BSD

Sukkah 56a

Tishrei 11, 5784. September 26, 2023

Some topics discussed.

1- Continue the topic of the משמרות.

The Gemara in תענית  identifies the משמר that was working the week of the חורבן.

אמרו כשחרב בית המקדש בראשונה אותו היום ערב תשעה באב היה ומוצאי שבת היה ומוצאי שביעית היתה ומשמרתה של יהויריב היתה והלוים היו אומרי׳ שירה ועומדין על דוכנם ומה שירה היו אומרים {תהלים צ״ד:כ״ג} וישב עליהם את אונם וברעתם יצמיתם ולא הספיקו לומר יצמיתם ה׳ אלהינו עד שבאו נכרים וכבשום וכן

בשניה.

2 – The allocation of the עבודה year round and on the שלש רגלים.

• All year it was one משמר per week exclusively.
• The basic rule is that all עבודות that were added because of the particular Yom Tov (מוספין) were divided by a גורל to all כהנים.
• As to the regular עבודות, not specific to יום טוב, the current משמר had the exclusive.
• During Peasch and Shvu’os all Kohanim entered a lottery to participate in the קרבנות החג. .
• On Sukkos, as per the previous משנה , it was divided more or less equally, to all 24 משמרות.

3 – The uniqueness of the  לחם הפנים that was baked on Friday, placed on the שולחן on Shabbos and consumed the following שבת.

Despite it being a weekly occurrence and not directly associated with Yom Tov, it was nevertheless allocated to all כהנים that came to the בית המקדש on Yom Tov.

4- Discussed if there is an עבודה associated with the לחם הפנים? The baking? The placing it on the שולחן?

From Rashi it seems that it is indeed an עבודה but not from the שבת that it was eaten but rather from the prior week.

5- We jumped ahead and discussed the story of the next and final Daf of Sukkah with Miryam bas Bilgah.

Every Lubavitcher is familiar with the famous Sicha of the Rebbe concerning the cry of the girl ‘Lukas Lukas’.

See here. Other links here.

As we shall see IY”H when we finish Sukkah, there is another story as to why the משמר of Bilgah was punished.

They always came late! On the Shabbos of their משמר, they would arrive after the scheduled time for the ‘changing of the משמר  guard’ showing a disrespect for the עבודה.

קראצערס or procrastinators

6- We began the סוגיא of the ברכות we say Sukkos night. לישב בסוכה ושהחיינו.

Which is said first?

7- We repeated what we discussed at the beginning of Sukkah 3a about women saying Gut Shabbos to their husbands when they come back from Shul. This allows them to be יוצא  Kiddush since, saying Gut Shabbos, they are also on a דרבנן level similar to their husbands.

Gut Shabbos and Gut Yom Tov to all.

BSD

 Sukkah 55b

Tishrei 4, 5784. September 19, 2023

Short notes:

1- Our משנה describes the משמרות and their allocations for the קרבנות on Sukkos.

We discussed the overall concept for the establishment of the משמרות. It is a logical idea, as the Rambam writes, to avoid chaos.

With the many Kohanim all wanting to do the עבודה, a system had to be set up organizing them into families or groups and designating the week for their עבודה.

משה רבינו -2 established 8 groups or משמרות and דוד ושמואל הנביא expanded them into 24 משמרות, rotating continuously with one משמר working per week. Each משמר was itself divided into 6 or 7 בית אב.

Divrei Hayamim 1.  24, 7-18 :

3 – All throughout the year, only members of that particular משמר would do the   עבודה that week.

However on Yom Tov, for the קרבנות that were unique for that Yom Tov, all Kohanim would enter into a lottery.

We touched briefly if this division is a מצוה or a תקנת נביאים.

רמב”ם ורמב”ן

For many years after the חורבן many Kohanim knew what משמר they belonged to.

Our Mishna describes the קרבנות of סוכות and the system used thus allowing all משמרות to take part in their עבודה.

We discussed the topic of a Kohen that knows today what his משמר is, and knows that this is his משמר’s week or day, is prohibited to drink wine all that week or day.

Why?

The בית המקדש may be rebuilt momentarily and he will be called to do the עבודה and will be disqualified due to his drunkenness!

רמב”ם ביאת המקדש א, ז.

 

4- Mentioned the fascinating take of the Rebbe on this idea of כהנים not drinking wine because the בית המקדש will be built instantly.

If a Kohen drinks a רביעית of wine he cannot do he עבודה.

Now, to shake off the influence of the alcohol content in a רביעית, one would need to wait  the time it takes to walk a מיל. This short period is sufficient to be considered sober. That is under a 24 minute stroll.

