Related%20passage for Rosh Hashanah 2:9

שָׁלַח לוֹ רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, גּוֹזְרַנִי עָלֶיךָ שֶׁתָּבֹא אֶצְלִי בְּמַקֶּלְךָ וּבִמְעוֹתֶיךָ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים שֶׁחָל לִהְיוֹת בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹנְךָ. הָלַךְ וּמְצָאוֹ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא מֵצֵר, אָמַר לוֹ, יֶשׁ לִי לִלְמוֹד שֶׁכָּל מַה שֶּׁעָשָׂה רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל עָשׂוּי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כג), אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי יְיָ מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ, אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ אֹתָם, בֵּין בִּזְמַנָּן בֵּין שֶׁלֹּא בִזְמַנָּן, אֵין לִי מוֹעֲדוֹת אֶלָּא אֵלּוּ. בָּא לוֹ אֵצֶל רַבִּי דוֹסָא בֶּן הַרְכִּינָס, אָמַר לוֹ, אִם בָּאִין אָנוּ לָדוּן אַחַר בֵּית דִּינוֹ שֶׁל רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, צְרִיכִין אָנוּ לָדוּן אַחַר כָּל בֵּית דִּין וּבֵית דִּין שֶׁעָמַד מִימוֹת משֶׁה וְעַד עַכְשָׁיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כד), וַיַּעַל משֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא וְשִׁבְעִים מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְלָמָּה לֹא נִתְפָּרְשׁוּ שְׁמוֹתָן שֶׁל זְקֵנִים, אֶלָּא לְלַמֵּד, שֶׁכָּל שְׁלשָׁה וּשְׁלשָׁה שֶׁעָמְדוּ בֵית דִּין עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, הֲרֵי הוּא כְבֵית דִּינוֹ שֶׁל משֶׁה. נָטַל מַקְלוֹ וּמְעוֹתָיו בְּיָדוֹ, וְהָלַךְ לְיַבְנֶה אֵצֶל רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל בְּיוֹם שֶׁחָל יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים לִהְיוֹת בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹנוֹ. עָמַד רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל וּנְשָׁקוֹ עַל רֹאשׁוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ, בֹּא בְשָׁלוֹם, רַבִּי וְתַלְמִידִי, רַבִּי בְחָכְמָה, וְתַלְמִידִי שֶׁקִּבַּלְתָּ דְּבָרָי:

R. Gamliel (the Nassi) sent to him (R. Yehoshua): "I decree that you come to me with your staff and your money on the day that Yom Kippur falls out according to your reckoning." R. Akiva went and found him (R. Yehoshua) desponding [over the Nassi's having decreed that he desecrate Yom Kippur], whereupon he said to him: There is Biblical support for regarding everything done by R. Gamliel as done (i.e., taking effect), it being written (Leviticus 23:4): These are the festivals of the L-rd, callings of holiness, which you shall call them" — Whether (you proclaim them) in their times or not in their times, I have no festivals but these [Scripture making the "callings" of beth-din the criterion (for the determination of the festival times)]. When he [R. Yehoshua] came to R. Dossa b. Hyrcanus, he said to him: If we took exception with the beth-din of R. Gamliel, we would have to do so with every beth-din which arose for Israel from Moses' time until now, viz. (Exodus 24:9): "And there went up Moses and Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel": Why were the names of the elders not given? To teach that any three who are set up as a beth-din over Israel are equivalent to that of Moses himself. [So that if one questions the authority of a beth-din in his day, saying: "Are they as great as Moses and Aaron or Eldad and Medad?" he is told: "Perhaps he is as great as the remaining ones, whose names were not given."] He, thereupon, took his staff and his money in his hand and went to Yavneh to R. Gamliel on the day that Yom Kippur fell out according to his (R. Yehoshua's) reckoning. (When he got there,) R. Gamliel arose and kissed him on his head, saying: "Come in peace, my master and my disciple — my master, in wisdom; my disciple, for having done my bidding."

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