Sukkah, Daf Mem Vav, Part 1
Introduction
Last week’s daf ended with an amoraic dispute concerning how many days one recites the blessing over the lulav and sukkah. The sugya ended with the ruling that one blesses over the sukkah all seven days but for only one day over the lulav. This week’s daf begins with a difficulty on this ruling.
מיתיבי העושה לולב לעצמו אומר ברוך שהחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה.
נטלו לצאת בו אומר ברוך אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על נטילת לולב.
ואף על פי שבירך עליו יום ראשון חוזר ומברך כל שבעה.
העושה סוכה לעצמו אומר ברוך שהחיינו וקיימנו כו’.
נכנס לישב בה אומר אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו לישב בסוכה.
וכיון שבירך יום ראשון שוב אינו מברך.
They objected: He who makes a lulav for his own use says, "Blessed [are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe] who has kept us in life, and has preserved us, and enabled us to reach this season."
When he takes it to fulfill his obligation, he says, "Blessed [are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe] who hast sanctified us by His commandments, and commanded us concerning the taking of the lulav"
And even though he has recited the blessing on the first day, he must again recite it on all seven days.
He who makes a Sukkah for his own use says, "Blessed [are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe] who has kept us in life, and sustained us etc."
When he enters the Sukkah to dwell in it he says, . . . Who has sanctified us by His commandments and commanded us to dwell in the Sukkah."
And once he has recited the blessing on the first day, he does not bless again.
Before we understand how this baraita is a difficulty on the amoraic position from the previous daf, we should understand it on its own. It begins by determining when one recites blessings over the lulav and which blessing is recited. When one "makes a lulav" for oneself, he recites the blessing known usually by its Hebrew, "shehehiyanu." This would occur assumedly before the festival. But when one uses it to perform the mitzvah, he recites "asher kidshanu to take the lulav" the blessing formula always used for the performance of mitzvoth. Finally, one blesses over the lulav for seven days.
The blessings over the sukkah are basically the same. The only difference is that the blessing over the sukkah is recited once, on the first day.
קשיא לולב אלולב קשיא סוכה אסוכה.
בשלמא לולב אלולב לא קשיא כאן בזמן שבית המקדש קיים כאן בזמן שאין בית המקדש קיים.
אלא סוכה סוכה קשיא.
There is contradiction between the one statement concerning the lulav and the other, and between the one concerning Sukkah and the other.
The difficulty between the one statement concerning the lulav and the other is resolvable, since one refers to Temple times and the other to the time when the Temple was no longer in existence;
But there is a contradiction between the two statements concerning the sukkah.
Rabbah bar bar Hannah had ruled that one recites the blessing over the sukkah for seven days and over the lulav for one day. This contradicts the baraita on both counts.
The contradiction about the lulav is reconcilable by saying that when the Temple stood, one blessed all seven days, for at that time the mitzvah of the lulav was from the Torah for all seven days, at least in the Temple. But now, after the destruction, the mitzvah is only for the first day, and we therefore say the blessing for only one day.
But the contradiction concerning the sukkah remains unresolved.
תנאי היא דתניא תפילין כל זמן שמניחן מברך עליהן דברי רבי.
וחכמים אומרים אינו מברך אלא שחרית בלבד.
The question is one in dispute between Tannas, as it has been taught, Whenever a man puts on his tefillin he must recite the blessing, the words of Rabbi. But the Sages say, He recites the blessing in the morning only.
The Talmud now notes that both sides of the dispute over the sukkah have parallels in a tannaitic dispute over tefillin. We should again note that it was customary in talmudic times to wear tefillin all day. According to Rabbi, every time one takes off his tefillin and then puts them back on again, he recites the blessing again. This is similar to the opinion that one should bless over the sukkah every day. Every time the mitzvah is performed, it is a new mitzvah. The other sages say that he blesses only in the morning. Should he take them off and put them back on later, he would not recite a new blessing. This correlates with the opinion that one recites the blessing over the sukkah only once.
אביי אמר הלכתא כרבי.
ורבא אמר הלכתא כרבנן.
אמר רב מרי ברה דבת שמואל חזינא ליה לרבא דלא עביד כשמעתיה אלא מקדים וקאי ועייל לבית הכסא ונפיק ומשי ידיה ומנח תפילין ומברך וכי אצטריך זימנא אחרינא עייל לבית הכסא ונפיק ומשי ידיה ומנח תפילין ומברך.
ואנן נמי כרבי עבדינן ומברכין כל שבעה.
אמר מר זוטרא חזינא ליה לרב פפי דכל אימת דמנח תפילין מברך.
רבנן דבי רב אשי כל אימת דמשמשי בהו מברכי.
It was stated: Abaye said: The law is in agreement with Rabbi.
But Rava said: The law is in agreement with the sages.
R. Mari the son of Shmuel’s daughter, I noticed that Rava himself did not act in accordance with his own ruling but rising early, he would go to the toilet, come out and wash his hands, put on his tefillin and recite the blessing, and when he had to go a second time he would go to the toilet, come out and wash his hands, put on his tefillin and recite the blessing again.
We too act in accordance with the ruling of Rabbi and recite the blessing all seven days.
Mar Zutra said: I noticed that R. Papi recited the blessing whenever he put on his tefillin.
The sages of the school of R. Ashi recited the blessing whenever they touched their tefillin.
Abaye says that the halakhah is in accordance with Rabbi one blesses over the tefillin every time he puts them on. Rava disagrees and holds like the sages. However, R. Mari notes that Rava didn’t behave according to his own ruling. Every time he would go to the toilet he would take off his tefillin and when he put them back on again, he would say a blessing again.
Finally, the sugya ends with more statements supporting the halakhah that one recites the blessing every time he puts on his tefillin. Some sages would even recite a blessing every time they touched their tefillin to make sure that they were still there. Since people used to wear their tefillin all day long, there was a fear that they would forget that the tefillin was even on their head. Therefore, they were supposed to touch their tefillin frequently. Today people do not say a blessing for merely touching their tefillin.