Sukkah, Daf Mem Tet, Part 3

 

Introduction

Today’s section continues the discussion of the libations that would drain out into the pits underneath the altar.

 

אמר ריש לקיש: בזמן שמנסכין יין על גבי מזבח פוקקין את השיתין, לקיים מה שנאמר בקדש הסך נסך שכר לה’.

 

Resh Lakish said: When they pour the wine-libation on the altar, they would stop up the pits, in order to fulfill what is said, "In holiness you shall pour out a drink-offering of strong drink to the Lord."

 

Resh Lakish reads the verse concerning the wine libation as if it requires stopping up the pits while the wine is actually being poured on the altar. As occurred in yesterday’s section, it is not entirely clear how this verse proves what Resh Lakish claims it does. This will be clarified now.

 

מאי משמע?

אמר רב פפא: שכר – לשון שתיה, לשון שביעה, לשון שכרות.

אמר רב פפא, שמע מינה: כי שבע איניש חמרא – מגרוניה שבע.

 

But how does this mean that?

R. Papa answered, Shekhar the language of drink, satiation and drunkenness.

R. Papa said: Learn from that when a man is satiated with wine, it is due to his filling of his throat.

 

R. Papa explains that Resh Lakish’s halakhah comes from the word "shekhar" which I have translated as "strong drink." The word, according to R. Papa also means satiation. When the wine is poured out onto the altar and stays there while the pits are stopped up, the altar looks satiated.

From this, R. Papa also learns the proper way to drink wine. According to Rashi, R. Papa suggests that one will feel more satiated if he fills his mouth with a large quantity and then swallows it all at once. Taking small sips will leave him feeling less full. Interesting to note that in our day, since we have plenty of wine (and most of our other needs) we usually aim for the opposite to eat and drink in a manner so that we won’t feel bloated.

 

אמר רבא: צורבא מרבנן דלא נפישא ליה חמרא – ליגמע גמועי.

רבא, אכסא דברכתא אגמע גמועי.

 

Rava said: A young scholar who does not have much wine should swallow it in gulps.

Rava used to gulp down the cup of blessing.

 

The section concludes with Rava’s advice to rabbis who don’t have enough money to afford lots of wine. They should gulp their wine down. Rava even did so with the "cup of blessing" the cup used with birkat hamazon. This was a way to show how much he wanted to fulfill the mitzvah. Funny, Rava also claims to have drunk wine all day on erev Pesah. Seems to have been quite a character.