Rabbi Kook

What is bein hashemashot (halachic twilight)? From the time the sun sets, as long as the east side of the sky has redness. When the bottom side has darkened and the top has not, this is still bein hashemashot. When the top part darkens and is the same color as the bottom, this is night. The preceding is the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda.

Mishna: There are three things a man must say within his home as Shabbat is about to enter: “Did you take tithes? Did you take part in the eiruv? Light the candles.” Gemara: From where do we know this? “You shall know that there is peace in your tent and relate to [the situation in] your home, and you shall not sin” (Iyov 5:24).

Rabbi Shimon asked: “Is there something that needs to be remedied?” They said to him: “There is a place where there is a safek (question whether there is a halachic problem) of tumah (impurity), and it causes the kohanim distress to detour around it.” Rabbi Shimon said: “Is there anyone who determined places of purity here?” An old man said: “Ben Zakkai (a great rabbi who was a kohen) did agricultural work with a turmos fruit of teruma.” Rabbi Shimon did the same thing [he did something with a turmos, although there are different opinions exactly what]. Everywhere that the earth was hard, he pronounced as pure, and everywhere that was soft, he marked [as impure because the grave that was there rose].

[After mentioning the Hasmonean victory and the miracle of the flask of oil, the gemara continues:] The next year, they set these days and made them holidays with hallel (songs of praise) and hoda’ah (thanks).

[After leaving the cave,] Rabbi Shimon asked: “Is there something that needs to be remedied?” They said to him: “There is a place where there is a safek (a question whether there is a halachic problem) of tumah (impurity), and it causes the kohanim distress to detour around it.” Rabbi Shimon said: “Is there anyone who determined places of purity here?” An old man said: “Ben Zakkai (a great rabbi who was a kohen) did agricultural work with a turmos fruit of teruma.”

[After all these events, Rabbi Shimon said:] since a miracle occurred, let me institute something helpful, as the pasuk says, “Yaakov came in a complete manner” (Bereishit 33:18, after being saved from Eisav - Rashi). Rav said [about this pasuk]: complete in his body; complete in his wealth; complete in his Torah.

In honor of the 80th anniversary of the yahrzeit of Israel’s holy and illuminating Light

[Rabbi Shimon and his son, Rabbi Elazar, left the cave after an additional stay.] As Erev Shabbat was turning into Shabbat, they saw an old man who was holding two fragrant branches and running during twilight. They said to him: “Why do you have those?” He told them: “In honor of Shabbat.” “Why isn’t one enough?” “One corresponds to zachor (remember Shabbat) and one corresponds to shamor (observe Shabbat).” Rabbi Shimon said to his son: “See how beloved the mitzvot are to Israel.”

[Rav Shimon and Rav Elazar left the cave and were distressed by people occupied with agriculture.] Everyplace that they looked was consumed by fire. A bat kol (Heavenly voice) called out: “Have you come out to destroy My world? Return to your cave.” They went back in and lived there for twelve months. After twelve months, they said: “The verdict for the evil in Gehinom is twelve months.”

[Rabbi Shimon and his son] left [the cave]. They saw people who were plowing and sowing. They said: “They are neglecting eternal life and occupying themselves with fleeting life.”