Sukkah 46a (מו.) — the Talmud in English

As it was taught:

One who makes a lulav for himself

[and not one who makes a sukkah for others],

says

on the eve of the Festival:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has given us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this time.

When he takes it in order to fulfill the mitzva with it

on the Festival,

he says: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us concerning the taking of the lulav.

And even though he recited the blessing over it on the first day—

he repeats the blessing throughout all seven days.

One who makes a sukkah for himself

before the Festival,

says: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has given us life and sustained us.

And when

he enters to sit in it

during the festival of Sukkot,

he says: Who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to sit in the sukkah.

And once he has recited the blessing on the first day—

he no longer recites the blessing.

The ruling concerning the lulav contradicts the ruling concerning the lulav.

For according to the beraita, its blessing is recited for seven days, whereas according to Rabbi Yohanan [according to Rabba bar bar Hanna], its blessing is recited for only one day.

The ruling concerning the sukkah contradicts the ruling concerning the sukkah!

For according to the beraita, its blessing is recited only once, whereas according to all the amoraim who explain Rabbi Yohanan’s view, its blessing is recited throughout all seven days.

The Gemara qualifies the question:

Granted, the ruling concerning the lulav does not contradict the ruling concerning the lulav;

for it is possible to distinguish:

Here,

in the beraita, it is speaking

at a time when the Temple was standing,

when, in the Temple, the mitzva was by Torah law in force throughout all seven days. Therefore, they would recite the blessing over it in the Temple every day, in accordance with Rabbi Yohanan’s statement, which distinguishes between reciting a blessing each time for a mitzva by Torah law and reciting a blessing for a mitzva by rabbinic law.

Here,

in Rabbi Yohanan’s statement, it is speaking

at a time when the Temple is not standing,

when the mitzva of lulav on the other days is only a commemoration of the Temple, by rabbinic enactment. Therefore, one does not repeat the blessing over it each day.

But the sukkah,

which is mandated by Torah law, and according to the beraita one recites the blessing over it only once,

concerning the sukkah,

with regard to reciting the blessing over the sukkah throughout all seven days according to Rabbi Yohanan—

there is a difficulty!

And we answer:

It is the subject of a dispute between tanna’im,

who disagreed whether the blessing over the sukkah is recited only the first time or throughout all seven days, and Rabbi Yohanan holds in accordance with the view that it is recited throughout all seven days.

As it was taught:

The blessing over

tefillin

is recited every time

each time

that

he removes the tefillin and

puts them on

again,

according to Rabbi.

Rabbi Yohanan likewise holds with regard to the sukkah that each time one enters it he recites the blessing anew, just as with tefillin that one removed and then put on again.

And the Sages say: He recites the blessing only

once, when he puts them on

in the morning.

Likewise, with regard to the sukkah, one recites the blessing only the first time.

It was stated: Abaye said: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi.

And Rava said: The halakha is in accordance with the Sages.

Rav Mari, son of the daughter of

the granddaughter of

Shmuel, said: I saw that Rava did not act in accordance with his own teaching,

for I saw that Rava did not practice in accordance with his statement that the blessing over tefillin is recited only once.

Rather,

he acted in accordance with Abaye, who held that the halakha is in accordance with Rabbi. For I saw how he

would rise early

in the morning,

stand and enter the lavatory.

Then he would leave and wash

and take

his hands, put on tefillin, and recite the blessing

the first time he put on tefillin.

And when he needed to go out another time,

he would again

enter the lavatory, leave, wash his hands, put on tefillin, and recite the blessing,

also over putting them on a second time, contrary to his own statement that the halakha is in accordance with the Sages.

And we too—

in accordance with Rabbi,

who holds that one should recite a blessing each time one puts on tefillin,

act, and

therefore we

recite the blessing throughout all seven days

over the sukkah, and likewise recite the blessing over the lulav every day.

Mar Zutra said: I saw Rav Pappi, who, whenever

each time

he put on tefillin—

he recited the blessing.

The Sages of the house of Rav Ashi, whenever they touched them

with regard to the tefillin,

recited a blessing,

because a person is obligated to touch them at all times, so that he will not divert his attention from them.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: The mitzva of lulav

is in force

throughout all seven days,

with regard to the obligation to recite a blessing.

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said:

Only on

the first day is the mitzva of lulav

one that requires a blessing, since on that day it is taken outside the Temple by Torah law.

