Tractate Soferim 17:6

דברי חכמים כדרבונות (כולם) [כו׳] נתנו מרועה אחד (קהלת י״ב:י״א) ורועה אחד אמרן וכולן מצילין אותן מפני הדליקה וספר אגדתא אע"פ שלא ניתן ליכתב אפ"ה מצילין אותו מפני הדליקה מה טעם (תהילים קי״ט:קכ״ו) עת לעשות לה׳ הפרו תורתך: The words of the wise are as goads … they are given from one shepherd;¹Eccles. 12, 11. and one Shepherd²[i.e. God; cf. ARN XVIII, 3, p. 105.] has uttered them. Therefore they must be saved from a fire.³Even on the Sabbath. A book of the ’aggadta, although not allowed to be written, must nevertheless be saved from a fire. What is the reason? It is a time to work for the Lord; they have made void Thy law.⁴Ps. 119, 126, E.V. for the Lord to work. This implies that when the welfare of the people or the preservation of the Faith requires it, a law may be temporarily suspended.

מפסיקין לראשי חדשים לחנוכה ולפורים לתעניות ולמעמדות וליום הכפורים: [The sequence of the Sabbath readings] is interrupted⁵To make room for the special reading for the particular occasion which replaces it, or is added to it, as explained below. for New Moons, Ḥanukkah, Purim, fasts, ma‘amadoth and the Day of Atonement.⁶In the afternoon service, even when it falls on a Sabbath.

כיצד מפסיקין ראש חדש וימי חנוכה שחלו להיות בשבת קורין שבעה בענין שבת והשמיני לר"ח הוא קורא וביום השבת ובראשי חדשיכם שני הפסקות אם לחנוכה שחל יום ראשון להיות בשבת קורין שבעה לשבת והשמיני קורא ויהי (ככלות) [ביום כלות] משה עד [כן] עשה את המנורה: In what manner are the interruptions made if the New Moon or the days of Ḥanukkah fall on a Sabbath? [In the former case] seven persons read the regular Sabbath section while the eighth reads that of the New Moon, viz. the two portions⁷So GRA. V and M read ‘breaks’. And on the sabbath day⁸i.e. the passage Num. 28, 9f which begins with these words. and And in your new moons;⁹The passage ibid. 11-15. and if the first day of Ḥanukkah¹⁰Or any of the other days. Unlike our present custom, they read the same portion on the Sabbath irrespective of which day of Ḥanukkah it was. falls on a Sabbath, seven read [the section] of the Sabbath while the eighth reads, And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end¹¹Num. 7, 1. up to so he made the candlestick.¹²ibid. VIII, 5.

לפורים שלשה ימי הצום אין מתענין אותם רצופין אלא פרודין שני וחמישי ושני רבותינו שבא"י נהגו להתענות אחר ימי הפורים מפני ניקנור וחביריו ועוד שמאחרין בפורענות ואין מקדימין: [42a] What¹³From here to Then came Amalek is the reading of GRA. is the procedure on Purim? If Purim falls on a Sabbath, seven read [the section] of the Sabbath while the eighth reads Then came Amalek.¹⁴Ex. 17, 8-16. The three fast days¹⁵In commemoration of the three days of fasting ordained by Mordecai and Esther (Esth. 4, 16). are not observed on consecutive days but are separated [and observed] on Monday, Thursday and Monday. Our Rabbis in the land of Israel had the custom of fasting after Purim¹⁶Not, as others, before it. on account of [the victory over] Nicanor and his associates,¹⁷This occurred on the thirteenth of Adar, the day before Purim [cf. 1 Macc. VII, 49; 2 Macc. XV, 36; Josephus, Antiq. XII, x, 5], on account of which fasting was prohibited. Nicanor was a Syrian commander who fell in the Maccabean war in the battle of Adasa in 161 b.c.e. and also because the commemoration of sad events is postponed rather than antedated.

