Sukkah 42b (מב:) — the Talmud in English

A minor who

knows how to slaughter, one may eat from his slaughtering

even though he is not expert in the laws of slaughtering, as will be explained shortly.

Rav Huna said: And this is so when an adult stands over him,

and supervises him to ensure that he slaughters properly, that he does not pause during the slaughtering, and that he does not press the knife against the animal’s neck, which would render it forbidden as a case of derusa, since it would have died not only through the cutting of the knife but also because of the pressure. Rather, he must move the knife back and forth in a cutting motion alone.

A minor who

can eat an olive-bulk of grain, one must distance oneself from his excrement and urine by four cubits,

if an adult wishes to pray, since from the time he tastes the taste of grain his excrement becomes foul-smelling—provided that he ate an olive-bulk of grain.

Rav Hisda said: And this is so when he can

the minor

eat it,

the olive-bulk of grain,

within

the time of

“eating a peras.”

For if he takes longer than this amount of time to eat it, his eating does not combine to constitute the measure of an olive-bulk.

The time of “eating a peras” is the time required to eat half a loaf [of eight eggs, from which the word peras is derived, meaning a portion], which is a measure of four eggs.

The complete loaf of eight eggs is the loaf used to measure the food for two meals, which is the amount required for an eruv תחומים.

Rav Hiyya, son of Rav Yevai, said: And with regard to the

excrement of an

adult, even though he cannot

this adult

eat

an olive-bulk

within the time of eating a peras,

one must distance oneself from his excrement,

as it is written [

Ecclesiastes 1]:

“He who increases knowledge increases pain,”

for his excrement becomes foul-smelling.

A minor who

can eat an olive-bulk of roasted meat

is included with the members of the group, and

the Paschal offering is slaughtered on his account, as it is stated [

Exodus 12]:

“Each man according to what he eats,”

provided that he is fit to eat.

Rabbi Judah says: Until he can discern

what is fit for

eating.

How so?

If, when

they give him a pebble [

a stone], he recognizes that the pebble is fit for nothing

and throws it away,

whereas when they give him a

walnut

he recognizes its value

and takes it

to eat it, he is fit to be included among those registered for the Paschal offering.

We shall return to you, chapter “The Stolen Lulav.”

Mishna:

A. The mitzva of taking the

lulav

in the Temple, which applies in the Temple by Torah law throughout all seven days of the festival of Sukkot.

And

likewise, the mitzva of the

arava,

which applied in the Temple on these seven days [the Gemara will explain the nature of this taking: whether it was an enactment of the Prophets or merely a practice they instituted, and whether it means that the kohanim took aravot in their hands and circled the altar on foot, or that they stood aravot upright and bent their tops around the altar]—

There are times when the lulav and the arava do not “override” Shabbat, in which case their mitzva is fulfilled for only

six

days out of the seven days of Sukkot.

And

there are times when they do “override” Shabbat, in which case they are practiced for

seven

days—that is, on every day of Sukkot.

The Mishna will explain later when they “override” Shabbat and when they do not.

B. The mitzva of reciting

the full Hallel,

without omitting sections.

And

likewise, the mitzva of

rejoicing

by eating the meat of shelamim offerings.

These mitzvot apply on all

eight

days, including Shemini Atzeret.

C. The mitzva of dwelling in a

sukkah,

and

likewise the mitzva of

pouring the water

onto the altar—

These apply throughout all

seven

days of Sukkot, but not on Shemini Atzeret.

D.

The flute,

which was played, as well as the other musical instruments played during the “Celebration of the Place of the Drawing,” which they held in honor of drawing the water for the water libation, did not override Shabbat or a Festival.

Therefore, when the first Festival day fell on one of the weekdays, they played them for only

five

days, since they could not play them either on the first Festival day or on the Shabbat of the intermediate days of the festival.

And

if the first Festival day had fallen on Shabbat, they would have played them for

six

days, because six weekdays remained.

The Mishna now explains how these rules were applied:

That which we learned:

The lulav

is practiced for

seven

days—

How so?

The first Festival day of Sukkot

of Sukkot

when it falls on Shabbat—

they take

the lulav

in the Temple for

seven

days.

This is because the mitzva of taking the lulav in the Temple on the first Festival day “overrides” Shabbat [the “override” means that the Sages did not decree that it should not be taken; it is not an actual suspension of a Shabbat prohibition, since taking the lulav involves no labor, whereas carrying it through the public domain was indeed not permitted].

And

if the first Festival day falls on

any of the other days,

they take the lulav for only

six

days, because the Sages decreed that the lulav should not be taken on the Shabbat of the intermediate days of the festival, even in the Temple.

And that which we learned: The mitzva of

the arava for seven

days—

How so?

The seventh day of the arava

[which is now called “Hoshana Rabba”],

when it falls on Shabbat—

the mitzva of

arava

is practiced in the Temple for all

seven

days, and the Sages did not decree that it should not be performed on Shabbat out of concern that one might carry it through the public domain, since the mitzva of arava in the Temple on the seventh day overrides Shabbat.

And

if the seventh day falls on

any of the other days—

the mitzva of arava is practiced for only

six

days, because the Shabbat of the intermediate days is not overridden for the sake of the mitzva of arava.

The reason for the distinction between the mitzva of arava on the seventh day, which overrides Shabbat, and the mitzva of arava on the other days, which does not override Shabbat, will be explained in the Gemara.

The Mishna now adds and explains:

The mitzva of lulav,

which applies in the Temple even on Shabbat when the first Festival day falls on Shabbat—

how

did they practice carrying the lulav?

The first Festival day of Sukkot when it falls on Shabbat—

all the people bring

all the people

their lulavim

on the eve of Shabbat

to the Temple Mount,

because it is forbidden to carry the lulav through the public domain on Shabbat;

and the attendants

the Temple assistants,

receive them

from them,

and arrange them on a platform.

And

the

elders

would

place their

lulavim

in the chamber.

And

the court would

instruct them,

all of them,

to say:

Anyone whose lulav comes into my possession—

it is hereby his as a gift.

They instituted this lest they exchange their lulavim, and this statement had to be made so that they would fulfill their obligation with it and the lulav would not be invalid as stolen or borrowed.

The next day,

they would

rise early and come

to the Temple.

And the attendants

would

throw them

the lulavim

before them.

And they would snatch

the lulavim,

and

they would

strike one another

during the snatching.

When the court saw that they had come into danger—

they instituted that each person should take

the lulav on Shabbat

in his home,

and not in the Temple.

Gemara:

The Mishna teaches that before the court instituted that each person should take the lulav in his home, they took the lulav in the Temple on Shabbat only when Shabbat coincided with the first Festival day, but not on the Shabbat of the intermediate days of Sukkot.

And we raise a difficulty:

Why

does the mitzva of lulav in the Temple, which by Torah law applies all seven days, not also override the Shabbat of the intermediate days? After all,

the handling

of the lulav is like handling ordinary wood,

merely

considered

and,

if so,

let it override Shabbat; for what reason did the Sages decree and nullify the mitzva!?

Rabba said: It is a decree lest one take it

the lulav on Shabbat

in his hand and walk

through the public domain

to

someone who is

expert

in shaking the lulav or in reciting the blessing over the lulav, in order

to learn

from him the order of the shakings or the blessings,