1)
THE CHACHAMIM'S CODED MESSAGE ABOUT THE LEAP YEAR
אבל מפני הדחק מעברין אותה אחר ראש השנה מיד ואעפ״כ אין מעברין אלא אדר איני והא שלחו ליה לרבא זוג בא מרקת ותפשו נשר ובידם דברים הנעשה בלוז ומאי ניהו תכלת בזכות הרחמים ובזכותם יצאו בשלום ועמוסי יריכי נחשון בקשו לקבוע נציב אחד ולא הניחן אדומי הלז אבל בעלי אסופות נאספו וקבעו לו נציב אחד בירח שמת בו אהרן הכהן חשובי מחשבי גלויי לא מגלו מאי משמע דהאי נציב לישנא דירחא הוא דכתיב ולשלמה ששנת בצורת היתה והיו הכל רצין לבית הגרנות ת״ר אין מעברין את השנה לפני ראש השנה ואם עיברוה אינה מעוברת אבל מפני הדחק מעברין אותה אחר ראש השנה מיד ואעפ״כ אין מעברין אלא אדר איני והא שלחו ליה לרבא זוג בא מרקת ותפשו נשר ובידם דברים הנעשה בלוז ומאי ניהו תכלת בזכות הרחמים ובזכותם יצאו בשלום ועמוסי יריכי נחשון בקשו לקבוע נציב אחד ולא הניחן אדומי הלז אבל בעלי אסופות נאספו וקבעו לו נציב אחד בירח שמת בו אהרן הכהן חשובי מחשבי גלויי לא מגלו מאי משמע דהאי נציב לישנא דירחא הוא דכתיב ולשלמה שנים עשר נציבים על כל ישראל וכלכלו את המלך ואת (אנשיו) חדש בשנה והכתיב ונציב אחד [אשר] בארץ רב יהודה ורב נחמן חד אמר אחד ממונה על כולם וחד אמר כנגד חדש העיבור
Translation: ...But in cases of emergency (when it might not be possible to convene a Beis Din later), we add a month to the year immediately after Rosh Hashanah. And nevertheless, only a second Adar is added (but not a second Tishrei). Is this so? But they once sent a message (from Eretz Yisrael) to Rava. A pair of scholars came from Rakas (Tiveria), and the eagle (meaning the Romans, or some say the king, or some say the rain, or some say the Persians) stopped them, and in their possession were items made in Luz. And what were they? Techeiles (see Bamidbar 15:38). In the merit of Hash-m's mercy and in their own merit they left in peace. And the descendants of Nachshon ben Aminadav (the Nasi of Yehuda; see Shemos 6:23) wanted to establish a Netziv (to add a month to the year), but that Edomite did not allow that. (Edom refers to the Roman Empire. This message was sent in this obscure form to prevent them from being stopped by the Romans.) But had not the Members of the Assembly (the Sanhedrin) met and established a Netziv in the month in which Aharon the Kohen died? (The month of Av. We see that the decision to add a month to the year may, in case of emergency, be made before Rosh Hashanah...?) We may make calculations before Rosh Hashanah, but they are not publicized until after Rosh Hashanah. What does it teach (what is the proof) that the term Netziv mentioned in the message is a term for month? Because it is written: 'Now Shlomo had 12 officers (Netzivim) over all Yisrael who provided provisions for the king and (his household) for one month of the year.' (Melachim I, 4:7. Netziv can therefore mean month.) But it is written, 'And one officer ('Netziv') (who was) in the land'! (Melachim I, 4:19) Rav Yehuda and Rav Nachman argued. One said that 'one officer' means: One main officer, who was appointed over all the other officers. And the other one said: This refers to the special officer in charge of the provisions during the added month.
(a)
The first part of the message, beginning with, 'A pair of scholars came from Rakas...' is not relevant to the main message that they declared a leap year. Why did they include it?
1.
Ben Yehoyada: They began with an irrelevant story in order to create the illusion that they were not actually discussing declaring a leap year. This would avoid the attention of the Romans.
(b)
Why did they mention that they had Techeiles from Luz?
