אַרְבָּעָה רָאשֵׁי שָׁנִים הֵם. בְּאֶחָד בְּנִיסָן רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לַמְּלָכִים וְלָרְגָלִים. בְּאֶחָד בֶּאֱלוּל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לְמַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמְרִים, בְּאֶחָד בְּתִשְׁרֵי. בְּאֶחָד בְּתִשְׁרֵי רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לַשָּׁנִים וְלַשְּׁמִטִּין וְלַיּוֹבְלוֹת, לַנְּטִיעָה וְלַיְרָקוֹת. בְּאֶחָד בִּשְׁבָט, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לָאִילָן, כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית שַׁמַּאי. בֵּית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בּוֹ:
They are four days in the year that serve as the New Year, each for a different purpose: On the first of Nisan is the New Year for kings; it is from this date that the years of a king’s rule are counted. And the first of Nisan is also the New Year for the order of the Festivals, as it determines which is considered the first Festival of the year and which the last. On the first of Elul is the New Year for animal tithes; all the animals born prior to that date belong to the previous tithe year and are tithed as a single unit, whereas those born after that date belong to the next tithe year. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon say: The New Year for animal tithes is on the first of Tishrei. On the first of Tishrei is the New Year for counting years, as will be explained in the Gemara; for calculating Sabbatical Years and Jubilee Years, i.e., from the first of Tishrei there is a biblical prohibition to work the land during these years; for planting, for determining the years of orla, the three-year period from when a tree has been planted during which time its fruit is forbidden; and for tithing vegetables, as vegetables picked prior to that date cannot be tithed together with vegetables picked after that date. On the first of Shevat is the New Year for the tree; the fruit of a tree that was formed prior to that date belong to the previous tithe year and cannot be tithed together with fruit that was formed after that date; this ruling is in accordance with the statement of Beit Shammai. But Beit Hillel say: The New Year for trees is on the fifteenth of Shevat.
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: מִנַּיִן לַמְּלָכִים שֶׁאֵין מוֹנִין לָהֶם אֶלָּא מִנִּיסָן — שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיְהִי בִשְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה לְצֵאת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בַּשָּׁנָה הָרְבִיעִית בְּחֹדֶשׁ זִיו הוּא הַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי לִמְלֹךְ שְׁלֹמֹה עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל״. מַקִּישׁ מַלְכוּת שְׁלֹמֹה לִיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם: מָה יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם מִנִּיסָן — אַף מַלְכוּת שְׁלֹמֹה מִנִּיסָן. וִיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם גּוּפַהּ מְנָלַן דְּמִנִּיסָן מָנִינַן? דִּילְמָא מִתִּשְׁרִי מָנִינַן! לָא סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ, דִּכְתִיב: ״וַיַּעַל אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן אֶל הֹר הָהָר עַל פִּי ה׳ וַיָּמׇת שָׁם בִּשְׁנַת הָאַרְבָּעִים לְצֵאת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ״, וּכְתִיב: ״וַיְהִי בְּאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה בְּעַשְׁתֵּי עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה וְגוֹ׳״. מִדְּקָאֵי בְּאָב וְקָרֵי לַהּ ״שְׁנַת אַרְבָּעִים״, וְקָאֵי בִּשְׁבָט וְקָרֵי לַהּ ״שְׁנַת אַרְבָּעִים״ — מִכְּלָל דְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לָאו תִּשְׁרֵי הוּא. בִּשְׁלָמָא הַיְאךְ — מְפָרֵשׁ דְּלִיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם, אֶלָּא הַאי, מִמַּאי דְּלִיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם, דִּילְמָא לַהֲקָמַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן? כִּדְאָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: ״שְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים״ ״שְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים״ — לִגְזֵרָה שָׁוָה, הָכָא נָמֵי: ״שְׁנַת אַרְבָּעִים״ ״שְׁנַת אַרְבָּעִים״ — לִגְזֵרָה שָׁוָה: מָה כָּאן לִיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם — אַף כָּאן לִיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם.
