Question: Why did they wish to sabotage the declaration of the new moon? They said that Shavuos must occur on a Sunday (as they understood that "after the Shabbos you shall wave the Omer'' means that the second day of Pesach should occur on a Sunday; and seven weeks later, Shavuos will occur on that same day of the week). Therefore, the messengers would go out in the evening under the assumption that the new moon had come.

Question: If so, for Nisan they should have accepted only witnesses that they recognize, but for the others months any witness should have been accepted?

Answer (R. Yosi bei R. Bun): They began to alter the calendar from the month of Adar.

Question: If they find that the witnesses are trying to arrange for Shavuos to fall on a Sunday, they should only accept witnesses that they recognize; otherwise, they should accept any witness?!

There was a case when Buytusim hired two false witnesses to testify that they saw the new moon. One came and gave his testimony and left and the second one came and said, "I was climbing in Maale Adumim and I saw it crouching between two rocks. Its head looked like a calf and its ears looked like a kid. I saw it and was astonished. I jumped back and there were 200 zuz tied into my money belt (that I had received to give false testimony. Unbeknownst to the Buytusim, this witness was a Torah Jew and was alluding to the Chachamim that he had been hired to give false testimony).

Chachamim to this witness: You can keep the 200 zuz as a gift and those that sent you will come and receive lashes, But why did you put yourself into the situation?

Witness: I saw them attempting to fool the Chachamim and I said that it is better that I go and inform them of this.

Question: How did the Kutim attempt to sabotage it? For example, the Beis Din ordered the waving of torches on the first night (which is the 31st day of the month) and the Kutim would wave on the following night. People would assume that Beis Din decided to add a day to the previous month and declare Rosh Chodesh a day later.

Question: Who revoked the use of torches? Rebbi revoked the use of torches; he permitted a murderer (without witnesses) to testify over the new moon and he permitted testimony of a witness who heard it from another witness. He also permitted the messengers to go out to inform the people in the evening before they would consecrate the new moon, as long as the testimony had already been given by the witnesses.

R. Abahu: Even though you said that he revoked the use of the torches, he did not revoke their use for the people who live next to the Kinneret (since Kutim do not live there).

R. Zeira asked R. Abahu: Can those that can see Tzfas use torches?

R. Abahu: Rebbi revoked the use of torches. Why would the people near Tzfas be permitted to use them? Rather, because they were so close to the seat of the Beis Din, the people of Tzfas would wave torches merely to inform the Beis Din that the messengers had arrived. (Note: This entry follows the understanding of Rav Chaim Kanievski.)

They do not wave torches on the night of the 30th, even though the moon is already visible since it is the night of Yom Tov; rather they wave on the night of the 31st.

They only wave on 29 day months - because if Rosh Hashanah occurs on a Friday (they will only be able to wave after Shabbos and the people will understand that the new moon occurred on Friday and it was Shabbos that prevented them waving torches).

They do not wave in the night (even if they know that the next day is Rosh Chodesh) is because it is the night of Rosh Hashanah. Rather they would wave them the following night....

As if you say that when Yom Tov occurs on a Friday they wave torches both on the 31st for a regular month and on the 32nd for a full month...

If so, people will think that perhaps Beis Din decided to make it a 30 day month.

(Mishnah): How would they raise the torches? They would bring long cedar rods, canes, 'Shemen' wood and flax clumps. They would wrap it with a thread, ascend the mountain and ignite it. Then, they would wave the torch forwards and backwards, up and down, until he saw his friend doing the same on the next mountain and similarly on the third mountain.

Question: From where did they light the torches? From the Mount of Olives to Sartava; from Sartava to Garifina; from Garifina to Chavran; from Chavran to Beis Baltin. And from Beis Baltin they did not move; rather, he stayed in one place, waving it forwards and backwards, up and down, until all of the Diaspora in front of him looked like a bonfire.

(Gemara): What is 'Shemen' wood? Pine wood.

R. Yona: It is like 'Mekaznah' wood (that people use in places where pine wood is not available).

R. Zeira: They would wave the torch forwards and backwards so that people would not mistakenly think that the light was coming from a star.

R. Yosa disagrees: I have seen a star that rises and falls and a star that goes and comes (so the waving would not prevent people from thinking that the light was coming from a star).

Beraisa: On the mountains of Mechuvar and Gador they would wave torches.

Rav Huna: When we would come here, we would ascend to the top of the mountain of Beis Baltin, the date palms of Bavel would appear to us like animals (and some say like thorns).

(Mishnah): There was a large courtyard in Yerushalayim called Beis Ya'azek. All of the witnesses would gather there and Beis Din would check them there. They would make banquets for them in order to accustom people to come.

Originally, the witnesses (who arrived there) would not move from there at all (since they had travelled out of their Techum -Shabbos limits- and were only allowed to move four Amos). Rabban Gamliel the Elder decreed that the witnesses could walk 2000 Amos in any direction.

The Chachamim applied the same principle to a midwife who came to assist at a birth, a person who came to save someone from a fire, from enemy soldiers and from a collapsed house. They decreed that these people may behave like the people of that town that they may walk 2000 Amos in any direction.

(Gemara): What is Beis Ya'azek? The place where they clarify (Ozkin) the law, as the Pasuk states (Yishayahu 5, 2), "He fenced it (Vaye'azkehu - 'defined') and cleared its stones etc.''

The Mishnah had taught: Originally, the witnesses would not move from there at all (not even within four Amos).

The Chachamim later ruled to view the witnesses like a utensil that was brought from outside of the Techum after nightfall, which may be moved within its four Amos.

They later ruled to view the witnesses like utensils that rested in a courtyard, which may be moved throughout the courtyard. Rabban Gamliel later decreed that they could walk 2000 Amos in any direction.

Beraisa: They even applied this ruling to someone who came to circumcise a baby.

This is also taught in the Mishnah of R. Eliezer, as the Mishnah in Maseches Shabbos teaches - R. Eliezer also said that one may chop wood to make coals in order to make the circumcision knife (as preparations for the circumcision override Shabbos).