The Gemara in Masechet Ta'anit Daf Yud Chet discusses various halachic rulings concerning days when eulogies and fasting are forbidden. The initial discussion revolves around a statement: "From the eighth day of Nissan until the end of the festival, the holiday of Shavuot was re-established." This refers to a historical debate between the Sages and the Sadducees, where the Sages' interpretation of "the day after the Sabbath" for counting the Omer was victorious, establishing Shavuot on the traditional date. As a result, eulogies are forbidden on these days.
The Gemara questions why it is necessary to state that eulogies are forbidden until the end of the festival, as eulogies are already forbidden during the festival period itself. The answer, provided by Rav Pappa in the name of Rav, draws a parallel to an earlier discussion regarding the first day of Nissan. Just as the rule for the first of Nissan in Megillat Ta'anit extends the prohibition to the day before, so too here, the rule for the eighth of Nissan extends the prohibition to the day after the festival. This is because a rabbinic decree, unlike a Torah-level prohibition, requires reinforcement, which includes the preceding or subsequent day. This aligns with the view of Rabbi Yose, who states that days listed in Megillat Ta'anit prohibit both the day before and the day after.
The Gemara challenges this: "Are we following Rabbi Yose, who is a singular opinion, against the Sages?" Furthermore, if we follow Rabbi Yose, why is the 29th of Adar forbidden because it is the day before the 1st of Nissan (when the daily offering was re-established)? It should simply be forbidden because it is the day after the 28th of Adar, which was also a holiday. The Gemara recounts that on the 28th of Adar, good news arrived for the Jewish people: a decree forbidding Torah study, circumcision, and Sabbath observance was annulled. This annulment was achieved through a protest led by Yehuda ben Shamuah and his colleagues, who sought advice from a Roman matron. They cried out to Heaven, emphasizing their shared lineage with their oppressors, and the decree was subsequently canceled, making the 28th of Adar a holiday.
Abaye offers a resolution: the specific mention of the 1st of Nissan is necessary for a "leap month," meaning a month of Adar with thirty days. In such a case, the 29th of Adar would be forbidden as the day after the 28th, but the 30th of Adar would only be forbidden as the day before the 1st of Nissan. Rava offers an alternative explanation, even for a regular 29-day month. He distinguishes between the severity of the prohibition for the day before and the day after. The day after a holiday is generally more lenient; fasting might be forbidden, but eulogies permitted. However, the 29th of Adar is "sandwiched" between the 28th of Adar and the 1st of Nissan, both holidays. Because of this unique position, it is treated like the holiday itself, making eulogies forbidden as well.
The Gemara then returns to the initial statement about the 8th of Nissan. Why specify the 8th when the 1st to 8th of Nissan were already forbidden due to the re-establishment of the daily offering? The 8th of Nissan would already be forbidden. The Gemara answers that this is to establish that even if the prohibition related to the daily offering were to be nullified, the 8th of Nissan would still be forbidden due to its connection to the re-establishment of the Shavuot holiday. This introduces the concept that a holiday's prohibition can stand on multiple grounds.
This new concept allows the Gemara to revisit the question of the 29th of Adar. If the holiday of the 28th of Adar were to be nullified for some reason, the 29th would still be forbidden as the day before the 1st of Nissan. This demonstrates the independent nature of these prohibitions.
The discussion then shifts to the halachic ruling regarding the days before and after a holiday. Rabbi Chiya bar Ashi states in the name of Rav that the halacha follows Rabbi Yose, who forbids both the day before and the day after. Shmuel, however, states that the halacha follows Rabbi Meir, who only forbids the day before and permits the day after. The Gemara questions Shmuel's stance, citing a Baraita where Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel interprets the double mention of "on them" in Megillat Ta'anit to mean that only the days themselves are forbidden, while the days before and after are permitted. Shmuel is then quoted as ruling like Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel. The Gemara resolves this by explaining that Shmuel initially sought the most lenient opinion available, which was Rabbi Meir's. Upon hearing Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel's even more lenient view, he adopted it, thus permitting both the day before and the day after the Megillat Ta'anit days.
