Sukkah 45b (מה:) — the Talmud in English

Bind the festival-offering with cords –

to the horns of the altar."

And this is how the verse is to be expounded: "

‘Bind,’ bind the lulav together; ‘with cords,’ with hadassim, whose leaves are dense. Then it will be considered for you as though you had built an altar and placed the blood of the offering upon its horns."

Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, and Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon HaMeḥozi in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan HaMakkoti: Anyone who makes "

a bond"

a bundle]

for the festival,

as though he “binds” it with something honorable, by calling the festival “pleasure” and bringing it pleasure

through eating and drinking –

the verse considers him as though he had built an altar and offered an offering upon it,

as it is stated: "

Bind the festival-offering with cords –

to the horns of the altar."

Ḥizkiya said that Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi

when performing them

in the manner of their growth,

so that the lower side when they were growing remains the lower side when performing the mitzva, and the upper side when they were growing remains the upper side when performing the mitzva.

As it is stated concerning the boards of the Tabernacle [Exodus 26], which were to be made

"

of acacia wood, standing,"

in the manner in which they stood when they grew.

A beraita was also taught in this regard: "

of acacia wood, standing" –

standing in the manner of their growth.

Alternatively: "

standing" –

which hold up

the wood

with its plating,

so that the boards support the gold plating upon them, with the plating affixed to them, and not that one should make a sheet of gold and position it adjacent to the boards, in such a manner that the sheet of gold would stand by itself.

Alternatively: "

standing" –

lest you say that their substance has been lost,

since the boards of the Tabernacle remain unused forever,

and their luster has been lost?

The verse states: "

of acacia wood, standing" –

teaching

that they stand forever and for all eternity.

And Ḥizkiya said that Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi

Shimon ben Yoḥai: I can exempt the entire world from judgment

through the merit of my suffering,

from the day I was created until now.

And if only

there were

my son Eliezer with me

in reckoning the suffering, the two of us together could exempt the world from judgment through the merit of our suffering,

from the day the world was created until now.

And if only

if

Yotam ben Uzziah

were

with us –

the three of us together could exempt the world from judgment,

from the day the world was created until its end.

And Ḥizkiya said that Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: I have seen

according to the deeds of mankind [and the Raḥ wrote that he saw this through divine inspiration],

the exalted ones

who receive the Divine Presence,

and they are few.

If there are one thousand –

I and my son are among them.

If there are one hundred –

I and my son are among them.

If there are two –

I and my son are they.

And we raised an objection concerning this:

Are they so few,

so small in number are those who receive the Divine Presence,

all this

by so much? Is it possible that only two people receive the Divine Presence?

But Rava said: There are eighteen thousand rows [rows]

of eighteen thousand rows of righteous people

that were before

those who stand before

the Holy One, blessed be He,

positioned before Him, before the ministering angels.

As it is stated [Ezekiel 48] "

“Around” –

eighteen thousand."

This is not difficult.

This

refers to those who gaze through a luminous partition,

the partition between them and the Almighty being like a clear mirror, through which they see with absolute clarity; they are few.

That refers to those who do not gaze through a luminous partition,

their partition not being clear, so that they do not see an actual vision; they are many.

But we still challenge this:

And

those

who gaze through a luminous partition –

are they so few?

But Abaye said: The world has no fewer than thirty-six righteous people who receive the Divine Presence every day.

There are no fewer than thirty-six righteous people in the world who receive the Divine Presence every day.

As it is stated [Isaiah 30]: "

Fortunate are all who wait for Him." –

The numerical value of the letters lamed-vav is thirty-six.

This is not difficult.

This

refers to

the many –

those who enter with permission,

who ascend and enter only when they receive permission.

That

refers to

the few –

those who enter without permission, without permission.

We learned in the Mishna:

At the time of their departure, what would they say:

“Beauty to you, altar; beauty to you, altar.”

Rabbi Elazar says: “For Him and for you, altar; for Him and for you, altar.”

And the Gemara understood that, according to Rabbi Elazar, the meaning of the statement is: It is for Him and for you that we show this honor!

And we challenge Rabbi Elazar: How could they have blessed God and the altar together?

But this combines the Name of Heaven with something else!

And it was taught in a beraita: Anyone who combines the Name of Heaven with something else –

is uprooted from the world!

As it is stated [Exodus 22]: “One who sacrifices to gods [other than the One God] shall be destroyed,

except to the Lord alone.”

And we answer:

This is what he is saying:

at first they say:

For Him –

we acknowledge,

recognizing that God is our God.

And for you

the altar –

we praise,

because you are dear before God to atone for us.

And they repeat and say:

For Him –

we acknowledge.

And for you

the altar –

we laud.

We learned in the Mishna:

As it is performed on weekdays,

the procedure on Shabbat is likewise.

Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka says: They would bring palm branches and strike them on the ground beside the altar.

Rav Huna said: What is the reason

for

Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka’s

view?

As it is written [Leviticus 23]: "

The fruit

of a date palm," and according to the way it is read, the word is plural, meaning at least

two,

to teach you:

One

date palm-frond

for the lulav, and

one

for the altar.

And the Rabbis say: It is written

“the fruit,” in the singular according to the written form.

Rabbi Levi says:

The reason for Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka’s practice of bringing palm branches has no source in the verse; rather, it is a logical inference, for the date palm is a favorable symbol of Israel’s praise. Since Israel is compared

to a date palm: Just as this date palm has only one heart, –

so Israel have only one heart, directed to their Father in Heaven.

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said:

The blessing over

the lulav is recited for seven days, and

the blessing over

the sukka is recited for one day.

What is the reason?

With regard to the lulav, since the nights interrupt the days

its obligation, as the mitzva of lulav does not apply at night –

each day is an independent mitzva,

and one recites the blessing anew upon it.

With regard to the sukka, since the nights do not interrupt the days,

as its mitzva applies both during the day and at night –

all seven

days

are considered like one long day,

and one fulfills the single ongoing mitzva with one blessing.

And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The blessing over the sukka is recited for seven days

of blessing.

And the blessing over the lulav is recited for one day.

What is the reason?

The sukka,

whose mitzva

is by Torah law

throughout all seven days – one recites the blessing upon it for all

seven

days.

The lulav,

whose mitzva by Torah law in the provinces applies only on the first day, while on the remaining days its mitzva is only

by rabbinic decree,

it suffices for it,

with one blessing

on one day.

When Ravin came, he said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Both this one and that one are for seven days.

Rav Yosef said: Hold on to Rabba bar bar Ḥana’s ruling,

that the blessing over the sukka is recited on all seven days, and not only the first time, as Shmuel said.

Since

all the amoraim,

including Ravin, who disagrees with Rabba bar bar Ḥana regarding the blessing over the lulav according to Rabbi Yoḥanan –

agree with him,

they all accept Rabba bar bar Ḥana’s view

in

Rabbi Yoḥanan’s view, that the blessing over the

sukka

is recited throughout all seven days.

And in the dispute between Shmuel and Rabbi Yoḥanan, the ruling should follow Rabbi Yoḥanan.

The beraita raises an objection

to Rabba bar bar Ḥana, who holds that according to Rabbi Yoḥanan the blessing over the lulav is recited for one day and the blessing over the sukka for seven, from a beraita in which we learned the opposite: