## Rosh Hashanah Daf 4a

###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:1
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:1)

״וּמָה חַשְׁחָן וּבְנֵי תוֹרִין וְדִכְרִין וְאִמְּרִין לַעֲלָוָן לֶאֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא חִנְטִין מְלַח חֲמַר וּמְשַׁח כְּמֵאמַר כָּהֲנַיָּא דִי בִירוּשְׁלֶם לֶהֱוֵא מִתְיְהֵב לְהֹם יוֹם בְּיוֹם דִּי לָא שָׁלוּ״! אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יִצְחָק: רַבִּי, מִטּוּנָךְ: ״דִּי לֶהֱוֹן מְהַקְרְבִין נִיחוֹחִין לֶאֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא וּמְצַלַּיִן לְחַיֵּי מַלְכָּא וּבְנוֹהִי״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**“And that which they need, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt-offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the word of the priests who are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail”** (Ezra 6:9)? Doesn’t Cyrus’ contribution to the Temple demonstrate his fear of Heaven? **Rabbi Yitzḥak said to** Rav Kahana: **My teacher,** a refutation can be brought **from your** own **burden,** from the text you yourself cited, as the next verse continues: **“That they may sacrifice offerings of sweet savor to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and of his sons”** (Ezra 6:10). This shows that Cyrus did this solely for his own benefit, so that the Jews would sacrifice offerings and pray for him and his sons.


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:2
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:2)

וּמַאן דְּעָבֵד הָכִי לָאו מְעַלְּיוּתָא הִיא? וְהָתַנְיָא, הָאוֹמֵר: ״סֶלַע זוֹ לִצְדָקָה בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁיִּחְיוּ בָּנַי״, וּ״בִשְׁבִיל שֶׁאֶזְכֶּה בָּהּ לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא״ — הֲרֵי זֶה צַדִּיק גָּמוּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And one who acts in this manner, is** he **not** acting in **exemplary** fashion? **Isn’t it taught** in a *baraita*: If one gives charity, saying: I give **this *sela* for charity in order that my children may live, or:** I give it **in order that through it I may merit life in the World-to-Come, he is** still considered **a full-fledged righteous person?** If so, what was wrong with the king bringing offerings so that the Jews would pray for his life and the life of his children?


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:3
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:3)

לָא קַשְׁיָא: כָּאן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, כָּאן בְּגוֹיִם.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: **This** is **not difficult. Here,** in the case of one who makes his charity conditional yet is considered to be righteous, it is referring **to a Jew.** This is because even if his condition is not fulfilled, he will not complain to God. However, **there,** where Cyrus was not given credit for his good deed because it was conditional, it is referring **to gentiles.** A gentile may come to regret his actions and complain to God if his condition is not fulfilled.


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:4
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:4)

וְאִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא: מְנָלַן דְּאַחְמִיץ — דִּכְתִיב: ״נִדְבָּכִין דִּי אֶבֶן גְּלָל תְּלָתָא וְנִדְבָּךְ דִּי אָע חֲדַת וְנִפְקְתָא מִן בֵּית מַלְכָּא תִּתְיְהִב״, לְמָה לֵיהּ דַּעֲבַד הָכִי? סָבַר: אִי מָרְדוּ בִּי יְהוּדָאֵי — אִיקְלְיֵיהּ בְּנוּרָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And if you wish, say: From where do we** derive **that** Cyrus **became corrupt? As it is written** with regard to the building of the Temple that he issued the following command: “Let the house be built…**with three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber, and let the expense be paid out of the king’s house”** (Ezra 6:4). **Why did he do it** in **this** manner and command that the Temple be built with a row of timber? **He thought: If the Jews rebel against me, I will burn** their Temple **with fire,** and it will be more flammable because of the wood.


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:5
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:5)

אַטּוּ שְׁלֹמֹה לָא עֲבַד הָכִי? וְהָכְתִיב: ״שְׁלֹשָׁה טוּרֵי גָזִית וְטוּר כְּרֻתוֹת אֲרָזִים״! שְׁלֹמֹה עֲבַד מִלְּמַעְלָה, וְאִיהוּ עֲבַד מִלְּמַטָּה. שְׁלֹמֹה שַׁקְּעֵיהּ בְּבִנְיָנָא, אִיהוּ לָא שַׁקְּעֵיהּ בְּבִנְיָנָא. שְׁלֹמֹה סַדְיֵיהּ בְּסִידָא, אִיהוּ לָא סַדְיֵיהּ בְּסִידָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara raises a question: **Is that to say** that **Solomon did not do this** very same thing when he built the first Temple? **Isn’t it written:** “And he built the inner court, **three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams”** (I Kings 6:36)? The Gemara answers: **Solomon placed** the wood **above** the stone foundation, so that even if the Temple were burned, the stone foundation would remain, **whereas** Cyrus **placed** it **below,** so that if he were to set fire to the Temple, the whole structure would collapse. Also, **Solomon sunk** the wood **into the building** in order to make it less flammable, whereas Cyrus **did not sink it into the building.** Furthermore, **Solomon plastered** the wood over **with plaster** to prevent it from catching fire, **whereas** Cyrus **did not plaster** the wood over **with plaster.**


