Sukkah 50a (נ.) — the Talmud in English

And

therefore,

if they bring it

if they bring it into the water

in a

barrel

sanctified,

the water would become sanctified with sanctity of the body, just as the sacrificial fats of an offering become sanctified with sanctity of the body when they are placed in a service vessel. And once they have sanctity of the body

they would be disqualified by overnight lodging

when the night of Shabbat passes over them.

And on the morning of Shabbat, when the water must be poured, it will be unfit for pouring because of the disqualification of linah.

Hezekiah said:

The first ruling—that there is no prescribed measure for the water—is indeed demonstrated by our Mishna. For if there were a prescribed measure for the water, it would be possible to fill a sanctified barrel with more than three log, and the water would not become sanctified and would consequently not be disqualified by overnight lodging.

But the second ruling—that service vessels sanctify even without awareness—cannot be demonstrated from our Mishna.

For it is possible to say that

service vessels sanctify only with awareness.

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

And

the reason they did not draw the water in a sanctified barrel was

due to a decree, lest

people err and

say

that these waters in the barrel

were sanctified intentionally.

And when they see them being poured on the altar, they will come to stumble, thinking that the disqualification of overnight lodging does not apply to libations.

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

a pitfall would nevertheless result if they filled a barrel with water, even if they filled it with more than the amount required for the libation.

And the decree—

lest they say

those who see the barrel being filled with water:

For

the

washing of the hands and feet

of the kohanim, they

filled

the water into the barrel.

And since there is no prescribed measure for the water used for the washing of the hands and feet, the vessel is suitable for it and sanctifies it. And when they later see that water from this barrel is being poured on the altar, they will err and say that the disqualification of overnight lodging does not apply to libations. [

And they would not know that they filled it for libations, and that the water did not become sanctified because it exceeded the prescribed measure.]

We learned in the Mishna:

If the barrel was spilled or uncovered,

the water is disqualified for pouring.

And we raised a question concerning it:

Why

is the water disqualified when the barrel was uncovered?

But the entire concern is that perhaps a snake drank from the water and regurgitated its venom into it, in which case the three log do not contain the required measure of water, since snake venom is also mixed into them.

If so,

let them pass it—

pass the water

through a strainer—

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

Let us say that our Mishna is not in accordance with Rabbi Nehemiah,

who says that there is no concern about snake venom in a filtered liquid.

As it was taught:

A vessel over which there is a

strainer,

and the wine is placed in the strainer and filters down into the vessel

is subject to

the concern of

exposure,

with regard to the wine found in the vessel, since perhaps it now contains snake venom, as the liquid in the vessel was left exposed without anyone watching it.

Rabbi Nehemiah said: When

is there concern for snake venom?

When

the

lower vessel is exposed.

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

it is not subject to 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, in which case it would pass through the strainer into the vessel beneath it.

And we answer:

Even if you say

that our Mishna is also in accordance with

Rabbi Nehemiah,

for

I grant that Rabbi Nehemiah said

that there is no prohibition against drinking the filtered liquid on account of exposure when it is intended

for a commoner.

But

to bring a liquid that had venom mixed into it, even though it was filtered,

for the Most High—

who says so!?

And

since

Rabbi Nehemiah does not hold of

the disqualification stated in the verse [Malachi 1] "

Offer it now to your governor; will he be pleased with you, or will he show you favor? said the Lord of Hosts!",

from which we learn that one may not bring to the Most High something that one would not consider appropriate to bring to an honored person? A liquid filtered of venom would not be brought to an honored person, and all the more so not to the Most High.

We have completed the chapter “Lulav and Willow.”

Mishna:

The flute

was sometimes played

for five

days during the festival of Sukkot,

and

sometimes

for six

days.

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

since the playing for which it was played was not part of the Temple service, but rather was for the joy of the Water-Drawing Celebration, which is not song accompanying the offering.

Therefore, if the first day of the Festival fell on a weekday, the flute was played for only five days, since it was not played either on the Festival or on Shabbat, the intermediate day of the festival.

And if the Festival fell on Shabbat, it was played for six days.