Author Topic: The Reward (or lack of reward) for keeping the 2nd day of Yom Tov  (Read 2072 times)

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Offline edu

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In case any one is wondering, I live in the land of Israel, where there is no obligation even on a rabbinic level to keep the 2nd day of Pesach as a Yom Tov. For those Jews who still live outside of Israel and will only be reading this tomorrow, I would like to expose you to Rabbi Yochanan's view  mentioned in midrash Shir Hashirim Rabba as well as other midrashim about the reward one gets for observing 2 days of Yom Tov.
Rabbi Ba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: "The assembly of Israel said to the Holy One Blessed be He, because I did not observe, one day of Yom Tov properly in the land of Israel, behold I observe two days of Yom Tov, outside the land. I thought I would receive for this reward on both of them, yet I only get reward on account of one of them". Rabbi Yochanan would call upon them the verse, "So too I gave them statutes that were not good..." (Yechezkel/Ezekiel 20:25).
שיר השירים רבה (וילנא) פרשה א

רבי בא בשם ר' יוחנן אמרה כנסת ישראל לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא על שלא שמרתי יום טוב אחד כתקונו בארץ ישראל הריני משמרת שני ימים טובים של גליות בחוצה לארץ, סבורה הייתי שאקבל שכר על שניהם ואיני מקבלת שכר אלא על אחד, ר' יוחנן הוה קרי עליהון (יחזקאל כ) וגם אני נתתי להם חקים לא טובים