Siman - Rosh Hashanah Daf 23
- Why the lighting of torches is only done when the month is a חסר – twenty-nine days
A Baraisa at the bottom of Daf 22b taught that torches were only lit for a month that was a חסר – deficient, meaning, only twenty-nine days, but for a מלא they did not do the lighting of the torches. Rebbe Zeira explained the reason for the difference. We we do not light torches for Rosh Chodesh following a full month, גזירה משום ראש חדש שחל להיות בערב שבת – because of a decree on account of a situation in which Rosh Chodesh following a deficient month falls on Friday. In that case, when do they do the lighting? באפוקי שבתא – Upon the departure of Shabbos. Now, if you say in general that we should do the lighting of the torches even for a full month, then in the present situation (when Friday, day thirty, is declared Rosh Chodesh) the people in galus would come to be confused when they see the torches motzai Shabbos. For they would say: Perhaps this outgoing month was a חסר, with Friday – day thirty – having been declared Rosh Chodesh, and the fact that there was no lighting was because it was not possible, given it is Shabbos. Or perhaps the preceding month was a מלא, with Rosh Chodesh being delayed until Shabbos, and now they are doing the lighting in its proper time.
- כל הלומד תורה ואינו מלמדה דומה להדס במדבר
Rebbe Yochanan said: כל הלומד תורה ואינו מלמדה דומה להדס במדבר – Whoever learns Torah and does not teach it to others, is like a hadas in the wilderness. The hadas, which is very fragrant, goes unappreciated in the wilderness, where there is no one to benefit from its fragrance. There are those who have a different version of what Rebbe Yochanan said: כל הלומד תורה ומלמדה במקום שאין תלמידי חכמים דומה להדס במדמר דחביב – Whoever learns Torah and teaches it in a place in which there are no other talmidei Chochomim, is like a hadas in the wilderness, which is precious because of its scarcity there. Rebbe Yochanan also said: אוי להם לעובדי כוכבים שאין להן תקנה – Woe to the idolaters who persecuted the Jews, for there is no remedy for them, as what they have destroyed is irreplaceable. After bringing a passuk from Yishayahu in which the navi prophesies that Hashem will inspire the nations of the world to make manifold restitution for what they had stolen from Yisroel, he concludes, תחת רבי עקיבא וחביריו מאי מביאין – But in place of Rebbe Akiva and his colleagues, what can they possibly bring in their stead? Regarding them it states: "ונקיתי דמם לא נקיתי" – Though I would cleanse the nations of their other sins, from the blood of Yisroel that they have shed I will not cleanse them.
- Why the indent of the moon is always away from the sun
The last Mishnah on this Daf discusses how Beis Din would interrogate the witnesses. They would say: Tell us how you saw the new moon that you claim to have seen? לפני החמה או לאחר החמה – Was it before the sun or after the sun? Abaye explains this question to mean, פגימתה לפני החמה או לאחר החמה – Was its indentation, referring to its concavity, before the sun, meaning towards it, or after the sun, meaning away from the sun? If he answered that it was facing the sun, he has said nothing. Since the moon receives its light from the sun, the indent of the moon can never face the sun. For Rebbe Yochanan said: What is the meaning of the passuk, "המשל ופחד עמו עשה שלום במרומיו" – Dominion and dread are with Him; He makes peace in the heights.” Hashem makes peace by arranging creation so that the sun never sees the indentation of the moon דחלשה דעתה – for if it did, the moon would be disheartened, and He did not allow the sun to see the concavity of the rainbow, so that worshipers of the sun should not say, גירי קא משדייא – “The sun is shooting arrows at those who deny its divinity.”
