(מ) וּלְקַחְתֶּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן פְּרִ֨י עֵ֤ץ הָדָר֙ כַּפֹּ֣ת תְּמָרִ֔ים וַעֲנַ֥ף עֵץ־עָבֹ֖ת וְעַרְבֵי־נָ֑חַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵ֛י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֖ם שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃
(40) On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
From Paula Fredriksen, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews
What is the single biggest difference between the religious sensibility of people in the modern West and our cultural ancestors of twenty centuries ago? When I put this question to my students, they invariably name distinctions of religious ideas: ancient people worshiped many gods, but we are monotheists; ancient people saw demons or astral influences as causing disease, but thanks to scientific medicine, we battle the virus, the bacterium, the errant blood cell; ancient people followed the courses of heaven, the stars and the planets, to understand the world and their place in it, whereas we look to terrestrial realities—society, economics, politic; to analyze ours.
These answers have their virtues—though I have too often encountered fellow moderns who cast star charts or dodge demons to be entirely convinced. But I do not think that the biggest difference lies in the realm of religious ideas. Ancient Jews were monotheists but also fretted about planets and demons; for that matter, certain pagan philosophies had their own forms of monotheism. What has changed, altered utterly, is religious behavior. Worship in antiquity involved blood sacrifices. Universally, the worship of a deity—virtually any deity—involved the slaughter of animals and the ritual redistribution of their bodies: some parts burned on the altar to the divinity, some parts eaten by the priests, other parts distributed to the worshipers.
מבוסס על כ״י קופמן
(ד) מִצְוַת לוּלָב כֵּיצַד. כל העם מוֹלִיכִין אֶת לוּלְבֵיהֶן לְהַר הַבַּיִת, וְהַחַזָּנִין מְקַבְּלִין מֵהֶן וְסוֹדְרִין אוֹתָן עַל גַּב הָאִצְטַבָּא, וְהַזְּקֵנִים מַנִּיחִין אֶת שֶׁלָּהֶן בַּלִּשְׁכָּה. וּמְלַמְּדִים אוֹתָם לוֹמַר, כָּל מִי שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ לוּלָבִי בְיָדוֹ, הֲרֵי הוּא לוֹ בְמַתָּנָה. לְמָחָר מַשְׁכִּימִין וּבָאִין, וְהַחַזָּנִין זוֹרְקִין אוֹתָם לִפְנֵיהֶם. וְהֵן מְחַטְּפִין וּמַכִּין אִישׁ אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ. וּכְשֶׁרָאוּ בֵית דִּין שֶׁבָּאוּ לִידֵי סַכָּנָה, הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהֵא כָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד נוֹטֵל בְּבֵיתוֹ:
Based on Kaufman manuscript
(4) How is the mitzvah to take the lulav [done]? They would walk their lulavim to the Temple Mount, and the officers would receive [the lulavim] from them and arrange them on top of the colonnade, and the elders would place theirs in the chamber. And they would instruct them [the people] to say, "Anyone whom my lulav comes into his possession, it is thereby his as a gift." The following day they would arise and come, and the officers would throw them [the lulavim] before them, and they would grab them, and people would hurt their fellows [in the scramble]. And when the Beit Din saw that they would come to dangerous circumstances, they established that each person should perform [the mitzvah of] the taking [of the lulav] in his own house.
(ה) מִצְוַת עֲרָבָה כֵּיצַד, מָקוֹם הָיָה לְמַטָּה מִירוּשָׁלַיִם, וְנִקְרָא מוֹצָא. יוֹרְדִין לְשָׁם וּמְלַקְּטִין מִשָּׁם מֻרְבִּיּוֹת שֶׁל עֲרָבָה, וּבָאִין וְזוֹקְפִין4 אוֹתָן בְּצִדֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וְרָאשֵׁיהֶן כְּפוּפִין עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ. תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקָעוּ.
בְּכָל יוֹם מַקִּיפִין אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ פַּעַם אַחַת, וְאוֹמְרִים, אָנָּא ה' הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא, אָנָּא ה' הַצְלִיחָה נָּא. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אֲנִי וָהוֹ הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא. וְאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם מַקִּיפִין אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים.
