הלכה על דניאל 8:28

There is no disagreement among astronomers that there are two great circles (the celestial equator and the ecliptic).¹⁰ In the geocentric system of Ibn Ezra there are seven spheres that encompass the earth, each containing a planet; an eighth sphere, the “zodiacal sphere,” containing the zodiac and the fixed stars; and a ninth sphere, the “diurnal sphere,” which rotates all of the lower spheres from east to west in 24 hours. The ecliptic is a path through the zodiac and it is the projection of the sun’s path on the zodiacal sphere. The celestial equator is the projection of the earth’s equator on the diurnal sphere and lies midway between the celestial poles. These are the outer circles, of which one is concentric with the earth.¹¹ The diurnal sphere has as its center the center of the earth. The ecliptic is the projection of the sun’s path upon the zodiacal sphere, and, although the zodiacal sphere is concentric with the earth, however the sun’s sphere is eccentric with its center some distance from the earth’s center. (It seems to me that there is a scribe’s error here, and the text should read “the center of the earth is the center for each,” referring to both the zodiacal sphere and the diurnal sphere.) They intersect at two points (the equinoctial points), and from there they diverge, one (the ecliptic) bending south and also north approximately two fifths of one sixth of the sphere.¹² 2⁄5 ׳ 1⁄6 ׳ 360÷ = 24÷. This angle, called the “obliquity of the ecliptic,” is defined as the angle between the plane of the ecliptic and the plane of the equator. The modern value for the obliquity of the ecliptic is approximately 23÷26ʹ.

Also, in Daniel it is written “He said to me until evening, morning” (8:14). Here a vav (“and”) is missing,²³ The verse should be understood as “until evening and morning.” as in “Sun, moon stood in its place” (Habakkuk 3:11).²⁴ Here also a conjunctive vav is missing, yet the verse is understood to mean “Sun and moon”. Proof of this is from a subsequent verse “The vision of the evening and the morning” (Daniel 8:26).²⁵ In the latter verse it is written “ha‘erev vehavoqer,” with a conjunctive vav. This constitutes a full day. The reference is to the two thousand days that Israel were afflicted in the days of the Greeks, as I have explained in its place. Therefore the angel said, “The vision of the evening and the morning that was said is true.” Meaning that it is not necessary to explain, for they are complete days, as you were told.

From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Rosh Hashanah 27b), that the [minimum] size of the shofar is such that a person can hold it in his hand and see it [sticking out] on [both sides] of his hand. And all shofars are fit except for that of the cow (see Ramban in his Sermon for Rosh Hashanah). The explanation is that anything that is a shofar - meaning to say that it is hollow, as the expression, shofar, always implies something that has a cavity - such as the shofar of a [ram] that has a cavity inside of its protrusion, and any shofar in the world that has a cavity as we explained, is fit to blow with it on Rosh Hashanah. [This comes] to exclude the horns of an oryx and other animals, the horns of which are not at all included in the expression, shofar, as they do not have something with a cavity in them, but rather just the protrusion. But the horn of a cow is not fit, even though it is in the category of shofar - as behold, it has a cavity and a protrusion - since Scripture included it with those disqualified, as it called it a horn, as it is written (Deuteronomy 33:17), "His firstborn ox, etc. and his horns are the horns of an oryx." It comes out according to this explanation of ours that all the horns of the world are disqualified to blow with on Rosh Hashanah, except for the horns of [rams] and ewes and also male goats and female goats; as we have not found hollow horns in the world except for these and that of the cow. As all of the horns of all of the [other] animals are not empty, so it comes out that they are not in the category of the expression, shofar. And Scripture has also already taken out that of the cow from the category of the fit and placed it with the category of the disqualified, since it called it with their name. And let it not be difficult in your eyes about these words of ours, that behold Scripture [also] calls the shofar of male goats with the expression of the disqualified, as it is written (Daniel 8:5), "and the goat had a conspicuous horn between its eyes." As this matter was in a prophetic vision, and Scripture informs us that it appeared to the prophet as if it had a horn due to the great strength of the goat - meaning to say [the horn] was strong [in that it was] without a cavity. And the matter is not at all that Scripture is placing it with the disqualified, but rather the opposite, [as is understood] by all who understand. And I have written a little at length here, my son, because this explanation of the Mishnah was newly presented recently, and those who were before, explained it in a different way.