Sukkah, Daf Mem Heh, Part 3

 

Introduction

This section begins to explain the Mishnah.

 

גמרא. תנא: מקום קלניא הוה. ותנא דידן מאי טעמא קרי ליה מוצא? איידי דמיפק מכרגא דמלכא קרי ליה מוצא.

 

GEMARA. It was taught, It was the place called Kolonia.

Then why does our Tanna call it Moza?

Since it was exempt from the king’s tax, he calls it Moza

 

The Mishnah had stated that the place from which they picked the aravot was called Moza. But the Talmud has a baraita in which it is called "Kolonia." The Talmud accepts this name and provides a "midrashic" reason for why it should be called "Moza" the people there were exempt from the king’s taxes. "Moza" in Hebrew can mean "to take out" here interpreted as something like "taken out from the tax of the king." Assumedly, the name "Kolonia" is actually the Greek name, whereas Moza is the Hebrew.

 

ובאין וזוקפין אותן בצידי כו’. תנא: רבות וארוכות, וגבוהות אחד עשר אמה, כדי שיהו גוחות על המזבח אמה.

 

And they came and stood them up at the sides of the altar

A tanna taught: They were large and long and eleven cubits high, so that they might bend over the altar one cubit.

 

The mishnah taught that at the end of the daily aravah ritual, they would lean the aravot against the sides of the altar. The aravot were long enough that they would bend over the tops of the altar. Must have been a really beautiful sight, the altar hidden in the willows (would make a nice title for a book).

אמר מרימר משום מר זוטרא: שמע מינה על היסוד מנח להו. דאי סלקא דעתך אארעא מנח להו – מכדי עלה אמה וכנס אמה זהו יסוד, עלה חמש וכנס אמה זהו סובב, עלה שלש זהו מקום הקרנות, גוחות על גבי המזבח היכי משכחת לה? אלא לאו שמע מינה: איסוד מנח להו, שמע מינה.

 

Maremar said in the name of Mar Zutra: Deduce from this that they were laid upon the base [of the altar]. For if you were to assume that they were placed on the ground [then you have the following problem]: It (the altar) rose up one cubit and drew in one cubit, and this formed the base. It then rose up five cubits and drew in one cubit, and this formed the circuit; it [then] rose up three cubits, and this was the place of the horns.

Now how could they bend over the altar?

Consequently learn from this that they were placed on the base. This is conclusive.

 

Maremar does the math and sees that if the aravot were only (!) eleven cubits high, they could not have been placed on the ground, because the altar did not go straight up. There are two spots where it goes in a cubit. This would mean it would need to be placed on the foundation in order for it to lean over the altar.

 

אמר רבי אבהו: מאי קראה – שנאמר +תהלים קיח+ אסרו חג בעבותים עד קרנות המזבח.

 

R. Abbahu said: What is its Scriptural proof?

As it is said, "Order the festival procession with boughs, up to the horns of the altar" (Psalms 118:27).

 

R. Abbahu takes a verse that mentions "boughs" which he interprets as the aravot, as being brought up to the horns of the altar.

 

אמר רבי אבהו: אמר רבי אלעזר: כל הנוטל לולב באגודו והדס בעבותו מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו בנה מזבח והקריב עליו קרבן, שנאמר אסרו חג בעבתים עד קרנות המזבח.

 

R. Abbahu said in the name of R. Elazar: Whoever takes the lulav with its binding and the hadas in its thickness is regarded by Scripture as though he had built an altar and offered on it a sacrifice. For it is said, "Bind the festival with myrtle branches up to the horns of the altar."

 

In this statement, R. Abbahu offers a different interpretation of "boughs." The word for "boughs" is similar to the word used for the hadas in Leviticus 23 (עבתים/עבות). So he interprets the verse as referring to the hadas. The word "bind" he interprets as the lulav, which is bound together. Taken altogether, the verse teaches that taking the lulav and the hadas is equivalent to offering a sacrifice.

 

אמר רבי ירמיה משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי, ורבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון המחוזי משום רבי יוחנן המכותי: כל העושה איסור לחג באכילה ושתיה – מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו בנה מזבח והקריב עליו קרבן, שנאמר אסרו חג בעבתים עד קרנות המזבח.

 

R. Yirmiyah said in the name of R. Shimon b. Yohai, and R. Yohanan said in the name of R. Shimon of Mahoz who said in the name of R. Yohanan of Makkut: Whoever makes an addition to the Festival by eating and drinking is regarded by Scripture as though he had built an altar and offered on it a sacrifice. For it is said, Make an addition to the Festival with fat cattle, even to the horns of the altar.

 

R. Yirmiyah interprets the word "אסרו" to mean "make an addition." This is the source for the custom still observed in Israel today known as "Isru Hag." It is an additional day attached to the end of the Festival that is not observed as a true festival, but is observed as a day off of work by some, an extra celebration. From personal experience I can tell you what this means in Israel adults work and kids have off of school. Great for kids, not as good for working adults. In the Diaspora it has fewer ramifications because there are two days of Yom Tov anyway.