Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 7, scan section 59

Why so ? Because the nights intervene between the days, and every day it is a separate commandment ; but in case of the Succah, which is a duty during the nights also, all the seven days are considered as one long day, and one benediction is enough. Rabba bar bar Hana in the name of R. Johanan, however, said : The benediction over the Succah must be pronounced all the seven days, but over the Lulab only the first day. Why so ? Because the Succah is biblical, the benediction is to be made every time ; but the Lulab being rabbinical, it is sufficient on the first day. When Rabbin came from Palestine, he said in the name of R. Johanan, that over both it is to be pronounced every day all the seven days. Said R. Joseph : Keep what Rabba bar bar Hana said in your mind, because all the Amoraim hold with him concerning Succah. Other Tanaim, however, differ also on the same point. As we have learned in the following Boraitha : Over the Tefilin, every time one lays them, one must pronounce a bene- diction. So is the decree of Rabbi. The sages, however, said : In the morning only. And it was taught Abayi said the Halakha prevails according to Rabbi, and Rabba said the Ha- lakha prevails according to the sages. Said R. Mari the son of the daughter of Samuel : I have seen Rabba did not follow his TRACT SUCCAH. 69 own decision, and we also all are doing according to Rabbi, and pronounce the benediction on every one of the seven days. R. Jehudah in the name of Samuel said : The commandment of the Lulab is all the seven days ; but R. Joshuah b. Levi said : The biblical commandment is only for the first day, and from this day further on it is the commandment of the Elders ; and so said also R. Itz'hak. Rabh, however, holds that the command- ment is for all seven days, and R. Na'hman bar Itz'hak taught plainly that Rabh said so. The rabbis taught : If one made a Succah for himself, he must pronounce the benediction of the time. When he comes to dwell in it, he must pronounce the benediction : ** Blessed be He, etc., who has commanded us to dwell in a Succah " ; but if the Succah had been prepared, if he is able to fix there something new, he may pronounce the benediction of the time ; if not, when he comes to dwell in it, he should pronounce both benedictions. Said R. Ashi : I have seen R. Kahna, who used to pronounce all the benedictions over the goblet, together with the benediction of the day. The rabbis taught : If one have before himself many religious duties, he can say : *' Blessed be He who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded to us many duties." R. Jehu- dah, however, said : He must pronounce the benediction before each one separately. Said R. Zera, according to others R. Ha- nina bar Papa: The Halakha prevails according to R. Jehudah. And he (either of the two mentioned) says again : What is the reason of R. Jehudah? Because it is written [Ps. Ixviii. 20]: " Blessed be the Lord, day by day." Do we only bless Him by day, and not by night ? We may learn from this that every day we should bless Him for the duties of that day (if Sabbath, we must bless Him for the Sabbath ; if a festival, for the duties belonging to each festival). The same authority says again : Come and see. The usages of the Holy One, blessed be He, are not as the usages of human beings : A human being can put only something into an empty vessel, but if the vessel is full, he can put in nothing ; but the Holy One, blessed be He, can add to a full vessel, but can put nothing into an empty one, as it is written [Deut. xxviii. i] : '' If thou wilt hearken dili- gently " ; * i.e., if you have heard diligently, you can receive * The Hebrew term for this is yo^n yOS5', which is literally, ' ' by hearing you will hear more." 70 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. more knowledge, but if not diligently, you can hear nothing. Another interpretation for this verse is this : If you have given your attention to what you have learned before, you can learn from it new things ; but if you have turned away your heart from the old teaching, you cannot learn anything new. '' The children threw down!' etc. Said R. Johanan : The citron on the seventh day is prohibited to be eaten, but on the eighth day it is allowed ; but the wood of the Succah, even on the eighth day, is not allowed to be used. Resh Lakish, however, said : Even on the seventh day the citron is allowed. R. Johanan made an objection to Resh Lakish from our Mishna : The chil- dren throw down their Lulabs and eat their citrons. From this we may infer that only the children may do so, but not adults. Answered Resh Lakish : Nay, adults may also do so, but the Mishna mentions children because it was usually done so. R. Papa asked Abayi : What is the reason that R. Johanan makes a difference between the Succah and the citron ? And he an- swered : The Succah is fit for twilight, so that if one had to eat at twilight, he must sit in the Succah and eat there ; and because it was designated for twilight, it is designated for the whole eighth day ; but the citron, which is not to be used at twilight, and Avas not designated for the twilight, is not designated for the v/hole eighth day. Levi, however, said : The citron is prohibited even on the eighth day. And the father of Samuel said : On the sev- enth day it is not allowed, but on the eighth day it is allowed. The father of Samuel afterwards retracted his teaching, and re- mained in accordance with the system of Levi. R. Zera, how- ever, remains in accordance with the old teaching of the father of Samuel, and taught in the house of learning that a citron which becomes invalid must not be eaten all the seven days. R. Zera said again : One must not give as a present to a child a Lulab on the first day of the festival. Why so ? Because a child may re- ceive a present, but cannot make a present to another ; and after- wards if the man uses the Lulab for the religious purpose, he has used a thing which is not his (by which he cannot fulfil his duty). He says again : A man shall not promise a child something, and afterwards not keep his word, for the child can learn from it to tell a lie. We in exile, who keep two days of the festival, how shall we do ? Said Abayi : On the eighth day, which it is doubtful per- haps it is the seventh, it is prohibited ; but the ninth day, which it is doubtful perhaps it is the eighth, it is allowed. Meremar, TRACT SUCCAH. 71 however, said : Even on the eighth day, which it is doubtful per- haps it is the seventh, it is also allowed. In Sura they acted according to Meremar ; but R. Shesheth the son of R. Iddi acted according to Abayi, and the Halakha prevails according to Abayi. R. Jehudah the son of Samuel bar Shilath said in the name