Sukkah 50a — the Talmud in English

And

therefore,

if he brings

if they bring them to the water

in

a

sanctified

barrel, the water will become sanctified with bodily sanctity, just as the sacrificial portions become sanctified with bodily sanctity when they are placed in a service vessel. And once they are sanctified with bodily sanctity,

they are invalidated by overnight lodging,

when the night of

Shabbat passes over them. And on the morning of the day of

Hezekiah said:

the first ruling, that there is no measure for the water, is indeed proved from our Mishna. For if there were a measure for the water, it would be possible to fill it in a sanctified barrel, with an amount greater than three log, and the water would not become sanctified and consequently would not be invalidated by overnight lodging.

But the second ruling, that service vessels sanctify without awareness, cannot be proved from our Mishna.

For it is possible to say that

service vessels sanctify only with awareness.

And indeed the water does not become sanctified, since he does not intend to sanctify it, and consequently it is not invalidated by overnight lodging.

And

the fact that they did not draw the water in a sanctified barrel was because of

a decree, lest

people err and

say

that this water in the barrel

became sanctified with awareness.

And when they see that it is poured on the altar, they will come to stumbling, thinking that the disqualification of overnight lodging does not apply to libations.

Rabbi Yannai said that Rabbi Zeira said: Even if you say that there is a measure for the water, and service vessels sanctify only with awareness,

there will be stumbling if they fill a barrel of water, even if they fill it with an amount greater than the amount required for the libation.

And a decree—

lest they say

those who see the filling of the barrel with water:

for

the purpose of

the sanctification of the hands and feet

of the priests,

he filled

the water into the barrel.

And since there is no measure for the water of the sanctification of the hands and feet, the vessel is suitable for it, and sanctifies it. And when they later see that they pour from this water in the barrel upon the altar, they will err and say that there is no disqualification of overnight lodging with libations.

And they will not know that they filled it for the purpose of libations, and that the water does not become sanctified, since it is more than the measure.

We learned in the Mishna:

If it was spilled or uncovered,

the water is disqualified from being poured as a libation.

And we raised a difficulty concerning it:

But why

is the water disqualified when the barrel was uncovered?

After all, the entire concern is lest a snake drank from the water and vomited its venom into it, and it turns out that among the three log there is not water in the required measure, since snake venom is also mixed into it.

And if so,

let them pass it through

they should pass the water

through a strainer,

and if there is snake venom in it, the venom will be strained out, and there will be a full measure of water!?

Shall we say that our Mishna is not in accordance with Rabbi Nehemiah,

who says that there is no concern about snake venom in a strained liquid?

As it was taught:

A vessel that has above it a

strainer,

and the wine is placed in the strainer and is strained into the vessel

has the status of

a concern of

exposure,

with regard to the wine found in the vessel, since perhaps there is now snake venom in it, because he left the liquid in the vessel uncovered, without guarding it.

Rabbi Nehemiah said: When

is there concern for snake venom?

When

the

lower vessel is uncovered.

But when the lower vessel is covered, even though the upper one is uncovered—

it does not have the status of exposure.

Because snake venom resembles a sponge: it floats and remains in its place,

and therefore it does not pass through the strainer. But the Sages were concerned that the venom might become mixed with the water, and then it passes through the strainer into the vessel beneath it.

And we answered:

Even if you say

that our Mishna is also according to

Rabbi Nehemiah,

it is so. For

I would say that Rabbi Nehemiah said

that there is no prohibition against drinking the strained liquid on account of exposure, for drinking by

an ordinary person.

But

with regard to bringing a liquid in which venom was mixed, despite the fact that it was strained,

for the Most High—

who says so!?

And

for

if Rabbi Nehemiah does not have

does Rabbi Nehemiah not hold the disqualification stated in Scripture [Malachi 1]:

“Bring it, please, to your governor; will he be pleased with you, or will he show you favor? said the Lord of Hosts!”

From here we learn that one may not bring for the Most High something that one would not find suitable to bring to an honored person! And a liquid strained from venom would not be brought to an honored person, and all the more so not for the Most High.

We have completed [the study of] you, chapter “The Lulav and the Willow.”

Mishna:

The flute

is sometimes played

five

days during the festival of Sukkot,

and

sometimes

six

days.

And this is the flute of the Water-Drawing Celebration, which does not override either Shabbat or a Festival day,

since the playing in which it is played is not part of the Temple service, but rather is for the joy of the Water-Drawing Celebration, which is not song over the sacrifice.

Therefore, if the first Festival day falls on a weekday, it is played only five days, because it is not played on a Festival day or on Shabbat of the intermediate days of the festival.

And if the Festival day falls on Shabbat, it is played six days.