The classical answer given is confusion. During the Second Commonwealth, the Samaritans would light bonfires to confuse those living outside Jerusalem of the date of the new moon. Therefore, to avoid the possibility of not celebrating Yom Tov on its proper date, the Yom Tov Sheni was instituted. It was an emergency ruling, not a permanent enactment. It was an enactment in response to a specific threat, which became immaterial not long after. (Beitzah, 4b)

Over the years Yom Tov Sheni was retained, in large part, to maintain the ascendancy of Israel over the Galut, as centers of Jewish learning and power moved from Israel to Babylonia, the Western Mediterranean and Europe; even when Yom Tov Sheni was eliminated in Israel, it was maintained in Galut – as the RA Responsa puts it, a “reverse distinction.”

In order to strengthen the rationale, or provide one where none existed, there developed the concept of Yom Tov Sheni as part of our mystical relationship with Israel. An observation made by Rabbi Menachem Recanati one of the great kabbalists of the 13th-14th century is often cited. Recanati says that it is impossible outside the land of Israel to get as inspired by a particular festival as when one lives inside the Israel. Israel carries its own spirituality into any festival, and in one day one is able to accomplish great spiritual achievements. Outside Israel, however, one needs two days to achieve the same goal.

And since this had become the official minhag for so many years, it had become so well established, that an annulment would no longer be possible.

Over the years, the Rabinnate has attempted to infuse additional meaning to the second day of Yom Tov, such as the additional Torah readings and Haftorot, we have added Yizkor on the last day of the festival, all-in an attempt to make the days more significant, to look at Yom Tov Sheni not as a burden, but an opportunity. After all, what would we do without the second seder – somebody’s grandmother would be offended. And commentators point out the benefit of celebrating Simhat Torah on its own day (although I have celebrated Shmini Atzeret and Simhat Torah on one day in Israel, and it worked out fine).

The arguments against, however, are strong.

Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, last Rosh Hayeshiva of the famous Volozhin Yeshiva, also known as Neziv (1817-1893) while defending Yom Tov Sheni, himself said that in principle there is absolutely no reason to keep a second day Yom Tov outside Israel even when one is not sure which day is the correct day. Neziv proves his point by stating that we would otherwise encounter a serious contradiction in Judaism. Why do we not keep two days Yom Kippur? And why, when counting the Omer outside Israel we only count one date and not two? (After all, if Pesach would have started one day later, there should have been the need to start counting the Omer also one day later) In that case we should, for example, say (outside the land of Israel): "Today it is the 31st or the 32nd day of the Omer." This is, however, not done and in fact forbidden.

The key is that Yom Tov Sheni is an emergency enactment , and imposes significant burdens. In the RA Responsa and elsewhere, it is noted that celebrating a second day is increasingly difficult and economically challenging, at least for those of us who are not employed by Federation. Ultimately, the continuing excuses for Yom Tov Sheni are, essentially, covers for the fact that it is a gzeirah whose rationale no longer exists, a gezeirah on a gezeirah, and as Isserles points out, when the rationale for an enactment – let alone for a custom – is no longer operative, the enactment is nullified. Or, to cite a modern legal scholar, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. has said that it is repugnant to observe a law only because it was enacted in the reign of Henry IV; it is even more repugnant when the underlying reason for the enactment is no longer applicable. No lesser authority than Rambam (Hilchos Kidush ha'Chodesh 5:5) states clearly that nowadays, people who live in Chutz la'Aretz really ought to observe only one day, and it is only due to the Takanat Chachamim that they observe two.

The fact is, no one, inside or outside of Israel, relies on bonfires or messengers to calculate the date of any holiday, and no one has suggested interference in the calculations of our calendars. We certainly need not fear the interference of the Samaritans.

And there is another, more serious concern. One of things that we, as a community and congregation, believe distinguishes us from other congregations is the sense that we are leaders of Conservative Judaism, that we are on the cutting edge of invigorating religious practice. We can point to our role in establishing the egalitarian nature of the service, the inclusion of imahot in our liturgy, the impending discussion of duchening (assuming we actually do discuss it), but even when we have rejected proposals, the Library Minyan remains on the cutting edge by discussing and taking ownership of these issues. We prove that our movement and our religion is not simply a top-down exercise in which we respond to our leaders; we work with our leaders in partnership. We should always be looking for ways to reinvigorate our spiritual lives, to find ways to bring innovation and meaning, and bring that to others. Every time that we, as individuals or as a group, choose not to confront these issues, we do a disservice to our community. Our path here is easier in the past; the decision has already been made that Yom Tov Sheni is an alternative, not mandatory; it is time for us to work on enhancing our celebrations, putting more into the single day, and removing the second day which saps our energy.

I know that I am going to face a number of questions, and to deflect just one of them, I will not be eating pizza and drinking beer tonight; I am, after all, part of a community that has not yet determined to move beyond Yom Tov Sheni. But as I say Kiddush tonight, I will hope that next year, Pesach will end when it should, on Wednesday night, as we usher out the 21^st day of Nissan and welcome in the 22d.

For one more day, in any case, Chag Kasher v’sameach.