The order of the language is such: If the Jewish court/Bet Din does not recognize this pair that testified on the New Moon, the people of the place send another set [of witnesses] with him to testify that this pair is appropriate/kosher (see Tractate Rosh Hashanah 22b). And afterwards he explained the reason that on account of it, they don’t accept the testimony other than from a person who is known or that is known by others, and it states [in the Mishnah]: "בראשונה וכו'" – tha the sectarians would hire false witnesses to testify regarding the New Moon.

The Cutheans would raise fire signals at an inappropriate time announcing the New Moon in the moutains, and everyone who saw the fire signals would also kindle [them] on hhis own as he thinks that the lighting began in Jerusalem.

All of this is clear and obvious and we have already advanced to you the general rules of this last Halakha in the fourth chpater of [Tractate] Eruvin (Mishnah 3).

לפני החמה או לאחר החמה – meaning to say, the side that shines within it that was towards the son or the darkness that is within it that was towards the sun.

And it states [in the Mishnah]: "לצפונה או לדרומה" – on account of the fact that the moon and the stars incline/lean from the path of the sun sometimes to the south and somethings to the north and it is possible that the width of of the moon would be northward at the time of its appearance and it is possible that it would be southerly.

And it states [in the Mishnah]: "כמה היה גבוה" – that is to say, how much was its height above the horizen before the the sighting with the eye.

ולאין היה נוטה– meaning to sya , its extremities, because ithe leaning of the inclination of the moon changes in the directions of the world according to the width of the place and the widoth of the moon and its place in the constellations.

וכמה היה רחב– because the size of the moon itself changes when it renews itself in accordance with its drawing near to and its becoming distant from the sun. And the reasons for all of these changes and their knowledge, it is impossible to know them other than after knowing the kinds of many wonderous knowledge and the wisdom of astronomy and they would calculate the path of the moon in each month and know if they would see or not see it, according to what the exact calculation shows, if they knew that it would not appear, they would not rely on the words of the person who states that they saw it, for he is surely a false witness, but if they knew through the manner of the calculation that it really was possible tha tit would appear from the side of the calculation, but it is possible that that it would be hidden by the clouds, or that they heavesn were not clear, ior that that the place that they see from there is deep,and tehefore, they would not see it, and therefore we examine them if the testimony of he sees is corrrect or a lie in these matters that he mentioned, because they would calculate and know to wichi direction the moon is wife in the north or in the south, and how will be the placmeent of its extremities in the directions of the horizon, and the measurement of the brightness that one could see from it, and how much is its height according to the sion of the eye, if their testimony isappropriate to what that the calculations demonstrate, they would do acccording to their testimonyu if they were true witnesses as we have explained. But if not as for example, that they (i.e., the witnesses) said that saw it turning/diverting from the pathway of the sun to the northern side, and the width of the moon is southernly, we would know without a doubt that they are false witnesses. But you do not invalidate their testimony when they say how high it was other than if the two witnesses disputed in the measurement of its height with a large division (see Tractate Rosh Hashanah 24a). But if they all of them said that it was like ten cubits high, or that all of them said like one hundred cubits, their testimony is not contradicted through these words, because state like this measure it was its height according to the vision of tehir eyes. And as a result of these general rules that I have explained to you, they would make the viewing of the New Moon. But I am surprised about the person whoe contradicts and argues in this clear matter anad states that the Jewish religion is not built on the observation of the New Moon other than on caluclations alone, and that he believes in all of these statements, and I don’t think that a person who states this believes in it, but rather, it was his purposes in this matter to pierce his opponent in any manner that will be that won’t be in righteousness, or in righteousness since he did not find refuge from the pressure of the argumentation. And what is appropriate that you believe is that the essence of our religion is built upon the visual,but if the New Moon is not seen, we complete thirty days for the month that is departing, and the language of the Mishnah and the Talmud and the many stories that occurred in this matter over the course of all the years testify to the truth of this matter. God stated (Exodus 12:2): “This month shall mark the beginningn of the months,” and the it comes in the true accepted tradition that teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He showed Moses the image of the moon and said to him: (see Tractate Rosh Hashanah 20a and the Mekhilta) “see like this and sanctify it.” And they would not rely on calculations other than in order to know if it (i.e., the New Moon) appeared or did not appeared as I have explained to you, not that they should rely upon the calculations alone and make the New Moon according to the calculations if it obligatgs that it appeared, and the secret of the intercalation that the Holy One, blessed be He transmitted to Moses at Sinai (see Tractate Shabbat 75a according to the version of the Tosafot in Tractate Ketubot 111a, s.v., שלא and see the eighth chapter of Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer) this is the order of the calculation that it is possible to know the difficult measurement of exact viewing/sighting, for the masters of astronomy from all the nations and also the philosophers are divided regarding this until now and beyond. And it is not clear to them its exact measure, and this calculation that is in our hands today is part of that same calculation and its introduction , which is not other than that a collected calculation of the average sun and moon alone, and I will explain to you in a special document this matter that is in our hands and what is its purposs in clear sightings that will not contradict them but rather whomever that we are able to djudge favorably if it is stated is not known, beause most people and perhaps all of them don’t’ know antyhing othetr than the summery total alone, meaning to say, to refine numbers upon numbers an those who think that they have already attained great knownledge, but they don’t know this neither the matter nor the purpose if it is suitable for seeing or not. And when it will be explained to another of the wifse people tha tit is not approprioate for sighting at all, it comes to be a contradiction of clear things and he states that we don’t do it through sighting and the essence is the Torah calculation. But a disagreement did not fall betwween people and they contradicted the truth, but rather on account of the lack of knowledge. And he would not undestand this value of what we stated and and raised in these small things that preceded, and not what we will explain in that document that we will compose, but rather that a religious person and a person of faith and will to know the truth and does not deceive himself, and the condition that we have aalreday validated himself for many years with those studies that make a person fit until he reaches from them an important knowledge, and if not, my words will be in his hands (Proverbs 17:16): “ like money in the hand of a fool.”

