Yerushalmi Taanit 2:12 ירושלמי תענית ב׳:י״ב

MISHNAH: Anywhere it is written in the Scroll “not to deliver eulogies”, before it is forbidden, afterwards is permitted. Rebbi Yose says, before and after are forbidden. “Not to fast”, before and after it is permitted; Rebbi Yose says, before is forbidden, afterwards permitted¹⁹⁴The “Scroll” is the “Scroll of fasts”, a late pre-Mishnah document mostly commemorating victories either of Maccabeans against Seleucids or revolutionaries against Romans, or Pharisees abolishing Sadducee usages. The entire discussion of Megillat Ta`anit is repeated in Megillah 1:6 (מ). “Before” and “after” refers to the days preceding and following these rabbinic (or traditional) festive days, which are treated as if biblical.

HALAKHAH: ^194*This Halakhah and the next are repeated in Megillah 1:5 (מ). The Mishnah is Rebbi Meïr’s, since Rebbi Meïr said, “not to eulogize” one is forbidden to fast, “not to fast” one is permitted to eulogize¹⁹⁵“To eulogize”, to eulogize a deceased person either on his funeral or on a formal occasion in his remembrance. Both are incompatible with a holiday spirit. In the Babli, the attribution to R. Meïr is affirmed in Roš Haššanah and denied in Ta`anit 18a.. “Not to” unspecified<sup>196</sup>A day mentioned in the Scroll without indication of any restriction. is as “not to fast.” Rebbi Jonah said, “these are the days not to eulogize <fast> on them, and partially not to fast <eulogize> on them.<sup>197</sup>The introductory statement to Megillat Ta`anit. All sources of Megillat Ta`anit support the version in Megillah, here given in <braces>, that days of fast are fewer than days of no eulogies.” Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel said, why does it say “on them” twice? To teach that the night is permitted but the day forbidden<sup>198</sup>No restrictions apply to the night of the day mentioned in the Scroll.. As it was stated<sup>199</sup>Megillat Ta`anit, end of Month of Adar., “therefore a person who takes it on himself has to forbid himself in prayer.” Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, that he must mention it on the preceding evening²⁰⁰If a person intends to fast on a day where this is prohibited by Megillat Ta`anit, he has to start in the evening and mention his fast in the prayer. Then he has to fast as a vow which is a biblical obligation which cannot be annulled by rabbinical festive days.. This comes following what Rebbi Ze`ira said in the name of Rav Huna: Similar to Friday night and Sabbath day.

The Mishnah either follows Rebbi Yose on the eleventh or Rebbi Meïr on the twelfth²⁰¹This and the following paragraph refer to Mishnah Megillah1:5 where it is stated that even though if the Purim scroll cannot be read on the 14th, one reads it on one of the preceding days, this does not mean that the Purim celebration and the concurrent prohibition of fasting and public mourning are extended. Now Megillat Ta`anit for the month of Adar notes rabbinic festive days on the 12th and the 13th, Purim on 14th and 15th, and other holidays on 16th and 17th. Therefore the statement that one may fast and publicly mourn before the official Purim date certainly cannot apply to Adar 13th, and on first look also not to Adar 12th. Since the holiday on the 12th is rejected in the Halakhah, the Mishnah in Megillah may apply to Adar 12th for R. Meïr who does not extend the influence of rabbinic holidays to the preceding day, but only to Adar 11th for R. Yose following his opinion recorded here in Mishnah 14.. But it is difficult for Rebbi Meïr. Was it not stated<sup>202</sup>Megillat Ta`anit, Adar., “on the twelfth of it is Tirion²⁰³The name is טיריון in both occurrences in the Yerushalmi (the single טוריון in G may be disregarded); in Megillat Ta`anit it is טריינוס, in the Babli 18b טוריינוס. Only the last reading can be interpreted as “Trajanus”, and it is difficult to imagine that any happy occasion for Jews should be connected to this name. Also the baraita in Megillat Ta`anit makes it clear that one does not refer to an emperor since it states that after this Tirion had killed Julianus and Pappos in Laodicea for their being Jews there came an order from Rome and he was slain. Day?” But Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa said, Tirion Day was disestablished; the day when Julianus and Pappos were killed. “On the thirteenth of it is Nikanor Day²⁰²Megillat Ta`anit, Adar..” What is Nikanor Day? <sup>204</sup>1Maccabees7:19, 2Maccabees15:36.“A commander of the Greek government was passing by on his way to Alexandria when he saw Jerusalem, and insulted, vituperated, and blasphemed and said, when I shall return in peace I shall destroy this tower<sup>205</sup>An ironical quote of Jud. 8:9.. One of the dynasty of the Hasmoneans went out against him, killed his soldiers until he came to his car<sup>206</sup>Latin carruca, Greek καρούχα. A travel wagon, not a fighting vehicle.. When he came to his car he hacked off his hand and cut off his head, stuck them on a piece of wood and wrote under it, the mouth which spoke in guilt and the hand stretched out in haughtiness, and hung it on a pole<sup>207</sup>Greek κοντός. outside Jerusalem.” In Rebbi Meïr’s opinion it is understandable, it comes to forbid the previous day<sup>208</sup>The day preceding Purim.. What does it come to forbid for Rebbi Yose? To forbid the day before he does not need since itself it forbidden because of the fourteenth. It comes to inform you that eulogies are forbidden<sup>209</sup>Since R. Yose only forbids fasting on the day preceding a holiday.. And also for Rebbi Meïr it is not difficult; was it not stated, “on the twelfth of it is Tirion Day?” But Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa said, Tirion Day was disestablished; the day when Julianus and Pappos were killed<sup>204</sup>1Maccabees7:19, 2Maccabees15:36.. “On the fourteenth and the fifteenth is Purim, not to eulogize. On the sixteenth they started to build the wall of Jerusalem<sup>210</sup>According to the baraita in Megillat Ta`anit, the repair of the walls damaged by a Gentile army. There is no necessity to refer to the first war against the Romans., not to eulogize²⁰²Megillat Ta`anit, Adar..” In Rebbi Meïr’s opinion it is understandable, it comes to forbid the previous day. What does it come to forbid for Rebbi Yose? To forbid the day before he does not need since itself is forbidden because of the fifteenth. It comes to inform you that eulogies are forbidden. ²¹¹Corrector’s addition, probably to be deleted since missing in Megillah, even though it seems to be supported by G which ends here after two words.[And also for Rebbi Meïr it is not difficult; was it not stated, “on the twelfth of it is Tirion Day?” But Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa said, Tirion Day was disestablished; the day when Julianus and Pappos were killed.]

