Greetings. How is it possible that the Talmud Bavli does not describe something as fundamental as the statement in the Yerushalmi in Eruvin regarding the fact that it was the neviim who enacted a second day of Rosh Hashanah even in Eretz Yisrael? And why does the Rambam in Hilchot Kiddush ha-Chodesh not even refer back to the statement of the Yerushalmi, although he often relies on the Yerushalmi, but rather simply discusses the issue of testimony for the new moon? Plus R. Saadiah Gaon even states that the actual fact of ibur hachodesh had nothing to do with viewing the new moon at all, yet this concept appears nowhere in Chazal? Thanks!
David Goldman, USA
Shalom David,
It's great to hear from you! What powerful and perceptive questions. Yeyasher Kochacha!
1) Honestly, I do not know for certain. But there seem to be a number of possibilities. For example, maybe the Yerushalmi's version intends to preserve a perspective that grants ancient authority (perhaps, say, to encourage acceptance of a two-day practice even in Eretz Yisrael). The Bavli's failure to mention the prophets could be because it disagrees, or perhaps because it focuses on the pragmatic Halachic cause, i.e. avoiding confusion about the Shir in cases when witnesses arrived late.
2) Perhaps the Rambam also did not find it necessary to cite the Yerushalmi's historical note, since it does not affect the Halachah itself.
3) Rav Sa'adyah Gaon's stance seems to demonstrate how Gedolei Yisrael at times attributed contemporary practices to ancient or Sinaitic origins, which effectively strengthened their legitimacy. His claim that the calendar's functioning is independent of moon-sighting, though not stated in the Talmud, connected the post-Talmudic practice of his era back to the core of Torah law.
I'd like to share a few articles that may shed more light on the matter, if you have a chance to go through them:
A. https://daf-yomi.com/DYItemDetails.aspx?itemId=52264
B. https://rabbikaganoff.com/tag/calendar/
C. https://ohr.edu/this_week/insights_into_halacha/5525
May you continue to attain greatness in Torah and Yir'as Shamayim!
Warmly,
Yishai Rasowsky