זמנו – this is the night of the thirtieth day of the concluding month.

ושלא בזמנו – the night of the thirty-first which is the night of Rosh Hodesh in any case whether the New Moon appeared [or] whether it did not appear. But the first Tanna says that even though it is the night of Rosh Hodesh whether it (i.e., the New Moon) appeared [or] whether it did not appear, it is necessary to sanctify the [New] Month. But Rabbi Eleazar says that there is no obigation to sanctify the [New] Month in any manny matter, as it states (Leviticus 25:10): “And you shall hallow the fiftieth year.” You sanctify years, but you do not sanctify months (see Tractate Rosh Hashanah 24a, but even though it is not the method of Maimonides to mention the words of Tannaim tha tare not mentioned in the Mishnah, here he found it appropriate to mention the approach of Rabbi Eleazar that is brought in the Talmud which is a third approach. And it appears that it was not in his textual version that was an addition in parentheses in our version. It is astonishing that he did not mention the approach found in our Sugyah an in Tractate Sanhedrin 10b. Rabbi Obadiah of Bartenura thought that the words of Maimonides are based on the words of Rabbi Eleazar the son of Rabbi Tzadok and brougth these words anonymously), meaning to say, tha thte sanctification of every motnh is not obligatory. Ands the Halakha is according to Rabbi Eleazar the son of Rabbi Tzadok.

He would draw on a board the measurement of the light that would be in it, and placement of its borders for the directions of the horizon, and many many would draw sas such that deal with the paths of the stars, and don’t think that when it (i.e., the Mishnah) states: "ראינוהו שחרית במזרח וערבית במערב" what the ignorant imagine that they believeed inthese two things together, but it was possible for Rabban Gamaliel that the moon would appear in the east before sunrise, and on the same day itself, it would appear in the west after sunset, but since this is certainly prevented, it is would be completely impossible, and a person would not believe in this other than a common person which includes all of the commoners that do not attain from the traveling path of the spheres other than what the ox and the donkey comprehend, and more, he brings them to this imagery of what is stated in the Talmud: Rabban Gamaliel said to the Sages: Such is what I received from the house of my grandfather sometimes it comes at length and sometimes through a short [path] (see Tractate Rosh Hashanah 25a – and Rashi’s commentary there on the Mishnah s.v. "עדי שקר הם" ) . amd the matter of these things that the time that is betweem the ingathering of the sun and the moon and the sighting which makes a great change in accordance with the speed of the moon and its procrastination/slowness and according to its width in the north and in the sourth, and according to the length of the setting of the constellation that it is within and the shortness of its sunset, and according to the change of its appearance in length and width , and according to the change of the movement of the sun. And on these changes all of them are the causes of the shortness of the time between the ingathering of the sun and the moon and tween its appearnce of its length, it states that sometimes it comes in length and sometimes in shortness. And whomever has knowledge in the wisdom of the astronomy will understand everything that I said. But Rabban Gamaliel with his exacting knowledge of this wisdom knew that it is possible that it (i.e., the moon) could appear this evening, and therefore, he accepted their (i.e., those of the witnesses) when they said, “we saw it (i.e., the crescent New Moon) in the evening in the west, without fear for what they said about [seeing it] in the morning in the east, because the Torah did not obligate us to accept testimony of its appearnce in the morning. But not because he thought that they (i.e., the witnesses) lied, but that the matter dependended upon the fact that they imagined that they saw something that is similar to the moon but it was nothing, for it is impossible that it would appar in the morning of that same dasy. Because it is possible that he would draw/paint in the air the image of the moon as we had said, and already, they mentioned this in the Talmud and stated that one time, the sky was overcast and it appeared like the moon on the twenty-seventh [day] of the month etc. (see Ttractate Rosh Hashanah 25a and Rashi’s commentary there), and when Rabban Gamaliel accepted their testimony that the moon appeared near the sunset, the Sages disputede with him on this, because there wasn’t between it and the required gathering of time that it would appear according to their calculations which are not exact, and therefore, he transmitted to them the general principle that sometimes it comes at length, and sometimes shortly. And therefore, one must interpret anhyone who understands and is enlightened and possesses personal differentiation.

And it states [in the Mishnah]: "ראינוהו בזמנו ובלילי עבורו לא נראה" because he saw it (i.e., the New Moon) on the night of the thirtieth [of the month] and did not see it on the night of thirty-first [of the month], and the calculation requires that it should appear on the night of the thirtieth [of the month] as we have explained, and rightfully he believed them for they had testified on the appearance [of the New Moon] at the time of the appearance, and that which they said that they did not see it on the second night, this does not obligate us at all, for perhaps their sight was weak, or that the clouds covered it and they did not feel it. And from here it strengthens the understand of the explanation that we have made because also in this episode, Rabban Gamaliel did not believe them that the moon appeared on the night of the thirtieth [of the month] and it retreated backwards towards the sun and was hidden on the night of the thirty-first [of the month], but rather, he (i.e., Rabban Gamaliel] believedd their testimony that they had given in its appearance at the time of the appearance, and the matter was dependent upon their seeing it, with what they stated in the first episode that hey saw it in the morning on that same day, and also when they stated in the second episode that they did not see it (i.e., the New Moon) afterwards on the second night of the month.

This is clear and correct.