מעמדות דתניא אנשי מעמדות (ואנשי משמר) היו מתענין בכל יום בשני על מפרשי הים דכתיב (בראשית א׳:ו׳) ויאמר אלהים יהי רקיע בתוך המים בשלישי על מהלכי דרכים דכתיב (שם) ויאמר אלהים יקוו המים מתחת השמים ברביעי על התינוקות שלא תעלה בהן אסכרה (וימותו) דכתיב (שם) ויאמר אלהים יהי מאורות מארת כתיב בחמישי מתענין על עוברות ומניקות שלא יפילו את בניהן שנאמר (שם) ויאמר אלהים ישרצו המים שרץ וגו' בערב שבת ובמוצאי שבת לא היו מתענין מפני כבוד השבת וי"א בין השמשות בערב שבת ניתוספת נשמה יתירה לישראל ולאחר [השבת] נוטלין אותה הימנו ד"א מפני העובדי כוכבים שלא יאמרו על כי אנו שמחין בראשון הם מתענים בו אבל אמרו חכמים בזמן המעמדות לא היו חוששין לאיבת העובדי כוכבים אלא משום דכתיב (שמות לא) וינפש וי על נפש: [What was the procedure in the case of] ma‘amadoth? As it was taught:¹⁸[Cf. Ta‘an. 27b (Sonc. ed., p. 145).] The men of the ma‘amadoth used to fast [as follows]: On every Monday for the sake of those who sail on the sea, as it is written, And God said: Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters;¹⁹Gen. 1, 6. The mention of water is a call to prayer on behalf of those who sail over the sea. on Tuesdays for the sake of wayfarers, as it is written, And God said: Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together;²⁰ibid. 9, which is followed by And let the dry land appear. on Wednesdays for the sake of children that they should not be attacked by croup, as it is written, And God said: Let there be lights,²¹ibid. 14, children being to the home what the heavenly luminaries are to the world. the written form being defective;²²A waw is missing in the noun מארת (lights). on Thursdays they fasted for the sake of pregnant women and nursing mothers that they should not lose their children, as it is said, And God said: Let the waters swarm with swarms.²³ibid. 20, followed by living creatures (ibid.). On the Sabbath eve and at the conclusion of the Sabbath²⁴i.e. Sunday, as explicitly mentioned in Ta‘an. 26a (Sonc. ed., pp. 136f). they did not fast from respect for the Sabbath. Some declare²⁵As a reason why they did not fast on Sundays. that at the twilight of the Sabbath eve an additional soul is given to every Israelite, and after the Sabbath it is taken from him.²⁶The body is then weakened, and fasting is held to be too great a hardship. Another reason²⁷Why there was no fasting on Sunday. is that Christians²⁸So M and H. V has ‘worshippers of stars’, an alteration made because of the censor. should not say, ‘Because we rejoice on the Sunday they fast on it’. The Sages, however, said: In the period of the ma‘amadoth they were not concerned with the hatred of the Christians, but the reason is that it is written He ceased from work wayyinnafash,²⁹Ex. 31, 17, E.V., and rested. [which is homiletically interpreted] wai ‘al nefesh, ‘Woe for [the loss of the additional] soul’.

בחנוכה בנשיאים. בפורים ויבא עמלק. בראשי חדשים ובראשי חדשיכם. במעמדות במעשה בראשית. ובתעניות של ט׳ באב וז' אחרונות של עצירת [גשמים] ברכות וקללות אבל תעניות אחרות ויחל משה ומפטי׳ (ישעיה נה) דרשו ה' ויש אומרים שאין מפטירין נהגו בו העם ואין מפסיקין בקללות לפי שאינו מן המובחר להפסיק בקללות ולהתחיל בקללות: On Ḥanukkah we read the section of [the dedication of the altar by] the princes;³⁶Num. 7. On the first day verses 1-17 are read; on the next six days the corresponding offerings; and on the eighth day VII, 54—VIII, 4. on Purim, Then came Amalek;³⁷Ex. 17, 8-16. on the New Moon, And in your new moons;³⁸Num. 28, 11-15. at the ma‘amadoth the account of the creation.³⁹Gen. 1, 1—II, 3, because it is on account of the Temple service that the heaven and earth were created. On the fast days of the Ninth of Ab and the last seven days in connection with droughts,⁴⁰lit. ‘the shutting up of the rains’. we read the section of the blessings and curses;⁴¹Lev. 26, 3-46. but on other fast days And Moses besought,⁴²Ex. 32, 11-14, XXXIV, 1-10. and we read as the hafṭarah Seek ye the Lord.⁴³Isa. 55, 6—LVI, 8. Some say that no hafṭarah is to be read, but the people have adopted the custom of reading the hafṭarah.⁴⁴So GRA. V, M and H omit ‘but’ and ‘of reading the hafṭarah’. There must be no break in the section of curses because it is not proper to end with curses and to begin with curses.⁴⁵Cf. above XII, 1.

