BS”D

Sukkah 42a (2) 

Menachem Av 26, 5782. August 23, 2022 

Many topics were covered at the shiur. Here are some short notes. 

1- We discussed two methods in regards to a “חידוש”. For example if one comes up with an idea, a סברא. 

He now realizes that with this סברא he can answer a though question posed by Tosfos. 

Now, we can proceed with this סברא in two ways.  

A- He can say: This סברא is brilliant! It is so logical that it succeeded to answer a question of no other than the בעלי התוספות. Wow!

B- The סברא is not valid for otherwise Tosfos would have written it. To put it differently:  You answered Tosfo’s question? Really. You know what they didn’t? Obviously, your ‘logical’ סברא is no סברא at all. Go back and figure out where you erred. 

2- In the old Yeshiva world these two outlooks on חידושים, were common when a בחור attempted to answer a צ”ע of Reb Akiva Eiger. Where in one Yeshiva he would be praised as a originator and מחדש at another Yeshiva he would be ridiculed. “You obviously didn’t grasp Reb Akiva Eiger’s question to begin with. Obviously Reb Akiva Eiger knew what your feeble  brain thought of….. and discounted it”! 

31a – וצע”ג

3- We find this approach in regards to an interesting question about ולקחתם לכם.

Taking/picking up (lifting) a Lulav, לקיחה  or just holding a Lulav, אחיזה ?

What if one does not lift it? What if someone sticks it into your hand. Your are holding it indeed, but you didn’t lift it. 

 

Another scenario: The Mitzvah of the  ד’ מינים begins at sunrise  נץ החמה. If one picks up the Lulav before sunrise and then holds it in his hands until sunrise occurs. Same question- he lifted it before the זמן החיוב,  but is holding it after זמן החיוב.

Is he יוצא? Is holding it without lifting sufficient? 

We find אחרונים that discuss this scenario. 

So in our Gemara we see  an attempt to find a case of someone that picked up a Lulav but was not יוצא until later. It offers 2 answers. Holding it upside down (not יוצא) and then turning it right side up (יוצא ) , or lifting it when it’s in a cheap vase (not יוצא) and then removing it from the vase (יוצא) . 

Why didn’t the Gemara suggest a case of lifting it before the זמן and holding onto it until after the זמן? 

Here we have the two approaches: 

A- Brilliant answer (meaning he is יוצא, despite not lifting it בזמן החיוב) but the Gemara believes the 2 answers above are better or more common. 

B- Obviously, since the Gemara didn’t offer this suggestion it means that one is not יוצא even though he is still holding onto the Lulav after the נץ, since he didn’t lift it after the זמן החיוב. 

4- We mention the ביכורי יעקב and the story of Reb Bunem, brother of the ר’ עקיבא איגר and the  חתם סופר that had argued about this question. מחנה חיים או”ח מט. 

5- כשהפכו.   Usually translated as ‘upside down’. Discussed the רבינו חננאל  that translate the Gemara “he picked up opposite”, to mean he took the Lulav in his left hand and the Esrog in his right. 

6- טעה בדבר מצוה. The Gemara discusses a case of someone that ate a עולת העוף thinking is was a חטאת העוף. 

We mentioned the Chassidishe vort from the שם משמואל as to why an עולת העוף ‘s head is severed from the body as opposed to a חטאת העוף that it is prohibited to separate the head from the body. ולא יבדיל. פרשת ויקרא

7- Discussed the question of the מהרש”ל See here in the Taz 657. 

Briefly – 

Our Mishnah:  קָטָן הַיּוֹדֵעַ לְנַעְנֵעַ, חַיָּב בַּלּוּלָב:

Shulchan Aruch 657: קטן היודע לנענע לולב כדינו אביו חייב לקנות לו לולב כדי לחנכו במצות:

Why does the Shulchan Aruch change the text? The Mishna doesn’t say that a father needs to buy his son a Lulav. 

