Sukkah, Daf Nun Heh, Part 1

 

Introduction

This week’s daf continues to raise difficulties on R. Aha who had stated that they sound a separate set of blasts for each musaf offering.

 

מיתיבי, דתני רבא בר שמואל: יכול כשם שתוקעין על שבת בפני עצמו ועל ראש חדש בפני עצמו, כך יהיו תוקעין על כל מוסף ומוסף – תלמוד לומר +במדבר י+ ובראשי חדשיכם, תיובתא דרבי אחא תיובתא. –

 

An objection was raised: Rava b. Samuel taught: It might have been that that just as they sound a blast for Shabbat on its own and for Rosh Hodesh on its own, so too they sound a blast for each additional offering (musaf) separately. Scripture says, "And on your New Moons" (Numbers 10:10). This is a refutation of R. Aha. It is indeed a refutation.

 

This baraita clearly states that while there are blasts for Rosh Hodesh and Shabbat (when they fall on their own), there are not separate blasts for multiple musaf offerings when holidays, Shabbat or Rosh Hodesh fall on the same day. Meaning that if Shabbat coincides with a festival, there are only one set of blasts for the two offerings. This is a successful refutation of R. Aha’s statement.

 

מאי תלמודא? – אמר אביי: אמר קרא ובראשי חדשיכם – הוקשו כל חדשים כולם זה לזה.

 

But how is this learning made?

Abaye said: The verse says, "And on your New Moons," whereby all the months are compared with one another.

 

While R. Aha was refuted, it is unclear exactly how the verse is being used. Abaye explains that the plural form "New Moons" implies that the number of blasts sounded on all New Moons should be the same. This would mean that just as there are one set of blasts on most months, so too there are one set of blasts on Rosh Hashanah, even though there are two musaf offerings Rosh Hashanah and Rosh Hodesh. This serves as a paradigm for all other occasions with more than one musaf offering.

 

רב אשי אמר: כתיב חדשכם וכתיב ובראשי, ואיזה חדש שיש לו שני ראשים – הוי אומר זה ראש השנה, ואמר רחמנא חדשכם – חד היא.

 

R. Ashi answered: It is written, "Your month" and it is written "On the beginnings of." What month is it that has two beginnings? It is, you must say, Rosh Hashanah, and the Torah nevertheless says, "your month" — it is to be regarded as one.

 

R. Ashi has a different reading of the midrash on the verse. The plural "On the beginnings" coupled with the singular "your month" seems, to R. Ashi, to refer to a month that has two beginnings. This can only be Rosh Hashanah which is the beginning of the new year and the new month. Nevertheless, the Torah still refers to it as one beginning, meaning one set of blasts. Thus, again we have the precedent that even though there are two musaf offerings, there are only one set of blasts.