תלמוד על ראש השנה 4:1

Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish asked Rebbi Joḥanan: Is it not forbidden because of “do not split into sects”⁵³How can the Mishnah require people who move from place to place to follow the more restrictive practice? Does this not violate the basic principle of uniform practice based on an aggadic interpretation of Deut. 14:1. Babli Yebamot 13b.? He said to him⁵⁴He wants to restrict the prohibition of concurrent different practices to cases of fundamental differences in the formulation of rules, not to differing interpretations of existing rules., in case these follow the House of Shammai and those the House of Hillel. But between the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel does practice not follow the House of Hillel⁵⁵The answer is unsatisfactory since in post-Jabneh Judaism, practices of the House of Shammai are not recognized anyhow.? He said to him, in case these follow Rebbi Meïr and those follow Rebbi Yose. But between Rebbi Meïr and Rebbi Yose, does practice not follow Rebbi Yose? He answered him, there are two Tannaim regarding Rebbi Meïr and two Tannaim regarding Rebbi Yose⁵⁶While it is agreed as general rule that between R. Meïr and R. Yose practice follows R. Yose (Maˋserot 1:7 Note 200; Babli Eruvin 46b), this is only a general rule, not an invariable principle. There are many examples where other Tannaim follow the lines of argument of R. Meïr and R. Yose and practice was decided only in later generations.. He said to him, is there not New Year’s Day and the Day of Atonement, where in Judea one used to follow Rebbi Aqiba and in Galilee Rebbi Joḥanan ben Nuri⁵⁷Mishnah Roš Haššanah 4:6,7 explains their differences in the way prayers and shofar blowings are combined on New Year’s day and the Day of Atonement in a Yovel year.. He told him, there is a difference since if he changed and in Judea acted as in Galilee or in Galilee as in Judea he discharged his obligation⁵⁸Everybody will agree that either way fulfills the biblical requirement.. But is there not Purim, where these read on the fourteenth and those on the fifteenth⁵⁹Days of reading of the Esther scroll in the month of Adar. Since the date of reading is determined by the place of reading, it is obvious that a visitor has to read with the local people.? He told him, he who edited the Mishnah based it on Scripture⁶⁰Esth. 9:28. Since the differences are of biblical origin, the example is irrelevant for the rabbinic prohibition.: Family and family, country and country, and town and town.

Rebbi Yose said, this implies that one who heard part of a straight sound from one who was practicing did [not]⁴⁸Corrector’s addition, to be deleted. fulfill his obligation⁴⁹It is stated in Mishnah 4:10 that one who heard the shofar from a person practicing, i. e., not intending to blow in fulfillment of a biblical command either for himself or for others, did not fulfill his obligation. Now the Mishnah does not say that in the Temple the trumpets blow alone to alert people to listen to the coming shofar sounds, but they blow a short sound, implying that the person who blows the shofar started with them and then continues alone. By necessity what he blows is the straight sound with which any shofar sequence starts, and the sound which is mixed with the sound of trumpets cannot be counted as fulfilling the commandment to listen to the shofar on New Year’s Day. Since it is clear that no commandment could have been satisfied if the trumpets had sounded all the time the straight shofar sound was produced, the sound produced during the trumpet blowing may well be compared to a sound produced by a person practicing his shofar blowing.. And where is this said? “If he blew straight for the first set and continued a double length for the second he has only one in his hand.⁵⁰Mishnah 4:11. The minimum prescribed sounds are three sets of first a straight sound, then a modulated sound, followed by a straight sound, of approximately equal durations. If there is no interruption between the final straight sound of one set and the starting one of the next, there is only one straight sound. The double duration does not make it two sounds. Instead of having two sets: monotone, modulated, monotone; monotone, modulated, monotone, one has monotone, modulated, monotone, modulated, monotone, which does not correspond to any prescribed sequence.” Rebbi Abba bar Zamina in the name of Rebbi Ze`ira: Not even one is in his hand. Why? The beginning combines with the end and the end combines with the beginning. The first part has no end and the second part has no beginning⁵¹When Mishnah 4:11 states that “he has only one in his hand,” this means one monotone sound; it does not imply one set of the required sequence..