The simple answer of the famed Reb Shimon Sofer, the grandson of the Chasam Sofer who was murdered in Aushwitz at the age of 95! Also known as the Erloyer (Erlauer) Rov. Here. 

R’ Shimon Sofer HY”D

The Mishnah was referring to  ארץ ישראל where there is only one day Yom Tov. So after the father does the Mitzvah with his Lulav he can give it to his young son. The fact that the son will not be able to give it back to his father is not an issue because from the second day onward, לכם is not needed. The son can loan it back to his father. 

In חוץ לארץ however, on the second day לכם is still required, so the father cannot give it to his since he needs a לכם Lulov on the second day as well. The only option is to purchase one for his child!

התעוררות תשובה 16. 

Reb Shimon’s grandson. 

BS”D

Sukkah 42a

Menachem Av 19, 5782. August 16, 2022 

1- We began with an interesting comment by the ערוך לנר. Last week we encountered the story of Rabon Gamliel who spent 1,000 Zuz for an Esrog. 

The Gemara says that the reason for mentioning this tidbit, is to show how much ‘they valued the Mitzvos’. 

The obvious question is: who are the ‘they’? It was only Rabban Gamliel that shelled out this exorbitant sum. 

Says the ערוך לנר, the only way this high  sum was reached and paid for by Rabban Gamliel is if there were others also bidding on this Esrog! So there were many that were ready to pay a high price showing that they ‘valued the Mitzvos’. 

2- We next learnt an interesting and detailed  ברייתא. We discussed 3 items at length. 

From Sefaria:

תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בַּר צָדוֹק אוֹמֵר: כָּךְ הָיָה מִנְהָגָן שֶׁל אַנְשֵׁי יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, אָדָם יוֹצֵא מִבֵּיתוֹ — וְלוּלָבוֹ בְּיָדוֹ. הוֹלֵךְ לְבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת — לוּלָבוֹ בְּיָדוֹ. קוֹרֵא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּמִתְפַּלֵּל — וְלוּלָבוֹ בְּיָדוֹ. קוֹרֵא בַּתּוֹרָה וְנוֹשֵׂא אֶת כַּפָּיו — מַנִּיחוֹ עַל גַּבֵּי קַרְקַע. הוֹלֵךְ לְבַקֵּר חוֹלִים וּלְנַחֵם אֲבֵלִים — לוּלָבוֹ בְּיָדוֹ. נִכְנַס לְבֵית הַמִּדְרָשׁ — מְשַׁגֵּר לוּלָבוֹ בְּיַד בְּנוֹ, וּבְיַד עַבְדּוֹ, וּבְיַד שְׁלוּחוֹ. 

It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Elazar bar Tzadok says: This was the custom of the people of Jerusalem during the festival of Sukkot. 

1- A person leaves his house, and his lulav is in his hand; he goes to the synagogue, and his lulav is in his hand; he recites Shema and prays, and his lulav is in his hand; he reads the Torah and a priest lifts his hands to recite the priestly benediction, and 

2- he places it on the ground because he cannot perform those tasks while holding the lulav. 

3- He goes to visit the ill or to console mourners, and his lulav is in his hand; he enters the study hall to study Torah, and he sends his lulav home in the hands of his son, in the hands of his slave, or in the hands of his agent.

1- When to be מקיים the מצווה of the ד’ מינים. 

It seems (but not conclusive) from the ברייתא  that they would be מקיים מצוות ד’ מינים before going to Shul. 

The Shulchan Aruch, 644 including the Alter Rebbe say that it should be done right before הלל. Not before Davening. 

תרמד סדר הלל כל ימי החג ובו סעיף אחד:

א אחר שחזר ש”ץ תפלת השחר נוטלין הלולב ומיניו א לקיים מצות עשה של תורה שנאמר ב ולקחתם לכם ביום הראשון וגו’ ומברכין על נטילת לולב ג ושהחיינו ד וסדר נטילתו וברכותיו וניענועו יתבאר בסי’ תרנ”א ה.

The Arizal said that we should be מקיים מצוות ד’ מינים  in the Sukkah. 

