"(a) (R. Yochanan) The new year for kings is learned from a verse that relates the date of King Shlomo's reign with the Exodus, the years from which are counted from Nisan."
But did he not succeed Dovid who dies in Shavuous? Does anyone deal with this...on a tape I heard someone say Sfas Emes but I do not have the al Shas available to me? Please help/ send gif file of it?
hg, rockland, usa
The Gemara does not mention when King Solomon took power. It says that whenever it was that he took power, when the following Nisan arrived, it was counted as his "second" year.
Tosfos in Rosh Hashanah, however, does bring up the proposition that the Shlomo may have taken power in Nisan. The SEFAS EMES quesitons his suggestion based on the Midrash that King David died on Shavuos. (The Midrash is quoted in Tosfos Sanhedrin 5a.) He says that "mi'Dochek," perhaps Tosfos in Rosh Hashanah means that King David gave over the reign to his son during his lifetime, in the Nisan before he died. He is not completely satisfied with this answer, though (since there is no source, or logical basis, for such a transfer of power).
M. Kornfeld