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….!’
