[Avodah] 15 Av

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Aug 15, 2019 at 10:18:06PM -0400, Akiva Miller via Avodah wrote:
> Near the bottom of Taanis 30b, Rashi tells the story that in the Midbar, on
> each Erev Tisha B'Av, everyone would dig a grave for himself and sleep in
> it that night. Most people woke up in the morning, but not all. (Other
> seforim do the math: 600,000 were to die each of the 40 years, which comes
> to 15,000 each Tisha B'av.) In Rashi's words:

Rashbam, according to Tosafos there.

> Here's my question: If someone says 'Perhaps we made a mistake in
> calculating the month,' then that person is clearly rejecting the halacha
> that a declaration of Rosh Chodesh is valid even if the "wrong" day was
> declared...

There is a parallel gemara on the bottom of BB 121a.

The Ramban ad loc avoids your problem. Which doesn't help us answer the
Pesiqta Rabasi (33:1) Rashi quotes, but...

In the 40th year, why was anyone worried? After all, everyone left knew
of themselves they weren't of age or perhaps even born when the decree
was made. So who was lying in graves? So he says Tu beAv is the date in
year 39 that shiv'ah ended for the last time for those who died because
of cheit hameraglim.

Whereas Tosafos (BB) say they died in year 40 too, and they knew the
gezeira was over when there was no one left to die. In fact, looking
back at the Ramban, he cites "HaRav R Shmuel za"l" -- perhaps the baal
tosafos in question? (Aside from being 1 year later.)

Now, continuing for both...

... And that is the definition of "kalu meisei midbar".

Fits even better when you look at the next line (in either gemara),
where it continues to say and that's when Moshe's panim-el-Panim nevu'ah
returned. (Based on Devarim 2:16) Since nevu'ah requires simchah, tying
it to the end of aveilus seems intuitive.


Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 "I hear, then I forget; I see, then I remember;
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   I do, then I understand." - Confucius
Author: Widen Your Tent      "Hearing doesn't compare to seeing." - Mechilta
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF    "We will do and we will listen." - Israelites