Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 7, scan section 60

of Rabh : The eighth day, which it is doubtful whether it is not the seventh, may be considered as the seventh day in reference to the Succah, but is considered the eighth day in reference to the benediction. R. Johanan, however, said : It may be consid- ered the eighth day for both purposes. (The Gemara explains it so) : In reference to the benediction, all agree that the benedic- tion may not be said. What they differ about is only the citron. According to Rabh, on the eighth day one must sit in the Succah, and according to R. Johanan, even sitting is not necessary either. Said R. Joseph : Keep in your mind what R. Johanan said, because the Master of this Halakha, R. Jehudah bar Samuel, who declared it in the name of Rabh, did not act accord- ing to his teaching, and we have seen him on the eighth day sitting outside of the Succah. The Halakha prevails : That we do sit in the Succah, but do not pronounce the benediction over it. R. Johanan said : The benediction of the time must be pro- nounced on the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, but not on the seventh day of Passover. Said R. Levi bar Hama, accord- ing to others R. Hama bar Hanina : This may be approved, because the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles is different in three things from the preceding days : It needs not Succah, it needs not Lulab, nor the pouring of water. If it is so, the seventh day of Passover is also different, because it is not a duty to eat Matzah thereon, as the Master said (p. 33) that only the first night it is a duty to eat Matzah? What comparison is this? There it is different only from the first night, but not from the first day ; but here it is different from the day also. Rabhina said : The eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles is different from the preceding day ; but the seventh day of Passover differs only from the first day, but not from the one preceding it. How shall we act ? Said R. Na'hman : The benediction of the time may be said on the eighth day, and R. Shesheth said it must not, and the Halakha prevails that it may be said. We have learned in a Boraitha in support to R. Na'hman : The eighth day is a holy day by itself, has lots cast for itself (which priest should perform 72 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. the service of the sacrifice, as is explained in Shekalim), the bene- diction of time for itself, offerings for itself, a separate song for itself (all seven days one song was sung by the Levites at the sacrifice), and also a blessing for itself (" the eighth day of assembly " was pronounced in the benediction). MISHNA: The Hallel and the enjoying of peace-offerings were eight days. How so ? We infer from this, that a man is bound to recite the Hallel and enjoy the peace-offerings the last day of the festival the same as the preceding days. GEMARA : Where is this deduced from ? The rabbis taught : It is written [Deut. xvi. 15] : '' Thou shalt only rejoice " ; it comes to add the night of the last day of the festival, and to exclude the night of the first day. But perhaps it is meant only for the first day? The word (acA) ** only " separates it. But why do you in- clude the last day, and exclude the first day ? I include the last night, before which there was enjoyment ; but I exclude the first night, before which was no enjoyment. MISHNA: The Succah is dwelt in seven days. How so? When a man has taken his last meal therein, he is not directly to pull down his Succah ; but, after noon, he may move the furni- ture back into the house, in honor of the last day of the festival. How was the pouring out of the water? A golden pitcher that held three lugs was filled with water from the brook Siloah. When they came with it to the water-gate, they blew a blast, a long note, and again a blast. The priest then ascended the stair of the altar, and turned to the left. Two silver basins stood there. R. Jehudah says : They were of gypsum, but had a dark appear- ance from the wine. Each was perforated with a small hole, like a nostril (at the bottom), the one for the wine somewhat wider, the other for the water narrower, that both might get empty at once. The one, to the west, was used for water ; the other, to the east, for the wine. But if the water was poured into the wine basin, or the wine into the water basin, one's duty was reckoned to be fulfilled. R. Jehudah says : They poured out one lug on each of the eight days. To him who poured out the water the people called : " Raise thy hand " ; for once it happened that one priest charged with this duty poured the water over his feet, and all the people pelted him with their citrons. As they did on the week-days, so they did likewise on the Sabbath, except that they fetched the water from the Siloah on the Sabbath eve in a golden cask that had not been consecrated, and placed it in a chamber; if it was upset or uncovered, they filled again from the TRACT SUCCAH. 73 laver. For it was not lawful to bring on the altar water or wine which had been uncovered. GEMARA: Whence is it deduced? Said R. Eina : It is written [Is. xii. 3] : '' Ye shall draw water with gladness." ''Ascended the stair,'' etc. The rabbis taught: All who ascended the altar ascended on the right, went round, and de- scended on the left ; except that those who ascended for the following three purposes (duties) ascended on the left, and went back on the same side : to pour water, to pour wine, and to offer a burnt-offering of a fowl when it was too much on the east side of the altar.* "Each was perforated** etc. Shall we assume that the Mishna is according to R. Jehudah and not according to the sages, as it teaches farther on : *' R. Jehudah said with a lug," etc. ; because if the Mishna would be according to the sages, the quantity of the wine and water was equal ? (And why was one wider, and the other narrower?) Nay, we may say the Mishna is according to the sages ; but wine is thick, and water is thinner, and this is the reason for the unequal sizes of the holes. It seems to us it is so, for according to R. Jehudah one must be wide and the other narrow, as we learn in the following Boraitha : R. Jehudah said : Two urns were there, one for water and one for wine : that for wine had its mouth wide, and that for water nar- row, that they should be emptied at the same time. Rabha lectured : It is written [Song of Songs, vii. 2] : " How beautiful are thy steps in sandals, O prince's daughter ! " How beautiful were the steps of Israel, when they pilgrimaged for the festival ! " Prince's daughter " means, daughter of Abraham our father, who was called prince ; as it is written [Ps. xlvii. 10] : " The nobles of the people are gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham." The God of Abraham, and not the God