Sukkah, Daf Nun Gimmel, Part 2

 

Introduction

Today’s section continues to discuss the spectacle of the Simchat Bet Hashoevah.

 

תניא: אמרו עליו על רבן שמעון בן גמליאל כשהיה שמח שמחת בית השואבה היה נוטל שמנה אבוקות של אור, וזורק אחת ונוטל אחת ואין נוגעות זו בזו. וכשהוא משתחוה נועץ שני גודליו בארץ ושוחה, ונושק את הרצפה וזוקף, ואין כל בריה יכולה לעשות כן. וזו היא קידה.

 

It was taught: They said of R. Shimon b. Gamaliel that when he rejoiced at the Simchat Bet Hashoevah, he used to take eight fire torches and throw them in the air and catch one and throw one and they did not touch one another; and when he prostrated himself, he used to dig his two thumbs in the ground, bend down, kiss the ground, and stand himself up again, a feat which no other man could do, and this is what is meant by Kidah.

 

R. Shimon ben Gamaliel, besides being a great rabbi, also had amazing circus like abilities. He could juggle eight torches (and I doubt that they were the balanced types we have today) and he could hold himself up by his thumbs. My friends, do not try either of these tricks at home.

 

לוי אחוי קידה קמיה דרבי, ואיטלע.

והא גרמא ליה? והאמר רבי אלעזר: לעולם אל יטיח אדם דברים כלפי מעלה, שהרי אדם גדול הטיח דברים כלפי מעלה ואיטלע, ומנו – לוי!

הא והא גרמא ליה.

 

Levi showed a Kidah in the presence of Rabbi and he became lame.

But was this the cause? Did not R. Elazar state: One should never cast reproach against Heaven, for a great man cast reproach against Heaven and was as a result rendered lame. And who was he? Levi?

Both this and that were the cause [of his lameness].

 

Levi, an amoraic rabbi, did a Kidah type of bow in front of Rabbi [Judah Hanasi] and as a result grew lame. However, the Talmud questions whether this was the cause of his lameness. R. Elazar had stated that the cause was Levi’s theological complaint against God. In Taanit Levi accuses God of withdrawing to the heavens and no longer taking a role in the lives of human beings.

The (somewhat simplistic) resolution is that both were a cause of Levi’s loss of physical abilities. Levi physically overdid it by trying to perform a Kidah. And he theologically overdid it, by accusing God of abandoning humanity.

 

לוי הוה מטייל קמיה דרבי בתמני סכיני. שמואל קמיה שבור מלכא בתמניא מזגי חמרא.

אביי קמיה (דרבא) +מסורת הש"ס: [דרבה]+ בתמניא ביעי, ואמרי לה בארבעה ביעי.

 

Levi used to juggle in the presence of Rabbi with eight knives, Shmuel before King Shapur with eight glasses of wine, and Abaye before Rabbah with eight eggs or, as some say, with four eggs.

 

This section contains a few more stories of rabbis and their amazing juggling abilities. It is interesting that Shmuel juggles in front of Shapur, the king of Babylonia. While I wouldn’t take this as historical fact, it is nevertheless interesting that the Talmud portrays a rabbinic sage juggling in front of a non-Jewish king.

 

תניא, אמר רבי יהושע בן חנניה: כשהיינו שמחים שמחת בית השואבה לא ראינו שינה בעינינו. כיצד? שעה ראשונה – תמיד של שחר, משם – לתפלה, משם – לקרבן מוסף, משם – לתפלת המוספין, משם – לבית המדרש, משם – לאכילה ושתיה, משם – לתפלת המנחה, משם לתמיד של בין הערבים, מכאן ואילך – לשמחת בית השואבה

 

It was taught: R. Joshua b. Hanania stated: When we used to rejoice at the Simchat Bet Hashoeavh our eyes saw no sleep. How so? The first hour [was occupied with] the daily morning sacrifice; from there [we proceeded] to prayers; from there [we proceeded] to the additional sacrifice, then the additional prayers, then to the Bet Midrash, then to eating and drinking, then to Minhah, then to the daily evening sacrifice, and after that the Simchat Bet Hashoevah.

 

This baraita shows how busy those attending the Temple would have been during the Simchat Bet Hashoevah. Indeed, it sounds like they didn’t sleep for seven days.

איני? והאמר רבי יוחנן: שבועה שלא אישן שלשה ימים – מלקין אותו וישן לאלתר!

אלא הכי קאמר: לא טעמנו טעם שינה, דהוו מנמנמי אכתפא דהדדי.

 

But is that so! For did not R. Yohanan say: [He who says], "I take an oath not to sleep for three days" is to be lashed and he may sleep immediately?

Rather, this is what he meant: We did not enjoy the taste of sleep , for they dozed on one another’s shoulder.

 

It is impossible for a person to go six days without sleeping. R. Yohanan stated this indirectly when he taught that if one takes a vow not to sleep for even three days, the vow is invalid because he vowed to do something impossible. In such a case, the person is lashed for taking God’s name in vain but then he may go to sleep immediately. In any case, how could R. Joshua claim that they didn’t sleep for the entire Simchat Bet Hashoevah.

The resolution is that they didn’t sleep well for all seven days, because they only dozed on each other’s shoulders. But they did sleep.