POINT BY POINT SUMMARY
by Rabbi Ephraim Becker
Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Yerushalayim
Rosh Kollel: Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld
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Sukah 53
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SUKA 36-56 (End of Maseches) have been dedicated by the wife and daughters
of the late Dr. Simcha Bekelnitzky (Simcha Gedalya ben Shraga Feibush) of
Queens N.Y. Well known in the community for his Chesed and Tzedakah, he will
long be remembered.
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1) THE SIMCHAS BEIS HASHOEVAH
(a) Women could sift wheat by its light.
(b) The sages who had not tasted sin gave thanks for their
youth which did not embarrass their old age, and those
who had done Teshuvah would give thanks for that.
(c) Both groups proclaimed the blessings of he who had not
sinned, calling upon the sinner to then do Teshuvah.
(d) Hillel proclaimed in his joy, in HaShem's name, Im Ani
Kan...
2) OTHER AGADIC TEACHINGS
(a) Hillel also proclaimed, l'Makom She'ani Ohev...
1. Question: What is the place which HaShem loves?
2. Answer: If you will come to My house (Beis
HaMikdash) I will come to yours (proof text).
(b) Hillel saw the skull and proclaimed...
(c) (R. Yochanan) A person's own feet deliver him to the
place he is to die, as demonstrated in the incident of
the two Soferim whom Shlomo HaMelech tried to save.
3) BEIS HASHOEVAH (resumed)
(a) R. Shimon b. Gamliel would juggle eight torches.
(b) He alone was able to do Kidah (bowing on his thumbs,
kissing the ground then stand up).
1. Levi did Kidah before Rebbi and became lame.
2. Question: But R. Elazar taught a different reason
for Levi's becoming lame!?
3. Answer: Both factors contributed.
(c) Levi performed before Rebbi by juggling eight knives.
(d) Shmuel performed before the Persian king with eight
cups of wine.
(e) Abaye juggled before Rabah with eight eggs (some say,
four).
(f) (R. Yehoshua b. Chananyah, a Levi) We did not sleep
during the Simchas Beis HaShoevah (and he enumerated
the activities of the Levi'im) 24 hours a day.
(g) Question: But from Hilchos Nedarim we see that one
cannot go three days without sleep.
(h) Answer: Rather, we did not taste sleep because we only
dozed on one another's shoulder.
4) 15 STEPS
(a) Question (R. Chisda to the Amora of Agadeta before
him): What is the source for Dovid HaMelech's 15 Shir
HaMa'alos?
(b) Answer (Amora citing R. Yochanan): It was in order to
bring Mei Tehom back up 15,000 Garmidi.
1. Dovid HaMelech dug the Shitin.
2. The depth waters surged up and threatened to flood
with world.
3. Question: Then they should not be called Ma'alos!?
4. Answer: The waters went too low, as described.
5. Dovid did not decide regarding the permissibility
of erasing HaShem's name to stop the flood,
deferring to Achitofel.
53b---------------------------------------53b
6. Achitofel permitted it based on a Kal VaChomer.
7. The waters went down too far, and Dovid HaMelech
elevated them with his Shirim to a depth of 1000
Garmidi.
(c) (Ula) This implies that the groundwater is at that
depth.
(d) Question: But we find water at much less depth!?
(e) Answer: That water comes from Sulma d'Fras.
5) THE KOHANIM COMING DOWN TO THE TENTH STEP
(a) Question (R. Yirmiyah): Did they come down ten steps,
to the fifth, or five steps to the tenth?
(b) Answer: Teiku.
6) THEY TURNED THEIR BACKS ON HASHEM
(a) Question: If they faced eastward, is it not obvious
that their backs were to the Heichal?
(b) Answer: They would defecate in affront to HaShem.
7) ANU L'KAH UL'KAH EINEINU
(a) Question: But R. Zeira taught that such repetition is
forbidden (like Modim Modim)!?
(b) Answer: [They bowed to the East while] we bow to
HaShem, and our eyes turn to HaShem.
8) MISHNAH: THE TEKIYOS
(a) There are not fewer than 21 Tekiyos in the Mikdash and,
on some days, it can be as many as 48, as enumerated.
9) R. YEHUDAH AND RABANAN ON TEKIYOS AND TERU'OS
(a) Our Mishnah seems to not follow R. Yehudah who taught
that the minimum Tekiyos is seven.
(b) Question: What is their Machlokes?
(c) Answer: R. Yehudah sees a set of Tekiah-Teruah-Tekiah
as one Mitzvah, while Rabanan see each sound
separately.
(d) R. Yehudah's rationale is the Pasuk Us'katem Teruah.
(e) Rabanan understand that Pasuk as obligating every
Teruah to have a Tekiah before and after it.
(f) Rabanan's rationale is the Pasuk which speaks of
blowing Tekiah and not Teruah (when gathering the
People) thus demonstrating that Tekiah and Teruah are
separate Mitzvos.
(g) R. Yehudah counters saying that such Tekios are calling
the People, but not as a Mitzvah.
(h) Rabanan counter that this 'calling' is rendered a
Mitzvah by the Pasuk!
(i) Question: Then whom does the teaching of R. Kehana that
there must be nothing but the briefest interruption
(v'Lo Klum) between Tekiah and Teruah follow?
(j) Answer: R. Yehudah.
(k) Question: But that is too obvious!?
(l) Answer: Without R. Kehana we might have misinterpreted
the Rabanan as allowing (as per the view of R.
Yochanan) long separations between Tekios.
(m) Question: Perhaps that is not an error and R. Kehana is
teaching his Din even according to Rabanan!?
(n) Answer: The words v'Lo Klum preclude even the brief
interruption allowable according to Rabanan.
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