§ Rabbi Yoḥanan said: From where is it derived that one counts the years of kings’ reigns only from Nisan? As it is stated: “And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord” (I Kings 6:1). This verse juxtaposes the reign of Solomon to the exodus from Egypt: Just as one counts the years since the exodus from Egypt from Nisan, when the Jewish people left Egypt, so too, one counts the years of Solomon’s reign from Nisan. The Gemara asks: And from where do we derive that we count the years from the exodus from Egypt themselves from Nisan? Perhaps we count them from Tishrei. The Gemara answers: It should not enter your mind to say this, as it is written: “And Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the commandment of the Lord, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month” (Numbers 33:38), and it is later written: “And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 1:3). From the fact that when the Bible speaks of the month of Av, which is the fifth month, it calls that year “the fortieth year,” and when it speaks of the following Shevat, it also calls that year “the fortieth year,” the implication is that the New Year does not begin in Tishrei. Were it the case that the New Year begins in Tishrei, Av and the following Shevat would not be in the same year because the year would have changed in Tishrei. The Gemara raises an objection: Granted, in this case of Aaron’s death it is explicitly stated that the year is counted from the exodus from Egypt, as it states: “In the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt.” But with regard to this other incident of Moses’ oration, from where is it known that the year is counted from the exodus from Egypt? Perhaps it is forty years since the establishment of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The Gemara answers: In accordance with what Rav Pappa said in a different context, that the meaning of one instance of the expression “the twentieth year” may be inferred from another instance of the expression “the twentieth year” by way of a verbal analogy, here too, the meaning of one instance of the expression “the fortieth year” may be inferred from another instance of the expression “the fortieth year” by way of a verbal analogy: Just as here, with regard to Aaron’s death, the count is from the exodus from Egypt, so too, here, with regard to Moses’ oration, although this is not stated explicitly, the count is from the exodus from Egypt.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בְּאֶחָד בְּנִיסָן רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לָחֳדָשִׁים, וּלְעִיבּוּרִין, וְלִתְרוּמַת שְׁקָלִים. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים: אַף לִשְׂכִירוּת בָּתִּים. לָחֳדָשִׁים מְנָלַן — דִּכְתִיב: ״הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים רִאשׁוֹן הוּא לָכֶם לְחׇדְשֵׁי הַשָּׁנָה. דַּבְּרוּ אֶל כׇּל עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה וְיִקְחוּ לָהֶם אִישׁ שֶׂה לְבֵית אָבוֹת שֶׂה לַבָּיִת. וְהָיָה לָכֶם לְמִשְׁמֶרֶת עַד אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה וְשָׁחֲטוּ אוֹתוֹ וְגוֹ׳״. וּכְתִיב: ״שָׁמוֹר אֶת חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב״, אֵיזֶהוּ חֹדֶשׁ שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ אָבִיב, הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר — זֶה נִיסָן, וְקָרֵי לֵיהּ רִאשׁוֹן. וְאֵימָא אִיָּיר? בָּעֵינָא אָבִיב, וְלֵיכָּא. וְאֵימָא אֲדָר? בָּעֵינָא רוֹב אָבִיב, וְלֵיכָּא. מִידֵּי ״רוֹב אָבִיב״ כְּתִיב? אֶלָּא אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא, מֵהָכָא: ״אַךְ בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּאׇסְפְּכֶם אֶת תְּבוּאַת הָאָרֶץ״, אֵיזֶהוּ חֹדֶשׁ שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ אֲסִיפָה, הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר — זֶה תִּשְׁרִי, וְקָא קָרֵי לֵיהּ ״שְׁבִיעִי״. וְאֵימָא מְרַחְשְׁוָן, וּמַאי ״שְׁבִיעִי״ — שְׁבִיעִי לְאִיָּיר? בָּעֵינָא אָסִיף, וְלֵיכָּא. וְאֵימָא אֱלוּל, וּמַאי ״שְׁבִיעִי״ — שְׁבִיעִי לַאֲדָר? בָּעֵינָא רוֹב אָסִיף, וְלֵיכָּא. מִידֵּי ״רוֹב אָסִיף״ כְּתִיב? אֶלָּא אָמַר רָבִינָא, דָּבָר זֶה מִתּוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ לֹא לָמַדְנוּ, מִדִּבְרֵי קַבָּלָה לָמַדְנוּ: ״בְּיוֹם עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה לְעַשְׁתֵּי עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ הוּא חֹדֶשׁ שְׁבָט״. רַבָּה בַּר עוּלָּא אָמַר מֵהָכָא: ״וַתִּלָּקַח אֶסְתֵּר אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ אֶל בֵּית מַלְכוּתוֹ בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂירִי הוּא חֹדֶשׁ טֵבֵת״. רַב כָּהֲנָא אָמַר מֵהָכָא: ״בְּאַרְבָּעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הַתְּשִׁיעִי בְּכִסְלֵו״. רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב אָמַר מֵהָכָא: ״וַיִּקָּרְאוּ סוֹפְרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ בָּעֵת הַהִיא בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי הוּא חֹדֶשׁ סִיוָן״. רַב אָשֵׁי אָמַר מֵהָכָא: ״הִפִּיל פּוּר הוּא הַגּוֹרָל לִפְנֵי הָמָן מִיּוֹם לְיוֹם וּמֵחֹדֶשׁ לְחֹדֶשׁ שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר הוּא חֹדֶשׁ אֲדָר״. וְאִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא, מֵהָכָא: ״בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן הוּא חֹדֶשׁ נִיסָן״. וְכוּלְּהוּ, מַאי טַעְמָא לָא אָמְרִי מֵהַאי? דִּלְמָא מַאי ״רִאשׁוֹן״ — רִאשׁוֹן לְמִילְּתֵיהּ. וְתַנָּא דִּידַן — בְּשָׁנִים קָמַיְירֵי, בָּחֳדָשִׁים לָא קָמַיְירֵי.
