Commentaire de citation sur Les Psaumes 89:16

So too do we find in Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer (Chapter 8): “The universe [i.e. sun and the moon in their orbits to make the concept of time and a calendar meaningful, Ed.] was created starting with the 28th day in Elul. G’d was forced to make an adjustment to the commencement of the New Year [seeing that the 28th of Ellul was simultaneously the fourth day of creation so that Adam was created on the thirtieth of that month. Ed.] at which time He handed over the calendar manipulations to Adam. This is the meaning of the words זה ספר תולדות אדם, “this is the book of the descendants of Adam” (authority derived by man from the Lord) in Genesis 5,1. Adam passed on this authority to Chanoch as we know from Genesis 5,24 that “Chanoch walked with G’d.” Chanoch in turn passed on this authority to Shem, son of Noach. (According to Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer, Chanoch passed it on to Noach and Noach passed it on to Shem). Shem passed on this authority to tamper with the calendar to Avraham who in turn passed it on to Yitzchak who in turn passed it on to Yaakov where it remained until the latter left the land of Israel and descended to Egypt. While the Israelites were in Egypt they did not have the authority to tamper with the calendar. This is why Exodus 12,1 introduced a new chapter in Jewish history; this is also why the Torah stressed that the directives given there were given בארץ מצרים, “in the land of Egypt,” something that we would have known as the Israelites were in Egypt at the time.
The word לאמור In Exodus 12,1 meant that G’d said to Moses that up until that time (since the descent to Egypt) He had kept the secret of how to make these calculations to Himself, whereas at that point in time He was releasing this information. As long as the Jewish people lived in the land of Israel they exercised this authority adding an extra month from time to time to bring the seasons into harmony with the lunar calendar, and to compensate for the fact that the moon’s orbit was 29 days and a fraction of the thirtieth day so that the month had to have either 29 or thirty days.
When most of the Jewish people were exiled to Babylon or went to Egypt, the calendar manipulation was taken care of the by the few Jews remaining in the Holy Land. When the prophet Ezekiel requested permission from G‘d to perform this task in Babylon, G’d told him that no one was permitted to perform this task except within the Holy Land. This prompted the sages to establish the rule that whereas the wise men and righteous people in the diaspora do not have the authority to tamper with the calendar, even herdsmen in the land of Israel do have such authority. Even prophets outside the land of Israel lack this authority whereas laymen inside of the land of Israel do have the authority to adjust the calendar. Only when no Jew remained in the land of Israel did they begin to adjust the calendar in Babylon. As soon as Ezra moved to the land of Israel they began to adjust the calendar there, and when Ezekiel asked permission to do this in Babylon G’d told him (Ezekiel 36,17) that it was the exclusive prerogative of the people living in Israel, i.e. בית ישראל יושבים על אדמתם. [I have quoted more from Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer than the author, though not all. One of the most interesting things there is that it dates the move of Ezra to the land of Israel as far earlier than other traditional sources. Ed.]
Something about the details of the procedure of adding an extra month to the year (still from Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer): They would bring a Torah scroll, form a (semi)-circle where the elders would be seated in order of their seniority. They would then face with their faces to the ground, rise and remain standing, extend the palms of their hands toward heaven. The most senior member of the assembly would pronounce the Ineffable Name (as part of the appropriate benediction to be recited) and a heavenly echo would be heard and confirm the authority of those assembled to proceed by reciting the verse in Exodus 12,1. If the respective generation were lacking in merits no heavenly echo would be heard.
People who were present at the time the heavenly echo was heard were extremely fortunate as we know from Psalms 89,16 “hail to the nation who understand the meaning of the blast of the teruah, they walk in the light of Your presence O Lord.” This was an allusion to the people (performing this ceremony) enjoying G’d’s approval. Thus far (more or less) Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer.

“These are the set times of the Lord, which you shall celebrate each at its appointed time” [23:4]. The holidays that are given over into the hands of Israel, that they should establish when the holidays should be observed. The prophet Ezekiel wanted to establish when the holidays should be observed outside the land of Israel. The Holy One said: you should not do it outside the land; it is only in the land of Israel. From here our sages learned that even very righteous people and very wise people outside the land of Israel could not establish when the holidays should be observed. Ordinary people in the land of Israel were allowed to establish when the holidays were observed, according to their understanding. This is how they establish the holidays. A Torah scroll was brought and the rabbis gathered around it. Each one sat according to his importance. That is to say, the most important one sat in front. They looked down, stood up and raised their hands to heaven. The head of the academy mentioned the Divine Name with his mouth and a voice came down from heaven. When the generation was sinful, no voice was heard. Happy is the generation that heard the voice, as the verse says, “Happy is the people who know the joyful shout; O Lord, they walk in the light of Your presence” [Psalms, 89:16]. The elders gathered in the Temple and shouted, it is sanctified – it is sanctified. That is, the days have become holy. Then the Holy One also assembled an angelic Sanhedrin in heaven. They also sanctified the same days that Israel had established. The Holy One sat on His throne and had His books and His Sanhedrin brought before Him, and said: We will judge the world, as the verse says, “for it is a law for Israel” [Psalms, 81:5]. That is to say, Israel has commanded to make the New Year on that day. “A ruling of the God of Jacob” [Psalms, 81:5]. Therefore, it is a ruling of the God of Jacob.¹¹Bahya, Leviticus, 23:4.

A bag of myrrh: The forms existing occulted within the Glory are likened to a bag of myrrh. A spray of henna blooms: The forms which are revealed and rendered accessible. The Glory is similarly called the bundle of life, because souls are bound and connected there. Thus they say in the Midrash to Canticles⁶²Midrash Shir ha-Shirim Zuta 3:10.: “‘Within it was decked with love’—these are the souls of the righteous which are present with God on high.” Three penetrated [the divine realms], each deeper than the other. “Moses approached the deep darkness” [Exod. 20:9]. The Targum⁶³Targum Onkelos ad locum. interprets this as: “towards the dense cloud.” That is, he perceived divine Will, Wisdom and Understanding, but not through the Speculum. Thus Righteousness and Justice are further inward,⁶⁴Probably malkhut and yesod. See R. Azriel: Perush ha-Aggadot, ed. Tishby (Jerusalem: Mekize Nirdamim, 1945), index of symbols. as it is written: “Righteousness and justice are the base of Your throne” [Ps. 89:16]. Further beyond are the souls of the righteous, as it says: “In his hands is the soul of every living thing” [Job 12:10] and “May the soul of my lord be bound up in the bond of life” [I Sam. 25:29].⁶⁵The “hand” is higher than the “throne.”