תלמוד על במדבר 28:11

MISHNAH: On Ḥanukkah, about the princes¹²¹Num. 7:12–59 (-89), on each day of Ḥanukkah one reads the princes’ offerings for that day of the dedication of the Tabernacle.. On Purim, Amaleq came¹²²Ex. 17:8–16.. On New Moons, on the start of your months¹²³Num. 28:11–15.. For the bystanders, the Creation¹²⁴On each day of the week one reads the corresponding day of Creation; Gen. 1:1–2:3.. On fast days, blessings and curses¹²⁵Either Lev. 26:3–46 or Deut. Chapter 28.. One does not interrupt curses, but one person reads them entirely. On Monday, Thursday, and Sabbath afternoon one reads regularly but they may not count it in the series¹²⁶One reads the start of the portion to be read on the next Sabbath; this has no influence on the text to be read on the Sabbath., as it is said¹²⁷Lev. 23:44., Moses spoke to the Children of Israel about the holidays of the Eternal; the obligation is that each one be read in its time.

R. Isaac Seḥorah asked R. Isaac Nappaḥa, ‘What do we read [first]³¹In the second and third scrolls. when the New Moon of Ṭebeth³²Which always occurs in the week of Ḥanukkah. falls on a Sabbath?’³³Three scrolls are then taken from the ark. The usual weekly portion is read in the first, and the passages for New Moon and Ḥanukkah in the second and third. [He replied,] ‘In the section of kalloth,³⁴E.V. made an end (Num. 7, 1). This designates the entire section, descriptive of the dedication offerings brought by the princes of Israel, which is prescribed for the reading of the day. while the mafṭir reads³⁵In the third scroll. the passages relating to the Sabbath and the New Moon.³⁶Num. 28, 9-15. The present custom is always to read the section for the Sabbath and New Moon first, and then the passage for Ḥanukkah. If it falls on a week-day we call up on the first day³⁷Of the two days of the New Moon. three persons for the reading of the New Moon, the fourth reading that of Ḥanukkah, because that which is more frequent takes precedence.³⁸The New Moon occurs monthly, Ḥanukkah once a year. But since the reading of the New Moon was read first,³⁹On the first day of the New Moon. [40a] three persons are to be called up on the second day for the reading of the Ḥanukkah passage,⁴⁰In the first scroll. Only two scrolls are taken out on a week-day during Ḥanukkah. while the fourth reads⁴¹In the second scroll. the section of the New Moon, viz. uberashë ḥodshekem⁴²E.V. and in your new moons (Num. 28, 11). to the end of the passage.⁴³ibid. 15. Why is this so?⁴⁴i.e. why is the fourth person called to the reading of the New Moon passage and not, as on the first day, to the Ḥanukkah passage? Because it was only on account of the New Moon musaf that a fourth person is added’.⁴⁵On the other week-days of Ḥanukkah there is no musaf. This argument cannot be applied to the first day of the New Moon because it is the second day which begins the month. The first of the two days of the New Moon is the last day of the preceding month. V and H insert here a ruling which has no connection with this chapter and is practically identical with XIV, 2 below.

HALAKHAH: How much is “started”²³⁹How many times does one have to fast to continue fasting on a day of the New Moon?? Rebbi Abba said, once. Rebbi Yose said, twice. It was acted on following Rebbi Abba²⁴⁰This is binding precedent. The Babli 18b concurs. [However the Babli switches the attributions between RR. Aḥa and Yose (not Assi, impossible for chronological reasons, cf. Rabbinovicz, Variae Lectiones, ad loc. Note מ.)]. And what does one read? Rebbi Yose said, one reads “blessings and curses.²⁴¹Lev. 26:3–46, the public Torah reading for all fast days for rain, even if such a fast is on a New Moon or Ḥanukkah which have their own fixed readings.” Rebbi Mana said to him, since they know it is a fast day they are falling on their bellies, do they not know that it is a fast day²⁴²Usually called “falling on one’s face”, the penitentiary prayer following the Amidah, which is omitted on all festive days. But if the day of the New Moon, where usually the penitentiary prayer is omitted, is a fast day for rain, the penitentiary prayer is recited. Since therefore everybody knows that it is a fast day, why does one have to change the customary Torah reading?? He said to him, to tell you that one reads “blessings and curses.²⁴³Since the penitentiary prayer is incompatible with the reading for the New Moon, everybody expects to read the portion customary for the fast day.” Rebbi Yudan from Kappadokia said before Rebbi Yose in the name of Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi, one reads about the New Moon²⁴⁴Num. 28:11–15.. Rebbi Yose met Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi; he said to him, did you hear this from your father? He said to him, my father said this only about Eintab²⁴⁵The permanent seat of the Calendar Court, which has to proclaim every New Moon in the absence of a computed calendar.. Since they know that it is the New Moon, they are reading about the New Moon. At all other places they are reading “blessings and curses.”

On Ḥanukkah we read the section of [the dedication of the altar by] the princes;³⁶Num. 7. On the first day verses 1-17 are read; on the next six days the corresponding offerings; and on the eighth day VII, 54—VIII, 4. on Purim, Then came Amalek;³⁷Ex. 17, 8-16. on the New Moon, And in your new moons;³⁸Num. 28, 11-15. at the ma‘amadoth the account of the creation.³⁹Gen. 1, 1—II, 3, because it is on account of the Temple service that the heaven and earth were created. On the fast days of the Ninth of Ab and the last seven days in connection with droughts,⁴⁰lit. ‘the shutting up of the rains’. we read the section of the blessings and curses;⁴¹Lev. 26, 3-46. but on other fast days And Moses besought,⁴²Ex. 32, 11-14, XXXIV, 1-10. and we read as the hafṭarah Seek ye the Lord.⁴³Isa. 55, 6—LVI, 8. Some say that no hafṭarah is to be read, but the people have adopted the custom of reading the hafṭarah.⁴⁴So GRA. V, M and H omit ‘but’ and ‘of reading the hafṭarah’. There must be no break in the section of curses because it is not proper to end with curses and to begin with curses.⁴⁵Cf. above XII, 1.

When the New Moon of Ṭebeth⁸¹Which always occurs during Ḥanukkah. falls on a Sunday, three persons read on the first day⁸²Of the New Moon, which is observed sometimes on one day and sometimes on two. in the passage of the New Moon first, while the fourth reads the passage of Ḥanukkah, because that which is more frequent takes precedence,⁸³The New Moon occurs every month, Ḥanukkah once a year. and so [the reading for the New Moon] precedes the other. On the second day, however, the order is not the same, but three persons read the passage of Ḥanukkah while the fourth reads that of the New Moon, because on the previous day the section of the New Moon had been read first.⁸⁴So GRA. V, M and H read: ‘because the reckoning of the month is from the second day only when the years are regular’. [This is the procedure] because R. Isaac Seḥorah asked R. Isaac Nappaḥa, ‘Which do we read [first]⁸⁵In the second and third scrolls of the Torah. In the first the regular portion of the week is read. when the New Moon of Ṭebeth falls on a Sabbath?’ [He replied,] ‘In the section of kalloth Mosheh,⁸⁶E.V. Moses had made an end (Num. 7, 1). The extent of the reading is given in Rule 10 above. while the mafṭir reads⁸⁷In the third scroll. the passages relating to the Sabbath and the New Moon.⁸⁸Num. 28, 9-15. If it falls on a week-day, on the first day [of the New Moon] three persons read [the passage] for the New Moon, the fourth reading that of Ḥanukkah; because that which is more frequent takes precedence. As, however, the section of the New Moon was read first,⁸⁹On the first day of New Moon. three persons are to be called up on the second day for the reading of the Ḥanukkah section,⁹⁰In the first scroll. Only two scrolls are taken out on the week-days of Ḥanukkah. while the fourth reads⁹¹In the second scroll. the section of the New Moon, viz. And in your new moons to the end of the section.⁹²Num. 28, 11-15. Why is this so?⁹³Why is the order of the reading reversed on the second day as compared with the first? Because it is only on account of the musaf of New Moon⁹⁴On the other week-days of Ḥanukkah there is no musaf. This argument cannot be applied to the first day of New Moon because it is the second day which begins the month, the first being the last day of the old month. that a fourth person is added.⁹⁵Rule 12 incorporates nearly the whole of XII, 7. Behold [we have concluded the regulations respecting] the interruption which is made for the sake of Ḥanukkah.⁹⁶Cf. XVII, 2f.