Sukkah, Daf Lammed Zayin, Part 6
Introduction
Today’s section deals with a different mishnah that discusses other rituals that involve waving.
תנן התם: שתי הלחם ושני כבשי עצרת כיצד הוא עושה? מניח שתי הלחם על גבי שני הכבשין, ומניח ידו תחתיהן ומניף, ומוליך ומביא, מעלה ומוריד, שנאמר +שמות כט+ אשר הונף ואשר הורם.
We have learned elsewhere: The two loaves and the two lambs of Shavuot. How does he perform [the waving]? He places the two loaves upon the two lambs and puts his two hands beneath them and waves them forward and backward and upward and downward, for it is written, which is waved and which is lifted up (Exodus 29:27).
This section quotes from Mishnah Menahot 5:6, which discusses the two loaves of bread and the two lambs used on Shavuot (see Leviticus 23:20) which must be waved in the Temple. In describing how an offering is waved, the Torah states that it was "waved and lifted up which seems to be repetitive. The rabbis interpret waving as moving it forward and backward and lifting up to mean moving it upward and downward.
אמר רבי יוחנן: מוליך ומביא – למי שהארבע רוחות שלו, מעלה ומוריד – למי שהשמים והארץ שלו.
R. Yohanan said: He brings them to and fro to Him to whom the four directions belong, and up and down to Him to whom Heaven and Earth belong.
There will now be various symbolic meanings attributed to the waving back and forth of the lambs and the loaves. By extension, since the same motions are used for the lulav, this is also symbolically what we’re doing when we wave the lulav (this is made explicit below).
R. Yohanan explains that we wave these items in all directions to acknowledge that God owns everything.
במערבא מתנו הכי, אמר רבי חמא בר עוקבא אמר רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא: מוליך ומביא – כדי לעצור רוחות רעות, מעלה ומוריד – כדי לעצור טללים רעים.
אמר רבי יוסי בר אבין, ואיתימא רבי יוסי בר זבילא: זאת אומרת שירי מצוה מעכבין את הפורענות. שהרי תנופה שירי מצוה היא, ועוצרת רוחות וטללים רעים.
In the west (Eretz Yisrael) they taught us thus: R. Hama b. Ukba said in the name of R. Yose son of R. Hanina: He waves them to and fro in order to stop harmful winds; up and down, in order to stop harmful dews.
R. Yose b. Abin and some say R. Yose b. Zevila said: This implies that even the ancillary parts of a commandment prevent calamities; for the waving is obviously a ancillary part of the commandment, and yet it stops harmful winds and harmful dews.
In Eretz Yisrael they have a different understanding of the symbolic waving of the ritual items this waving stops bad winds and dews. It is a preventative (apotropaic) ritual. It’s interesting to note the small debate that seems to be occurring here. The first tradition understands this ritual as a type of prayer, acknowledging God’s power. The second tradition understands it in a manner akin to magic. It has the power to prevent bad things from happening.
R. Yose b. Abin adds that this text proves that even the ancillary parts of commandments, such as waving, protect people from harm. Obviously, the mitzvot themselves also have this capacity.
ואמר רבא: וכן בלולב. רב אחא בר יעקב ממטי ליה ומייתי ליה, אמר: דין גירא בעיניה דסטנא. ולאו מלתא היא, משום דאתי לאיגרויי ביה.
And Rava said: And so too with the lulav.
R. Aha b. Yaakov used to wave it to and fro, saying: This is an arrow in the eye of Satan. This, however, is not a proper thing [to do] since it might cause him to incite him.
Rava says that the same motions used to waive the lambs and the loaves are used on Shavuot to are also used with the lulav.
R. Aha b. Yaakov seems understand the lulav as a weapon against Satan, as if by waving the lulav, one is putting it into Satan’s eyes.
But the Talmud isn’t so comfortable with such a blatant provocation of Satan. Provoking Satan might lead Satan to tempt the person in a way that the person would not be able to resist. This is a complex topic, but it seems that the rabbis preferred one to just try to avoid Satan somewhat surreptitiously. Outward hostility towards this tempting force was risky.