Sukkah 14: Challenging the Divine with a Pitchfork

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Rebbi Elazar says that the reason why the prayer of a Tzadik ("Atirah," as by Yitzchok Avinu in Bereishis 25:21) is compared to a pitchfork ("Atar") is to teach that just as a pitchfork is used to turn over bushels of grain and move them from place to place, the prayer of a Tzadik "turns over" the attributes of Hash-m from the attribute of strict justice to the attribute of kindness. (Although the word "Atar" is an Aramaic word that does not appear in Tanach, the root of "Atar" is found in Tanach to connote turning over or reversing).

Usually, when the Talmud describes God’s attribute of anger, it refers to midat ha-din, whose connotation is that God demands justice – the letter of the law – rather than offering compassion. The commentaries note the use of the term ahzariyut in our Gemara, which is unusual, as it implies a level of cruelty and mercilessness that goes well beyond justice.

The Midrash explains the word vaye’atar as related to the word chater—to dig. This model of prayer was used by Menashe, one of the most wicked Jewish kings, when he prayed to Hashem to save his life as he was placed in a metal box with a fire lit underneath. (Divrei Hayamim II 33:13). As he was roasting inside, he called out to every avodah zarah (idol) in the world with no response. So, he prayed to Hashem and entreated in a vaye’atar fashion. The angels felt it would be disgraceful for Hashem to answer the prayers of the wicked Menashe, so they blocked all the paths in which tefillos travel to reach Hashem. Still, Hashem wanted to answer his prayers, so He figuratively dug a tunnel under His throne to allow the prayer of Menashe to ascend. The Almighty wanted to show us the awesome power of prayer.

We explore with Rav Itamar Eldad the approaches to prayer of the Degel and the Noam Elimelech as well as Rebbe Nachman and Rav Kook....in teasing out the difference between 'siach" and "Atar".

Sukkah 13: An Unexpected Guest, Marsh Maror!

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The Mishnah (12a) taught that not all types of natural growth can be used as sechach for the sukkah. Straw or branches that are tied into bundles are examples of growth that cannot be used unless they are untied.

The Gemara on our daf quotes a baraita which says that thorny plants can be used for sechach, even though they grow twisted together and might appear to be bundles. As we will see, growing as a bundle will not be an impediment for use as sechach, although there might be other problems with such plants.

Calamintha belonging to the family Lamiaceae, is native to the northern temperate regions of Europe, Asia and America. It thrives in the Middle East including in Israel, where it favors the Galilee, the Judean Wilderness, as well as the mountains of Judea and Samaria. In the Talmudic discussion about the plants that qualify for bitter herbs on the Seder night, ethno-botanist and folklore researcher, Nissim Krispil identified Calamintha as one of the bitter herbs in debate.

Which brings us to exploring a deeper connection between the topic of our masechta, the properties of the s'chach and the sudden intrusion of marsh maror into the discussion.

Can we see something in common between these 2 ritual objects as far apart in the Jewish calendar as possible?

Sukkah 12: ״תעשה״,ולא מן העשוי

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A sukkah fashioned by hollowing out an existing haystack is invalid. This disqualification is known as “taaseh velo min haasui,” which means you must create a valid sukkah and not fix an invalid one. This principle is derived from the verse “[Chag] hasukkot taaseh lecha” – “[the festival of] Sukkot you shall make for yourself.”

The principle of taaseh velo min haasui is derived from the fact that the word “sukkot” precedes the word “make.”

The Modzhitzer Rebbe, zt”l, writes that Chazal’s statement that one who learns a lot of Torah should not feel self-satisfied is also expressed in our gemara. “Make it, and do not use that which is already made.” תעשה—always consider yourself to be just beginning to serve Hashem. Nothing has been done, everything is yet to be accomplished. העשוי מן ולא—do not rest on your laurels and rely on that which you have already achieved.