תענית · יז א

רבי אומר אומר אני כהנים אסורין לשתות יין לעולם אבל מה אעשה שתקנתו קלקלתו ואמר אביי כמאן שתו האידנא כהני חמרא

כרבי מכלל דרבנן אסרי מ”ט מהרה יבנה בית המקדש ובעינן כהן הראוי לעבודה וליכא הכא אפשר דמספר ועייל אי הכי שתוי יין נמי אפשר דגני פורתא ועייל כדרמי בר אבא דאמר רמי בר אבא ^אדרך מיל ושינה כל שהוא מפיגין את היין לאו מי איתמר עלה אמר רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה ^בלא שנו אלא כששתה שיעור רביעית

So basically, this הלכה is saying that a Kohen (who knows his family’s lineage and  his  משמר) is prohibited from drinking wine because within less than 24 minutes, the בית המקדש is rebuilt in ירושלים, and he, this כהן , is also transported there and may be called to do the עבודה!!!!

  618 , לקוטי שיחות חלק ב

5- We mentioned that the 24 משמרות was a tradition that many families of  כהנים kept on identifying with for hundreds of years after the חורבן הבית.

See here.

A גמר חתימה טובה to all.

BS”D

 Suka 55a

Elul 26, 5783. September 12, 2023

Our גמרא enumerates the six songs that were sung in the בית המקדש on the 6 days of חול המועד סוכות. Rashi writes at length the association of the פסוקי תהילים of each song and its association with Sukkos.

Day 1 – Song 1   הבו לה’ בני אלים

Day 2 – Song 2   ולרשע אמר

Day 3 – Song 3  מי יקום לי עם מרעים

Day 4 – Song 4  בינו בוערים בעם

Day 5 – Song 5  הסירותי מסבל שכמו

Day 6 – Song 6  ימוטו כל מוסדי ארץ

If one of these 6 days happen to occur on Shabbos, then only the שיר of שבת is sung.

What do we do on Sunday?

Say if day 3, for example, is on a Shabbos, when the scheduled song 3 is replaced by שיר של שבת, the order for Sunday and on, can be set in two ways.

Option A: אביי

Just skip the song that was omitted on Shabbos. The reasoning is that on day 4, it’s more fitting to sing ‘song 4’ and continue until the end in the proper order.

Using this system, Song 3 is not said that year.

Thursday Day 1 – Song 1

Friday Day 2 – Song 2

Shabbos Day 3 – שיר של יום השבת (song 3 is skipped)

Monday Day 4 – Song 4

Tuesday Day 5 – Song 5

Thursday Day 6 – Song 5

Song 3 is not said that year.

Option B is another logical method.

רבא

We move the entire order ahead by one day.  Meaning that the order of the six is bumped ahead.

To clarify – Option B  means that on Sunday, the skipped שיר of yesterday (because of Shabbos) is sung on Sunday. This results in the song of the sixth day not being said at all.

Thursday Day 1 – Song 1

Friday Day 2 – Song 2

Shabbos Day 3 – שיר של יום השבת

Sunday Day 4 – Song 3

Monday Day 5 – Song 4

Thursday Day 6 – Song 5

Song 6 is bumped and is not said.

 

Our גמרא accepts רבא‘s opinion – Option B.

2- The above sounds simple enough but this logic is used in other areas of Halacha.

We discussed a few examples.

The first one to use the above logic is the מגן אברהם.

The Ashkenazik Minhag is to say different יוצרות on the first 2 nights of Sukkos. On Shabbos, יוצרות are not said.

So what is said on the second night? The לבוש says that the יוצר for the first night is said. However, in Pozen they say the one for the second night.

Customs of the community of Posen, with a collection of the unique nussach of liturgy as recited in the kehilla of Posen and surrounding areas. Includes special Selichos for the fifth of Av, marking the date when calamities occurred in Posen. Seemingly printed in Posen during the tenure of R. Akiva Eiger as Rav.

Comments the מגן אברהם , as per our גמרא’s conclusion that option B is the right way to go, it follows that on the second night we should say the יוצר for the first night, unlike the מנהג  of Pozen.

See here 642, 1.

3 – Another example is from the פנים מאירות. Volume 2, 126.  He applies the above to the following case.

If 2 people were hired to blow the שופר  for the two days of ראש השנה. One for the fiרst day, the other for day 2.

In a year like this one, when the first day is Shabbos, who gets to blow the שופר on Sunday?

Option A would say the fellow that was hired for the first day lost his turn.

However if we follow option B, the first day ‘blozer’ is moved over to Sunday! The designated Sundry בעל תוקע will need to wait until next year….

4 – We mentioned another example from Reb Chaim Palagi.

שו״ת חיים ביד להגר״ח פלאג׳י (סימן עה)

A family followed the מנהג to give סנדקאות for the first born to the father’s father and the second to mother’s father. What happened  is that that the father’s father was unable to attend the ברית  of the בכור.

When the second son was born, both sides wanted the סנדקאות.

Who is right? The father’s father, because he was unable to attend, his זכות moved over to the next oneץ  or did he miss his turn?

5 – Discussed the interesting mnemonics of  הומבה”י and הומהב”י.

6  – We discussed other topics and concluded with the famous רא”ש that brings the opinion of the גאונים strictly forbidding fasting on ראש השנה.