But

from that point onward

one does not recite a blessing over it, since its obligation on the other days is only by virtue of

the mitzva of the Elders,

which Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai and his colleagues instituted as a commemoration of the Temple.

And Rabbi Yitzhak said: Every day

is

the mitzva of the Elders.

And we raise a difficulty:

And

if

even the first day

according to Rabbi Yitzhak is only rabbinic,

but we have established that on the first day,

the mitzva of lulav is by

Torah law

outside the Temple!

And we answer:

Say

that this is what Rabbi Yitzhak said: On all the other days, the mitzva of lulav is the mitzva of the Elders,

except

for

the first day,

when its mitzva is by Torah law.

And we raise a difficulty concerning this answer:

If so,

the statement of Rabbi Yitzhak

is

the same as the statement

of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi;

in what, then, do they disagree?

And we answer: Indeed, Rabbi Yitzhak did not disagree with Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi.

Rather, say: Rabbi Yitzhak said the same.

The Gemara continues:

And Rav too holds: Throughout all seven days, the mitzva of lulav

requires a blessing, even though its obligation is only rabbinic.

And we can derive this from what

Rabbi Hiyya bar Ashi said in the name of Rav: One who lights the Hanukkah lamp must recite a blessing

over it, even though the mitzva of lighting the Hanukkah lamp is only rabbinic.

And from this we can infer that according to Rav the same law applies: one must recite a blessing over the lulav throughout all seven days.

Rabbi Yirmeya said: One who sees a Hanukkah lamp

burning at the entrance of another Jew’s home, while he himself did not light one in his home—

must recite a blessing

upon seeing it for the first time.

And we inquire:

What blessing does he recite

upon seeing it?

Rav Yehuda said: On the first day, one who lights—

recites three blessings,

over the lighting, over the miracles, and Sheheheyanu. But

one who sees

and does not light—

recites two blessings,

over the miracles and Sheheheyanu.

From that point onward, one who lights recites two blessings,

to light and Who performed miracles,

and one who sees recites one,

Who performed miracles, alone.

The Gemara now discusses the obligation to recite the blessing over the Hanukkah lamp:

What blessing does he recite—

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to light the Hanukkah lamp.

And where did He command us

in the Torah to do this, when the entire obligation to light the lamp is rabbinic?

It is derived from what is stated in the passage concerning the judges [Deuteronomy chapter 17]: "

You shall act in accordance with the word that they declare to you.

In accordance with the Torah that they teach you and the judgment that they tell you, you shall act.

You shall not stray

from the word that they tell you, right or left."

And Rav Naḥman bar Yitzhak said

from here: [Deuteronomy 32] "

Ask your father, and he will tell you."

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzhak taught it explicitly,

that this is how

Rav said,

explicitly, and there is no need to derive it from his statement concerning the Hanukkah lamp:

Throughout all seven days, the mitzva of lulav.

The Sages taught: One who makes a sukkah for himself says: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has given us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this time, and so on.

When he enters to sit in it, he says: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to sit in the sukkah, and so on.

If it was

the sukkah

already made and standing, if he can renew something in it

through its construction

before the Festival,

he renews it, and

recites the blessing

over the renewed construction before the Festival, the blessing of Sheheheyanu.

If not—

when he enters to sit in it, he recites two blessings,

the blessing for sitting in the sukkah and Sheheheyanu.

Rav Ashi said: I saw Rav Kahana say all of them,

the blessing for sitting in the sukkah and Sheheheyanu,

over the cup of Kiddush

over the cup of Kiddush.

The Sages taught: If several mitzvot were before him, he says: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us concerning the mitzvot.

Rabbi Yehuda says: He recites a blessing over each one individually.

Rabbi Zeira said, and some say Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Yehuda.

And Rabbi Zeira said, and some say Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa: What is the reason of Rabbi Yehuda?

He derives it from

as it is written [Psalms 68]: "

Psalms 68]: "

Blessed is the Lord day by day."

Does one bless Him during the day, but not bless Him at night?

Rather, the verse comes

to

tell you: Every day and every day—

give Him

blessings

appropriate to His blessings.

On Shabbat, one should recite the blessings of Shabbat; on a Festival, the blessings of the Festival, mentioning within them the essence of the Festival event; and on a weekday, the weekday blessings.

Here too, with regard to every individual matter

of mitzva—

give it blessings appropriate to its blessings.

And Rabbi Zeira said, and some say Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa: Come and see that the measure of the Holy One, blessed be He, is unlike the measure of flesh and blood.