Sukkah, Daf Mem Daled, Part 4

 

Introduction

Today’s section deals with various halakhot concerning the aravah.

 

אמר רבי אמי: ערבה צריכה שיעור, ואינה ניטלת אלא בפני עצמה, ואין אדם יוצא ידי חובתו בערבה שבלולב.

 

R. Ami said: The aravah must have a minimum size, it must be taken separately only, and one does not fulfill his obligation with the aravah in the lulav.

 

R. Ami states three rules with regard to the aravah. It must be of a minimum size, it must be taken alone, not with the lulav, and one cannot fulfill his obligation with the same aravah that is in the lulav.

 

כיון דאמר מר אינה ניטלת אלא בפני עצמה – פשיטא דאין אדם יוצא בערבה שבלולב!

מהו דתימא: הני מילי – היכא דלא אגבהיה והדר אגבהיה, אבל אגבהיה והדר אגבהיה – אימא לא, קא משמע לן.

 

Since the Master said: It must be taken separately only is it not obvious that one cannot fulfill his obligation with the aravah in the lulav?

What might I have said? That that applies only where one does not lift [the lulav] a second time, but not where one does lift it a second time [he would fulfill his obligation], therefore he teaches us that it is not so.

 

The problem with R. Ami’s statement is that the second two rules seem to be superfluous. If the aravah must be taken by itself, then obviously you can’t use the one in the lulav.

The answer is that the two statements emphasize that even if one would pick up the lulav once, then put it down and then pick it up again, thereby proving that he is doing so only for the sake of the aravah, this still does not fulfill the mitzvah. The aravah must be picked up alone.

 

ורב חסדא אמר רבי יצחק: אדם יוצא ידי חובתו בערבה שבלולב (ביום טוב ראשון של חג).

 

R. Hisda said in the name of R. Yitzchak: One may fulfill his obligation with the aravah in the lulav.

 

R. Hisda disagrees one can fulfill his obligation with the same aravah used in the lulav. [The words in the parentheses, "on the first day of the festival," seem to be a mistake, for the aravah is a special mitzvah on the last day of the festival, not the first. I have not translated them.]

 

וכמה שיעורה? אמר רב נחמן: שלשה בדי עלין לחין.

ורב ששת אמר: אפילו עלה אחד ובד אחד.

עלה אחד ובד אחד סלקא דעתך? אלא אימא: אפילו עלה אחד בבד אחד.

 

What is its minimum measure?

R. Nahman said: Three fresh twigs with leaves.

But R. Sheshet said: Even one leaf and one twig.

One leaf and one twig! Could you really think such a thing?

Rather say: Even one leaf on one twig.

 

The Talmud now turns its attention to the minimum measure of the aravah. R. Nahman says it must include three twigs, each twig having at least one leaf.

R. Sheshet, after a bit of clarification, holds that even one twig with only one leaf on it is sufficient.

 

אמר אייבו: הוה קאימנא קמיה דרבי אלעזר בר צדוק, ואייתי ההוא גברא ערבה קמיה, שקיל, חביט חביט ולא בריך. קסבר: מנהג נביאים הוא.

אייבו וחזקיה בני ברתיה דרב אייתו ערבה לקמיה דרב, חביט חביט ולא בריך, קא סבר: מנהג נביאים הוא.

 

Aibu said: I was once standing in the presence of R. Elazar b. Zadok when a man brought an aravah before him, and he took it and shook it over and over again without reciting any blessing, for he was of the opinion that it was merely a custom of the prophets.

Aibu and Hezekiah, the sons of the daughters of Rav, brought an aravah before Rav, and he shook it over and over again without reciting a blessing, for he was of the opinion that it was merely a custom of the prophets.

 

In these two stories we see that the amoraim did not bless over the aravah because they hold that it is a custom of the prophets, not an institution of the prophets.

We should note that I have translated the word "חביט" as shake. This accords with Rashi. However, the Rambam understands the word to mean "beat." Today Jews follow this custom and beat their aravot at the end of the Hoshana Rabbah service.