בִּשְׁעַת פְּטִירָתָן, מָה הֵן אוֹמְרִים, יֹפִי לְךָ מִזְבֵּחַ, יֹפִי לְךָ מִזְבֵּחַ. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, לְיָהּ וּלְךָ, מִזְבֵּחַ. לְיָהּ וּלְךָ, מִזְבֵּחַ:
כְּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ בְחֹל כָּךְ מַעֲשֵׂהוּ בְשַׁבָּת, אֶלָּא שֶׁהָיוּ מְלַקְּטִין אוֹתָן מֵעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וּמַנִּיחִים אוֹתָן בְּגִיגִיּוֹת שֶׁל זָהָב, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִכְמֹשׁוּ.
רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן בְּרוֹקָה5 אוֹמֵר, חֲרִיּוֹת שֶׁל דֶּקֶל הָיוּ מְבִיאִין, וְחוֹבְטִין אוֹתָן בַּקַּרְקַע בְּצִדֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וְאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם נִקְרָא יוֹם חִבּוּט חֲרִיּוֹת:
מִיַּד הַתִּינוֹקוֹת שׁוֹמְטִין אֶת לוּלְבֵיהֶן וְאוֹכְלִין אֶתְרוֹגֵיהֶן:
(5) How is the mitzvah of the willow [branches] done? There was a place below Jerusalem, and it is called Motzah. They would descend to there and gather from there large willow branches, and they would come and stand them upright on the sides of the altar, with their tips inclining over the alter. They would blow a tekiyah [a steady blast], and a teruah [a broken blast], and a tekiyah.
Every day they would circle the altar one time and say, "We beseech you Hashem, redeem us, please; we beesech you Hashem, bring prosperity, please." Rabbi Yehudah says: [they would say,] "Ani vaho, bring redemption, please." [The literal meaning of this latter phrase, which perhaps contains hidden numerical meanings or names of Hashem, is unclear.]
And on that particular day [i.e. the seventh days of willow ritual], they would circle the altar seven times.
At the hour of their departure, what did they say? "Beauty for you, O altar! Beauty for you, O altar!" Rabbi Eliezer says: [they would say,] "For Hashem and for you, O altar! For Hashem and for you, O altar."
As was done for it [for the willow ritual] on the weekdays, likewise was done for it on Shabbat, except that they would gathered them [the willow branches] on the eve of Shabbat, and would place them into golden casks [filled with water], so that they would not wither.
Rabbi Yochanan ben Beroka says: They would bring branches of palms, and beat them on the ground at the sides of the altar. And that particular day was called The Day of the Beating of the Branches.
Immediately [following this], the children would steal their lulavim and they would eat their citrons.
(א) לולב דוחה את השבת בתחלתו וערבה בסופו.
[מעשה וכבשו עליה בייתוסין אבנים גדולים מערב שבת הכירו בהם עמי הארץ ובאו וגררום והוציאום מתחת אבנים בשבת] לפי שאין בייתוסין מודים שחבוט1 ערבה דוחה שבת.
(1) The lulav overrides the Sabbath in the beginning of its duty, and the willow in the end of its duty. There is a story that some Boethusians once hid the willows under some great stones on the Sabbath eve; but when this had become known to the common people they came and dragged them out from under the stones on the Sabbath, for the Boethusians do not acknowledge that the beating of the willow suspends the Sabbath.
Benovitz's comments and reconstructions of this Mishnah
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שחזור המשנה המקורית |
משנת רבי |
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מקום היה למטה מירושלם ונקרא מוצא יורדין לשם ומלקטין משם מרביות של ערבה ובאין וזוקפין אותן בצדי המזבח. ובשביעי חובטין אותן על גבי המזבח2. תקעו והריעו ותקעו3. מיד התינוקות שומטין את לולביהן ואוכלין אתרוגיהן: בכל יום מקיפין את המזבח פעם אחת ואומרים אנא ה' הושיעה נא אנא ה' הצליחה נא רבי יהודה אומר אני והו הושיעה נא ואותו היום מקיפין את המזבח שבעה פעמים כמעשהו בחול כך מעשהו בשבת אלא שהיו מלקטין אותן מערב שבת ומניחים אותן בגיגיות של זהב כדי שלא יכמשו. ר' יוחנן בן ברוקה אומר חריות של דקל היו מביאין וחובטין אותן בקרקע בצדי המזבח ואותו היום נקרא יום חבוט חריות: |
מקום היה למטה מירושלם ונקרא מוצא יורדין לשם ומלקטין משם מרביות של ערבה ובאין וזוקפין אותן בצדי המזבח וראשיהן כפופין על גבי המזבח. תקעו והריעו ותקעו. בכל יום מקיפין את המזבח פעם אחת ואומרים אנא ה' הושיעה נא אנא ה' הצליחה נא רבי יהודה אומר אני והו הושיעה נא ואותו היום מקיפין את המזבח שבעה פעמים. כמעשהו בחול כך מעשהו בשבת אלא שהיו מלקטין אותן מערב שבת ומניחים אותן בגיגיות של זהב כדי שלא יכמשו. ר' יוחנן בן ברוקה אומר חריות של דקל היו מביאין וחובטין אותן בקרקע בצדי המזבח ואותו היום נקרא יום חבוט חריות: מיד התינוקות שומטין את לולביהן ואוכלין אתרוגיהן: |
1In the Tanakh "חיבוט" means to strike with a stick until the leaves fall off. This is what the "amei ha'aretz" did such that the Boethusians objected. Like eating the etrogim, it was a sign that the mitzvah had been completed.
