BSD

Sukkah 39a-b 

Sivan 29, 5782. June 28, 2022

1- We moved on to the next Mishnah that discusses acquiring the ד’ מינים in the year of Shvi’is. שמיטה. 

2- Discussed some general Mitzvos of שמיטה starting with the Mitzvah of ונטשתה, being מפקיר all the produce, grains, fruits and vegetables one has. 

Does one actually need to be מפקיר at the start of שמיטה, or does it happen on it’s own – meaning that the Torah removes a person’s ownership from these products. Like ‘eminent domain’. 

3- Spoke about the ,קדושת פירות שביעית , the prohibition not to waste them, the method to discard them and what to do about peels of fruits and vegetables. 

Mentioned the opinion of Rav Kook that in שמיטה year, one should not add wine to the הבדלה cup so that it over fills. The spillage goes to waste! 

Ditto for spilling some of the wine to extinguish the candle. 

Some say that on Pesach night one should not use wine of שמיטה for the second cup of the סדר. To use this wine to give מכות…… would not be proper. 

4- The main issue of our Mishna and Gemara is the purchasing of the ד’ מינים in the year of Shvi’is. שמיטה. 

The פירות שביעית cannot be sold or purchased . Some say this prohibition in מן התורה. 

Under normal circumstances, since all fruits are הפקר, there should no problem acquiring the ד’ מינים at all. 

However, if one cannot find them, he needs to pay for them and the Mishnah suggests a way of avoiding the two issues that arise. 

The two issues are: 

A- The business aspect of it. This transaction is prohibited. [for the buyer, seller, or both]. 

B- The monies paid become ‘holy’ just as פירות שביעית. 

5- We learnt the text of the Tosfos that discusses the prohibition of selling of פירות שביעית. Their conclusion is the איסור סחורה בפירות שביעית applies only to the actual owner who picks and sells these fruits. Anything else, like the picker’s son selling it, is permitted. Perhaps, Tosfos, adds that buying them wholesale and selling it retail at a high price is also אסור. 

6- The Mishna says that one should ask the seller to gift him the אתרוג and the buyer’s payment should apply only to the Lulav, Hadasim and Arovos. 

If the seller refuses to do so, the Gemara suggests that at the very least, they should discuss an overall price’ or total price for all 4 מינים. The individual price or cost of the אתרוג [which has the שמיטה problem] should not be mentioned. 

The term used in such a scenario is called in Sha”s הבלעה. 

We discussed this briefly as it applies in הלכות שבת and other places. 

7- We mentioned a case of a Kehilah that needed to a ספר תורה. An individual who owned one was convinced to sell his which is problematic as one is not allowed to sell his Sefer Torah even if he needs the money for food! 

See here an interesting extension on the concept of הבלעה suggested by Reb Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, the בן איש חי:

He suggested that the seller charge primarily for the silver case and include the ספר תורה in this general price. 

ערלה

BS”D

Sukkah 39a (2) 

Sivan 22, 5782. June 21, 2022

1- We spent most of the Shiur learning a fundamental Tosfos – עובר לעשייתן –  that discusses the issue of making the ברכה on the Lulav. 

The Mitzvah of Lulav is unique and thus the need for clarification. 

In general, Brachos on Mitzvos need to be made prior to the קיום המצוה. If the Mitzvah was performed, according to many opinions, one cannot say the Brachah. 

Now, ‘prior’ does not mean merely before the Mitzvah, but rather immediately before. No time must pass between the ברכה and the Mitzvah. 

Just like with Tefillin, we do not say the Brachah when it is still in the Tefillin bag. It is said when it’s already on the arm right before tightening the knot or on the arm.  

Lulav presents a problem since the Lulav and Esrog must be close by and ready to be lifted. But when one lifts them, he is יוצא. So when does one make the ברכה? Prior to lifting it is too early, as he has not ‘engaged’ the Lulav and Esrog yet. And once it’s lifted, it’s already done. 

That is the issue Tosfos tackles and offers 4 answers:

A – The ברכה is made when picking up just the Lulav.  He  is not יוצא yet and therefore considered ‘prior’, because the lifting of the Lulav is only the beginning of the Mitzvah since one needs to pick up the Esrog as well to fulfill the Mitzvah of ארבע מינים. 

B – One picks up both the Lulav and the Esrog and then makes the Brachah, but the Esrog (or the Lulav) is held upside down. So the ברכה is made prior to the Mitzvah. At the completion of the Brocho one turns the Esrog (or the Lulav) rightside up and only then is one יוצא.

