Sukkah, Daf Mem Zayin, Part 6

 

 

מאי הוי עלה? רב נחמן אמר: אומרים זמן בשמיני של חג, ורב ששת אמר: אין אומרים זמן בשמיני של חג. והלכתא: אומרים זמן בשמיני של חג.

 

What is the decision?

R. Nahman said: We say [the blessing of the] season on the Eighth Day of the Festival

But R. Shesheth said: We do not say [the blessing of the] season on the Eighth Day of the Festival.

And the law is that we say [the blessing of the] season on the Eighth Day of the Festival.

 

In this final section of the sugya two amoraim argue directly whether we say shehiyanu on Shemini Atzeret. The ruling is that we do.

 

תניא כוותיה דרב נחמן: שמיני רגל בפני עצמו לענין פז"ר קש"ב: פייס בפני עצמו, זמן בפני עצמו, רגל בפני עצמו, קרבן בפני עצמו, שירה בפני עצמו, ברכה בפני עצמו.

 

It has been taught in agreement with R. Nahman, The Eighth Day is a separate festival with regard to P’Z’R K’SH’B’: with regard to drawing (p) it is a separate festival, with regard to the blessing of the season it is a separate festival (z), with regard to the nature of the festival it is a separate festival (r), with regard to its sacrifice it is a separate festival (k), with regard to its psalm it is a separate festival (sh), and with regard to its blessing it is a separate festival (b).

 

This baraita agrees with R. Nahman that Shemini Atzeret is a separate festival. It lists six ways in which this halakhah is manifested. Some of these we have seen before, so I’ll explain only the two that are new.

Drawing (piyyus): This means they had a separate lottery among the priests as to who gets to offer which sacrifice. Shemini Atzeret is not part of the lottery that occurred for Sukkot.

The nature of the festival: According to Rashi this means that we do not sit in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret.

The other issues have all been explained before.