Sukkah 45b — the Talmud in English

Bind the festival-offering with thick branches" —

as far as the horns of the altar."

And thus this verse is to be expounded: "

'Bind,' bind the lulav; 'with thick branches,' with myrtles, whose leaves are thick. 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 Yohai, and Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon HaMehozai in the name of Rabbi Yohanan HaMakkoti: Whoever makes

a binding [a bundle]

of a bundle

for the festival,

as though he “binds” it with something honored, by calling the festival “delight,” making it delightful

through eating and drinking —

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

as it is stated,

“Bind the festival-offering with thick branches —

as far as the horns of the altar.”

Hezekiah said that Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai: With regard to all the mitzvot, a person fulfills them only

when he performs them

according to the manner of their growth,

when the lower side at the time of their growth is the lower side at the time of performing the mitzva, and the upper side at the time of their growth is the upper side at the time of fulfilling the mitzva.

As it is stated concerning the boards of the Tabernacle [Exodus 26], that they are to be made

“

acacia wood, standing,”

in the manner in which they stood at the time of their growth.

It was taught likewise: “

Acacia wood, standing” —

that they stand according to the manner of their growth.

Alternatively: “

Standing” —

that they cause

the wood

to support its plating,

so that the boards support the gold plating upon them, that they attach the plating to them, and not that they make a sheet of gold and place it beside the boards, in such a manner that the sheet of gold will stand by itself.

Alternatively: “

Standing” —

lest you say that their fibers have been lost,

of the boards of the Tabernacle, since they are idle forever,

and their luster has been lost?

The verse states: “

Acacia wood, standing” —

it teaches

that they stand forever and for all eternity.

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

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

by virtue of my sufferings,

from the day I was created until now.

And if only

he were

my son Eliezer with me,

in the reckoning of suffering — the two of us together could exempt the world from judgment by the power of our sufferings,

from the day the world was created until now.

And if only

if

Yotam son of 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 Hezekiah said that Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai: I have seen,

according to the deeds of a person [and Rabbeinu Chananel wrote that he saw this through divine inspiration],

those who are elevated,

who receive the Divine Presence,

and they are few.

If they are one thousand —

I and my son are among them.

If they are one hundred —

I and my son are among them.

If they are two —

I and my son are they.

We raised a difficulty concerning it:

And are they so few,

is the number of those who receive the Divine Presence really so small,

all this,

so very few!? Is it possible that there are only two people who receive the face of the Divine Presence?

But Rava said: Eighteen thousand rows [ranks],

eighteen thousand rows of righteous people,

were before Him,

standing before

the Holy One, blessed be He,

placed before Him, before the ministering angels.

As it is stated [Ezekiel 48]: “

'Around' -

Around —

eighteen thousand.”

This is not difficult.

This refers to those who gaze into a luminous aspaklaria,

whose partition between them and the Holy One, blessed be He, is like a clear mirror, through which they see with clear vision; they are few.

This refers to those who do not gaze into a luminous aspaklaria,

whose partition is not clear, and they do not see with tangible vision; they are many.

But we still challenge this:

And

do these

who gaze into a luminous aspaklaria —

are they so few?

But Abaye said: The world never has fewer than thirty-six righteous people who receive the face of the Divine Presence every day.

There are not fewer in the world than thirty-six righteous people who receive the face of the Divine Presence every day.

As it is stated [Isaiah 30]: “

Fortunate are all who wait for Him." -

Fortunate are all who wait for Him.” —

The numerical value of thirty-six is thirty-six.

This is not difficult.

This

refers to the many —

who enter with permission,

who ascend and enter only when they receive permission.

This

refers to the few —

who enter without permission,

without permission.

We learned in the Mishna:

At the time of their departure, what do 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 left it understood that, according to Rabbi Elazar’s words, the meaning of the matter is: For Him and for you we render this honor!

And we challenge Rabbi Elazar: How is it possible that they blessed God and the altar together?

But this constitutes joining the Name of Heaven and another thing!

And it was taught: Whoever joins the Name of Heaven and another thing —

is uprooted from the world!

As it is stated [Exodus 22]: “One who sacrifices to gods [others] shall be destroyed,

except to the Lord alone.”

except to the Lord alone.”

And we answer:

This is what he is saying:

first they say:

For Him —

we acknowledge,

we recognize that God is our God.

And for you,

altar —

we praise,

for you are dear before God to atone for us.

And they repeat and say:

For Him —

we acknowledge.

And for you,

altar —

we laud.

We learned in the Mishna:

As is its practice on a weekday,

so is its practice on Shabbat.

Rabbi Yohanan ben Beroka says: They would bring palm branches and beat them on the ground at the sides of the altar.

Rav Huna said: What is the reason,

what is the source

of Rabbi Yohanan ben Beroka?

As it is written [Leviticus 23]: “

"

The branch

of palms,” and according to the reading it is a plural expression, which is at least

two,

to teach you:

One branch

for the lulav, and

one branch

for the altar.

And the Rabbis say: “The branch” is written

and according to the written form it is a singular expression.

Rabbi Levi says: The reason of Rabbi Yohanan ben Beroka, that they bring palm branches, has no source from Scripture; rather, it is a rationale, for the palm is a favorable sign regarding the praise of Israel. For Israel was compared

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

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

so Israel has only one heart toward their Father in Heaven.

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said:

The blessing over the

lulav is seven [days], and the blessing over the

sukka is

one day.

What is the reason?

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

its obligation, for the mitzva of lulav does not apply at night —

each day is a mitzva in its own right,

and one recites the blessing over it anew.

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

for its mitzva applies both during the day and at night —

all seven

days

are considered like one long day,

and with one blessing one fulfills the one continuing mitzva.

And Rabba bar bar Hana said that Rabbi Yohanan said: The sukka is [for] seven

for the blessing.

And the lulav is [for] one day.

What is the reason?

The sukka,

whose mitzva

is from the Torah

all seven [days] — one recites the blessing over it all

seven.

The lulav,

whose mitzva in the outlying areas according to Torah law is only on the first day, while on the other days its mitzva is only

rabbinic,

as a remembrance of the Temple —

it is sufficient for it,

one blessing suffices

on one day.

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

Rav Yosef said: Hold the ruling of Rabba bar bar Hana in your hand,

that one recites the blessing over the sukka on all seven days, and not only the first time, as Shmuel says.

Since

all the amoraim,

including Ravin, who disagrees with Rabba bar bar Hana concerning the blessing over the lulav according to Rabbi Yohanan’s view,

hold like him,

all hold according to Rabba bar bar Hana’s view

in

Rabbi Yohanan’s view, that the blessing over the

sukka

is for all seven [days].

And in the dispute between Shmuel and Rabbi Yohanan, the ruling is to be decided according to Rabbi Yohanan.

We challenge Rabba bar bar Hana, who holds that according to Rabbi Yohanan one recites the blessing over the lulav for one day and over the sukka for seven, from a beraita in which we learned the opposite:

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 days, from a beraita in which we learned the opposite: