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Daily Daf Dose
FOUR NEW YEARS
The Mishna enumerates as to when a new year begins for four different matters. The first day of Nissan is the New Year for the kings and for the festivals. The first day of Elul is considered the New Year for animal tithing. Rabbi Elozar and Rabbi Shimon disagree and hold that the New Year for animal tithing is on the first day of Tishrei. The first day of Tishrei is the New Year for reckoning the years, for the Shemitah (a Sabbatical year which occurred every seven years in which farmland had to remain uncultivated), for the Yovel (the 50th year after seven cycles of Sabbatical year), for the sapling (one is not permitted to derive any pleasure from fruits that grow from trees which are less than three years old) and for vegetable tithing. The first day of Shevat is the New Year for the trees according to Beis Shamai and Beis Hillel maintains that it is on the fifteenth. (2a)
FIXED DATE FOR EVERY KING
The Gemora inquires as to what was the purpose for having a fixed date to establish the New Year for the king. Why can’t each king start his new year on the anniversary of his appointment to become the king?
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The Gemora explains the importance of having a New Year for kings is to precisely date a contract. It is with this date that we will be able to determine if a document is predated. Predated contracts are invalid because a lender could use it to illegally repossess properties that the borrower sold prior to the genuine date of the loan but after the date written down in the contract. If the years of every king’s reign do not begin on the same date and we forget when the king’s reign began, it could be difficult to ascertain if the contract is predated. (2a)
RECKONING THE YEARS
We learned in a braisa that if the king began his reign on the 29th of Adar, as soon as the first day of Nissan arrives, a year is reckoned for him. It is learned from here that even one day in a year can be regarded as a year. The braisa continues that if he was appointed on the first day of Nissan, a year will be counted for him on the following Nissan, even if the decision to appoint him as the king was made in the month of Adar. (2a – 2b)
TWO KINGS
We learned in a braisa that if one king died during the month of Adar and another king was appointed during that same month, we can count the remaining portion of the year to either king. If one king dies in Nissan and another king was appointed during that same month, we can count the remaining portion of the year to either king. If one king died during the month of Adar and another king succeeded him in Nissan, we count the first year according to the first king and the second year according to the second king. The Gemora explains this last case to be referring to a case where it was decided in the month of Adar who should be the second king and he was the son of the previous king. One would think that since the kingdom is an inheritance passed down from the father to his son, it should be regarded as the second king’s reign began in Adar. The braisa teaches us that this is not so and the reign begins when he actually ascends the throne. (2b)
COUNT FROM NISSAN
Rabbi Yochanan cites a scriptural verse proving that kings are counted from the month of Nissan. He learns from a verse in Kings that the same way the years after the Exodus from Egypt are reckoned from Nissan, so too the years of the king are counted from Nissan. (2b)
The Mishna enumerates as to when a new year begins for four different matters. The first day of Nissan is the New Year for the kings and for the festivals. The first day of Elul is considered the New Year for animal tithing. Rabbi Elozar and Rabbi Shimon disagree and hold that the New Year for animal tithing is on the first day of Tishrei. The first day of Tishrei is the New Year for reckoning the years, for the Shemitah (a Sabbatical year which occurred every seven years in which farmland had to remain uncultivated), for the Yovel (the 50th year after seven cycles of Sabbatical year), for the sapling (one is not permitted to derive any pleasure from fruits that grow from trees which are less than three years old) and for vegetable tithing. The first day of Shevat is the New Year for the trees according to Beis Shamai and Beis Hillel maintains that it is on the fifteenth. (2a)
FIXED DATE FOR EVERY KING
The Gemora inquires as to what was the purpose for having a fixed date to establish the New Year for the king. Why can’t each king start his new year on the anniversary of his appointment to become the king?
...Read more
The Gemora explains the importance of having a New Year for kings is to precisely date a contract. It is with this date that we will be able to determine if a document is predated. Predated contracts are invalid because a lender could use it to illegally repossess properties that the borrower sold prior to the genuine date of the loan but after the date written down in the contract. If the years of every king’s reign do not begin on the same date and we forget when the king’s reign began, it could be difficult to ascertain if the contract is predated. (2a)
RECKONING THE YEARS
We learned in a braisa that if the king began his reign on the 29th of Adar, as soon as the first day of Nissan arrives, a year is reckoned for him. It is learned from here that even one day in a year can be regarded as a year. The braisa continues that if he was appointed on the first day of Nissan, a year will be counted for him on the following Nissan, even if the decision to appoint him as the king was made in the month of Adar. (2a – 2b)
TWO KINGS
We learned in a braisa that if one king died during the month of Adar and another king was appointed during that same month, we can count the remaining portion of the year to either king. If one king dies in Nissan and another king was appointed during that same month, we can count the remaining portion of the year to either king. If one king died during the month of Adar and another king succeeded him in Nissan, we count the first year according to the first king and the second year according to the second king. The Gemora explains this last case to be referring to a case where it was decided in the month of Adar who should be the second king and he was the son of the previous king. One would think that since the kingdom is an inheritance passed down from the father to his son, it should be regarded as the second king’s reign began in Adar. The braisa teaches us that this is not so and the reign begins when he actually ascends the throne. (2b)
COUNT FROM NISSAN
Rabbi Yochanan cites a scriptural verse proving that kings are counted from the month of Nissan. He learns from a verse in Kings that the same way the years after the Exodus from Egypt are reckoned from Nissan, so too the years of the king are counted from Nissan. (2b)
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