“On the seventeenth of it Gentiles attacked the remainder of the Sopherim at the city of Khalkis and Bet-Zabdin²¹²Khalkis was a city near Tripolis (Lebanon) and Bet-Zavda probably was in Syria. The baraita in Megillat Ta`anit connects this with the persecution of the Pharisees by Alexander Yannai. and there was relief.<sup>202</sup>Megillat Ta`anit, Adar.” In Rebbi Meïr’s opinion it is understandable, it comes to forbid the {day} itself. What does it come to forbid for Rebbi Yose²¹³Since it is the day after the second day of Purim which for him automatically is forbidden.? [The day before? Is not the day itself forbidden for him?]²¹⁴Unsupported corrector’s addition, to be deleted. Rebbi Yose said, all these matters neither support nor contradict either Rebbi Meïr or Rebbi Yose; they only come to report the days on which miracles were done for Israel. You have to understand that this is so since we have stated²¹⁵Megillat Ta`anit, Nisan. This does not refer to the start of regular sacrifices as described by Lev. 9, but to the acceptance as Temple practice that public offerings must be paid for by public taxes, against the Sadducee opinion that private donations may be solicited for these.: “On the New Moon of Nisan the Daily Offering was settled, one may not eulogize.” Without this is he not already forbidden because of the New Moon<sup>216</sup>Which is a semi-holiday, only without work-related restrictions.? <sup>217</sup>Tosephta 2:6, Babli 17b, Babli Roš Haššanah19a.“But on Sabbath and holidays one fasts before and after them. What is your reason to be lenient with these and restrictive with those? For these are words of the Torah, and words of the Torah do not need reinforcement. But those are words of the Sopherim<sup>218</sup>The mention of Sopherim indicates that the principles of Megillat Ta`anit are part of Ezra’s organization of post-exilic Judaism, even though the redaction of the Scroll belongs to the last generation before the destruction of the 2nd Temple., and words of the Sopherim need reinforcement.” That is what you were saying, as long as Megillat Ta`anit was not abolished. But since Megillat Ta`anit was abolished, all these were abolished. Rebbi Ḥanina and Rebbi Jonathan both said, Megillat Ta`anit was abolished<sup>219</sup>First generation Amoraim. Babli Roš Haššanah18b. From here on a similar text also is in Nedarim8:1 (Notes 33–35,נ).. Rebbi Abba and Rebbi Simon both said, Megillat Ta`anit was abolished. Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, Megillat Ta`anit was abolished. Rebbi Joḥanan said, yesterday I was repeating, <sup>220</sup>Tosephta 2:5, Babli Roš Haššanah18b.“it happened that in Lydda they decided on a fast-day on Ḥanukkah. They said about Rebbi Eliezer that he got a haircut, and about Rebbi Joshua that he took a {thermal} bath<sup>221</sup>Forbidden on a later fast-day for rain, Mishnah 1:7.. Rebbi Joshua said to them, go and fast because you fasted.” And you are saying, Megillat Ta`anit was abolished? Rebbi Abba said, even if you are saying that Megillat Ta`anit was abolished, Ḥanukkah and Purim were not abolished²²²Confirmed in the Babli Roš Haššanah 19b..

The actions of the rabbis imply that Megillat Ta`anit was abolished. Rebbi Jonathan fasted every New Year’s Day’s eve. Rebbi Abun fasted every Sabbath eve<sup>223</sup>Even though Tosephta 2:6 states that one may fast on Fridays, it notes, as quote from Megillat Ta`anit, the dissenting opinion of R. Yose the Galilean who forbids. The problems of fasting on Friday are taken up in the last paragraph of this Chapter.. Rebbi Ze`ira fasted 300 fasts, and some say 900, and disregarded Megillat Ta`anit²²⁴The Babli (Bava Meṣia`85a) reports that he fasted in order to forget the teachings of his native Babylonia.. Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa commanded the schoolteachers, if a woman comes to ask you, tell her that one may fast any time except Sabbaths, holidays, New Moons, intermediate days of holidays, Ḥanukkah and Purim²²⁵Only Purim and Ḥanukkah are rabbinic holidays in this list..