Sukkah 11: Clouds of Glory

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The Gemara cites a dispute between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Elazar regarding the explanation of the verse that states so that your generations will know that I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in Sukkos when I took them from the land of Egypt.

Which Sukkos is the Torah referring to? Rabbi Akiva maintains that the verse refers to the booths that Hashem made for the Jewish People when they were sojourning in the Wilderness. Rabbi Elazar, however, maintains that the verse refers to Clouds of Glory return. Nonetheless, the Clouds of the Clouds of Glory that encompassed the Jewish People in the Wilderness.

It is noteworthy that Rashi in his commentary on Chumash and in his commentary earlier on Daf 2 only quotes the opinion of Rabbi Elazar who maintains that the festival of Sukkos is to commemorate the Clouds of Glory.

The Gemara in Ta’anis 9a states that HaShem performed three miracles for the Jewish People in the Wilderness. Hashem provided the Jewish People with a traveling well of water that was in the merit of Miriam. The Jewish People were further provided with manna that fell from heaven and sustained them and the manna was in the merit of Moshe.

Sukkah 10: (Noy Succah)

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Decorations are discussed at some length. The rabbis are careful to specify whether or not hangning decorations will change the area of the sukka.

It was stated: The decorations of a Sukkah do not diminish the height of the Sukkah. Rav Ashi said: But at the side, they do diminish (the width of a Sukkah).

There is a debate in the Gemara regarding a sheet that was hung for decorative purposes at a distance of more than four tefachim away from the s’chach. Rav Nachman rules that the Sukkah is valid because the sheet is subordinate to the s’chach. Rav Chisda and Rabbah bar Rav Huna maintain that the Sukkah is invalid because the decorations are considered independent of the s’chach above it.

The Shelah writes that hanging ornaments in the Sukkah reflects our endearment for the mitzvah of Sukkah. Thus, the more one enhances the beauty of the Sukkah with ornaments, the more praiseworthy he is.

Although there is no formal halachic obligation to decorate the Sukkah, doing so is clearly an ancient custom (decorations are mentioned in early and later writings of Chazal), and it fulfills the precept of “this is my G-d, and I will beautify Him” (Shemos 15:3).

And though our principal focus concerning decorations is that they should adorn the Sukkah as best as possible, we explore halachic issues that Sukkah decorations are liable to raise.

Sukkah 9: Stolen Succah

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Our Daf begins with another Mishna: a sukka built under a tree is like a sukka built in a house: unfit. A sukka built on top of another sukka might be unfit; however, Rabbi Yehuda says that the lower sukka is fit as long as there are no residents in the upper sukka.

Our Daf states furthermore, that the verse which declares that a sukkah must be “yours” comes to teach that the mitzvah cannot be fulfilled if one uses a stolen sukkah

A stolen Sukkah applies not only to thievery but also using the halacha as a weapon….stealing the civic rights of a family to build a succah despite the halachic objections of neighbors above.

We present the landmark 2015 Israeli Supreme Court Case which tests the limits of secular vs halachic power in case involving a succah built above another.

Sukkah 8: The Round Succah

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The sages set minimal dimensions for a sukkah to be considered serviceable.

Thus, for example, according to Rabbi Judah the Nasi the length and width of a square sukkah must be no less than two meters by two meters: “A sukkah which is less than four amot by four amot is invalid.” One of the scholars, R’ Yochanan, said that if the sukkah were round, the minimal size must be in keeping with the minimal size of a square sukkah, so its size was set as such that 24 people could sit within its circumference.

The scholars asked: Why does a round sukkah have to be so big?

The space a person needs to sit is set at a half meter, so the circumference would have to be 12 meters, but for the circumference to match the area of the square, one would have to multiply the length of the square by three, which is the ratio between the diameter and circumference of a circle.

Although we have discussed the maths of the circle in the square in Daf Ditty Eruvin 76 we revisit the issue in regards to the round Succah….

