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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1896 Excerpt:...the king, that wine was before him.... so it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time." R. Joseph offered an objection: It is written Haggai ii. 10 "In the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius," and it is also written ibid. 1 "In the second year, in the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the mouth." If the rule is that Tishri (the seventh month) is the beginning of years for non-Jewish kings, should not the Text read " in the third year of Darius" instead of the second year? R. Abahu answered: Cyrus was a most upright king and the Hebrews reckoned his years as they did those of the kings of Israel (beginning with Nisan). R. Joseph again objected: If that were so there are texts that would contradict each other. First: it is written Ezra vi. 15 "And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the King." A Boraitha explains this to mean: At that same time in the following year Ezra and the children of the captivity went up from Babylon, and the Bible says about this Ezra vii. 8 ' And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month in the seventh year of the king." But if the rule is (that for Cyrus the year began with Nisan and not Tishri) should not the Text say "the eighth year" (since the first day of Nisan, the beginning of another year, intervenes between the third of Adar, and the month of Abb)? And secondly: How can you compare these texts! In the one place it speaks of Cyrus, and in the other, of Darius! This remains unanswered. "And For Festivals." Do then the festivals commence on the first of Nisan? Do they not begin on the fifteenth of that The Rnbbis of the Talmud must...