ראש השנה פרק יד

The פסוקים he brings are from the first years of the בית שני.

On ראש השנה, after hearing the מוסר from עזרא. people were sad and cried. נחמיה ט

וַיֹּאמֶר נְחֶמְיָה הוּא הַתִּרְשָׁתָא וְעֶזְרָא הַכֹּהֵן הַסֹּפֵר וְהַלְוִיִּם הַמְּבִינִים אֶת הָעָם לְכָל הָעָם הַיּוֹם קָדֹשׁ הוּא לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אַל תִּתְאַבְּלוּ וְאַל תִּבְכּוּ כִּי בוֹכִים כָּל הָעָם כְּשָׁמְעָם אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה.

And Nehemiah, who was the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people: ‘This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep.’ For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

Ezra then tells them to be happy on ראש השנה.

וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם לְכוּ אִכְלוּ מַשְׁמַנִּים וּשְׁתוּ מַמְתַקִּים וְשִׁלְחוּ מָנוֹת לְאֵין נָכוֹן לוֹ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ הַיּוֹם לַאֲדֹנֵינוּ וְאַל תֵּעָצֵבוּ כִּי חֶדְוַת יְהוָה הִיא מָעֻזְּכֶם.

Then he said unto them: ‘Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy unto our Lord; neither be grieved; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’

What does :’ send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared’ mean

Now who doesn’t have prepared food for ראש השנה?

The גמרא in [ ביצה [טו,ב says it means someone that didn’t make an עירוב תבשילין.

Says the רא”ש, the פשוטו of the פסוק means to say that some people were fasting on ראש השנה and had nothing to eat! And Ezra instructs them not to fast.

Indeed, that is the הלכה not to fast on ראש השנה. OC 696.

כתיבה וחתימה טובה לכל המשתתפים בשיעור ולכל בני ישראל.

 

 

 

 

BSD

Sukkah 54b-55a

Elul 19, 5783. September 5, 2023

Brief notes on the topics we discussed:

1 – Yom Kippur occurring on Friday or Sunday. Based on our set calendar this cannot happen.

 (לא אד”ו ראש)

The calendar we use was set up by Reb Hillel II, approximately in the year 4119 or year 359 CE. [AKA as the Common Error….]

Even before the establishment of our calendar, when Rosh Chodesh was based upon actually seeing the new moon, some say that it never happened  for Yom Kippur to fall out on Friday or Sunday.

Others say it did and have multiple Mishnayos supporting their opinion.

2 – These ‘others’ are called the “אחרים” in our גמרא. That is a code name for Reb Meir, who says that although it’s a mitzvah to do both – come to testify the sighting of the new moon and for the בית דין to deliberate if to accept this testimony, the calendar was always uniform.

Tos., Sotah 12a

One month had 30 day and the next had only 29 days, the one following had 30 and the next 29. This never changed. Thus Yom Kippur did occasionally occur on Friday or on Sunday.

3 – The obvious question: if this system was set in stone, 30, 29, 30, 29 there would be no need to send out  שלוחין to notify when ראש חודש was established. Once one had a starting point it would follow a steady pattern to eternity! There never was a doubt if the month had 29 or 30 days.

Berel M phrased it better: Why was there a יום טוב שני של גלויות?

4- So far the only one we found that raises this question is the פני יהושע in ראש השנה.

18, a.

במשנה על ששה חדשים השלוחין יוצאין. ולכאורה אתיא הך מתניתין דלא כאחרים דלדידהו אין בין שנה לשנה אלא ד׳ ימים בלבד ולעולם כל החדשים א׳ מלא וא׳ חסר  א״כ מה צורך לשלוחים וזה תימא גדול דהיאך שייך פלוגתא בדבר ידוע שהיו עושין תמיד בכל שנה ושנה ששה פעמים. וליכא למימר שלא נשנית משנה זו דשלוחין אלא לאחר שנקבע הלכה דלא כאחרים. הא ליתא שהרי אף בזמן הבית היו רגילין לשלוח שלוחים כדקתני מתניתין ואחרים בתר הכי דרי דרי הוי והדרא קושיא לדוכתא דלא אשכחן פלוגתא בדבר מפורסם כזה וכדפריך הש״ס להדיא בכמה דוכתי מכדי ברכות והבדלות אנשי כנסת הגדולה תקנינהו ליחזו היאך תקנו והיינו משום דלא שייך פלוגתא בכה״ג בדבר קבוע ומפורסם

To be continued.

5 – Our גמרא discusses the various ways that visitors in the בית המקדש would realize that the בית דין had established that today as ראש חודש.

5 – We mentioned the Munkatcher’s (original and retraction) concerning a  few words in Rashi.

ואף על פי כן אינן נמנעים מלשמוח שמחת מלכם

Originally he wrote that they were written by the censor. He subsequently changed his mind and concluded that Rashi did indeed write these words.