Thirty Days Prior: Preparing for the Shalosh Regalim

Rabbi Maury Grebenau The final Gemara in Megilla (32a) tells us that Moshe enacted that we should look into each of the three festivals during the festivals themselves: shoalin vdorshin binyano shel yom. A sensible enactment which makes it obligatory for us to question and look into each holiday which we celebrate. The question asked by all the commentaries is based on another Gemara. In the context of the obligation of checking for Chometz (Pesachim 6a) we are told that there is a concept that we must look into the laws of Pesach beginning thirty days before Pesach. If we are enjoined to learn about the holidays a full month in advance then what really did Moshe institute? There are a number of interesting answers to this question which shed light on the exact nature of these two obligations. Firstly, we might notice that the thirty days is only mentioned with respect to Pesach. R Yosef Kairo (Beis Yosef O.C. 429) maintains that indeed this obligation is specifically for the holiday of Pesach. Due either to the fact that there are a plethora of preparatory laws which must be learned or the fact that it represents the only holiday where each family group needed to bring their own sacrifice, Pesach necessitates far more preparation than other chagim. Although this contention is contested by the Magen Avrohom (O.C. 429:1) and other, it would serve to differentiate between the two Gemaras. In general, Moshe established a requirement to look into the festival during the festival itself, while there is another concept of preparation which applies to Pesach only. The Ran (Pesachim 2b) offers a different distinction. He explains that the only obligation is that which Moshe instituted that we should look into each holiday on the holiday itself. The Gemara is Pesachim refers to something entirely different. The period of 30 days before Pesach is one when assign about Pesach is entirely appropriate. The Gemara therefore tells us that when questions are asked to the rebbe or teacher during this time they must be given precedence over questions about another topic. Although students always seem to be asking off-topic questions, questions about Pesach in the thirty days before Pesach must be dealt with. According to this perspective the proper girsa (version) of the Gemara in Pesachim is simply shoalin we question. The word dorshin only applies to the enactment of Moshe which is an obligation, not to the rule of pedagogy applicable in the thirty days prior to the festival. Finally, another answer can be suggested by looking carefully at the words of the Gemara. Moshe commanded us to look into inyano of the holiday, while the other Gemara speaks of the Halachos, laws, of the holiday. It may well be that the thirty day period is a preparatory time in which we are to learn the how to of the holiday. We are required to study well the laws pertaining to proper observance of the chag. However, Moshe asks us to do something else entirely when the holiday actually arrives. Once the dust of pre-holiday preparation settles and we leave the hectic dashes behind, what are we to do on the holiday itself. Moshe, our great teacher, commanded us to focus on the why of the holiday. What are we meant to gain from this particular Pesach, Shavous or Sukkos? What is the meaning behind these days and how will we internalize these message? Before a holiday we focus on the specifics and ensure proper observance. But once the laws have been followed scrupulously we must make sure that our observance reaches a higher level. We must be deeply affected by the chag and take its messages with us into the rest of the year.