Pisqa’ 1401
1
“A Feast of Huts shall you celebrate for yourself, seven days” (Dt.16:13)—
for yourself suggests that
the celebration serves ordinary mortals.
On what basis do we know that
it also serves the Supernal One?
The Teaching states [elsewhere]:
“A Feast of Huts, seven days for HASHEM” (Lv.23:34).
If so, why is it stated here:
“For yourself” (Dt.16:13)?
Any time you build a Festival-hut
for yourself,
I consider it as if you are building it
for the Supernal One.2
“Celebrate for yourself” (Dt.16:13)—
this excludes re-building an old Festival-hut.
On this basis you teach:
If he dangled over the roof of his Festival-hut
a grape-vine, or a gourd vine, or ivy,
and he laid [suitable] thatching over them—
the Festival-hut is disqualified .3
2
R. Eliezer says:
Just as a person does not meet his obligation
on the first Feast-day of the Feast
by [waving] his companion’s Palm-frond,
so, too, a person does not meet his obligation
on the first Feast-day of the Feast
by [dwelling in] his companion’s Festival-hut,
for it is said:
“For yourself” (Dt.16:13).
But sages say:
By [waving] his companion’s Palm-frond
he does not meet his obligation,
for it is said:
“And you shall take for yourselves on the first day . . . palm fronds” (Lv.23:40)—
each and every one must have his own.
But he does meet his obligation
by [dwelling in] his companion’s Festival-hut,
for it is said:
“All native-born Israelites shall dwell in Festival-huts” (Lv.23:42)—
all Israel can dwell in [and share ownership of]
a single Festival-hut.
3
R. Shimon says:
Passover and the Feast,
which do not fall in seasons of field-work—
He made this one [Passover] for seven days [in early spring],
and that one [the Feast] for eight days
[at the onset of the first autumn rains].
Yet the Closure-festival [of late spring],
which does fall in a season of field-work,
lasts only a single day!
This teaches that
Scripture spares Israel financial hardship4
[due to the Pilgrimage Festivals].
4
“When you gather in from your threshing floor and from your wine-press” (Dt.16:13).
Seeing that [the produce of]
the threshing floor and the wine-press are distinctive,
in that the growth [of grain and grapes] depends upon
the previous season’s water-supply,
[the verse] excludes [mention of]
any in-gathering of green vegetables,
since their growth does not depend upon
the previous season’s water-supply:
words of R. Yose the Galilean.
R. Akiva says:
Seeing that [the produce of]
the threshing floor and the wine-press are distinctive
in that they do not thrive on just any year’s water—
and, therefore, may be tithed with last year’s [grain and wine]—
[this would] exclude [mention of]
any in-gathering of green vegetables,
since they do thrive on just any year’s water.
Therefore they may be tithed with next year’s [greens].5