To accomplish both, meaning that the entire מנין to go to the Sukkkah after שמונה עשרה, says the Alter Rebbe in his Siddur we cannot do. 

ומן הדין יש לברך על הלולב אחר התפלה קודם ההלל אלא לפי שמצות נטילתו בסוכה הוא מצוה מן המובחר ואי אפשר לצאת מבית הכנסת מפני הרואים לפיכך בבוקר קודם שיתפלל בעודו בסוכה יברך

[We discussed the wording מפני הרואים] 

So the מנהג חב”ד is to Bentch early morning in the Sukkah. לפיכך בבוקר קודם שיתפלל בעודו בסוכה יברך.

See below * the Rebbe’s explanation that Bentching in the Sukkah is not only על פי סוד- from the Arizal, but also in נגלה. 

2- Placing the Lulav on the ground. 

Mosaic in Teveria

We mentioned the difference between תשמישי קדושה and תשמישי מצווה. 

The first, תשמישי קדושה, includes object that have שם ה in them. Like Tefillin and a Sefer Torah. 

Lulav and Tzitzis, for example, are of the lesser grade תשמישי מצווה. 

See Megillah 26a. See here and Here. 

תשמישי מצווה – נזרקין, תשמישי קדושה – נגנזין. 

ואלו הן תשמישי מצווה: סוכה, לולב, שופר, ציצית. 

ואלו הן תשמישי קדושה: דלוסקמי ספרים, תפילין ומזוזות ותיק של ספר תורה ונרתיק של תפילין ורצועותיהן. 

YM asked about the רצועות of the Tefillin. See Tosfos in Megillah above and AR OC 42, 6.  

May one place תשמישי מצווה , like a Lulav, on the ground not in a manner that will entail  ביזוי ? 

3- Visiting the sick and comforting the mourners

We mentioned the Rambam  (Availus 14, 7) that if one has a case of ביקור חולים and ניחום אבלים one should go the be מנחם אבל first because ניחום אבלים comforts and is a חסד של אמת for both, the living and the dead. 

יראה לי שנחמת אבלים קודם לבקור חולים. שנחום אבלים גמילות חסד עם החיים ועם המתים:

The אור שמח asks, according to the Ramban, why does our Gemara list  לְבַקֵּר חוֹלִים וּלְנַחֵם אֲבֵלִים. He answers that on Yom Tov there is no Availus so ביקור חולים comes first. 

We discussed Rav Betzalel Zolty note on this. More or less it goes like this: If there is no Availus on Yom Tov then why mention it in the ברייתא as something these אנשי ירושלים did on Sukkos? 

He quotes the Gemara that if someone passes away and has no family that will sit Shiva, nevertheless, ‘ten people should gather and sit at his place’. 

That is the חסד של אמת for the deceased. 

So on Yom Tov, even though the חסד של אמת for the living is absent (since there is no אבילות  on Yom Tov), the חסד של אמת for the deceased is present. 

Therefore, the אנשי ירושלים, when encountering both    ביקור חולים and ניחום אבלים on Sukkos they would go with their Lulav first to ביקור חולים to comfort the living and only then to be מנחם אבל which is for the deceased only (on Yom Tov). 

3- We concluded, being that is was כ”ף מנחם אב, with a letter written by Reb Levi’k in 1936 to the Rebbe which touches on the topic of Sukka. 

In short, using simple non Kabalistic terminology – Rosh Hashana and Sukkos are in a sense two sides of a coin as explained at length in Chassidus. Whereas on Rosh Hashanah (until Yom Kippur) the mood is somber, intense, serious, and focused, (גבורה- דין) On Sukkos it is relaxed, happy and joyous. Both types of עבודה accomplish the same results. 

We come across, says Reb Levik, one similar theme in both: the numbers 4, 3  and 3. 

 

On Rosh Hashanah the sequence of the Shofar tunes are

תשר”ת תש”ת תר”ת  (see below **) similarly we find in Sukkos the same sequence in a crucial aspect of the actual Sukka. 

