Sukkah, Daf Mem Zayin, Part 3
Introduction
In yesterday’s section R. Yohanan ruled that on Shemini Atzeret one recites a blessing over the season shehiyanu. Today’s section continues to deal with that subject.
לימא מסייע ליה: הפרים האילים והכבשים – מעכבין זה את זה, ורבי יהודה אומר: פרים – אין מעכבין זה את זה, שהרי מתמעטין והולכין. אמרו לו: והלא כולן מתמעטין והולכין בשמיני! אמר להן: שמיני רגל בפני עצמו הוא, שכשם ששבעת ימי החג טעונין קרבן ושיר וברכה ולינה – אף שמיני טעון קרבן ושיר וברכה ולינה. מאי לאו – זמן? –
Can we say that [the following statement] supports [the view of R. Yohanan]: The bullocks, the rams and the lambs each prevent the fulfillment of the other. But R. Judah says, The bullocks do not prevent the fulfillment of the other, since they diminish in number progressively.
They said to him: But are not all of them diminished in number on the Eighth Day? He answered them: The Eighth Day is a separate festival, for, just as the seven days of the Festival must have [their own] sacrifices, song, blessing and staying overnight, so the Eighth Day must have its own sacrifices, song, blessing and staying overnight.
Now is this not the blessing of the season?
This long baraita is brought as a support for R. Yohanan, but first we need to explain it. The baraita deals with a case where some of the sacrifices are offered, but for some reason they cannot offer them all. According to the first opinion, if any of the sacrifices are not offered, then they cannot fulfill the mitzvah of the sacrifices that have been offered. But R. Judah says that if they don’t have enough bulls then they can sacrifice a lesser number and at least partially fulfill the mitzvah. This is because the number of bulls required is diminished every day of the festival (from 13-7). Therefore, we can see that it is not essential to have the correct number.
The other sages point out that the same is true for the lambs and rams there are fewer on Shemini Atzeret than there were on the previous days. R. Judah defends his position by stating that Shemini Atzeret is a separate festival. It has its own number of sacrifices, the Psalm (song) is different from the other days, the blessing is different, and it too has a requirement to stay in Jerusalem overnight after the festival is completed (this is true of other festivals as well). Therefore, since it is a separate festival we don’t say that the number of lambs and rams is diminished from day seven to day eight.
In any case, what is crucial to us is that R. Judah says that Shemini Atzeret has its own blessing. At first, we assume that this means that one recites shehiyanu on Shemini Atzeret.
לא, ברכת המזון ותפלה. הכי נמי מסתברא. דאי סלקא דעתך זמן – זמן כל שבעה מי איכא?
No, it refers to Birkat Hamazon and to Tefillah.
This is also reasonable, for if you were to think that it refers to [the blessing of] the season, is there a blessing over the season all seven days?
The Talmud now rejects that interpretation of the "blessing" in the baraita. The blessing does not refer to shehiyanu, it refers to saying "Shemini Atzeret" in birkat hamazon and the tefillah (the amidah) and not Sukkot.
This is also a more reasonable explanation of the baraita for R. Judah said that the seven days all have their own "blessing." This cannot be "shehiyanu" for this blessing is recited only on the first night.
הא לא קשיא, דאי לא בריך האידנא – מברך למחר, או ליומא אחרינא.
This is really not a difficulty, for if he did not recite the blessing [of the season] during the first day, he has to recite it the next day, or on any subsequent day.
At first the Talmud says that the previous line is not a difficulty because the blessing over the season could be recited on any of the seven days, if he forgot to recite it on the first day. This means that just as the first seven days could have a shehiyanu recited on them, the eighth day does have a shehiyanu.
מכל מקום כוס בעינן.
לימא מסייע ליה לרב נחמן, דאמר רב נחמן: זמן אומרו אפילו בשוק.
דאי אמרת בעינן כוס – כוס כל יומא מי איכא?
דלמא דאיקלע ליה כוס.
But, in any case, must not the blessing [of the season] be recited over a cup [of wine]?
Shall we then say that this supports the view of R. Nahman, for R. Nahman said [that the blessing of the] season may be recited even in the market-place?
For if you will say that the cup [of wine] is essential, has one then a cup [of wine] every day?
This might apply to a case where one chanced to have a cup [of wine].
But the idea that one could recite shehiyanu after the first night is also difficult because it requires a cup of wine, as we do for Kiddush. Since there is no Kiddush after the first night, it does seem that the baraita refers to the blessing that is part of the Amidah or Birkat Hamazon.
However, there does seem to be an amora who holds that the blessing over the season can be recited even without wine, in the marketplace.
Since we can assume that people don’t always have wine, it must mean that shehiyanu can be recited without wine.
This too is rejected for it may be that R. Nahman refers to a case where he did happen to have wine.
Thus in the end, we see that one must recite the shehiyanu over a cup of wine, but that this still could occur any day of the festival.