§ The Sages taught a baraita that expands upon what was taught in the mishna: On the first of Nisan is the New Year for counting the months of the year, and for leap years, and for collection of the shekels that had been collected in Adar and used to purchase animals for communal offerings and other needs of the Temple; and some say that it is also the New Year for the renting of houses. From where do we derive that the first of Nisan is the New Year for months? As it is written: “This month shall be to you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: On the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a household…And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month: And the whole assembly of the congregation shall slaughter it toward evening” (Exodus 12:2–6). And elsewhere it is written: “Observe the month of ripening and keep Passover to the Lord your God; for in the month of ripening the Lord your God brought you forth out of Egypt by night” (Deuteronomy 16:1). Which is the month in which there is a ripening of grain? You must say that this is Nisan, and it is called the first month of the year. The Gemara asks: But one could say that it is the month of Iyyar. The Gemara answers: A month of ripening is required, and in Iyyar there is no ripening, as the grain has already ripened. The Gemara asks further: But one could say that it is the month of Adar, the month in which some of the grain begins to ripen. The Gemara answers: The month in which most of the ripening takes place is required, and this is not the case in Adar, as most of the grain ripens during the next month, the month of Nisan. The Gemara asks: But is most of the ripening written in the verse? The verse merely speaks of the month of ripening, and since there is some ripening in Adar, it is possible that this is the first month. Rather, Rav Ḥisda said: It is derived that Nisan is the first of the months from here. The verse states: “Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land” (Leviticus 23:39). Which is the month in which there is a gathering of the grain of the field before the rains begin? You must say that this is Tishrei, and it is called the seventh month. Therefore, Nisan is the first month of the year. The Gemara asks: But one could say that verse is referring to the month of Marḥeshvan, and what is meant by seventh? It is the seventh month from the month of Iyyar. The Gemara rejects this possibility: A month of gathering is required, and in Marḥeshvan there is no gathering, as the crops have already been gathered in, and the fields have already begun to be plowed to prepare them for the next year’s planting. The Gemara asks further: But one could say that it is the month of Elul, the month in which the gathering of the grain from the fields begins, and what is meant by seventh? It is the seventh month from the month of Adar. The Gemara answers: The month in which most of the gathering takes place is required, and this is not the case in Elul, as most of the gathering is done in Tishrei. The Gemara asks: But is most of the gathering written in the verse? Rather, Ravina said: This matter we did not learn from the Torah of Moses, our teacher; rather, we learned it from the texts of the tradition, i.e., the Prophets and Writings: “On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shevat” (Zechariah 1:7). If Shevat is the eleventh month, Nisan must be the first month. Rabba bar Ulla said: It is derived from here, as it is stated: “So Esther was taken to the king Ahasuerus into his royal house in the tenth month, which is the month of Tevet” (Esther 2:16). Rav Kahana said: It is derived from here: “On the fourth day of the ninth month, in Kislev” (Zechariah 7:1). Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: It is derived from here, as it is stated: “And the scribes of the king were called at that time in the third month, that is the month of Sivan” (Esther 8:9). Rav Ashi said: It is derived from here: “He cast pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar” (Esther 3:7). And if you wish, say that it is derived from here: “In the first month, that is, the month of Nisan” (Esther 3:7). The Gemara asks: And all of the others, what is the reason that they did not say that it is derived from here, the last verse mentioned, which is explicitly referring to Nisan as the first month? The Gemara answers: It is because one could perhaps have said: What is meant here by first? It means the first in relation to its matter, i.e., the months of the decree, and so it cannot be proven from here that Nisan is the first of the months of the year. The Gemara asks: And why didn’t the tanna of our mishna list the first of Nisan as the New Year for months, as did the tanna of the baraita? The Gemara answers: He is dealing with matters connected to years, but he is not dealing with matters connected to months.
