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Rosh Hashanah 9: Increasing the Holiness in the World

Adding from the profane to the holy – specifically in the realm of time. Specifically, adding to the sabbatical year on both sides, before and after. A biblical verses teaches to cease plowing in advance, and refrain from harvesting afterwards, according to R. Akiva. [What’s What: Apparent biblical repetition teaching new details] In this case, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yishmael learn different halakhic details from the same verse. R. Yishmael learns the “extending the holy time into the profane” from the fast of Yom Kippur, which begins a little earlier than the absolute start-time of Yom Kippur. And which is derived from a biblical verse. Also, on the Jubilee year – when slaves go free, and the shofar is sounded… How much is in the hands of the court? Is the shofar what is required? What does this liberty mean? The sages take different approaches, but the real issue is about biblical interpretation, and less because of an underlying difference of approach with regard to the Jubilee itself. Also, the question of what happens in the Diaspora depending on the Jubilee in the Land of Israel.

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Anne and Yardaena

Anne Gordon is the deputy editor of Ops & Blogs at The Times of Israel. She is a veteran educator, having taught in high school and post-high school institutions in Israel and America for several decades. Yardaena Osband is a pediatrician and teaches in her community and online. They both hail from Boston, proud alumna of Maimonides School, where they first learned Gemara. Talking Talmud is their conversation (via podcast) on the daf yomi. They say: "Learning the daf? We have something for you to think about. Not learning the daf? We have something for you to think about! (Along with a taste of the daf...) Join the conversation with us!"
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