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:6
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:6)

אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף, וְאִיתֵּימָא רַבִּי יִצְחָק: מְנָלַן דְּאַחְמִיץ — מֵהָכָא: ״וַיֹּאמֶר לִי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַשֵּׁגַל יוֹשֶׁבֶת אֶצְלוֹ״. מַאי ״שֵׁגַל״? אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר לִימָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַב: כַּלְבְּתָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Yosef said, and some say** that it was **Rabbi Yitzḥak** who said: **From where do we** derive **that** Cyrus **became corrupt? From here,** as it is written: **“And the king said to me, the consort [*shegal*] also sitting by him:** For how long shall your journey be? And when will you return? So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a time” (Nehemiah 2:6). **What is** the meaning of the word ***shegal*** in the verse? **Rabba bar Lima said in the name of Rav:** It means **a she-dog** that sat next to him, which he used for sexual relations.


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:7
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:7)

אֶלָּא מֵעַתָּה, הָא דִּכְתִיב: ״וְעַל מָרֵא שְׁמַיָּא הִתְרוֹמַמְתָּ וּלְמָאנַיָּיא דִי בַיְתֵיהּ הַיְתִיו קׇדָמָךְ וְאַנְתְּ וְרַבְרְבָנָךְ שֵׁגְלָתָךְ וּלְחֵנָתָךְ חַמְרָא שָׁתַיִן בְּהוֹן״, וְאִי ״שֵׁגַל״ כַּלְבְּתָא הִיא, כַּלְבְּתָא בַּת מִשְׁתְּיָא חַמְרָא הִיא? הָא לָא קַשְׁיָא, דְּמַלְּפָא לָה וְשָׁתְיָיא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara raises a difficulty: **However, if** that is **so,** there is a contradiction from **that which is written** about Belshazzar: **“But you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you, and your lords, your consorts [*shegal*] and your concubines, have drunk wine in them”** (Daniel 5:23). **If *shegal*** means **a she-dog, does a she-dog drink wine?** The Gemara explains: **This** is **not difficult, as** perhaps **they trained it to drink** wine.


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:8
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:8)

אֶלָּא מֵעַתָּה דִּכְתִיב: ״בְּנוֹת מְלָכִים בְּיִקְּרוֹתֶיךָ נִצְּבָה שֵׁגַל לִימִינְךָ בְּכֶתֶם אוֹפִיר״, וְאִי שֵׁגַל כַּלְבְּתָא הִיא, מַאי קָא מְבַשַּׂר לְהוּ נָבִיא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל?! הָכִי קָאָמַר: בִּשְׂכַר שֶׁחֲבִיבָה תּוֹרָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּשֵׁגַל לַגּוֹיִם — זְכִיתֶם לְכֶתֶם אוֹפִיר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara raises another difficulty: **However, if** that is **so,** there is a contradiction from that **which is written: “Kings’ daughters are among your favorites; upon your right hand stands a consort [*shegal*] in gold of Ophir”** (Psalms 45:10). **Now, if *shegal* is a she-dog, what is the prophet heralding for the Jewish people?** The Gemara explains: **This is what** the prophet **is saying: In reward for the Torah being as precious to the Jews as a she-dog is to gentiles, you merited the gold of Ophir.**


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:9
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:9)

וְאִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא: לְעוֹלָם ״שֵׁגַל״ — מַלְכְּתָא הִיא, וְרַבָּה בַּר לִימָא גְּמָרָא, גְּמִיר לַהּ. וְאַמַּאי קָרֵי לַהּ ״שֵׁגַל״? שֶׁהָיְתָה חֲבִיבָה עָלָיו כְּשֵׁגַל. אִי נָמֵי: שֶׁהוֹשִׁיבָהּ בִּמְקוֹם שֵׁגַל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And if you wish, say: Actually,** the word ***shegal*** in all these other contexts means **consort, but Rabba bar Lima had a tradition** that in connection with Cyrus the word *shegal* means she-dog. **And why was it called a consort [*shegal*]?** It is **because** the dog **was as precious to him as a consort; or else, because he set** the dog next to him **in place of a consort.**


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:10
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:10)

וְאִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא: מְנָלַן דְּאַחְמִיץ — מֵהָכָא: ״עַד כְּסַף כַּכְּרִין מְאָה וְעַד חִנְטִין כּוֹרִין מְאָה וְעַד חֲמַר בַּתִּין מְאָה וְעַד בַּתִּין מְשַׁח מְאָה וּמְלַח דִּי לָא כְתָב וְגוֹ׳״. מֵעִיקָּרָא — בְּלָא קִיצּוּתָא, וְהַשְׁתָּא — בְּקִיצּוּתָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And if you wish, say: From where do we** derive **that** Cyrus **became corrupt?** It is **from here,** as it is stated: **“Up to a hundred talents of silver, and up to a hundred measures of wheat, and up to a hundred *bat* of wine, and up to a hundred *bat* of oil, and salt without prescribed limit”** (Ezra 7:22). **Initially** he gave **without** setting **a limit, but now** he introduced **a limit.**