Sukkah 7: The Third Wall

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Partitions... where should they be placed? What is the appropriate shape of a sukka? Should it be rectangular, like an alleyway? If there is the measure of an expansive handbreadth at the end of one wall, in which direction should that partial-wall face? Does it count as a third wall? And what about a doorway; could that count as a third wall?

Our daf discusses a Sukkah that has two complete walls that are perpendicular to each other and the third wall is a tefach, and the question is where the third wall should be placed. Rav maintains that the third wall should be placed adjacent to the end of any of the walls. Rav Kahana and Rav Assi asked Rav: Let him erect the third wall corresponding to the head of a diagonal line?

The fact that the third wall of a sukkah may be comprised of a single tefach is due to a הלכה le Moshe mi’Sinai—a Torah law from Sinai that is not scripturally based, yet traced back to Moshe Rabeinu, passed down through the generations.

We look at the various possibilities and diagrams of such structures which leads us back to the dazzling 2010 NYC competition...

Sukkah 6: Kaleidoscopic Succah

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A minimum of three walls is needed to create a sukkah. Nevertheless we have learned that only two of those walls need to be complete – the third wall can be just a tefach (handbreadth) wide and from a legal perspective it will be viewed as a complete wall.

The Torah uses the word sukkot three times in commanding us to sit in sukkot. While the word is pronounced in the plural, sukkot, twice the word is written in the singular, without the letter vav. Hence, the debate as to whether yeish aim lamikra or yeish aim lamasoret: is the "mother" of all interpretations that which is written, or that which is spoken? If the former, the Gemara asserts, a sukkah would need three and half walls; and if the latter, it would only need two and a half walls.

After an international design contest that drew 78 entries from 14 countries, five winning sukkahs (temporary huts built for the weeklong Jewish holiday Sukkot) have landed in Detroit’s Capitol Park. The competition was part of Sukkah x Detroit, a celebration of Jewish culture, Detroit’s status as a UNESCO City of Design, and the city’s large number of urban farms; the chosen sukkahs make reference to all three.

Sukkah 5: Schechina

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In a midrashic analysis of the source for the minimum acceptable height of a sukkah (ten tefachim), the Gemara looks to the height of the aron – the ark containing the luhot ha-berit (the tablets of the covenant) – which was ten tefachim high. It is clear from the Biblical description that the aron was nine tefahim high; the additional tefah was the height of the kaporet that covered the aron.

The Gemora says that the Divine presence never descended below 10 tefachim, and no person ever ascended above 10 tefachim. The Maharatz Chiyus explains this allegorically to mean that Hashem grants all people free will. Therefore, He does not intervene in their actions in this world, effectively “remaining” in the upper realm. Even when Moshe and Eliyahu ascended, they didn't lose their human identity. Therefore, the angels asked Hashem what a human being was doing among them, and Eliyahu would appear as a person to the Sages.

This leads us to an exploration of the meaning of the term Schechina and how it developed through the kabbalistic and hassidic tradition.

Sukkah 4: Rishon le-Cheshbon Avonot

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We witness the creation and finalization of halachot in our daf. First we learn about raising the floor of a sukka to decrease its height. Next we learn about shade and sagging roofs. Then platforms within the sukka are considered. We look at "curved walls" and at dug out portions of a sukka floor. In most of these cases, the rabbis turn to related case law to determine these halachot. After deciding how/whether that case law should apply to their current question, the rabbis state when a sukka is fit and when it is unfit.

Thinking still, about the Maseches Succah following Yoma….

We are told to fix the succah immediately after Yom Kippur without delay… which leads us to the enigmatic statement: Rishon the lecheshbon avonos

and the sweet Torah of Rav Levi Yitzchak Mi berditchev (Kedushas levi) as to the nature of the transition which we undergo as we proceed from the Yamim Nora’im to Sukkot.

