Sukkah, Daf Nun, Part 1

 

Introduction

The fiftieth (!) daf of Sukkah deals with the mishnah from daf mem het which said that when they drew the water from the Shiloah to be used on Shabbat, they would leave it overnight in the Temple in a non-sanctified vessel.

 

כמעשהו בחול כו’. ואמאי? נייתי במקודשת! – אמר זעירי: קסבר, אין שיעור למים, וכלי שרת מקדשין שלא מדעת ואי מייתי במקודשת – איפסילו להו בלינה.

 

As it was performed on weekdays, so was it was performed on Shabbat, [save that on the eve of Shabbat he would fill a non-sanctified golden barrel from the Shiloah, and place it in the chamber.]

But why [bring the water in a non-sanctified vessel]? Let him bring it in a sanctified one?

Zeiri said: [The author of our Mishnah] is of the opinion that no fixed amount has been prescribed for the water [of libation] and that the ministering vessels sanctify their contents even if there was no intention. If he were to bring it in a sanctified vessel it would have been rendered invalid by remaining in there overnight.

 

The mishnah had stated that when they bring the water for the water libation to the Temple on Friday to be used on Shabbat, they bring it in a non-sanctified vessel. The Talmud asks about this curious detail why the necessity to bring it in a non-sanctified vessel.

The answer according to Zeiri is that as soon as the water is put in the ministering vessel (a vessel used in the Temple) it all becomes holy, even if the intent was not for it to become holy immediately. There is no fixed amount of water needed for the water libation, and therefore it would all become holy. Holy things that are meant to be sacrificed cannot be left over in the Temple overnight. This would mean it would be invalidated because it spent overnight in the Temple.

 

 

חזקיה אמר: כלי שרת אין מקדשין אלא מדעת, וגזירה שמא יאמרו לדעת נתקדשו.

Hezekiah said: Ministering vessels do not sanctify their contents where there was no intention, but [the use of a sanctified vessel was here forbidden] as a preventive measure lest it be assumed that there was intention that the contents should be sanctified.

 

According to Hezekiah, if one puts something in a ministering vessel without intending to use it for a sanctified purpose (or at least not immediately) it does not become holy. Thus the water was not actually sanctified. So why then did they still bring it in a non-sanctified vessel? Lest someone see them bring the water in the vessel and assume that there was intention to use it (immediately) for holy purposes. Then the person would think that something that had been left overnight in the Temple could be used for sacrificial purposes.

אמר רבי ינאי אמר רבי זירא: אפילו תימא יש שיעור למים, וכלי שרת אין מקדשין אלא מדעת, וגזירה שמא יאמרו לקידוש ידים ורגלים מלאן.

 

R. Yannai said in the name of R. Zera: You may even say that there is a fixed amount for the water [of libation] and that ministering vessels of ministry do not sanctify their contents unless there was intention, [but the use of a sanctified vessel was nevertheless forbidden] as a preventive measure lest people will think that it was filled with the water for the purpose of using it for the washing of the hands and the feet [of the High Priest].

 

R. Yannai said that even if the water was not actually sanctified by being put in a sanctified vessel, people might mistakenly think that the water was set aside for use in washing the feet and hands of the High Priest. Such water is put into a sanctified vessel before it is poured over the feet and hands. Then when it spends the night in the Temple, people will mistakenly think that such water is not disqualified.