Talmud zu Schemot 19:1

Moses was sanctified in a cloud, and received Torah from Sinai. As it says (Exodus 24:16), "And the glory of the Eternal dwelt on Mount Sinai"; that was for Moses, in order to purify him. This was after the giving of the Ten Commandments, according to Rabbi Yosei HaGalili. But Rabbi Akiva says (as the verse continues), "and the cloud covered it for six days" – [that was] for Moses; and only then, "On the seventh day He called to Moses from within the cloud," in order give honor to Moses. Rabbi Natan said: And why was Moses held back for those six days, without God's speech resting upon him? So that he could be emptied of all the food and drink that was in his stomach, so that when he was sanctified, he would be like the angels who serve God. Rabbi Matya ben Heresh said to him: Master, they told him this only to terrify him, so that he would receive the words of Torah with terror and awe, trembling and sweating, as it says (Psalms 2:11), "Serve the Eternal with awe, and rejoice with trembling."
Once it happened that Rabbi Yoshiah and Rabbi Matya ben Heresh were both sitting and engaging in words of Torah. Rabbi Yoshiah began to leave, to go to work (lit., to the “way of the world”). Rabbi Matya ben Heresh said to him: How can you abandon the words of the living God and immerse yourself in the way of the world? (Even though you are my master and I am your student, I still must say that it is not good to abandon the words of the living God and immerse in the way of the world!) So it was said about them: Whenever they would sit and engage in Torah they would zealously argue with one another, but when they parted, they did so as if they were young lovers.

HALAKHAH: “There are four New Year’s Days,” etc. It is written⁴Ex. 12:2. The verse establishes that months are counted from the month of the spring equinox, post-exilic (Accadic) called Nisan., this month shall be for you the head of the months. For you it is the head of the months but it is head neither for years nor for Sabbatical periods nor for Jubilees⁵It is clear from Lev.25 that Sabbaticals and Jubilees are counted from the end of the agricultural year in the month of the fall equinox. nor for planting⁶To determine the years of `orlah, when no fruit may be taken. nor for vegetables⁷To determine the year for purposes of the tithe since inferred from Deut. 14:22, which requires agricultural tithe being given year by year, that no tithe may be given from produce of one year for produce grown in another.. And I could say, for you it is the head of the months but it is head neither for kings nor for holidays. Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa, Rebbi Yasa in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: It is written⁸2Chr.3:2., he started to build in the second month, in the second,⁹The text is ambiguous. The later derivations read it as a repetition: He started to build in the second month, the second month of the fourth year; in the style of Gen. 8:5. If the same number is used to describe the month in the sequence of months and the month in the year, it follows that the year must start with month one. in the fourth year of his reign. It bracketed the fourth year of his reign with the second of the months. Since the second of the months is only counted from Nisan, also the second in the fourth year of his reign is only counted from Nisan. Or is it only the second in the month? Any place where the second day in the month is intended it is explicit¹⁰This is how the unofficial Targum of 2Chr.3:2 reads it: He started to build on the second day of the second month of the fourth year; a reading also rejected in the Babli 3a since it always is stated as “day nin the month.”. Or is it only the second in the week? We do not find this count in the Torah¹¹Babli 3a.. But is it not written, it was evening and it was morning, the second day¹²Gen. 1:8.? One makes no inferences from the Creation of the World¹³Since they are God’s days, not human days.. Which one is the second of the months and which one is the second of the years¹⁴In 2Chr.3:2.? Rebbi Ḥanania and Rebbi Mana. One said, he started to build in the second month, that is the second of the months; in the second, that is the second in the year. But the other one, even if you switch it does not change anything. Rebbi Simeon bar Karsana in the name of Rebbi Aḥa understood it from the following: This month is for you, an exclusion. The first it be for you, [an exclusion.] An exclusion after an exclusion is to include¹⁵A general principle in both Talmudim. Peah6:9 Note 154, Yebamot 12:1 Note10, Soṭah 9:2 Note 63, Horaiot1:1 Note 9 q. v., Megillah4:4 75b l.14; Babli Megillah23b, Yoma43a, Bava qamma15b, Bava batra15a, Sanhedrin15a,44b,66a, Makkot9b, Ševuot7b, Menaḥot9b,67a, Ḥulin132a. for kings and holidays. Could one include for years, or for Sabbatical periods, or for Jubilees, or for planting, or for vegetables? Following what Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa, Rebbi Yasa in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan said: It is written, he started to build in the second month, in the second, in the fourth year of his reign. It bracketed the fourth year of his reign with the second of the months. Since the second of the months is only counted from Nisan, also the second in the fourth year of his reign is only counted from Nisan. Rebbi Jonah, Rebbi Isaac bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Joseph: He started to build in the second month, that is the second of the months; in the second, that is the second in the year. And when he says, in the fourth year of his reign, it bracketed the fourth year of his reign with the second of the months. Since the second of the months is only counted from Nisan, also the second in the fourth year of his reign is only counted from Nisan. Samuel stated and disagreed¹⁶He holds that the count of years depends on the political circumstances.: In the third month of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt¹⁷Ex. 19:1.. From here that one counts months from the exodus from Egypt. Not only months, from where years? The Eternal spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the second year¹⁸Num. 9:1.. Not only at that time, from where later? In the fortieth year of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt¹⁹Num. 33:38. Babli 2b. Not only temporarily, from where for later generations? It was in the 480th year of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt²⁰1K.6:1., etc. After the Temple had been built they started to count from its building: It was at the end of twenty years after Salomon built the two houses²¹1K. 9:1.. They did not merit to count from its building, they started counting from its destruction: In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, on New Year’s Day, on the tenth of the month²²Ez. 40:1. In a Jubilee year, New Year’s day is moved to the Day of Atonement; cf. the author’s edition of Seder Olam(Northvale 1998), pp. 118–119, Note 4., etc. They did not merit to count for themselves, they started counting regnal years, [as it is written,] in year two of Darius²³Ḥaggai1:1.; in year three of Cyrus, king of Persia²⁴Dan. 10:1.. And I am saying, ⁸2Chr.3:2.he started to build in the second month, in the second, in the fourth year of his reign. It bracketed the fourth year of his reign with the second of the months. Since the second of the months is only counted from Nisan, also the second in the fourth year of his reign is only counted from Nisan.

Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi in the name of Rebbi: May one read this and not be ashamed³⁰In B: afraid. In the biblical narrative, all good actions are ascribed to individuals, the bad to the entire people.? In a good sense, every one of goodwill³¹Ex. 35:5.; in a bad sense, all the people took off the gold rings in their ears³²Ex. 32:3.. In a good sense, Moses led the people out³³Ex. 19:1.; in a bad sense, all of you ganged up against me³⁴Deut. 1:22.. In a good sense, then Moses and the Children of Israel sang³⁵Ex. 15:1.; in a bad sense, the entire congregation started wailing³⁶Num. 14:1.. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said, indeed they got up early to destroy³⁷Zeph. 3:7.. Any destructive action they made early in the morning. Rebbi Abba bar Aḥa said, one cannot understand the character of this people; they are asked for the {golden} calf and are giving, for the Sanctuary and are giving. Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina stated this baraita:³⁸To answer R. Ḥiyya bar Abba’s question. You shall make a cover of pure gold³⁹Ex. 25:17., may the gold of the cover come and atone for the gold of the calf.