 C – Both the Lulav and the Esrog are lifted right side up. To avoid being יוצא, one has the כוונה NOT to be יוצא. The ברכה is then made and the intention is only now to be יוצא. Thus the ברכה, is thus made prior to the מצווה.

D – There is no issue at all even after shaking the Lulav and Esrog since in addition to the holding the Lulav and Esrog after the ברכה, we do נענועים. Meaning that this מצווה is a long process so the ברכה can be made even after the first moment of its start. 

 

This fourth answer is interesting (נענועים is part of the מצווה) and Tosfos itself raises issues with it. 

2 – To support the 4th answer above, Tosfos quotes the Yerushalmi that ‘the elites of ירושלים walked around all day holding the Lulav and Esrog’. 

3 – We mentioned the ריטב״א that explains the idea of a ברכה prior to a מצווה.

Here are his words.

וכתב הרי”ט ז”ל וטעם זה שאמרו חז”ל לברך על המצוות עובר לעשייתן כדי שיתקדש תחלה בברכה ויגלה ויודיע שהוא עושה אותה מפני מצות השי”ת. ועוד כי הברכות מעבודת הנפש וראוי להקדים עבודת הנפש למעלה שהיא עבודת הגוף

4 – From here we continued to discuss the idea of saying לשם יחוד prior to a Mitzvah. It’s a big topic and perhaps we will come back to this at length in the future IY”H. 

Briefly, the saying of  לשם יחוד is not mentioned in Shas or ראשונים and the custom (of some) to say it began about 500 years ago and is based on Kabbalah. 

There was fierce opposition to this practice and we discussed the נודע ביהודה’s sharp words against saying it. Yoreh Deah, Teshuva 93

ולדעתי זה רעה חולה בדורנו ועל הדורות שלפני זמננו שלא ידעו מנוסח זה ולא אמרוהו

ועל הדור היתום הזה אני אומר ישרים דרכי ה’ וצדיקים ילכו בם וחסידים יכשלו בם

We pointed out that in Chabad we find the Alter Rebbe omitting its saying in his Siddur [except before ברוך שאמר] but in Likutei Torah he explain the significance of לשם יחוד  and concludes that ‘and therefore we say לשם יחוד before every Mitzvah’. 

See here on this topic. 

 

BS” D

Suka 39a

Sivan 15, 5782. June 14, 2022

1-While on the topic of הלל we discussed the issue of the גמרא in Megillah (23, a)  כל פסוקא דלא פסקיה משה רבינו אנן לא פסקינן

Which means that one should only say an entire פסוק.

Now the full verse is אנא ה’ הושיעה נא אנא ה’ הצליחה נא.

So if saying only part of a פסוק is not proper, how do we say אנא ה’ הושיעה נא twice, which is only part of a complete פסוק. 

In davning we encounter this many times. ה’ מלך ה’ מלך ה’ ימלוך. The first two are part of a פסוק. 

Friday night’s Kiddush begins with (only) the end of a פסוק! 

ויהי ערב ויהי בוקר יום השישי

We discussed the Tosfos on our גמרא and the מגן אברהם OC 262 

See here  and here for more sources. 

 

2- Mentioned the letter of the Rebbe (printed in every Tanya) that explains the difference between the two expressions: וכו׳ and וגו׳.

וגומר means ‘what follows to the end’. This is used when quoting a פסוק not in its entirety. 

וכולהו means ‘etc’ is used when writing part of a מאמר חז”ל. 

See below.

3- Rava says that one should not pause between יהא שמיה רבא to מברך. 

We discussed a very interesting ספר with a very uncommon name. The 

Machzor of Vitri. 

מחזור ויטרי was written by one of Rashi’s students, Reb Simcha of Vitri, a town in Northeastern France.

 

This ספר is a compilation of Halachos and Minhagim as practiced in Vitri, based upon the teachings and rulings of Rashi. 

We spoke about the fact that despite the knowledge that this מחזור existed, due to its often quoted Halochos and Minhogim from this ספר, it was first printed less than 100 years ago! 

 

Other editions have followed. 

4- Tosfos and many other ראשונים quote this important work in numerous places.

A famous quote, relevant to our Gemara, is right at the beginning of Shas, (3a) where Tosfos quotes the מחזור ויטרי’s explanation of the words in Kaddish 

יהא שמיה רבא מברך לעלם ולעלמי עלמיא

According the מחזור ויטרי, this is split into two separate תפילות. The words mean:

1-  יהא שמיה – רבא

May the name of Hashem – be great. יהא שמיה – should be  רבא.

We pray for a time when His Name will be greater than it is today. Greater, because we will read it with the YHVH pronunciation and the full 4 letters. 

