Commentary for Taanit 2:8
כֹּל הַכָּתוּב בִּמְגִלַּת תַּעֲנִית דְּלֹא לְמִסְפַּד, לְפָנָיו אָסוּר, לְאַחֲרָיו מֻתָּר. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, לְפָנָיו וּלְאַחֲרָיו אָסוּר. דְּלֹא לְהִתְעַנָּאָה בְהוֹן, לְפָנָיו וּלְאַחֲרָיו מֻתָּר. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, לְפָנָיו אָסוּר, לְאַחֲרָיו מֻתָּר:
Wherever it is mentioned in "The Roll of Fasts," that "no lamentation and mourning is to be made" on certain days, it is also prohibited to do so on the day preceding, but allowed on the day following them; but Rabbi Yose says, "It is prohibited to do so on the day preceding, and on the day following; where it is said, that 'no fasts are to be kept thereon,' it is allowed to fast on the day preceding and following days." Rabbi Yose says, "It is prohibited on the preceding, but allowed on the following day."
Bartenura on Mishnah Taanit
כל הכתוב במגילת תענית – days in which miracles were performed for Israel during the Second Temple period and they established holidays. There is a day where one only does not fast on them and there are days in which they were more stringent by not giving eulogies on them, and those in which they were more stringent, it was forbidden to give eulogies.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Taanit
Introduction
In mishnaic times there existed a scroll called “Megillat Taanit”, which literally translates as “Scroll of Fasts.” Despite its name, the scroll does not contain a list of fasts but rather a list of days on which it is forbidden to eulogize at funerals and/or fast. Most of these days were commemorations of various military victories that occurred throughout the Second Temple period, from the Hasmonean period in the mid-second century B.C.E. through the Roman period in the subsequent centuries. By Talmudic times these days were mostly forgotten and neglected. The only two that were still observed were Hannukah and Purim.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Taanit
[With regard to every day] about which it is written in the Scroll of Fasts (Megillat “One may not eulogize” on the preceding day it is prohibited but on the following day it is permitted. Rabbi Yose says: it is forbidden [to mourn] both on the preceding day and on the following day. Concerning some of the days listed in Megillat Taanit, it says that one may not eulogize because eulogies are a sign of mourning. For these days it is prohibited to eulogize also on the previous day, but not on the subsequent day. Rabbi Yose holds that for these days one may not offer a eulogy on the preceding or on the following day.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Taanit
לפניו אסור – to give eulogies [on the day before], lest they come to do this on the holy day itself [where it was absolutely forbidden].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Taanit
[On days about which it is written], “One may not fast” on the preceding day and on the following day it is permitted. Rabbi Yose says: on the preceding day it is forbidden but on the following day it is permitted. Days concerning which it is written “One may not fast” are somewhat lesser than days concerning which it is written “One may not eulogize.” Therefore, for these days one may fast on both the preceding and following days. Rabbi Yose is again slightly stricter and allows fasting only on the following day but not on the preceding day.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Taanit
לאחריו מותר – since the holiday passed, we are not concerned. And we establish for ourselves [today] since the Scroll of Fasts has been voided, that all of the days that were written there to not fast or to give eulogies on them – all of them are permissible [now] to fast and give eulogies [on them], except for Hanukkah [25 Kislev to 2/3 Tevet] and Purim [i.e. 14 Adar or 15 Adar in a walled city from the time of Joshua] , which in which giving eulogies and fasting are prohibited, but on the days before them and after them, it is permissible.
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