אִי הָכִי, אַרְבָּעָה? חֲמִשָּׁה הָווּ! אָמַר רָבָא: אַרְבָּעָה לְדִבְרֵי הַכֹּל; לְרַבִּי מֵאִיר אַרְבָּעָה — דַּל רְגָלִים, לְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אַרְבָּעָה — דַּל מַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה. רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק אָמַר: אַרְבָּעָה חֳדָשִׁים וּבָהֶן כַּמָּה רָאשֵׁי שָׁנִים. מֵיתִיבִי: שִׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּנִיסָן — רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לָעוֹמֶר. שִׁשָּׁה בְּסִיוָן — רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לִשְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם. לְרָבָא לִיתְנֵי שִׁשָּׁה, לְרַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק לִיתְנֵי חֲמִשָּׁה?
The Gemara raises a difficulty: If so, how are there four New Years? If the tanna of the mishna holds that the first of Elul is the New Year for animal tithes, there are five New Years: The first of Nisan, the fifteenth of Nisan, the first of Elul, the first of Tishrei, and the fifteenth of Shevat. Rava said: There are only four New Years according to each opinion: There are four according to Rabbi Meir, who removes the New Year for Festivals, as according to him there is no fixed time from which to begin counting the Festivals. According to Rabbi Shimon’s opinion as well there are four New Years, for he removes the New Year for animal tithes, as according to him it is on the first of Tishrei, which is already listed. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said an alternative answer: The mishna is to be understood as follows: There are four months in which there are several New Years, since in Nisan, according to Rabbi Meir, there are two New Years: For kings on the first and for Festivals on the fifteenth. The Gemara raises an objection from the following baraita: The sixteenth of Nisan is the New Year for the omer offering, as from this date onward it is permitted to eat from the new crop of grain. The sixth of Sivan is the New Year for the two loaves, i.e., the public offering of two loaves from the new wheat brought on Shavuot, as from this day onward it is permitted to sacrifice meal-offerings in the Temple from the new grain. If so, according to Rava, let the mishna teach that there are six New Years, including the sixteenth of Nisan and the sixth of Sivan, and according to Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak let it teach that there are five New Years, since Sivan is a month in which there is a New Year.
גּוּפָא: אֶחָד בְּכוֹר וְאֶחָד כׇּל הַקֳּדָשִׁים, כֵּיוָן שֶׁעָבְרוּ עֲלֵיהֶם שָׁנָה בְּלֹא רְגָלִים, רְגָלִים בְּלֹא שָׁנָה — עוֹבֵר בְּ״בַל תְּאַחֵר״. בִּשְׁלָמָא רְגָלִים בְּלֹא שָׁנָה מַשְׁכַּחַתְּ לַהּ, אֶלָּא שָׁנָה בְּלֹא רְגָלִים הֵיכִי מַשְׁכַּחַתְּ לַהּ? הָנִיחָא לְמַאן דְּאִית לֵיהּ כְּסִדְרָן, מַשְׁכַּחַתְּ לַהּ. אֶלָּא לְמַאן דְּלֵית לֵיהּ כְּסִדְרָן, הֵיכִי מַשְׁכַּחַתְּ לַהּ? בִּשְׁלָמָא לְרַבִּי מַשְׁכַּחַתְּ לַהּ בְּשָׁנָה מְעוּבֶּרֶת. דְּתַנְיָא: ״שָׁנָה תְּמִימָה״, רַבִּי אוֹמֵר: מוֹנֶה שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת וְשִׁשִּׁים וַחֲמִשָּׁה יוֹם כְּמִנְיָן יְמוֹת הַחַמָּה, וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: מוֹנֶה שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ מִיּוֹם לְיוֹם, וְאִם נִתְעַבְּרָה שָׁנָה — נִתְעַבְּרָה לוֹ. מַשְׁכַּחַתְּ לַהּ לְרַבִּי דְּאַקְדְּשַׁהּ בָּתַר חַג הַמַּצּוֹת, דְּכִי מְטָא שִׁילְהֵי אֲדָר בָּתְרָאָה — שָׁנָה מַלְיָא, רְגָלִים לָא מְלוּ. אֶלָּא לְרַבָּנַן, הֵיכִי מַשְׁכַּחַתְּ לַהּ? כִּדְתָנֵי רַב שְׁמַעְיָה: עֲצֶרֶת פְּעָמִים חֲמִשָּׁה, פְּעָמִים שִׁשָּׁה, פְּעָמִים שִׁבְעָה. הָא כֵּיצַד? שְׁנֵיהֶן מְלֵאִין — חֲמִשָּׁה, שְׁנֵיהֶן חֲסֵרִין — שִׁבְעָה, אֶחָד מָלֵא וְאֶחָד חָסֵר — שִׁשָּׁה. וּמַאן תַּנָּא דִּפְלִיג עֲלֵיהּ דְּרַב שְׁמַעְיָה — אֲחֵרִים הִיא. דְּתַנְיָא, אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים: אֵין בֵּין עֲצֶרֶת לַעֲצֶרֶת, אֵין בֵּין רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לְרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, אֶלָּא אַרְבָּעָה יָמִים בִּלְבַד. וְאִם הָיְתָה שָׁנָה מְעוּבֶּרֶת — חֲמִשָּׁה.