Sukkah 3: Smallest Dimension

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Aside from the discussion in the Mishnah with regard to the height of a sukkah, there is also a need to define the minimum size of a sukkah. The Gemara on our daf presents a discussion between Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai, in which they agree that it must be large enough to fit a person’s head and the majority of his body (rosho ve-rubo), but they disagree on whether there is cause for concern that he will lean out of the sukkah if the table is placed outside. According to Bet Hillel this is not something that we fear will happen; so as long as rosho ve-rubo fit, the sukkah is fine. Bet Shamai rules that this is a concern, so we must make the sukkah large enough to contain the table, as well.

We explore the joys of Succot in LA and Jerusalem through the lens of unlikely writers including the story of the Deller Succah and its miraculous voyage out of Nazi Germany...the Deller sukkah was considered unique already at the beginning of the 20th century, and today, stands out as one of very few known sukkahs to have survived the Holocaust with its paintings intact.

We end with an imaginary spoof on Dr Who!

Sukkah 2: Dimensions

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The Gemara presents four opinions for why a Sukkah taller than 20 Amos is Pasul. There are practical differences between these opinions with regard to whether there are exceptions to the Pesul of a Sukkah taller than 20 Amos, and under what circumstances those exceptions apply.

We explore the dimensions of the succah and the inner dimension of Succah as a metaphor for life per R Simon Jacobson (always true to his Chabad worldview)

and the curious phenomenon of Dutch Christians celebrating Sukkot in a suburb of The Hague called Pijnacker….

Yoma 88: Ne’ilah

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Rav maintains that Ne'ilah is recited at night, and it replaces the Tefilah of Ma'ariv. The Gemara shows that the Tana of a Beraisa disagrees with Rav and says that Ne'ilah is recited before nightfall and does not replace Ma'ariv. The Gemara defends Rav's opinion and says that the time at which Ne'ilah is recited is the subject of a Machlokes Tana'im, and Rav follows the Tana who rules that Ne'ilah is recited at night.

In the context of defining what comprises the special Ne’ilah prayer on Yom Kippur, the Gemara on our daf brings a baraita that discusses people who go to the mikvah to immerse themselves on Yom Kippur.

We explore a number of writers on Ne'ilah and its effect on our spiritual process ending with a smooth transition into Succos and our next tractate.

Yoma 87: Sin and Addiction

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The conclusion of Tractate Yoma this week brought Daf Yomi readers face to face with the heart of Yom Kippur: repentance.

For months now, we have learned about the color of the high priest’s robes and how to sacrifice a goat to Azazel. Most of these matters concern the ordinary Jew not at all, and the overall picture of Yom Kippur that one gets from the Talmud feels very far from the holiday as we experience it today. But now, at the culmination of the whole tractate, the rabbis zero in on the spiritual and ethical questions that concern us most. How exactly does Yom Kippur achieve atonement for our sins?

What steps must we take to show that repentance is sincere?

Rav Chisda teaches that we must apologize in three ways: We say, I have sinned, I perverted what was right, my sin did not profit me", as taken from Job 33:27. Rabbi Yosei bar Chanina agrees with the three part apology, but he suggests, "please, please forgive my transgression, and now please forgive", this idea taken from Genesis 50:17.

“Please, please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you. And now, please forgive”

If we owe money, we must pay that money back. If the wronged person dies before accepting our apology, the apology is repeated at his gravesite with ten people as witnesses.

This leads us to the Difference in Obligation of Bein Adam Le-chavero and Bein Adam La-Makom, an essay by Rav Zimmerman... and an exploration of repentance and forgiveness and the parallels between the 12 step program and penitence.

Yoma 86: Pardons All Around (Except Acher)

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As we approach the end of Masechet Yoma, the Gemara turns to the most essential issue of this holy day – the atonement offered by Yom Kippur itself and the teshuva – repentance – associated with this time of year.

In a series of statements of Amoraim praising the attributes of teshuva, two statements made by Resh Lakish (who was, himself, a famous ba’al teshuva) are presented. In one of them Resh Lakish argues (based on the passage in Hoshea 14:2) that teshuva changes zedonot – sinful acts done on purpose – to shegagot – acts done by accident. In the second statement, (based on Yechezkel 33:19) he teaches that through the good offices of teshuva, zedonot are turned into zekhuyot – positive attributes.