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:11
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:11)

וְדִילְמָא מֵעִיקָּרָא לָא הֲוָה קִים לֵיהּ בְּקִיצּוּתָא? אֶלָּא, מְחַוַּורְתָּא כִּדְשַׁנִּיין מֵעִיקָּרָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
This is rejected: **But perhaps initially he did not know what limit** to set, as he was not familiar with the daily needs of the Temple, and afterward, when the matter became clarified, he set an appropriate limit. **Rather, it is clear as we initially answered** that the evidence that Cyrus became corrupt is based on his relationship with his consort rather than on his donations to the Temple.


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:12
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:12)

וְלָרְגָלִים. רְגָלִים בְּאֶחָד בְּנִיסָן הוּא? בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּנִיסָן הוּא! אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: רֶגֶל שֶׁבּוֹ, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לָרְגָלִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches: **And** the first of Nisan is also the New Year **for** the order of **the Festivals.** The Gemara asks: **Is** the New Year for the **Festivals** really **on the first of Nisan?** Isn’t **it on the fifteenth of Nisan,** the first day of the festival of Passover? **Rav Ḥisda said:** What the mishna means is that **the Festival that** occurs **in** the month of Nisan **is the New Year for Festivals.**


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:13
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:13)

נָפְקָא מִינַּהּ לְנוֹדֵר, לְמֵיקַם עֲלֵיהּ בְּ״בַל תְּאַחֵר״, וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן הִיא. דְּתַנְיָא: אֶחָד הַנּוֹדֵר, וְאֶחָד הַמַּקְדִּישׁ, וְאֶחָד הַמַּעֲרִיךְ, כֵּיוָן שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו שְׁלֹשָׁה רְגָלִים — עוֹבֵר בְּ״בַל תְּאַחֵר״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara comments: This ruling makes **a practical difference to one who makes a vow,** in order **to determine when he is liable for** violating the prohibition: **You shall not delay. And** the mishna was taught in accordance with the opinion of **Rabbi Shimon, as it is taught** in a *baraita*: **Whether one makes a vow** to bring an offering to the Temple, **or consecrates** an item to the Temple, **or makes a valuation,** promising to pay the value of a particular person to the Temple treasury, **once three Festivals have passed** from that day and he has not yet fulfilled his promise, **he transgresses** the prohibition: **You shall not delay,** as stated in the verse: “When you shall vow a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay paying it” (Deuteronomy 23:22).


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:14
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:14)

רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר: שְׁלֹשָׁה רְגָלִים כְּסִדְרָן, וְחַג הַמַּצּוֹת תְּחִילָּה. וְכֵן הָיָה רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי אוֹמֵר: רְגָלִים, פְּעָמִים שְׁלֹשָׁה, פְּעָמִים אַרְבָּעָה, פְּעָמִים חֲמִשָּׁה. כֵּיצַד? נָדַר לִפְנֵי הַפֶּסַח — שְׁלֹשָׁה. לִפְנֵי עֲצֶרֶת — חֲמִשָּׁה. לִפְנֵי הֶחָג — אַרְבָּעָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Shimon says:** One transgresses the prohibition against delaying not when any three Festivals have passed, but when **three Festivals** have passed **in their** proper **order,** i.e., Passover, *Shavuot*, and *Sukkot*, **with Passover first. And, so too, Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai would say: The Festivals** that must pass before a person is liable for violating the prohibition against delaying **are sometimes three, sometimes four,** and **sometimes five. How so? If one made his vow before Passover** they are **three,** as he may delay bringing his offering until the festival of *Sukkot*; if he made his vow **before *Shavuot*** they are **five,** as the counting of three Festivals begins only from the next Passover; and if he made his vow **before the festival** of *Sukkot*, they are **four.**


###### Rosh Hashanah 4a:15
[Rosh Hashanah 4a:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rosh%20Hashanah/r/4a:15)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: חַיָּיבֵי הַדָּמִין וְהָעֲרָכִין, הַחֲרָמִין וְהַהֶקְדֵּשׁוֹת, חַטָּאוֹת וַאֲשָׁמוֹת, עוֹלוֹת וּשְׁלָמִים, צְדָקוֹת וּמַעַשְׂרוֹת, בְּכוֹר וּמַעֲשֵׂר וּפֶסַח,

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Sages taught** in a *baraita*: With regard to **those who are liable for** vows of **monetary** payment, **or for** vows of **valuations,** or **for dedications, or for consecrations, sin-offerings, guilt-offerings, burnt-offerings, peace-offerings,** vows of **charity, tithes, firstborn** offerings, animal **tithes, or the Paschal offering,**