1. Maharsha: The Midrash (Bereishis Rabah 69:8) describes Luz as a city over which the Angel of Death has no power, where no one ever dies. It was also the place where Techeiles was produced. This serves as an allusion to the eternal nature of the nation of Israel, which will ultimately defeat the descendants of Eisav (Rome), who symbolize the forces of the Satan. Chazal teach that Techeiles is like the color of the sea, which is like the Heavens, and the Heavens, in turn, are like the Divine Throne. Thus, Techeiles represents the idea that the Divine Throne will be fully realized in the future when Satan is defeated. (In the Sefer Yemei Purim, Maamar 8, Rav Dovid Cohen adds that this gives an understanding as to the joy of the Yehudim when they saw the Techeiles that Mordechai was wearing Techeiles (as is says in the Piyut 'Shoshanas Yaakov' - 'בראותם יחד תכלת מרדכי'). It represented the ultimate defeat of Eisav (and Haman came from Amalek, who was a grandson of Eisav).
(c)
Why are the Romans referred to as an eagle (according to many of the Meforshim)?
1. Ben Yehoyada: Yaakov sent 550 animals as gifts to Esav (as detailed in Bereishis 32:14-16). The 'Meforshim' tell us that in the future, these 550 animals will be returned together with all of their offspring until the time of Moshiach. The heirs to the kingdom of Esav (Edom) were the Romans and the Gematria of Nesher 'נ-ש-ר' is 550. (Incidentally, the eagle was also used as a symbol of the Nazi party, who many say stemmed from Edom.)
2)
ADDING TO THE YEAR BECAUSE OF TUMAH
תנו רבנן אין מעברין את השנה מפני הטומאה רבי יהודה אומר מעברין אמר רבי יהודה מעשה בחזקיה מלך יהודה שעיבר את השנה מפני הטומאה ובקש רחמים על עצמו דכתיב כי מרבית העם רבת מאפרים ומנשה יששכר וזבולון לא הטהרו כי אכלו את הפסח בלא ככתוב כי התפלל חזקיהו עליהם לאמר ה׳ הטוב יכפר בעד רבי שמעון אומר אם מפני הטומאה עיברוה מעוברת אלא מפני מה ביקש רחמים על עצמו שאין מעברין אלא אדר והוא עיבר ניסן בניסן ר׳ שמעון בן יהודה אומר משום ר״ש מפני שהשיא את ישראל לעשות פסח שני
Translation: The Rabbis taught in a Baraisa: We do not add a month to the year on account of Tumah. (If the Nasi were dangerously ill, and it was judged that he would die less than a week before Pesach, in which case the community, by attending the eulogies in his honor, would become tamei. - Rashi. See Pesachim 66b.) R. Yehuda says: We do add a month to the year. R. Yehuda said: There was an incident with Chizkiyah, king of Yehuda, where he added a month to the year on account of Tumah and then he prayed to Hash-m to have mercy on him, as it is written: 'For the multitude of the people, many from Ephraim and Menashe, Yissachar and Zevulun had not purified themselves, and they ate the Pesach offering otherwise than it is written, (Not at the prescribed time, the 14th of Nisan. See Shemos 12:9.) for Chizkiyah had prayed for them, saying, May Hash-m in His goodness pardon them.' (Divrei haYamim II 30:18) R. Shimon says: If a month was added to the year because of Tumah, it is added (i.e. it remains valid). Then, why did Chizkiyah pray to Hash-m to have mercy on him? Because only a second Adar can be added, and Chizkiyah added a second Nisan in Nisan. (After Nisan was sanctified, he went ahead and sanctified it as the second Adar.) R. Shimon ben Yehuda says in the name of R. Shimon: It was because he persuaded Yisrael to bring a second Pesach offering unnecessarily (rather than adding a second Adar, so they could bring the Pesach offering in Nisan).
(a)
What was the context of Chizkiyah adding a month on account of Tumah?
1.
Aruch LaNer (based on Rashi): The people had become Tamei in the days of Chizkiyah's evil father Achaz, as they did not care for the Torah and its laws of Tumah. Chizkiyahu brought the people back in Teshuva and he did not know if it was possible to purify everyone before Pesach (to be able to bring the Korban Pesach). Therefore, he declared a leap year (to give more time for purification).