2Benovitz believes that this line was part of the original source that was in front of Rabbi. There is no evidence to support this. The best support is that in the Mishnah the words "אותו היום" don't seem to refer to anything—the seventh day was never mentioned. Whereas in Benovitz's reconstruction, the seventh day was mentioned.
3Originally, according to Benovitz, these tekiot were a sign to the people that the mitzvah of the lulav and aravah were completed and that they could bang the aravot, release the lulavim and eat their etrogim.
4This sentence is (according to Benovitz) Rebbi's revision of the original line. Rebbi opposed banging the aravot down on the ground on Shabbat (see next note) and also felt that it was not appropriate religious behavior. Therefore he interpreted חיבוט to mean "bend" a meaning that it does have in rabbinic literature. This line then referred to every day of Sukkot—every day they would lean the aravot over the altar, with the heads bent onto the altar. This meant that the line about the children and the lulavim had to be moved to the end of the mishnah.
5R. Yohanan b. Beroka shares the Boethusians (see Tosefta) opposition to the custom of banging the aravot down as being a transgression of Shabbat. But he replaces the aravot with palm branches, theoretically because when one bangs palm branches the leaves won't fall off.
Jubilees 16:30-31
16:29 For this reason it has been ordained on the heavenly tablets regarding Israel that they should celebrate the festival of tabernacles joyfully for seven days during the seventh month which is acceptable in the Lord's presence — a law which is eternal throughout their history in each and every year. 16:30 This has no temporal limit because it is ordained forever regarding Israel that they should celebrate it, live in tents, place wreaths on their heads, and take leafy branches and willow branches from the stream. 16:31 So Abraham took palm branches and the fruit of good trees, and each and every day he would go around the altar with the branches — seven times per day. In the morning he would give praise and joyfully offer humble thanks to his God for everything.
וַעֲרָבָה זוֹ הוֹאִיל וְאֵינָהּ בְּפֵרוּשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה אֵין נוֹטְלִין אוֹתָהּ כָּל שִׁבְעַת יְמֵי הֶחָג זֵכֶר לַמִּקְדָּשׁ אֶלָּא בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי בִּלְבַד הוּא שֶׁנּוֹטְלִין אוֹתָהּ בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה. כֵּיצַד עוֹשֶׂה. לוֹקֵחַ בַּד אֶחָד אוֹ בַּדִּין הַרְבֵּה חוּץ מֵעֲרָבָה שֶׁבַּלּוּלָב וְחוֹבֵט בָּהּ עַל הַקַּרְקַע אוֹ עַל הַכְּלִי פַּעֲמַיִם אוֹ שָׁלֹשׁ בְּלֹא בְּרָכָה שֶׁדָּבָר זֶה מִנְהַג נְבִיאִים הוּא:
This aravah, since it is not found explicitly in the Torah, we do not take it all seven days of the festival as a reminder of the Temple, rather on the seventh day only is when we take it in our times. And how is it performed? He takes one bunch or many bunches, not the aravah in the lulav, and he strikes it on the ground or on a vessel two or three times without a berakhah for this is a custom of the prophets.
רש"י מסכת סוכה דף מד עמוד ב
חביט חביט - לשון ניענוע.
Rashi on Sukkah 44b
"habit, habit"--this refers to shaking