Rabbi Chiya bar Abba, in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, states that the halacha follows Rabbi Yose. Rabbi Chiya clarifies to Bali that Rabbi Yochanan's ruling applies specifically to days where fasting is forbidden, but not eulogies. In such cases, Rabbi Yochanan rules like Rabbi Yose, forbidding the day before but permitting the day after. However, for days where eulogies are forbidden, Rabbi Yochanan rules like Rabbi Meir, forbidding the day before and permitting the day after. Essentially, Rabbi Yochanan consistently holds that the day before is forbidden, and the day after is permitted, selectively aligning with Rabbi Yose for fasting days and Rabbi Meir for eulogy days to achieve this outcome.
A further challenge arises: Rabbi Yochanan generally rules according to an anonymous Mishna. Yet, a Mishna states that even if one reads the Megillah early, eulogies and fasting are permitted on those days. The Gemara explores various scenarios for this Mishna. It cannot refer to reading on the 14th of Adar, as the 14th and 15th of Adar (Purim) are explicitly forbidden for eulogies and fasting in Megillat Ta'anit. This prohibition is a rabbinic reinforcement, extending the Purim prohibition to all, regardless of their specific Purim date. Nor can it refer to the 13th of Adar, which was Yom Nicanor, a holiday. Similarly, it cannot refer to the 12th of Adar, which was Yom Turianos, another holiday. The Gemara concludes that the Mishna must refer to reading the Megillah on the 11th of Adar. However, even the 11th is the day before the 12th, Yom Turianos, which should be forbidden for eulogies and fasting according to Rabbi Yochanan's rule that the day before a holiday is forbidden.
The Gemara resolves this by explaining that Yom Turianos itself was later nullified because Shemaya and Achya were murdered on that day. Therefore, the 12th of Adar is no longer a holiday, and its preceding day, the 11th, is permitted. Rav Ashi clarifies that once an intrinsic holiday is nullified, its preceding day does not become forbidden due to its proximity to another holiday (like Yom Nicanor on the 13th). If the core holiday is removed, the associated restrictions are also removed.
The Gemara then explains the origins of Yom Nicanor and Yom Turianos. Nicanor was a Greek governor who would daily wave his hand over Judea and Jerusalem, threatening to trample them. When the Hasmonean kingdom prevailed, they cut off his thumbs and big toes and hung them at the gates of Jerusalem, proclaiming vengeance for his arrogant words and actions. Yom Nicanor was established on the 13th of Adar to commemorate this victory.
Yom Turianos commemorates an incident where the Roman emperor Turianos sought to execute Lulianos and Pappos, two brothers in Lod. These brothers, known as the martyrs of Lod, confessed to a false accusation of killing the king's daughter to save the Jewish community from a broader decree. When Turianos challenged them to rely on their God for a miracle, like Chananya, Mishael, and Azarya, they responded that their God had many ways to punish them and was only using Turianos as an agent to exact future retribution upon him. Despite their words, Turianos executed them. Soon after, two Roman officials arrived and killed Turianos, establishing the 12th of Adar as Yom Turianos.
The Gemara then discusses the rules for declaring fasts. Fasts are decreed upon the community, and typically begin on a Thursday. Fasts are not decreed on Rosh Chodesh. However, if a series of fasts (e.g., Monday, Thursday, Monday) has already begun, and a Megillat Ta'anit day falls within that series, one may still fast. Rav Acha states that "a series" means at least three fasts, while Rabbi Yose says even one. Rav Yehuda, in the name of Rav, attributes the opinion that one does not complete the fast (meaning, only fasts part of the day) to Rabbi Meir, who said it in the name of Rabban Gamliel. The Sages, however, say one completes the fast. Mar Zutra, in the name of Rav Huna, rules that the halacha is to complete the fast.
Tosafot clarifies that the ruling to complete the fast applies only to Rosh Chodesh, not to Chanukah or Purim. For Chanukah and Purim, it is explicitly written that they are days of feasting and joy, and thus one cannot fast on them, even if they fall into a series of fasts. Tosafot further addresses the question of why we fast Taanit Esther (the 13th of Adar) if Rabbi Yose's opinion forbids fasting the day before Purim. The answer is that while Chanukah and Purim themselves were not nullified from Megillat Ta'anit, the prohibitions for the days before and after them were nullified. Alternatively, since the 13th of Adar (Yom Nicanor) was itself nullified as a holiday, its status as "the day before Purim" does not re-impose the prohibition, similar to the logic used for Yom Turianos.