Hello chevra, and welcome back to our pre-Pesach mishnayos series where we are learning mishnayos related to the period leading up to Pesach. We are currently learning mishnayot related to Rosh Chodesh Nissan, and we are about to learn the third in the series of four mishnayot that mention or imply our discussion relates to Rosh Chodesh Nissan. So tonight, we are going to again for our third mishna in a row be learning Masechtas Rosh Hashanah and this time פרק ב משנה א. The mishna itself does not mention Rosh Chodesh Nissan explicitly in the mishna, but the story that is referenced in the mishna we know is taking place according to the mefarshim, according to the commentators, that it took place related to Rosh Chodesh Nissan. For a quick background as to the context of our mishna. So during the second Beis HaMikdash, certainly during the second half of the second Beis HaMikdash period of the second Beis HaMikdash, like after the Chanukah story or starting a little bit around that, then and later till the end, there were various different groups of Jews who lived during the time. They were, and they have come to be known by different names. There were the Tzadukim, the Baissusim, and then the Perushim is what you would call the Chachamim. The Chachamim went by the name Chachamim or by the name Perushim, and there were, like I said, Tzadukim and Baissusim. Now there were many differences between them and they argued over halacha and they over argued over other things, but one of the most famous machlokos between the Perushim, the Chachamim, and the Baissusim and the maybe the Tzadukim as well was a very, very interesting machlokes that relates to Pesach. So we all know that the Pesach, erev Pesach you bring the Korban Pesach and then you celebrate Pesach, eat matzah and maror, and then the night after that we start have a new mitzvah which is called Sefiras HaOmer, and the reason it's called Sefiras HaOmer, we count the omer, is because on the day after the first day of Pesach, or in chut l'aretz it would be after the second day, but in Eretz Yisrael right after the Seder night they would start to harvest and bring a special Korban Omer. The Korban Omer was brought from barley, they would harvest the barley near the Beis HaMikdash, they would bring it as a Korban into the Beis HaMikdash, and why it is so significant is because you were not allowed to eat the new wheat and grain that was grown since last year until you brought the Korban Omer. So the Korban Omer was a very important Korban because nowadays we're spoiled in that we can keep our food for very long periods of time, but back then they would run out of food, they didn't have a way of storing it well, and by the time Pesach came around there wasn't a lot of food. So the Korban Omer was very, very important to the people living at the time in Eretz Yisrael and even in chut l'aretz, and that because they were not allowed to eat chadosh. Chadosh is the new wheat, the new grain. They had to wait for the Korban Omer. But there was a very interesting machlokes like I said between the Perushim and the Baissusim because the words that the Torah says, when do you bring the Korban Omer? You bring it Mimachoras HaShabbos. You bring it on the day after what the Torah says is Shabbos. The Chachamim understood that the word HaShabbos in that pasuk means the first day of Pesach. So Mimachoras HaShabbos means the day after the first day of Pesach. However, the Baissusim understood that you should take it literally, read it literally, so that Mimachoras HaShabbos means the day after Shabbos, which always means a Sunday. So according to the Baissusim, the Korban Omer was not brought on the second day of Pesach but rather it was brought on the first Sunday of Pesach. So that might be a few days later than the Perushim. So if the first Seder night was Tuesday night, Wednesday night they would prepare the omer and then Thursday morning they would bring it according to the Perushim, but according to the Baissusim you would wait till after Shabbos. Now there was one period of time when it would coincide. So if the first day of Pesach, the Seder night was Friday night, so that means motzei Shabbos they would harvest the barley and then the Sunday they would bring the Korban. So that worked well for both the Perushim and the Baissusim, right? And it worked well because for everybody it fell on Sunday. So if you were a Baissusi or Tzaduki you would always like Rosh Chodesh Nissan to fall on a Shabbos because if Rosh Chodesh Nissan falls on Shabbos that means the first Seder is on Friday night and that means the omer will be brought on Sunday which is exactly what they wanted and then you can fulfill both interpretations of Mimachoras HaShabbos. It would be both Sunday and the day after the first day of Pesach. And so our mishna tells us of a situation where the Baissusim tried to trick the Beis Din into declaring Rosh Chodesh Nissan on Shabbos so that At it would, so that the Omer would fall on Sunday two weeks later. And so, you do that by coming to Beis Din early and saying, well, we saw the moon today and therefore declare Rosh Chodesh today on Shabbos, rather than tomorrow, let's say, on Sunday. And so, our Mishna is going to tell us that because of that, they stopped accepting all the different types of witnesses. Usually, in the beginning, they would accept any Jews who were came to testify because we always trust other Jews. But then, once the Baisusim started playing tricks with the calendar, the Beis Din made up that they would only accept testimony from witnesses that were known to the Beis Din, meaning they could be relied on by the Beis Din. So, you'll see in the graphic, in the picture that is part of this shiur, you'll see the two people, witnesses, standing in front of the Beis Din. One of them looks a little concerned, he doesn't look sure about himself and it feels like he's lying to the Beis Din, and you can see people in the background outside the door murmuring because they may have paid him off to testify for them. So, that is the context of the picture that you see accompanying the Mishna. But let's begin the Mishna. The Mishna is מסכת ראש השנה פרק ב משנה א. The Mishna begins אם אינן מכירין אותו, if the Beis Din do not recognize the witnesses, meaning they're not known to be reliable, משלחים אחר עמו להעידו. So, let's say the witness lived in Modi'in and he was coming up to Yerushalayim, the Beis Din in Modi'in would send along people with him to testify that he can be relied upon. Barishona, because originally היו מקבלין עדות החודש, they would accept eidus hachodesh testimony regarding the new moon mikkol adam from anybody. But mishekilkelu haminin, when the minin here means the Baisusim, the Tzedukim, when these people from the other groups of Klal Yisrael started messing around and trying to trick the Beis Din into declaring Rosh Chodesh Nissan on Shabbos, התקינו שלא יהיו מקבלין אלא מן המכירין. They made a takkana, they made a rule that they would only accept testimony ella min hamakkirin, only from those people that the Beis Din understood to be reliable. So, that limited the pool of people who can actually come to Beis Din and testify, and maybe there was a group of people designated by the Beis Din who can testify, but certainly was no longer open to everybody. And this was a real fight that happened between the Baisusim and the Perushim. And for those of you who have studied Masechtas Menachos, where it talks about bringing the Korban Omer, you see how the Chachamim took a lot of precautions to make sure that it was done properly. And anyway, thank you very much for joining us and continue.