הלכות קידוש החודש ג׳Sanctification of the New Month 3

Chapter 3 of 19 in Sanctification of the New Month — 19 halachot

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Halacha 1א׳

עֵדִים שֶׁרָאוּ אֶת הַחֹדֶשׁ אִם הָיָה בֵּינֵיהֶם וּבֵין מָקוֹם שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ בֵּית דִּין מַהֲלַךְ לַיְלָה וָיוֹם אוֹ פָּחוֹת הוֹלְכִין וּמְעִידִין. וְאִם הָיָה בֵּינֵיהֶן יֶתֶר עַל כֵּן לֹא יֵלְכוּ שֶׁאֵין עֵדוּתָן אַחַר יוֹם שְׁלֹשִׁים מוֹעֶלֶת שֶׁכְּבָר נִתְעַבֵּר הַחֹדֶשׁ:

Witnesses that see the month, if there is between them and the location of the court a distance of a night and day's journey or less, they go and testify. And if there is between them more than this, they don't go for their testimony after the 30th day doesn't help since the month has already been made pregnant (into a 30 day month).

Halacha 2ב׳

עֵדִים שֶׁרָאוּ אֶת הַחֹדֶשׁ הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ הוֹלְכִין לְבֵית דִּין לְהָעִיד וַאֲפִלּוּ הָיָה שַׁבָּת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כג ד) "אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ אֹתָם בְּמוֹעֲדָם" וְכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר מוֹעֵד דּוֹחֶה אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת. לְפִיכָךְ אֵין מְחַלְּלִין אֶלָּא עַל רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ נִיסָן וְעַל רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ תִּשְׁרֵי בִּלְבַד מִפְּנֵי תַּקָּנַת הַמּוֹעֲדוֹת. וּבִזְמַן שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּם מְחַלְּלִין עַל כֻּלָּן מִפְּנֵי קָרְבַּן מוּסָף שֶׁבְּכָל רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ וְחֹדֶשׁ שֶׁהוּא דּוֹחֶה אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת:

Witnesses that saw the month go to the court to testify, even on Shabbat, as it is said (Leviticus 23:4) "that you call them at their appointed time" and anywhere it is said "appointed time" the Shabbat is pushed off. Thus, we only violate the Shabbat for the first of the month of Nissan which contains the festival of Passover and for the first of the month of Tishrei which contains the festivals of the Day of Atonement and Tabernacles in order to fix the festivals which are described with the term "appointed time". And in a time when the Holy Temple exists, we violate the Shabbat for all the months because of the additional sacrifice of every first of the month which pushes off the Shabbat.

Halacha 3ג׳

כְּשֵׁם שֶׁמְּחַלְּלִין הָעֵדִים שֶׁרָאוּ אֶת הַחֹדֶשׁ אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת כָּךְ מְחַלְּלִין עִמָּהֶן הָעֵדִים שֶׁמְּזַכִּין אוֹתָן בְּבֵית דִּין אִם לֹא הָיוּ בֵּית דִּין מַכִּירִין אֶת הָרוֹאִין. וַאֲפִלּוּ הָיָה זֶה שֶׁמּוֹדִיעַ אוֹתָן לְבֵית דִּין עֵד אֶחָד הֲרֵי זֶה הוֹלֵךְ עִמָּהֶן וּמְחַלֵּל מִסָּפֵק שֶׁמָּא יִמָּצֵא אַחֵר וְיִצְטָרֵף עִמּוֹ:

Just as the witnesses that saw the month desecrate the Shabbat, so too the witnesses who justify them to the court desecrate with them if the court doesn't recognise the ones who saw. And even if the one who informs the court of them is a single witness, he goes with them and desecrates in case he will find another and join up with him.

Halacha 4ד׳

הָיָה הָעֵד שֶׁרָאָה אֶת הַחֹדֶשׁ בְּלֵיל הַשַּׁבָּת חוֹלֶה מַרְכִּיבִין אוֹתוֹ עַל הַחֲמוֹר וַאֲפִלּוּ בַּמִּטָּה. וְאִם יֵשׁ לָהֶן אוֹרֵב בַּדֶּרֶךְ לוֹקְחִין הָעֵדִים בְּיָדָן כְּלֵי זַיִן. וְאִם הָיָה דֶּרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה לוֹקְחִים בְּיָדָם מְזוֹנוֹת. וַאֲפִלּוּ רָאוּהוּ גָּדוֹל וְנִרְאֶה לַכּל לֹא יֹאמְרוּ כְּשֵׁם שֶׁרְאִינוּהוּ אֲנַחְנוּ רָאוּהוּ אֲחֵרִים וְאֵין אָנוּ צְרִיכִין לְחַלֵּל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת אֶלָּא כָּל מִי שֶׁיִּרְאֶה הַחֹדֶשׁ וְיִהְיֶה רָאוּי לְהָעִיד וְיִהְיֶה בֵּינוֹ וּבֵין הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁקָּבוּעַ בּוֹ בֵּית דִּין לַיְלָה וָיוֹם אוֹ פָּחוֹת מִצְוָה עָלָיו לְחַלֵּל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת וְלֵילֵךְ וּלְהָעִיד:

[If] the witness that saw the month on the night of Shabbat was ill, we ride him on a donkey and even on a bed. And if there is an ambush on the way, the witnesses take weapons in their hands. And if it was a far way, they they take food in their hands. And even if they saw it large and visible to all, they shouldn't say "just as we saw it, others saw it and we don't need to desecrate the Shabbat", rather anyone who sees the month and will be fitting to testify and there will be between him and the location where the court is fixed a night and a day's [journey] or less has a commandment upon him to desecrate the Shabbat and to go and testify.

Halacha 5ה׳

בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיוּ מְקַבְּלִין עֵדוּת הַחֹדֶשׁ בְּכָל יוֹם שְׁלֹשִׁים. פַּעַם אַחַת נִשְׁתַּהוּ הָעֵדִים מִלָּבוֹא עַד בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם וְנִתְקַלְקְלוּ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ וְלֹא יָדְעוּ מַה יַּעֲשׂוּ אִם יַעֲשׂוּ עוֹלָה שֶׁל בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם שֶׁמָּא יָבוֹאוּ הָעֵדִים וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיַּקְרִיבוּ מוּסַף הַיּוֹם אַחַר תָּמִיד שֶׁל בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם. עָמְדוּ בֵּית דִּין וְהִתְקִינוּ שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ מְקַבְּלִים עֵדוּת הַחֹדֶשׁ אֶלָּא עַד הַמִּנְחָה כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא שָׁהוּת בַּיּוֹם לְהַקְרִיב מוּסָפִין וְתָמִיד שֶׁל בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם וְנִסְכֵּיהֶם:

At first, they'd accept testimony of the month the entire 30th day. One time, the witnesses delayed in coming until the late afternoon and they ruined [the service] in the Temple and didn't know what to do; whether they should do the afternoon elevation offering, perhaps the witnesses would come and it is impossible to bring up the additional [offering] of the day [of the first of the month] after the afternoon continual offering. The court arose and amended that they would only accept witnesses of the month until [the time of] minchah in order that there would be sufficient time in the day to bring up the additional [offering] and afternoon continual [offering] and their libations.

…and 14 more halachot in this chapter.

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Mishneh Torah, Torat Emet 363 edition, via Sefaria — public domain

English: Sefaria Community Translation — CC0