Rabba and Rav Ḥisda continue to argue over the existence of the principle of ho’il- הוֹאִיל. The principle of ho’il states that since potentially something can happen, we view it as if it did. A classic example can be found on yesterday’s daf TB Pesakhim 46. “It was stated that the amora’im disagree with regard to one who bakes bread on a Festival day for use during the week. Rav Ḥisda said: He is flogged (for violating a negative commandment-gg) because he has desecrated the Festival. Rabba said: He is not flogged. Rav Ḥisda said that he is flogged because we do not say that since guests may happen to visit him, the bread is fit for him on the Festival day itself. Rabba said that he is not flogged because we say that since guests may visit him, the bread is considered to have been baked for use on the Festival day itself. Even if guests do not actually come, he has not desecrated the Festival.” (Sefaria.org translation)
During the discussion about ho’il on today’s daf TB Pesakhim 47 we learn a peculiarity about our calendar. 12 loaves of hallah, shewbread-לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים were placed on the Golden Table (שׁוּלְחָן) in the Tabernacle every Shabbat and remain there until the next Shabbat. (Exodus 25:30) When the old loaves were removed one by one and replaced immediately with the new ones, six loaves went to the outgoing officiating priests and six loaves went to the incoming officiating priests. Obviously these loaves could not be baked on Shabbat itself and had to be baked on a weekday. According to Pirkei Avot 5:7 one of the ten miracles that were performed for our ancestors in the Temple was the shewbread never became stale even though they remained out for over a week. With this understanding, we can continue with the back-and-forth between Rabba and Rav Ḥisda.
“Rabba raised another objection to him (Rav Ḥisda): The shewbread in the Temple may be eaten on the ninth, tenth, or eleventh days from when it is baked, no less and no more. How so? In its usual manner it is eaten on the ninth day after it was baked, as it is baked on Shabbat eve and it is eaten on the next Shabbat, on the ninth day from when it was baked. If a Festival occurs on Shabbat eve, the shewbread is not baked on the Festival day but rather on Thursday, the eve of the Festival. Consequently, it is eaten on Shabbat of the next week, on the tenth day from when it was baked. If the two Festival days of Rosh HaShana preceded Shabbat, the shewbread is baked on Wednesday, Rosh HaShana eve, and it is eaten on the next Shabbat, on the eleventh day from when it was baked, because baking the shewbread does not override Shabbat or a Festival. Rabba asks: If you say that whatever one needs for Shabbat may be done on a Festival, why doesn’t the baking of this bread override the Festival? Since the shewbread is eaten on Shabbat, it should be considered food that one is permitted to prepare during the Festival (because Rav Ḥisda holds that the Festival and Shabbat are considered one long period of holiness; consequently, one may prepare the shewbread on the Festival for the next day, Shabbat.-gg)”
But wait a second. If the first day Rosh Hashanah begins on a Thursday then Yom Kippur naturally falls 10 days later on Shabbat. How is it logically possible for the priests to eat the shewbread on Yom Kippur?! Rashi comes to save the day by giving us two different possible explanations how the Rabba’s argument still makes sense.
We have to remember that today we have a fixed calendar and the first
day of Rosh Hashanah always falls on the first day of Tishrei. When the Temple
stood the new month was determined when witnesses testified seeing the new moon.
If witnesses came from the time of minkha[1], that that day and
the following day were declared holy. In this scenario if the witnesses came on
the 30th day of Elul, the 30th day of Elul would become
the first day of Rosh Hashanah and the first day of Tishrei would become the
second day of Rosh Hashanah. With this scenario Yom Kippur would not fall on
Shabbat, but Friday. The second possibility is the law concerning sanctified
food like the shewbread allows the priest also to eat it the night following
the day. In other words the priests may eat the shewbread when they break their
Yom Kippur fast motzai Yom Kippur
i.e. Saturday night.
[1] Mincha
may be recited beginning half an hour after halachic noontime. This earliest time
is referred to as mincha gedola (the "large
mincha"). It is, however, preferably recited after mincha ketana (2.5 halachic hours
before nightfall[5]).
Ideally, one should complete Mincha before sunset (shkiah), although many
authorities permit reciting Mincha until nightfall. The Mishnah Berurah states that is preferable
to recite mincha without a minyan before shkiah than
to recite it with a minyan after shkia.[6] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mincha)
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