go to the court [that will take their testimony to potentially confirm that sighting and ratify the new month accordingly]; not that they may be combined [together to act as witnesses], but rather that in the event that one of them be declared unfit, the other may join [to give evidence] with another [witness]. Rabbi Shimon says, "A father and his son, and all relatives, are fit to [join together and] give evidence about the [appearance of the] new moon." Rabbi Yose says, "It once happened that Toviah the physician, his son, and his freed slave saw the new moon in Jerusalem, [and when they testified before them,] the Kohanim [members of the priestly caste, a subgroup of tribe of Levi, which is uniquely responsible for maintaining and carrying out the sacrificial services in the Temple] accepted him and his son [as witnesses together], but declared his slave unfit; but when they came to [testify before] the court, they accepted him and his slave [as witnesses together], but declared his son unfit."

(8) These are considered unfit [witnesses]: gamblers with dice, those that lend with interest, pigeon racers, those who trade in the produce of the Sabbatical year, and slaves. This is the rule: all testimony that a woman is not fit to give, these [above] are also not fit to give.

(9) One who has seen the new moon [on Shabbat], but is unable to walk [to the court to give evidence], must be brought mounted on an ass or even [carried by others] in a bed. If they are [concerned about possible] ambushers, [the witnesses] may take sticks with them; and if it was a long way [to go], they may take provisions with them, since we desecrate the Shabbat and go out to testify about the new moon [up to] the distance of a day and a night [on the road,] as it stated (Leviticus 23:4), "These are the feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their appointed seasons."

(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.

(1) One who sleeps under a bed in a sukkah has not fulfilled his obligation. Rabbi Yehudah says, "We practiced the custom of sleeping under a bed [in the sukkah] in the presence of the elders, and they never said a thing to [stop] us." Rabbi Shimon says: It happened that Tavi, the slave of Raban Gamaliel, would sleep under a bed [in the sukkah], and Raban Gamaliel said to the elders, "Have you see my slave Tavi? He is a disciple of the Sages, and he knows that slaves are exempt from [the obligations pertaining to] the sukkah; therefore, he sleeps under a bed." And thus in accordance with our way we deduce that one who sleeps under a bed [in a sukkah] has not fulfilled his obligation.

(2) If one supports his sukkah with the legs of a bed, it is valid. Rabbi Yehudah says: if it cannot stand on its own, it is invalid. A sukkah that is thinning, and that its shade [i.e. the area below the covered parts of the sekhakh] is greater than its sun, is valid. (A sukkah) that [its sekhakh] is dense like [the roof of] a house, even though the stars are not visible through it, it is valid.

(3) If one constructs his sukkah on top of a wagon or on top of a ship, it is valid, and one may ascend to it on the festival. If [one constructed it] on top of a tree or on the back of a camel, it is valid, but one may not ascend to it on the festival. If two [walls of the sukkah are formed] by a tree and one by human hands, or two by human hands and one by a tree, it is valid, but one may not ascend to it on the festival. If three [walls are formed] by human hands and one by a tree, it is valid, and one may ascend to it on the festival. This is the rule: any [sukkah] that can stand on its own even if one removed the tree, it is valid, and one may ascend to it on the festival.

(4) If one constructs his sukkah amid the trees, and the trees form its walls, it is valid. Individuals sent as emissaries to perform a mitzvah are exempt from [the obligations pertaining to] the sukkah. Individuals who are sick, and those who attend to them, are exempt from the sukkah. One may eat or drink incidentally [but not as part of an established meal] outside of the sukkah.

(5) It happened that a [cooked] dish was brought to Raban Yochanan ben Zakai for him to taste, and to Raban Gamliel [were brought] two dates and a jar of water, and each of them said, "Bring them up to the sukkah." But when [a quantity of] food less that the equivalent of an egg [in volume] was given to Rabbi Tzaddok, he took it in a napkin and ate it outside of the sukkah, and did not make a blessing after it.

(6) Rabbi Eliezer says: One is obligated to eat fourteen meals in the sukkah, one in the morning, and one at night [on each of the seven days of the festival]. And the Sages say: the matter does not have a dictated amount, except on the first nights of the festival [when there is an obligation to have a meal]. And Rabbi Eliezer also said: One who did not eat [a meal in the sukkah] on the first night of the festival can compensate [for his obligation by having a meal] on the last night of the festival. And the Sages say: in such a matter there is no compensating; regarding this it was said: "That which is defective cannot be amended, and the deficiency cannot be counted."

(7) If one's head and the majority of one's body is inside the sukkah, and one's table [upon which one is eating] is in the house, Beit Shamai invalidate it, and Beit Hillel validate it. [The scholars of] Beit Hillel said to [the scholars of] Beit Shamai, "Did it not happen that the elders of Beit Shamai and the elders of Beit Hillel went to visit Rabbi Yochanan ben Hachoroni, and they found him sitting with his head and the majority of his body inside the sukkah, while his table was in the house, and they did not say a thing to [stop] him." The [scholars of] Beit Shamai responded to them, "[Can one really bring] a proof from there?! They did in fact say to him, 'If such has been your custom, you have never fulfilled the mitzvah of sukkah in all your days!'"

(8) Women, slaves, and minors are exempted from [the obligations pertaining to] the sukkah. A minor who no longer needs [to be with] his mother, is obligated in the sukkah. It happened that the daughter-in-law of Shamai the elder gave birth [to a son, around sukkot], and he [Shamai] removed some of the ceiling's plaster and covered [the empty space] with sekhakh over the bed, on behalf of the minor.

(9) During the whole seven days [of the festival] one makes his sukkah [his] permanent [dwelling], and his house [a] temporary [dwelling]. If rains fell, starting when is one permitted to clear out [of the sukkah]? When a stiff dish [of food] would be spoiled. They [the elders] illustrate this with a parable: To what can this matter be compared? To a slave who came to pour a goblet for his master, and he [the master] poured a bowl-full [of water] in his face.