בשני ובחמישי ובשבת במנחה קורין כסדרן ואין עולה להם מן החשבון שנאמר (ויקרא כ״ג:מ״ד) וידבר משה את מועדי ה' אל בני ישראל מצותן שיהו קורין כל אחד ואחד בזמנו מכאן אמרו לכל מפסיקין לראשי חדשים לחנוכה לפורים ולתעניות ולמעמדות וליום הכפורים שיבואו אלו בין בשבת בין בשני בין בחמישי שהן קורין כסדרן שמפסיקין סדרן וקורין באלו אבל אי אתה יכול לומר בתעניות ובמעמדות (ובפורים) שיבואו בשבת כדי להפסיק מסדר שבת עליהם אלא בשני ובחמישי: On Mondays and Thursdays and at the Sabbath afternoon service the regular portion of the week is read, and this is not reckoned as a part of the reading [for the succeeding Sabbath].⁴⁶When it must be repeated. [The reason⁴⁷For the various readings prescribed above. is] because it is stated, And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the appointed seasons of the Lord,⁴⁸Lev. 23, 44. which implies that it is an ordinance that each [appointed section] shall be read in its season. Hence [the Rabbis] said: [The sequence of the readings] is interrupted for them all—for New Moons, Ḥanukkah, Purim, fasts, ma‘amadoth and the Day of Atonement,⁴⁹Cf. Rule 2. irrespective of whether these occur on a Sabbath, a Monday or Thursday, on which days there exists a regular sequence of readings.⁵⁰lit. ‘which they read according to order’. H (so N.Y.) has ‘on which they do not read’, etc., changing shehem to she’ain. This sequence is interrupted⁵¹lit. ‘that they interrupt’. and the [special sections] are read. You cannot, however, say of fasts or ma‘amadoth⁵²Which can never occur on the Sabbath. that they would fall on a Sabbath in order [to lay down the rule that] the normal sequence of the Sabbath [readings] is interrupted on their account. [For these can interrupt the sequence] of a Monday or Thursday only.

