Sukkah, Daf Lammed Tet, Part 2

 

Introduction

Today’s section deals with the blessings recited before and after Hallel. The mishnah seems to say that this is just a custom in a place where they have a custom to bless they would bless, and if there was no custom to bless, they would simply not bless. This is modified in the Talmud.

 

לברך יברך. אמר אביי: לא שנו אלא לאחריו, אבל לפניו – מצוה לברך. דאמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל: כל המצות כולן מברך עליהן עובר לעשייתן.

 

[Where the custom is] to bless, he should bless.

Abaye said: This was taught only with regard to after [the Hallel], but before, it is a mitzvah to bless, for Rav Judah said in the name of Rav: For all commandments one blesses before (over) their performance.

 

The mishnah said that blessing over the Hallel was dependent on custom. However, Abaye says that this is only with regard to the concluding blessing. Some people recite this blessing and some do not (today we do recite it). But either custom is valid. However, the blessing before the Hallel must be recited. It is not dependent on custom. This is because Rav Judah stated that one blesses prior to the performance of all mitzvoth.

We should note that there is a slight expansion of the rule in this passage. When Rav Judah said one blesses before performing commandments, he probably meant commandments that are "performed" such as circumcision, candle lighting, lulav, shofar, etc. Hallel is not "performed" for it is a prayer/recitation not an act. Abaye takes Rav Judah’s rule and expands it to include recitations as well.

 

ומאי משמע דהאי עובר לישנא דאקדומי הוא – דאמר רב נחמן בר יצחק, דכתיב +שמואל ב יח+ וירץ אחימעץ דרך הככר ויעבר את הכושי. אביי אמר: מהכא +בראשית לג+ והוא עבר לפניהם. ואיבעית אימא: מהכא, +מיכה ב+ ויעבר מלכם לפניהם וה’ בראשם.

 

And from where do we know that the word "over" means before?

R. Nahman b. Yitzchak said: As it is written, "Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain and he overran (vayaavor) the Cushite" (II Samuel 18:23).

Abaye said from the following: "And he himself passed over (avar) before them" (Genesis 33:3).

And if you wish, from the following: "And their king passed on before them (vayaavor), and the Lord at their head" (Micah 2:13).

 

Rav Judah used the word "over" to mean "before," in his statement about blessing before a mitzvah. Evidently, the rabbis sense that this is an unusual use of the word. Therefore, they try to look for biblical precedent for the word used in this manner, to mean "before." They find three verses in which the word or the root עבר is used to mean to go before. We should note that this isn’t exactly the way that Rav Judah uses the word. He uses the word as a preposition before their performance. In the verses, the word is used as a verb. Nevertheless, it does mean to go before.