Today’s daf is sponsored by Heather (Hadar) Stone in honor of her daughter, Hila bat Hadar ve’Yehezkel on her commission as a second lieutenant in the IDF Education command. “So proud of you and your accomplishments. Can’t wait to see where you lead next.” And by Jordana Hyman “to our amazing daughter, Prielle Hyman Borowski, on her giyus today. We are bursting with pride and excitement as you begin your service. May Hashem protect you and bless you always, with your fellow soldiers. With love, Mum and Dad.”
A braita explains that if a tree was planted 30 thirty days before Rosh Hashanah, it will be counted as its second year on the first of Tishrei. However, the fruits are still considered orla after the third year until the 15th of Shvat (of the fourth year) if they budded before then. And the same holds true for laws of neta revai on the fifth year. Does the braita not work with Rabbi Meir’s opinion that even a day counts as a year when determining that an animal is a 3-year old bull (required for sacrifices that are to be brought with a bull), because the braita required thirty days? Perhaps one could distinguish between the end of a count (when the bull begins his third year – where one day counts) and the beginning of the count (planted before Rosh Hashanah – where one day would not count). The Gemara rejects this distinction based on a woman who is a Niddah who on the last day requires a complete day but on the first day, even a part of the day counts as a whole day. If the braita does not like Rabbi Meir, by default, it must hold like Rabbi Elazar who holds that the bull needs one month into its third year to be considered a bull. However, that is also difficult as then the braita should require 60 days – 30 for the tree to take root and 30 for it to be considered its own year. A braita is brought with different opinions regarding how much time is needed to take root – 30 days, 3 days or two weeks. None of the opinions match the original braita which seems to require no time for taking root, if in fact the thirty days are based on Rabbi Elazar. The braita is then explained according to Rabbi Meir who requires only one day for the year and thirty for it to take root. Why, then, does the braita not say 31? The thirtieth day counts for both. Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Elazar both derive their opinions from the same verse from Breishit 8:13 about when the waters of the flood dried – in the 601st year on the first day of the first month. Each one uses it to prove his opinion. A braita is brought with a debate about whether the world was created on the first of Nissan or Tishrei. Various other events are given a date as well.