ובזמן שחל ר"ח להיות בשבת השמיני שצריך לקרות וביום השבת ובראשי חדשיכם הוא מפטיר (יחזקאל מ״ו:א׳) בכה אמר [ה"א] שער החצר הפנימית הפונה קדים חל להיות באחד בשבת מלפני החודש ויאמר (שמואל א כ׳:י״ח) ויאמר לו יהונתן מחר חודש ובחודש עצמו קורין ג׳ בקרבן תמיד הראשון קורא שלשה וידבר צו ואמרת השני קורא את הכבש אחד ועשירית עולת ונסכו והשלישי חוזר למעלה וקורא [עולת] ונסכו ואת הכבש מפני שאמרו אין קורין בפרשה פחות משלשה פסוקים וי"א אין משיירין בפרשה פחות משלשה פסוקים: When a New Moon falls on the Sabbath, the eighth person who has to read And on the sabbath day and And in the beginnings of your months⁵³Cf. Rule 3. also reads, as the hafṭarah, Thus said the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east.⁵⁴Ezek. 46, 1. The present custom is to read Isa. 66. The hafṭarah prescribed here is included in that of parashath haḥodesh, which is read only once a year, on the Sabbath of the New Moon of Nisan or, if that falls on a week-day, on the Sabbath preceding it. If [the New Moon] falls on a Sunday, he⁵⁵The eighth person called to the reading. reads on the Sabbath preceding the New Moon And Jonathan said unto him: To-morrow is the new moon.⁵⁶1 Sam. 20, 18-42. On the New Moon itself, three persons read the section of the continual offering. The first person reads, And … spoke,⁵⁷Num. 28, 1. Command,⁵⁸ibid. 2. And thou shalt say.⁵⁹ibid. 3. The second person reads, The one lamb,⁶⁰ibid. 4. And the tenth part,⁶¹ibid. 5. It is a continual burnt-offering,⁶²ibid. 6. And the drink-offering thereof,⁶³ibid. 7. And the other lamb.⁶⁴ibid. 8. This verse is included by GRA and M. The third person repeats and reads, It is a continual burnt-offering, And the drink-offering, And the other lamb, And on the sabbath day,⁶⁵ibid. 9. This and the following verses are added by GRA. This is the burnt-offering of every sabbath.⁶⁶ibid. 10. [The reason for this arrangement is] because [the Rabbis] ruled that it is not permitted to read less than three verses in a section nor⁶⁷So GRA. V, M and H read ‘and some say’. is it permissible to leave unfinished less than three verses at the end of a section.⁶⁸The sections under discussion are the following: Num. 28, 1-8, 9f, 11-15.

בד"א בספר של פסוקים אינו יכול לפסוק עד שקרא ממנה ג׳ פסוקים ומכיון שהוא קורא ונסכו ואת הכבש וביום השבת ועולת שבת נמצא שלישי שהוא קורא ד׳ פסוקים ואחד קורא בשל ראש חודש ובראשי חדשיכם כל הפסוקים: ⁶⁹The text according to GRA is followed. If two verses were read,⁷⁰As with the section, And on the sabbath day (Num. 28, 9f), which consists of only two verses. and another section was begun,⁷¹e.g., And in the beginnings of your months (ibid. 11-15). there must be no stop before three verses of the latter were read. And since [the third person] reads, … burnt-offering, And the drink-offering thereof, And the other lamb, And on the sabbath day, This is the burnt-offering of … sabbath,⁷²ibid. 6-10. it follows that the third person reads five verses,⁷³So GRA. V, M and H have ‘four’. while [the next] one reads the whole section of the New Moon, And in the beginnings of your months.⁷⁴ibid. 11-15.

אבל צריכין לומר אחר יהי כבוד ה' מלך ומזמור שירו לה׳ (תהילים צ״ו:א׳) מדברי סופרים ואחריו (ד"ה א טז) הודו לה׳ קראו בשמו וששת המזמורים של כל יום וא"ר יוסי יהי חלקי עם המתפללים בכל יום ששת המזמורים הללו ואמרו למה הזכיר דוד במזמור הודו לה׳ קראו בשמו כהנים לוים וישראלים להיות אומרים אותו בכל יום: On the New Moon it is necessary to say after May the glory⁷⁵Ps. 104, 31. The reference is to the collection of verses beginning with these words (cf. P.B., pp. 28f) or to the whole of Ps. 104 which is added now to the daily Psalm at the end of the morning service of the New Moon. the following: The Lord reigneth,⁷⁶Ps. 93. O sing unto the Lord a new song;⁷⁷Ps. 98. From ‘on the New Moon’ to ‘ a new song’ is the reading of GRA. V, M and H begin with ‘but’, omit ‘on the New Moon’, and conclude with ‘according to the words of the Scribes’. and after that, O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name⁷⁸1 Chron. 16, 8-36. and the six daily psalms;⁷⁹Pss. CXLV to CL. for⁸⁰So according to M. V and H read ‘and’. R. Jose said, ‘May my lot be among those who include in their daily prayers⁸¹lit. ‘those who pray’. those six psalms’. It has also been stated: Why did David mention Abraham, Isaac and Jacob⁸²So GRA. V, M and H read ‘priests, Levites and Israelites’. in the psalm beginning, O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name? Because it has to be said daily.