As we learnt on Daf 6a, we know the minimum number of walls needed to create a Kosher Suka from the way the Torah writes the word סוכה. Twice as a 3 letter word and once as a four letter. (see below **). 

So in Sukkah as well there is this number sequence, 4, 3, and 3.  

With one difference – Rosh Hashanah it is 4,3,3. On Sukos it is 3,3,4. 

Explains Reb Levik – as above, Rosh Hashanah is a time of גבורה and דין where as things progress they become less and less. דין means holding back, contracting and not developing. Therefore the sequence is 4,3,3. 

Sukkos on the other hand is רחמים, whose nature is to open up, to share  and give more. Therefore the sequence is 3,3,4. 

אגרות לוי יצחק עמוד 357

—————–

לקו”ש כב. 122 *

Pesach is on days of the calendar on which something occurred. יציאת מצרים. 

Sukkos occurs on random days. On the contrary, the Torah chose these days, late in the fall, when people do not sit outdoors in huts, so people will internalize the miracle of the clouds that protected them.  

Thus the חג creates the days of celebration. Being that when commanding for the ד’ מינים the Torah says ולקחתם לכם ביום הראשון, the יום ראשון of Sukkos, the intention is that the ד’ מינים will ‘complement’ the central theme of Sukkos. 

In other words, the  ד’ מינים exist because it is ביום הראשון of Sukkos. 

It is therefore proper, על פי נגלה to perform the מצוות ד’ מינים in the Sukkah. 

 

——————————————

**

תשר”ת – תקיעה שברים תרועה תקיעה

תש”ת – תקיעה שברים תקיעה

תר”ת – תקיעה תרועה תקיעה

 ויקרא פרק כג

מב בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים; כָּל-הָאֶזְרָח, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, יֵשְׁבוּ בַּסֻּכֹּת.

מג לְמַעַן, יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם, כִּי בַסֻּכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם:  אֲנִי, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם.

סֻּכֹּת

סֻּכֹּת

סֻּכּוֹת

BSD

Suka 41b

Menachem Av13, 5782. August9,, 2022the 

1- We continued the topic of חדש and the two opinions of when one can begin eating חדש when there is no Beis Hamikdash. Either on the 16 of Nisan or the 17th. 

[Any produce that took root after that time is prohibited to be eaten until next year פסח]. 

2- The next Mishnah – what people did when Sukkos occurred on Shabbos. 

יוֹם טוֹב הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל חָג שֶׁחָל לִהְיוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת, כָּל הָעָם מוֹלִיכִין אֶת לוּלְבֵיהֶן לְבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת. לַמָּחֳרָת מַשְׁכִּימִין וּבָאִין, כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מַכִּיר אֶת שֶׁלּוֹ, וְנוֹטְלוֹ. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים, אֵין אָדָם יוֹצֵא יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ בְּיוֹם טוֹב הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל חָג בְּלוּלָבוֹ שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ. וּשְׁאָר יְמוֹת הֶחָג, אָדָם יוֹצֵא יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ בְּלוּלָבוֹ שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ:

each one recognized which one was his…

3- Our Gemara suggests a פסוק that says that ‘every individual needs to take the ד׳ מינים’. 

We discussed the Meiri and others that question the need for a פסוק. How else would this מצוה be performed if not by everyone individually? The ד׳ מינים’ is a מצוה שבגופו and one cannot make a shliach. Neither can one be יוצא through someone else. 

The classic answer given is that without the פסוק we would think that it is a Mitzva on the Beis Din. Just as the blowing of the Shofar on Yom Kippur in the year of יובל. 

We went back and forth trying to understand why we would think so. וצ״ע. 

