Sukkah 034

1:
Our mishnah serves as a kind of general introduction to everything that follows in this chapter and the next until the end of the tractate. It lists seven mitzvot or rites that were performed when the Bet Mikdash was still functioning. Four of them are still performed and another one is performed today in a slightly different manner.

2:
We shall, of course, explain each of these items in detail in the following mishnahs. At this stage let us just give a brief summary of each one that is mentioned in our present mishnah.

3:
The Lulav represents all four of the species (Lulav, Etrog, Myrtle and Willow) and in the previous chapter we described how the mitzvah of lulav is fulfilled. Our present mishnah tells us that the mitzvah of the four species could be performed on six or seven of the eight days of the festival of Sukkot.

:
The Willow in our mishnah refers to a rite that was held in the Bet Mikdash on most days of the festival of Sukkot. This rite involved decorating the altar with willow branches and walking round the altar calling out "Hosanna". This rite, too, could be performed on six or seven of the eight days of the festival of Sukkot.

5:
Hallel too we described in the previous chapter. Our mishnah tells us that Hallel is to be recited on all eight days of the festival.

6:
It is sometimes forgotten that there is a specific mitzvah of rejoicing and merry-making during the festival of Sukkot. We mentioned this in the very first shiur of this tractate [Sukkah 001, explanation 4]. The mitzvah of merry-making applies to all eight days of the festival.

7:
One of the main mitzvot of the festival is, of course, residing in a sukkah. Because the festival of Shemini Atzeret follows on immediately after the festival of Sukkot it is easy to think of that day as part of the festival of Sukkot and not a separate festival altogether. Indeed, the chapter we are now studying refers to the eight days of the festival of Sukkot, including the days of Shemini Atzeret. However, the mitzvah of residing in the sukkah applies only to the seven days of the festival of Sukkot, as our present mishnah points out. We do not reside in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret.

8:
The Water Libation was a special ceremony that was held in the main courts of the Bet Mikdash. When we reach the last two mishnahs of this chapter we shall describe this ceremony in detail. This ceremony too applied only to the festival of Sukkot and not to Shemini Atzeret.

9:
The Flute refers to the more secular rejoicing that took place in the Bet Mikdash during Ḥol Ha-Mo'ed Sukkot: the ceremonies of Simḥat Bet Ha-Sho'evah. We shall explain this ceremony in detail when we reach Chapter 5. This ceremony could only take place on days that were neither Shabbat nor YomTov; in other words on only five or six of the eight days: not on the first day or the eighth day, which are YomTov and not on Shabbat Ḥol Ha-Mo'ed if there is one.

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