The Gemara proceeds to discuss the matter itself, i.e., the baraita cited above, which stated: In the case of both a firstborn animal and all consecrated animals, once a year has passed, even if three Festivals have not passed, or once three Festivals have passed, even if a whole year has not passed, the owner transgresses the prohibition: You shall not delay. Granted, it is possible to have three Festivals without a year; you find it because three Festivals can pass in half a year, between Passover and Sukkot. But a year without three Festivals, under what circumstances can you find this case? How can a year pass without three Festivals also passing? The Gemara clarifies the question: This works out well according to the one who is of the opinion that one transgresses the prohibition against delaying only if the three Festivals have passed in their proper order. You can find a year without three Festivals in their proper order, e.g., if one made his vow shortly before Shavuot, in which case the year will end before Shavuot the following year, but three Festivals in order will not have elapsed until Sukkot of the third year. But according to the one who is not of the opinion that the three Festivals must be in their proper order, under what circumstances can you find this case of a year without three Festivals? The Gemara clarifies again: Granted, according to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, you find a year without three Festivals in a leap year, as it is taught in a baraita: In the case of houses of walled cities, with regard to which an owner is given only one year to redeem his home if he sells it, after which it becomes the permanent possession of the purchaser, the verse states: “And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year” (Leviticus 25:30). How is the year determined? Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: One counts 365 days like the number of the days in a solar year, and not the usual lunar year, which is why it is called a full year. And the Rabbis disagree and say: One counts twelve months from day to day, from the date of the sale until that same date twelve months later, and if it is a leap year with an added month, the leap month is for the seller’s benefit, i.e., he has thirteen months to redeem his house. You can find a year without three Festivals according to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. How so? It is possible in a case where one consecrated the animal after the festival of Passover, so that once he reaches the end of the second month of Adar in a leap year, the year is completed, but the Festivals are not yet completed, as the third Festival is still to come. But according to the Sages, under what circumstances can you find this case of a year without three Festivals? The Gemara answers: As Rav Shemaya taught in a baraita: Shavuot sometimes occurs on the fifth of Sivan, sometimes on the sixth of Sivan, and sometimes on the seventh. How so? If both the months of Nisan and Iyyar are full months of thirty days each, the festival of Shavuot, which is celebrated fifty days after the second day of Passover, occurs on the fifth of Sivan; if both months are short, with twenty-nine days each, it occurs on the seventh of Sivan; and if one of them is full and the other is short, it occurs on the sixth of Sivan. According to this opinion, if both months were full and the festival of Shavuot occurred on the fifth day of Sivan, and one made his vow on the day after Shavuot, i.e., the sixth of Sivan, and in the following year both months were short, so that the festival of Shavuot occurred on the seventh of Sivan, a whole year would have passed without three Festivals. The Gemara comments: And who is the tanna who disagrees with Rav Shemaya and says that a year has a fixed number of days? It is Aḥerim, as it is taught in a baraita: Aḥerim say: The difference between Shavuot of one year and Shavuot of the following year, and similarly, between Rosh HaShana of one year and Rosh HaShana of the following year, is only four days of the week. There are 354 days in a lunar year, which are divided into twelve alternating months, six months that are thirty days long and six months that are twenty-nine days long. Therefore, every year is fifty weeks and four days long. And if it were a leap year, in which case the year is comprised of 383 days, or fifty-four weeks and five days, there is a difference of five days between them.