To answer this apparent contradiction, the Gemara distinguishes between teshuva that is done because of love – when zedonot turn into zekhuyot – and when it is done out of fear of punishment – when zedonot become shegagot.

We examine the notion of Atonement and Pardon, and the exceptions, most notably Elisha ben Abuya or Acher and why he was refused pardon.

How does Milton Steinberg's account (albeit fictional) differ from the texts we inhabit? (as a Driven Leaf)

Yoma 85: Selicha, Mechila, and Kappara

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Finally we arrive at the concept of atonement and forgiveness!!

“The ritual bath of Israel is God” Just as a ritual bath purifies the impure, so too, the Holy One, blessed be He, purifies Israel.....is it the day which purifies or the effort?

We explore a number of commentators and the metaphor of the mikveh...and Rebbe's outrageous claim "It was taught: Rabbi says: For all sins in the Torah, whether one repents or not – the Day of Atonement atones, except for one who throws off the yoke, offends regarding Torah, or revokes his carnal covenant, where if one repents—the Day of Atonement atones, and if not—the Day of Atonement does not atone."

Finally the Qumran Pesher Habakuk' diatribe against the "wicked Kohen Gadol" in the Temple!

Yoma 84: Medicine and Halacha

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A number of illnesses are discussed on our daf.  What might have been hepatitis; what may have been diphtheria.  Treatments, including bloodletting, are mentioned as well.  At issue is the treatment of illness on Shabbat. The rabbis agree that an illness must be life-threatening for a person to administer medicine on Shabbat.  They argue about which illnesses are in fact life-threatening. 

We explore medicine in the talmud from Pikuach nefesh and Shabbat (Rav Lichtenstein) to the influence of Galen on the Rabbis and the struggle between medicine and religion in the Rambam by Elinor Lieber.  

Yoma 83: Bulmus and Anorexia

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In the case of one who is seized with the life-threatening illness bulmos, causing him unbearable hunger pangs and impaired vision, one may feed him even impure foods on Yom Kippur or any other day until his eyes recover, as the return of his sight indicates that he is recovering.

The rabbis consider illnesses, including confusion or tunba (seemingly senility or dementia), and bulmos. Bulmos, which has the same root as bulimia (Ancient Greek for 'excessive hunger') is a condition that includes symptoms of excessive hunger and loss of vision. The eyes recover first as a person heals from bulmos.

The term bulimia comes from Greek βουλιμία boulīmia, "ravenous hunger",

Although diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa did not appear until 1979, evidence suggests that binging and purging were popular in certain ancient cultures. The first documented account of behavior resembling bulimia nervosa was recorded in Xenophon's Anabasis around 370 B.C, in which Greek soldiers purged themselves in the mountains of Asia Minor. It is unclear whether this purging was preceded by binging.

we explore the syndrome of Anorexia vs bulimia ...and modern techniques to manage this deadly disease affecting young people.

Yoma 82: The Pregnancy and Pikuach Nefesh

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Included in the cases of life-saving taking precedence over the laws of Yom Kippur is that of an expectant mother whose unborn child smells food. If the resulting desire to taste that food is not satisfied, the lives of both mother and child are in danger. The mishna therefore tells us that she must be given to eat from that food until she recovers.

The saving of life overrides any commandment. Our Daf (Yoma 82a) explains that nothing stands in the way of “pikuach nefesh”, saving a life, other than the cardinal sins of idol worship, illicit relations or murder.

An Israeli study found that during the Day of Atonement, Jews had twice as many preterm deliveries.

To investigate why, they matched data on deliveries at the hospital from 1988 to 2012 with the Jewish calendar. Of the mothers, 388 were Jewish and 357 were Bedouin. Forty-seven, or 6.3 percent, of the births were premature, or earlier than 37 weeks after conception.