[שמ of י-ה, will be רבא]. 

מברך לעלם ולעלמי עלמיא   – 2, is the beginning of another prayer. His Name should be blessed forever. 

Tosfos, however, argues and brings proof from our Gemore (Rovo says not to pause) that the words 

 יהא שמיה רבא מברך לעלם ולעלמי עלמיא is one continuous prayer. 

May His name, that is great, be blessed. 

5- Speaking of the מחזור ויטרי we mentioned that some say (based upon various manuscripts) that the source of wearing a גרטל during Davning is the מחזור ויטרי. See ב”ח OC 91. 

See here from the Rebbe about the impotence of the Gartel. Note what he says about the ישמעאלים that wear their gartels on their heads….

6- We suggested a reason as to why the Gemara says Shabbos (119, b) that one that says אמן יהא שמיה רבא מברך לעלם ולעלמי עלמיא with great כוונה can wipe away 70 years of דין. 

Why these few words in particular? Does it carry more weight than, say, קריאת שמע or שמונה עשרה?

Perhaps the reason is that, unlike any other תפילה that can be said ביחידות, you can only say אמן יהא שמיה רבא מברך לעלם ולעלמי עלמיא after listening to the Chazan say the Kaddish. 

Listening first is the greatest virtue…….

 

 

BSD

Sukkah 38b

Sivan 8, 5782. June 7, 2022

1- In regards to שומע כעונה, we mentioned a few point of the previous shiur. 

A listener, the שומע, is considered as if he actually said it. He verbalized it. 

But what if in addition to the listening there is another factor? 

Examples:

A – Listening to the עשרת בני המן. The חזן that reads these ten names needs to say it in one breath. Now the listener also needs to say them in one breath. 

Does שומע כעונה cause the listener to be considered that not only did he ‘say it’ but he also ‘said it in one breath’. The Rogatchover says no. His reasoning is that only words that are heard can be considered as if he is כעונה.

The חזן’s holding his breath is an action. Not speech. Therefore it cannot be transmitted to others.

B – The Minhsg of a Shul in Rome. At ברכת כהנים, only one כהן would say the ברכות! The other כהנים would listen and used שומע כעונה as if they themselves uttered the ברכות. 

We spoke about the בית הלוי that took issue with this מנהג since ברכת כהנים needs to be said loudly בקול רם and that is outside the parameter of שומע כעונה. 

Someone mentioned that perhaps there is also an issue with לברך את עמו ישראל באהבה. One cannot just hear and be יוצא with the speaker’s אהבה…..

2- Discussed that שומע כעונה means that the listener is literally considered as if he is himself is uttering the words. The listener therefore needs to be in a position to say the words or ברכה himself. Like being fully dressed. 

See here from the Alter Rebbe הלכות שחיטה that if the reader is dressed and the שומע is undressed, than is it not proper to do so. 

3- This Shiur, coming right after שבועות, we mentioned the language used by the Previous Rebbe קבלת התורה בשמחה ובפנימיות. 

שמחה? 

At first glance it needs clarification since we know that לימוד התרה needs to be with fear, awe and trepidation just as the תורה was given under such serious circumstances. 

See here the Rebbe’s letter to JB discussing this issue. 

 

 

We read the Tosfos on Daf 28a that explains why the birds flying over Yonason ben Uziel were scorched. They quote a Yerushalmi that seems to say that מתו תורה  was indeed an occurrence that had elements of שמחה! 

Shiur Sukkah 28a

ירושלמי חגיגה (ב, א) וקהלת רבה (ז, יח)    ….. אלא יושבין היינו וחוזרין בדברי תורה מן התורה לנביאים ומן הנביאים לכתובים והיו הדברים שמחים כנתינתן מסיני והיתה האש מלחכת אותן כלחיכתן מסיני ועיקר נתינתן מסיני לא ניתנו אלא באש וההר בוער באש עד לב השמים….

 

4- We learnt the Gemara about the 3 historical stages of saying הלל and Rava’s explanation of the parts of הלל in stage 2 that were a זכר to stage one.  

5- We discussed the מחלוקת  of the גאונים, Rashi, Tosfos and others about what to do in middle of שמונה עשרה when one hears the חזן saying נקדישך or קדיש – is it a הפסק or not.

According to some, pausing to listen (in order to be יוצא saying נקדישך ) using שומע כעונה is very problematic since by listening one is ‘saying’ it and that constitutes a הפסק. 

Others differ and say that it’s fine. Why? See AR OC 104, 5.

6- We read the Yerushalmi concerning the word  הללויה

Is it one word or two words הללו י-ה ? If two then the י-ה is קודש.