{"id":10260,"date":"2006-10-10T08:59:00","date_gmt":"2006-10-10T08:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/masechet_sukkah4147\/"},"modified":"2015-10-22T07:34:42","modified_gmt":"2015-10-22T12:34:42","slug":"masechet_sukkah4147","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_sukkah4147\/","title":{"rendered":"Masechet Sukkah 41a-47b"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Coming Week’s Daf Yomi by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz<\/em><\/p>\n

This essay is based upon the insights and chidushim (original ideas) of Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, as published in the Hebrew version of the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud.<\/em><\/p>\n

This month\u2019s Steinsaltz Daf Yomi is sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Alan Harris, the Lewy Family Foundation, and Marilyn and Edward Kaplan<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Sukkah 41<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The pasuk\u00a0<\/em>that commands us to take the arba minim<\/a><\/em> on Sukkot<\/a><\/em> (Vayikra<\/a> 23:40<\/a>) is enigmatic. It describes the mitzvah<\/a><\/em> as commanding us to take the four species on “the first day [of the holiday]” and then continues that you should “rejoice before God for seven days.”<\/p>\n

Which are we commanded to do? Celebrate with the etrog<\/a><\/em> and lulav<\/a><\/em> for one day or for seven?<\/p>\n

The Mishnah<\/a> teaches that originally the halakha<\/a><\/em> was that the arba minim<\/em> were taken one day in all places (medina<\/em>), and seven days in the bet ha-mikdash<\/a><\/em> [“before God”].<\/p>\n

There is a difference of opinion amongst the rishonim<\/a><\/em> regarding the definition of mikdash<\/em> in this case. Rashi<\/a>, the Ritva<\/a> and others explain that anyplace outside of the Temple \u2013 including the Old City of Jerusalem \u2013 is considered medina<\/em> and the lulav<\/em> is not taken there. The Rambam<\/a> rules that the holiness of the Temple extends to the entire city and therefore all of Jerusalem is considered mikdash<\/em> for this purpose. The Jerusalem Talmud<\/a> is clear on this point, in agreement with the Rambam. Thus it is possible even today that there is a biblical obligation to take the arba minim<\/em> when visiting the Old City of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

This rule was changed with the destruction of the Temple. At that time Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai<\/a> instituted a Rabbinic decree obligating the lulav<\/em> and etrog<\/em> to be taken for all seven days of the holiday, zecher la-mikdash<\/em> \u2013 as a remembrance of the Temple and its unique role.<\/p>\n

The Me’iri<\/a> points out that Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai did not actually establish the mitzvah<\/em> for all seven days as in the Temple, since at least one of the days will fall out on Shabbat<\/a><\/em>, when, nowadays, the lulav<\/em> is not taken. Nevertheless the point is that the obligation as it was practiced in the bet ha-mikdash<\/em> is remembered.<\/p>\n

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Sukkah 42<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The final Mishnah<\/a> in our perek <\/em>closes with the statement “a minor who knows how to wave [a lulav<\/a><\/em>] is obligated in the mitzvah<\/a><\/em> of lulav<\/em>.” This is one of the statements in the Mishnah that teach the concept of chinuch<\/em> \u2013 of educating children before they are obligated in mitzvot<\/em> on a biblical level. The baraita<\/a><\/em> that appears in the Gemara<\/a> expands on this idea, enumerating commandments that a child becomes obligated in \u2013 for reasons of education \u2013 as soon as he knows how to perform them. Aside from lulav<\/em> they include:<\/p>\n