Sukkah, Daf Lammed Het, Part 4

 

Introduction

This section is a continuation of yesterday’s section concerning what halakhot we can learn from the way in which we recite Hallel.

 

הוא אומר אנא ה’ הושיעה נא והן אומרים אנא ה’ הושיעה נא מכאן שאם קטן מקרא אותו – עונין אחריו מה שהוא אומר.

 

He says, "Please O Lord, save us, " (Psalms 118:25) and they answer, "Please Lord, save us:" from here it may be inferred that if a minor was reciting it for him, the latter answers after him what he says.

 

In this case, the responders say exactly what the leader says. This is a hint at the halakhah that if the Hallel leader is a child who is not obligated to recite the Hallel then the responders must say exactly what the child says. This is because there is a rule that if one is not liable in a certain mitzvah, he cannot discharge the duty on behalf of others. So in this case, those obligated must say the whole Hallel.

הוא אומר אנא ה’ הצליחה נא והן אומרים אנא ה’ הצליחה נא – מכאן שאם בא לכפול כופל.

 

Since he says, "Please O Lord, send now prosperity," and they respond " Please O Lord, send now prosperity,"from here it may be inferred that if he wants to double [the verses] he may.

 

Here again, we have the practice of repeating the exact words stated by the prayer leader. We don’t need to learn the same halakhah from above, so Rava (whose statement began in yesterday’s section) learns something different. If a person wants to repeat extra elements, he is allowed to do so. This is still the practice today the above two verses are repeated when singing the Hallel.

 

הוא אומר ברוך הבא והן אומרים בשם ה’ מכאן לשומע כעונה.

בעו מיניה מרבי חייא בר אבא: שמע ולא ענה מהו? אמר להו: חכימיא וספריא ורישי עמא ודרשיא אמרו: שמע ולא ענה – יצא.

 

Since he says, "Blessed be he that comes" and they answer, "In the name of the Lord" from here it may be inferred that he who hears is like one who responded.

They asked of R. Hiyya b. Abba: If one listened but did not respond what is the law?

He answered them: The sages, the scribes, the leaders of the people and those who expound laid down that if one heard but did not respond he has fulfilled his obligation.

 

This is an important principle in halakhah. Generally if one person recites a berakhah and the other answers amen, the one who answers amen has fulfilled his obligation to recite a berakhah. This is what we do for berakhot over food, birkat hamazon can be done this way, as well as other berakhot. But at times one can fulfill an obligation just by listening without any response whatsoever. Rashi brings up an interesting example of this. If someone is in the middle of reciting the Amidah and the shaliah tzibbur gets up to the kedushah, the one reciting the Amidah should not participate in the kedushah, because that would interrupt his own Amidah. But neither should s/he just go on with the Amidah, because the community is reciting the kedushah, the holiest part of the Amidah. Rather, s/he should just stop and listen and by listening s/he is fulfilling the duty to answer those sections of the kedushah that require a response.

The final section is interesting for the way that R. Hiyya b. Abba cites all sorts of groups as authorities on this matter. I don’t know of anywhere else in the Talmud where we see this type of description. Most interesting to me is the notion that it was not only rabbis who were giving the "derashah" (expounders) but there seem to have been others, perhaps professionals, who gave derashot in front of the community.