Monday of Galiot
Shalom Uvracha Rav Michael,
A nice room!
Sorry to write in English, just so much easier for me. ! Please reply in Hebrew.
Sorry for writing so soon after chag. (when you are probably clearing away the Pesach stuff). Feel free to reply in your own time.
Obviously I’m not the first person to ask, I must be the millionth!
I don’t understand why nowadays in chul there are still 2 days chag. Based on the famous gemara in Bitza D:
And they were told in the decree of the Dirha, “Why do you serve me every day, because you sent me away? Be careful in the custom of your fathers, in your hands, for the time has come when the kingdom has decreed a decree, and I will not break it.”
If the Talmud had given the answer that we keep 2 days to preserve the minhag (= the authority of Chazal), then that would have been (more) acceptable. But the gemara was far more specific – that due to ‘gezerot hamalchut’ it may end up in ‘kilkul’. I suppose chazal meant that we would no longer be able to calculate and apply the calendar. But for over 2000 years that hasn’t happened! Nowadays you don’t even need a calendar of your own. My family in the UK can just video me on zoom or whatsapp to find out!
So it very much looks like “Batel Taam” and even like “Batel Thasif”.
Hope you can help, when you have time.
Bvirchat Shalom,
Indeed, the reason for the second Yom Kippur is irrelevant at all. Even if the Temple returns soon, no one will need two days of Yom Kippur. You can use WhatsApp to inform everyone when the month is holy and that’s it.
But even when the reason is null, we do not have the authority to change the result without the presence of the great judge and the surrounding judges. The absence of a reason does not invalidate a regulation, and even according to the Rabbad’s method, it is only null and void in the case of the judge (except that a great judge is not required in wisdom and minyan).
On the other hand, for example, regarding the Jewish holiday in the Land of Israel, there is the Rif method that one day is enough, and therefore, in my opinion, there is really no point in celebrating two days today. When there is a halachic method to rely on, then one can choose it when the reason is null. And yet the custom is to celebrate two days, and therefore, at least from a custom standpoint, it is difficult to abolish it without a broad rabbinical consensus being formed regarding this.
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