When you’re livelihood is decided TB Beitza 16

The placement of the massekhtot in the Seder, Order i.e. the general topic of all the tractates, is based on length. The longer massekhtot appear before the shorter ones. That’s why massekhtot Yoma and Sukkah comes before massekhet Rosh Hashana and why our massekhet Beitza that deals with the general laws of festivals comes before massekhet Rosh Hashanah. When we study these massekhtot, they don’t line up with the actual observance of the holiday

Sometimes coincidences are God working his miracles incognito. Yesterday was Yom Kippur and the very first topic covered on TB Beitza 16 concerns Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I’m really sorry I do not have time to explain how might we moderns understand or disagree with the theological approach of Rav Taḥlifa, brother of Ravnai Ḥoza’a. I hope maybe sometime in the future I can return and fill in more of the details.

“Rav Taḥlifa, brother of Ravnai Ḥoza’a, taught: A person’s entire livelihood is allocated to him during the period from Rosh HaShana to Yom Kippur. During that time, as each individual is judged, it is decreed exactly how much money he will earn for all his expenditures of the coming year, except for expenditures for Shabbatot, and expenditures for Festivals, and expenditures for the school fees of his sons’ Torah study. In these areas, no exact amount is determined at the beginning of the year; rather, if he reduced the amount he spends for these purposes, his income is reduced and he earns that much less money in that year, and if he increased his expenditures in these areas, his income is increased to ensure that he can cover the expense. Therefore, one may borrow for these purposes, since he is guaranteed to have enough income to cover whatever he spends for them.

“Rabbi Abbahu said: What is the verse from which this dictum is derived? The source is: “Blow the shofar at the New Moon, at the concealed time for our Festival day” (Psalms 81:4). On which Festival is the new moon concealed? You must say that it is Rosh HaShana, which occurs on the first of the month, when the moon is not yet visible, while the moon is visible during the other Festivals, which occur in the middle of the month. And it is written in the next verse: “For it is a statute [ḥok] for Israel, a judgment of the God of Jacob” (Psalms 81:5).

“The Gemara explains: From where may it be inferred that this word “statute [ḥok]” is a term relating to food? As it is written: “And they ate their allotment [ḥukkam], which Pharaoh gave them” (Genesis 47:22). Mar Zutra said: One can learn that ḥok is referring to food from here: “Feed me with my allotted [ḥukki] bread” (Proverbs 30:8).” (Sefaria.org translation)

The immediate next sugiyah is a classic discussion about Shabbat; consequently, I’m going to share with you without commentary as well.

“It is taught in a baraita: They said about Shammai the Elder that all his days he would eat in honor of Shabbat. How so? If he found a choice animal, he would say: This is for Shabbat. If he subsequently found another one choicer than it, he would set aside the second for Shabbat and eat the first. He would eat the first to leave the better-quality animal for Shabbat, which continually rendered his eating an act of honoring Shabbat.

“However, Hillel the Elder had a different trait, that all his actions, including those on a weekday, were for the sake of Heaven, as it is stated: ‘Blessed be the Lord, day by day; He bears our burden, our God who is our salvation; Selah’ (Psalms 68:20), meaning that God gives a blessing for each and every day. That is also taught in a baraita in more general terms: Beit Shammai say: From the first day of the week, Sunday, start preparing already for your Shabbat. And Beit Hillel say: ‘Blessed be the Lord, day by day.’”

Now that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are behind us, I hope you have a wonderful Shabbat with delicious meals in honor of this holy day.