Rosh Hashana 2:3 — How the Beacon Was Lit

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נושא · Topicכֵּיצַד מַשִּׂיאִין מַשּׂוּאוֹתHow the Beacon Was Lit
This Mishnah is:a procedurewhat does that mean?
Mishnah ראש השנה ב׳:ג׳ · Rosh Hashana 2:3
כֵּיצַד הָיוּ מַשִּׂיאִין מַשּׂוּאוֹת,
מְבִיאִין כְּלֻנְסָאוֹת שֶׁל אֶרֶז אֲרֻכִּין וְקָנִים וַעֲצֵי שֶׁמֶן וּנְעֹרֶת שֶׁל פִּשְׁתָּן
וְכוֹרֵךְ בִּמְשִׁיחָה,
וְעוֹלֶה לְרֹאשׁ הָהָר
וּמַצִּית בָּהֶן אֶת הָאוּר,
וּמוֹלִיךְ וּמֵבִיא וּמַעֲלֶה וּמוֹרִיד,
עַד שֶׁהוּא רוֹאֶה אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ
שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה כֵן בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר הַשֵּׁנִי,
וְכֵן בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר הַשְּׁלִישִׁי:
How would they light the beacon-fires?
They would bring long poles of cedar, and reeds, and oily wood, and tow of flax,
and bind them with twine,
and he would go up to the top of the mountain
and kindle the fire in them,
and wave it back and forth and up and down,
until he could see his fellow
doing the same on the top of the second mountain,
and so too on the top of the third mountain.
A reading aid, not an exact translation.

This English is a clause-by-clause rendering to help you follow the Hebrew. It is not word-for-word literal, and it is not a transcript of the recorded shiur — the audio carries explanation and context the translation deliberately leaves out.

case/objectpermissive ruling
Summary Chart
How the Beacon Was Lit
CaseRulingReason
What did the man carry up the mountain with him?Long cedar poles, reeds, oily wood and tow of flax, bound with twine
And once he was at the top?He set them alight
The next peak is miles off in the dark — how would they know?He waved the torch back and forth, up and down
When could he stop waving?When he saw his fellow doing the same on the next peak
Transcript
A machine transcript of the recorded shiur.

This is the shiur as spoken, transcribed automatically and left unedited — the wording is Ephraim's, and occasional transcription errors remain. It follows the audio word by word.

הֲדַרָן עֲלָךְ מַסֶּכֶת רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה
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