4 – 

There was an incident involving Rabban Gamliel, and Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, and Rabbi Akiva, who were all traveling on a ship during the festival of Sukkot and only Rabban Gamliel had a lulav, which he had bought for one thousand zuz. Rabban Gamliel took it and fulfilled his obligation with it and then gave it to Rabbi Yehoshua as a gift. Rabbi Yehoshua took it and fulfilled his obligation with it and gave it to Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya as a gift. Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya took it and fulfilled his obligation with it and gave it to Rabbi Akiva as a gift. Rabbi Akiva took it and fulfilled his obligation with it and returned it to Rabban Gamliel.

Rabban Gamliel from the Sarajevo Haggadah

כִּי הָא דְּאָמַר רָבָא: ״הֵא לְךָ אֶתְרוֹג זֶה עַל מְנָת שֶׁתַּחְזִירֵהוּ לִי״. נְטָלוֹ וְיָצָא בּוֹ, הֶחְזִירוֹ — יָצָא, לֹא הֶחְזִירוֹ — לֹא יָצָא.

5- מתנה על מנת להחזיר- a conditional gift where the recipient must/will eventually give back the item. Halachically, it is considered ‘his’ now, if he returns it later. 

 

On the 1st day of Sukkos [in Eretz Yisrael and the first two days of Sukkos in the Diaspora as will be explained next] one only fulfills his obligation with a set of Daled Minim which he personally owns. Therefore when using someone else’s Lulav one must receive it as a present on condition to return. Thus the giver should explicitly say to the recipient “It is a present on condition you return it”. If this was not explicitly said and rather the Daled Minim were simply given to the person without mentioning anything, he has nevertheless fulfilled his obligation. If however the receiver did not know the law that he must own the Daled Minim then he has not fulfilled his obligation and is to be given it again as a present on condition to return.

Every child knows this concept. But what it means and how it works is a big topic. 

What is the status of the item when it is with the receiver? 100% his? What effect does the condition have on this ‘temporary ownership’. How is this different from borrowing?

We scratched the surface beginning with the Rosh who says that it is an absolute sale and the receiver must gift it back to the giver. It does not happen automatically. The condition, that he must return it, is a ‘side’ issue that does not weaken the 100%  ownership. 

[Thus a child, who can receive a gift but cannot not gift it, would have a problem using מתנה על מנת להחזיר]

If he doesn’t specify that it’s an outright gift and that he will need to ‘re-acquire’ it back, but just says ‘it’s yours until you are done and then it simply goes back to me’ – that is not a מתנה, but שאלה

 The Ketzos (241, 4), in one of his famous pieces, argues and says that no קנין is necessary when returning it to the giver.

A מתנה על מנת להחזיר works to be considered 100% owned by the receiver because such ‘a gift is for a set amount of time’. When the time is up, it reverts back to the giver automatically. 

As opposed to loaning, where the only thing loaned is the usage. Not the actual item. 

6 – We learnt the text of the Tosfos that discusses a communal Esrog. The issue is that if members of the Kehila participate in the purchase of the Esrog then it is a partnership. It is not a proper לכם. 

Tosfos suggest that every member of the Kehila understand that he needs to gift it to every individual when this individual uses it on the first day of Yom Tov via a מתנה על מנת להחזיר.  

7 – We discussed מתנה על מנת להחזיר by פדיון הבן which does not work. YD 305, 8. 

The question is if one is allowed to ask the כהן to return the silver coins. 

 

BS”D

Sukkah 41a

Menachem Av 5, 5782. August 2, 2022

1 – We began a new Mishna that discusses the Mitzva of נטילת ד’ מינים. 

At the דאורייתא level:

• In the מקדש the Mitzva is on all 7 days of Sukkos. 
• Anywhere outside the מקדש, in the מדינה, the Mitzva is only on the first day of Sukkos. 

After the חורבן, it was Reb Yochanon ben Zakai that instituted that the Mitzvah of the Daled Minim is on all 7 days זכר למקדש. 

So today, on the first day of Sukkos the מצווה is Min Hatorah. On the following 6 days it is only מדרבנן. 

2 – We discussed the famous מחלוקת as to the definition of  מקדש and מדינה. According to Rashi, מקדש  is only the actually area of the בית המקדש. Anywhere outside of the בית המקדש is considered מדינה. 

