Beitza 5 a, b

Is there a second day on Rosh Hashana and Festivals or not?  Only outside of ha'aretz, or within its borders?  Or is Jerusalem the only place where we celebrate for one day? The rabbis attempt to clarify their rulings.  Of note is a conversation about Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, who rules in one direction, and his challengers who are 'merely' amora'im.  The rabbis assure us that there is a simple solution: Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai and the other rabbis must be arguing about different places.

It is clear that our Sages are concerned about how to maintain Jewish traditions once the Second Temple has been destroyed.  Their rulings might have seemed unnecessary  in the times of the Temple, but when Jews are unclear about how to practice, specific leniencies and stringencies are put into place to help our ancestors - and us - navigate through 'new' interpretations.  The idea that something is happening in Jerusalem that is special is not a new idea.  However, knowing that the Temple and its related rites are not pulling people to Jerusalem creates problems.  The rabbis speak to these challenges through their conversations in today's daf.

We walk through complex arguments regarding the beitza, the egg, and whether or not we can change its status.  Through a number of examples,* the rabbis teach us that a decision made by the Sanhedrin can only be changed by a new vote of the court.  They argue whether or not their concern should be focused on the question of the beitza or whether that focus should be placed on the overarching question of when and how we determine the first and second days of the Festival.  And then they remind us that another overarching question is what is required to change an item's status.

Again I feel that I have missed much of the critical information in today's daf.  I understand that I do not understand all of the legal arguments presented as common knowledge, much less the information embedded subtly in the text.  However, as of today, I'm hanging on to the process.

* including rulings regarding the status of a beitza, Jewish men returning to their tents/ wives after they received the Torah at Mt. Sinai, and the grapevine in its fourth year that is in fact second tithe and thus is used to decorate the Jerusalem marketplace, the long sound of the shofar calling Jews back to the mount.