In the beginning, they would light beacons [to inform those at a distance that the month had been sanctified, and they did not have to hire messengers to send them to the exile to apprise them, for they would be apprised by the beacons.] When the Cuthites attempted to undermine (the institution of the New Moon) [and they, too, lit beacons at the wrong time, to deceive them], they ordained that messengers go out [For beth-din would light beacons only for a month which was sanctified on the thirtieth day; and if they did not light them on the eve of the thirtieth day, all knew that the month was full. And once beth-din intercalated the month and did not light beacons on the eve of the thirtieth day — and the Cuthites lit them in their hills and deceived the Jews in the exile into making the month defective (instead of full)].
Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
היו משיא ין משואות – After they sanctified the Month, they did not need to hire messengers to be sent to the Diaspora to inform [them], since the fire-signals would announce them (i.e., that the New Month had been sanctified).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
Introduction
Above in 1:3 we learned that the court used to send messengers out to let the people in the Diaspora know that the new month had been decreed. In our mishnah we learn that this custom was the result of another attempt by a non-Pharisaic/rabbinic group of Jews to disrupt the calendar.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
משקלקלו הכותים – they also would carry torches at the inappropriate time, to deceive [the people], for the Jewish court would not carry torches other than at a [New] Month that was sanctified on the thirtieth day, and they would not use torches on the eve of the thirtieth day as everyone would know that the month is a leap one. And one time, the Jewish court declared the [New] Month] a leap one, and they did not make torches for the eve of the thirtieth day, and the Cuthians carried their torches in their mountains and deceived the members of the Diaspora to make it (i.e., the month) lacking a day.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
Originally they used to light torches [to signal that the new month had been decreed]. When the Samaritans disrupted this, they decreed that messengers should go out. In tomorrow’s mishnah we shall learn how they used to light torches, or beacons, in order to let everyone in the Diaspora know that a new month had been decreed. Here we learn that they stopped doing this because the Samaritans disrupted the process by lighting torches on the night of the thirtieth even though the court had not decreed a new month. Again we see that one of the sects attempts to have other Jews, Jews who follow a rabbinic calendar, celebrate their holidays on the wrong day.
