Und dies sind die Feste der Nationen: die Kalender (das römische Neujahr) [acht Tage nach der Sonnenwende in Teveth (Winter)]; die Saturnalia [acht Tage vor der Sonnenwende. Als Adam sah, dass die Tage kürzer wurden, dachte er: "Wehe mir! Kann es sein, dass ich gesündigt habe, dass die Welt zur (ursprünglichen) Leere und Leere zurückkehrt!"—Daraufhin saß er acht Tage im Fasten und im Gebet. Als er mit der Sonnenwende in Teveth sah, dass die Tage immer länger wurden, sagte er: "Es war (nur) der natürliche Ablauf der Dinge."—Daraufhin feierte er ein achttägiges Festival. Im folgenden Jahr gründete er beide (acht Tage als Festivals). Er widmete sie dem Himmel; sie (die Heiden) zum Götzendienst]; die Kratisis [der Tag der Investitur des Königs, den sie als Fest errichteten]; die Genusia [Krönungstag] der Könige; der Geburtstag des Königs; und der Tag seines Todes. Dies sind die Worte von R. Meir. Und die Weisen sagen: In jedem Tod, in dem es brennt [dh wo sie seine persönlichen Gegenstände mit ihm verbrennen, wie sie es mit Königen tun], gibt es ein Fest [dh sie errichten an diesem Tag ein Fest für Götzendienst; und so von Jahr zu Jahr alle Tage seines Sohnes. Und alle vorgenannten Tage sind für sie von besonderer Bedeutung und drei Tage zuvor (bei den vorgenannten Aktivitäten) verboten]; und wo nicht gebrannt wird, gibt es keinen Festivaltag. Aber der Tag der Rasur seines Bartes [der nicht für alle festgelegt ist, sondern von dem jeder einen Festtag macht] und (der Tag des Abschneidens) seiner Locken [die er das ganze Jahr über zurücklässt und die er schneidet nur von Jahr zu Jahr und macht an diesem Tag ein Fest] und an dem Tag, an dem er aus dem Meer kommt (an dem er einen Festtag macht, um gerettet zu werden) und an dem Tag, an dem er aus dem Gefängnis entlassen wird; und der Tag, an dem ein Nichtjude ein Fest für seinen Sohn macht [- Bei all diesen Gelegenheiten sind die oben genannten Aktivitäten] verboten, nur an diesem Tag [und nicht vorher] und nur für diesen Mann (der seinen Feiertag feiert) [ weil sie von relativ geringerer Bedeutung sind.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
קלנדיא – eight days after the winter solstice [begins].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Introduction
Mishnah three delineates which idolatrous holidays are referred to in the previous two mishnayoth.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
סטרנורא – eight days prior to the solstice; since the first man (i.e., Adam) saw that the [length of the] day was gradually getting shorter. He said: Woe is me, lest because I sinned, the world is returning to become “null and void.” He stood and sat for eight days in fasting (and in prayer), since from the time that the solstice occurred, and he (i.e., Adam) saw that the days are gradually lengthening, he said: it is the nature of the world. He stood and made an eight-day festival. In the following year, they made both of them holy days and he established them [in honor of] the heavens, and they were established for idolatrous worship.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
These are the festivities of the idolaters: Kalenda, Saturnalia, Kratesis, the anniversary of accession to the throne and birthdays and anniversaries of deaths, according to Rabbi Meir. Kalenda, from which the English word calendar derives, refers to the first day of the month, and especially to the first day of the year. Saturnalia was a popular Roman holiday on the 17th of December, dedicated to the god, Saturn. Kratesis, which was on the first of August, commemorated the day that Augustus conquered Alexandria in Egypt. Note that I have used the names of these holidays as Albeck states that they should be read. Medieval scribes often did not know what these holidays were or what their names were and different forms of the words can be found in other versions of the mishnah. The anniversary of the accession of the king to the throne is also considered to be a day of celebration full of idolatrous practices. The final two days of idolatrous celebration are personal: one’s birthday and the anniversary of the death of a close relative. On these days non-Jews would make idolatrous celebrations. Interestingly, Jews did not traditionally celebrate birthdays because it was seen to be a non-Jewish custom.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
קרטסים – the day of taking hold of the kingship, and they established it as a holiday.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
But the Sages say: a death at which burning [of articles of the dead] takes place is attended by idolatry, but where there is not such burning there is no idolatry. The opinion in the previous section was that of Rabbi Meir, who held that pagans commemorate the anniversaries of all deaths. The Rabbis disagree with Rabbi Meir and hold that only deaths where the body and clothes were burned on a funeral pyre are celebrated by idolatrous acts. If the body was not burned on the pyre then the day is not accompanied by idolatry and it is therefore permitted to conduct business with the non-Jew three days before.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
גינוסיא – the day when they appoint the king.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
But the day of shaving ones beard and lock of hair, or the day of landing after a sea voyage, or the day of release from prison, or if an idolater holds a banquet for his son the prohibition only applies to that day and that particular person. As was previously stated it is forbidden to conduct business with non-Jews during the three days before the personal holidays mentioned in section two. In section three the mishnah lists pagan holidays that Jews can conduct business during the three days before and are only forbidden from doing so on the holiday itself. These include the day that the non-Jew shaves his beard and lock of hair, which refers to a lock of hair grown at the back of one’s head and is shaved once a year; the day of return from a long trip by sea; the day that one is released from prison and the day in which one marries off one’s son and makes him a celebratory feast.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
יום הלידה – the day on which the king is born
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Questions for Further Thought: • What is the difference between the personal holidays mentioned in section two of this mishnah and those mentioned in section three? Why is it forbidden to conduct business for the three days preceding some of them but not others?
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
שריפה – where they burn the utensils in the manner that they burn them for kings.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
יש בה ע"ז – that is to say, that selfsame day they have a idolatrous holiday, and from year to year all the days of his son, and all these we consider until now, they value and it is forbidden [for us to interact with them] three days before [their festivals].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
אבל יום תגלחת זקנו – which is not a set time for the group, but each person, when he shaves makes that day a festival.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
ובלוריתו – that he places his locks behind him all year long but does not sheer them other than on an annual basis, the day of his sheering he makes a holiday.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
ויום שעלה מן הים – And he offers sacrifices to idolatry on account that he was saved. In all of these, it is not prohibited other than on that day and not beforehand, and they do not consider it all that much.