The Rambam disagrees. His opinion is that all of ירושלים is considered מקדש. Meaning that in all of ירושלים, the ד’ מינים was obligatory on all 7 days מן התורה. 

 

3 – Now, after the חורבן, when no one is in the מקדש area, everyone is in the מדינה, only the first day of Sukkos the מצווה is מן התורה. The other days it are only מדרבנן. 

But the Rambam says that the entire Yerusholayim is מקדש! 

Discussed the opinion of the ביכורי יעקב (OC 658, 7) that he sees no reason, according to the Ramabam, for anyone living in ירושלים, why this מצוה is not applicable all 7 days  מן התורה even today! 

ומי שזוכה לדור בירושלים עיה”ק תוב”ב, יכוון לקיים מצות נטילת לולב כל ז’ בספק אי מדאורייתא אי מדרבנן

He even suggests that one that lives in ירושלים and therefore his נטילת הד’ מינים, is מן התורה, he should have in mind that he is מקיים a Mitzva דאורייתא!!!

See here. Others disagree.

4 – Discussed why, if the 6 days of Sukkos the ד’ מינים is only זכר למקדש, we don’t say a הרחמן הוא יחזיר לנו ….. as we say after ספירת העומר. 

Also touched on the topic of זכר לחורבן and the חתם סופר about perhaps not building homes from stone/bricks since it shows that we plan to be in גלות for a long time.  

5- We read the Tosfos that quotes the famous Gemara that one can bring קרבנות even if there is no בית המקדש. So in theory if one would build a מזבח on  the הר הבית at the correct location, קרבנות could be brought.

מקריבין אף על פי שאין בית

Historically, this served as a rallying point to some to attempt to build a מזבח and perform עבודת הקרבנות. It’s a big topic and BL”N will go back to it in the future. 

6- We mentioned Reb Tzvi Hirsh Kalisher, a talmid of R Akiva Eiger, and one of the earliest frum Rabbonim that proclaimed a movement to return to ארץ ישראל, with the belief that to start the  גאולה we should not wait for Moshiach or another miraculous phenomenon. 

Incidentally, the ערוך לנר, mentioned earlier (ביכורי יעקב), was opposed to the effort.

This of course is the root of religious Zionism that קיבוץ גלויות will occur in stages. Needless to say that this runs contrary to the Rambam and all others that קיבוץ גלויות will happen after the building of the בית המקדש. 

We read the ירושלמי (Brochos 1) that says של ישראל קמעא קמעא.  גאולתן . ‘The redemption of Jews will be incremental’. 

ר’ חייא בר אבא ור’ שמעון בן חלפתא היו מהלכין בקרוצתא [=בעלות השחר] בהדא בקעתא דארבאל,

וראו אילת השחר שבקע אורה לעלות,

אמר לו ר’ חייא: כך היא גאולתן של ישראל,

אמר לו ר’ שמעון: היינו דכתיב “כי אשב בחשך ה’ אור לי” (מיכה ז’, ח),

בתחלה היא באה קימעא קימעא, ואחר כך היא מנפצת ובאה, ואחר כך היא פרה ורבה, ואחר כך היא משתבחת והולכת.

Parenthetically, the Rebbe writes that ‘surely the Rambam also knew of this Yerushalmi’ and yet codified as above. 

7- We discussed the Rashi in our Gemara that states that the 3rd Beis Hamikdash will not be built by humans but will descend from heaven. 

In many other sources it says explicitly that it will be built by humans. 

Mentioned the various approaches that suggest how both methods are true and will occur simultaneously. 

8- Story with Reb Yoel ע”ה – with R Yosef Karo and the introduction to מגיד מישרים, regarding not eating meat on Rosh Hashanah.

His point was: ‘if you can accept that the Beis Yosef forgot a גמרא, you can also accept that the מלאך can forget it as well….. and come to the conclusion that perhaps קודשא בריך הוא himself forgot it….!’