Chagigah 17a (יז.) — the Talmud in English

Rav Ashi said: You may even say that the sides are permitted:

it is impossible to lean on its head, since

anything that is alongside its back—

is considered like its back! Any part of an animal that is level with the height of the animal’s back, such as its head, is considered like the animal’s back, concerning which the Sages decreed a prohibition of shevut. Therefore, leaning, even on its head, involves shevut.

Mishna:

Beit Shammai say:

They bring

on a Festival

shelamim,

which are obligations of the day and from which the owners partake [but vows and freewill offerings, which are not obligations of the day and which one can offer at another time, are not brought even as shelamim].

But they do not

the owners

lean upon them

on a Festival, because leaning is performed with all one’s strength, and by leaning upon the animal one uses a living creature, which is prohibited on Shabbat and Festivals by rabbinic decree of shevut. Rather, one leans upon them on the eve of the Festival, since it is not necessary for the leaning to be immediately before the slaughter [and this is in accordance with the opinion of Shammai, their master, in the previous Mishna].

But they do not

bring on a Festival

olot

at all, not even olot re’iyah, which are obligations of the day, since the owners do not partake of them as well.

Except for olot whose time is fixed, such as the daily and additional offerings, which override Shabbat, and certainly override the Festival.

And Beit Hillel say:

They bring

on a Festival

shelamim.

And they dispute this matter in Beitza 19, whether according to Beit Hillel vows and freewill offerings of shelamim are also brought on a Festival, since the owners partake of them, or perhaps they agree with Beit Shammai that only shelamim that are obligations of the day are brought on a Festival, but not vows and freewill offerings, since one can bring them later.

And

they likewise bring on a Festival

olot.

And they dispute this matter in Beitza 20b, whether only an olat re’iyah, which is an obligation of the day, is brought, or whether vows and freewill offerings of olot may also be offered on a Festival according to Beit Hillel. In any event, offerings whose time is fixed, which override even Shabbat, certainly override the Festival according to everyone.

And they lean upon them.

Although leaning involves shevut, since it is permitted to bring them, the Sages did not decree shevut so as to nullify their leaning [and this is in accordance with the opinion of Hillel, their master, in the previous Mishna].

Atzeret

(the Festival of Weeks)

that occurs on the eve of Shabbat,

and according to Beit Shammai one cannot bring an olat re’iyah either on the Festival or on Shabbat; therefore:

Beit Shammai say: Its “day of slaughter”

the day on which the Festival and ראייה offerings are slaughtered, or only the ראייה offerings, is called the “day of slaughter”; Meiri] is

after Shabbat.

And Beit Hillel—

according to their position, that they hold that an olat re’iyah is brought on a Festival—

say: It has no “day of slaughter”

but one brings it on the Festival.

And they concede

Beit Hillel to Beit Shammai:

that if

Atzeret

occurs on Shabbat, they

perform

the “day of slaughter” after Shabbat,

since an olat re’iyah does not override Shabbat.

And concerning the “day of slaughter” of Atzeret that occurs on Shabbat:

a.

The High Priest does not don his garments

fine garments of non-sacred clothing [Rashi], but on other “days of slaughter” he would adorn himself.

b.

And eulogies and fasting are permitted,

unlike on other “days of slaughter.”

The reason is: in order

not to uphold the words of those who say

the Sadducees] that they always observe

Atzeret after Shabbat.

For it is stated in the Torah, concerning the counting of the Omer: “And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow after the Shabbat,” and they interpret it according to its plain meaning, that one must always begin counting on Sunday, which is the day after Shabbat. According to them, Atzeret always occurs on Sunday. But the Sages received the interpretation of the verse that it refers to the day after the first day of the Festival of Pesaḥ.

Therefore, if they were to observe the practices of a Festival on Sunday, it would appear as though we agree with the Sadducee position.

Gemara:

Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Oshaya:

From where is it derived concerning Atzeret—

which is only one day—

that

in any event

it has a make-up period for ראייה offerings and Festival offerings

throughout all seven days

?

As it is stated: “Three times in the year shall all your males appear”:

“On the Festival of Matzot, on the Festival of Weeks, and on the Festival of Sukkot.”

The verse juxtaposes

the

Festival of Weeks with the Festival of Matzot,

in order to teach you:

Just as the Festival of Matzot has

for ראייה and Festival offerings

a make-up period throughout all seven days,

as we learned above, 9a, from what is stated concerning the Festival of Sukkot: “And you shall celebrate it as a Festival to the Lord for seven days,” and the same applies to the seven-day Festival of Matzot—

so too the Festival of Weeks has

for ראייה and Festival offerings

a make-up period throughout all seven days,

even though the Festival of Weeks is only one day.

And we raise an objection:

But say: The verse juxtaposes

the Festival of Weeks

with the Festival of Sukkot,

to teach you:

Just as the Festival of Sukkot has a make-up period of eight days,

for one may make up the offering even on the last day of the Festival,

so too the Festival of Weeks has a make-up period of eight days?!

And we answer: The

eighth

day of the Festival of Sukkot

is a Festival in its own right,

and it is not included in the juxtaposition that compares the Festival of Weeks to Sukkot.

We nevertheless ask:

Perhaps when they say, “The eighth day is a Festival in its own right,”

it is only

with regard to pezar keshev.

But with regard to the make-up period,

even the eighth day

is the make-up day of the first.

If so, the Festival of Weeks should also be compared to it, and the make-up period of the Festival of Weeks would be eight days?!

Thus

it is

taught: “One who did not celebrate on the first Festival day celebrates throughout the entire Festival and on the last Festival day.”

And we answer: Since you can compare the Festival of Weeks to the Festival of Sukkot and thereby extend the period by many days, and you can compare it to the Festival of Matzot and thereby extend it by only a few days, there is a general principle:

If you have grasped the many, you have not grasped it; if you have grasped the few, you have grasped it!

That is to say: Whenever you find two possible approaches, one yielding a greater amount and the other a lesser amount, it is better for you to grasp the lesser amount. For even if you should have grasped the greater amount but grasped the lesser, your grasp is valid, since the lesser is included within the greater; but if you grasp the greater when you should have grasped the lesser, it follows that you have grasped contrary to the law [Rashi].

Rather, for what halakhic purpose did the Merciful One write the Festival of Sukkot?

In order

to juxtapose

the Festival of Sukkot

to the Festival of Matzot,

to tell you:

Just as the Festival of Matzot requires lodging

in Jerusalem on the night after the first Festival day [Rashi],

so too the Festival of Sukkot requires lodging.

And we explain:

And there—

concerning the Festival of Matzot—

from where do we know

that it requires lodging?