בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיוּ מַשִּׂיאִין מַשּׂוּאוֹת. מִשֶּׁקִּלְקְלוּ הַכּוּתִים, הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהוּ שְׁלוּחִין יוֹצְאִין:
Al principio, encendían balizas [para informar a los que estaban a distancia que el mes había sido santificado, y no tenían que contratar mensajeros para enviarlos al exilio para alertarlos, porque las balizas les informarían]. Cuando los Cuthitas intentaron socavar (la institución de la Luna Nueva) [y ellos también encendieron faros en el momento equivocado, para engañarlos], ordenaron que los mensajeros salieran [Porque Beth-din encendería faros solo por un mes que fue santificado en el trigésimo día; y si no los encendían en la víspera del trigésimo día, todos sabían que el mes estaba lleno. Y una vez que beth-din intercaló el mes y no encendió faros en la víspera del trigésimo día— y los culitas los encendieron en sus colinas y engañaron a los judíos en el exilio haciendo que el mes fuera defectuoso (en lugar de pleno)].
Tosefta Rosh Hashanah (Lieberman)
Formerly it was customary to signal with beacons on the high mountain peaks: on the Mount of Olives, on Sartaba, on Agrippina, on the Tabor, on the Hauran and Bet Bilti. R. Shimon ben Elazar says: Also the mountains of Machaerus and Gadara and similar. When do you signal the month? [Answer:] On the night it was switched on. How [one should understand this] ? [Answer:] He fell on a Friday or Sabbath, one signals on Sunday because of it; when the month comes in its time, one signals for it; but if not, one does not signal for his sake. Because of all the months one signaled with signal fires. Said one: Before the sun , so he said nothing. [He said:] To the south of her, his words are valid. If one said: I saw him two ox sticks high, and if one said: three, then the testimony is valid. If one says three, and one says five, they are not taken together; but he is taken together with others [who make the same statement]. Says one I have seen him erect, and one says: I have seen him bent, so they are not taken together, but he is taken together with others [who make the same statement]. If he saw him half in the water, he said nothing; [he saw] him halfway through a cloud, he said nothing. [If he saw] him half through glass, he said nothing. R. Elazar ben R. Zadok says: If he is not seen in his time, the month is not sanctified; because heaven has it already sanctified. And likewise, R. Eleazar ben R. Zadok used to say: The messengers do not go to Syria until they have heard from the mouth of the court: Sanctified.
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