1)

THE NUMBER OF EACH SPECIES REQUIRED (Yerushalmi Halachah 4 Daf 13b)

משנה ר' ישמעאל אומר ג' הדסים ושתי ערבות לולב אחד ואתרוג א' ואפילו שנים קטומים וא' שאינו קטום

(a)

(Mishnah - R. Yishmael): For the Mitzvah of the four species, one should use 3 Hadasim, two Aravos, one Lulav and one Esrog, even if two of the Hadasim are cut and one is not cut.

רבי טרפון אומר אפילו שלשתן קטומין

(b)

R. Tarfon: It is valid even if all three are cut.

ר' עקיבה אומר כשם שלולב אחד ואתרוג אחד כך הדס א' וערבה אחת

(c)

R. Akiva: Just as one only takes one Lulav and one Esrog, one also takes only one Hadas and one Aravah.

גמרא ר' ישמעאל דרש פרי עץ הדר אחד. כפות תמרים א'. וענף עץ עבות ג'. וערבי נחל שתים. ושתי דליות אחת שאינה קטומה

(d)

(Gemara): R. Yishmael expounds as follows -

1.

"Pri Eitz Hadar" (Esrog) - 1 fruit.

2.

"Kapos Temarim" (Lulav) - 1 branch.

3.

"Anaf Eitz Avos" (Hadas - myrtle) - (3 words) - 3 branches.

4.

"Arvei Nachal" (Aravos - willow) - (plural) - 2 branches.

5.

Two Delayos are valid as long as the third branch is not chopped. (Each year the orchard growers prune the large myrtle branches and the tops are chopped - these are called Delayos.) (Note: This entry follows the last explanation given by the Korban HaEidah.)

ר' טרפון אומר אפילו שלשתן קטומין

(e)

R. Tarfon says that even if all three are cut, it is valid.

ר' בא בר ממל בעא קומי ר' אימי כמה דרבי ישמעאל מרבה בהדס ירבה בשאר כל המינין

(f)

Question (R. Ba bar Mamal to R. Imi): Just as R. Yishmael require more Hadas branches (because of the law of Hadar - the four species must be beautiful- see earlier 31 -1)(b)); so should he not require more of the other species?

א"ל מיסבור את סבר על דר"י קטום הדר. והא תנינן ר"ט אומר אפי' שלשתן קטומין. לית בר נש אמר אפי' אלא דהוא מודה על קדמיתא

(g)

Answer (R. Imi): Do you think that R. Yishmael requires Hadar? But we learnt (above (e)) that R. Tarfon says that even if all three are cut, it is valid. No-one would say "even" unless he is agreeing with what was said before! (R. Tarfon certainly agrees with R. Yishmael that there must be three Hadas branches, but he says that they can all be cut; this shows that the reason for the requirement of three is not Hadar.)

אמר רבי חגיי בעא קומי רבי יוסה [דף יד עמוד א] מה בא ר' טרפון להוסיף על דברי ר' ישמעאל

(h)

Question (R. Chagai to R. Yosa): If so, what is R. Tarfon adding to R. Yishmael? (If R. Yishmael, who says that cut is still Hadar, allows some branches to be cut and some not, even though the contrast is very much apparent; certainly he will allow all three to be cut, where there is no contrast between the branches?!)

א"ל ר' ישמעאל [לא] סבר קטום הדור ור' טרפון סבר קטום הדור

(i)

Answer (R. Yosa): R. Yishmael holds that cut is not Hadar and R. Tarfon holds that it is Hadar (and the fact that R. Yishmael allows two to be cut is learned from a Pasuk in the Torah).

ר' יסא כד סלק להכא חמתון מבחרין הדסה

(j)

When R. Yasa came here (to Eretz Yisrael), he saw people choosing Hadasim for their Lulavs.

אמר למה בני מערבא מבחרין הדסה ולא שמיע דאמר רבי סימון בשם רבי יהושע בן לוי (נחמיה ח) ואשר ישמיעו ויעבירו קול בכל עריהם וגו'

1.

He said, "Why are the people of E. Yisrael choosing their Hadasim so carefully? Did they not hear that R. Simon quoted R. Yehoshua B"L as saying that the Pasuk states (Nechemya 8, 15), "...that they should make heard and announce in all their towns, [saying, "Go out to the mountains and bring olive-leaves and pine leaves, myrtle leaves, date leaves and "Eitz Avos" leaves to build Succos as is written.]"

לא היא הדס ולא היא עץ עבות

2.

Are myrtle leaves not the same as "Eitz Avos" leaves?

. אלא הדס לסוכה ועץ עבות ללולב

3.

Rather, Hadas to use for building Succos and "Eitz Avos" for the Lulav.

ר' זעירה הוה תקע לה

(k)

R. Zeira would tie his Lulav and then insert the Hadas branches (as he was not concerned for the problem of "Taaseh Veloh Min Ha'asui" - see earlier 15-2)(h)). (Alternatively, at the time of the Shofar blowing, he would announce that the people should be careful to buy three Hadas branches for their Lulavs.)

2)

BLESSINGS ON THE FOUR SPECIES (Yerushalmi Halachah 4 Daf 14a)

העושה לולב לעצמו אומר ברוך אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו לעשות לולב

(a)

One who binds a Lulav for himself (on Erev Succos) recites the blessing, "Blessed....who sanctified us through his Mitzvos and commanded us to bind a Lulav".

לאחר לעשות לולב לשמו

1.

If he binds it for someone else, he should say, "...to bind a Lulav for its sake". (Note: See the explanation of R. Chaim Kanievski in Sukah Perek 1, Halachah 2 in the name of the Rosh.)

כשהוא נוטלו מהו אומר ברוך אקב"ו על נטילת לולב

2.

When he takes it to use he recites the blessing, "...and commanded us about taking a Lulav".

נתפלל בו אומר ברוך שהחיינו וקימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה

3.

When he prays with it, he should recite the blessing, "Blessed...who has kept us alive, sustained us and brought us to this time".

ומברך עליו כל שעה שהוא נוטלו

4.

He recites the blessing (of the Lulav) every day that he takes it.

כיצד מברכין על נר חנוכה

(b)

Question: What is the correct blessing over the Chanukah candles?

רב אמר ברוך אקב"ו על מצות הדלקת נר חנוכה

(c)

Answer (Rav): "Blessed...and commanded us about the Mitzvah of lighting the Chanukah candles".

הכל מודין בי"ט הראשון שהוא אומר על נטילת לולב

(d)

All agree (in the dispute that follows) that on the first day, that one recites the blessing "about taking a Lulav".

מה פליגין בשאר כל הימים.

1.

They disagree over the rest of the days -

ר' יוחנן אמר על נטילת לולב

i.

R. Yochanan said that one recites "about taking a Lulav"

ריב"ל אמר על מצות זקני'

ii.

R. Yehoshua B"L said that one recites "about the Mitzvos of the Sages" (as it was R. Yochanan ben Zakai and his contemporaries who enacted taking the four species throughout Sukos).

מה אמר רב בלולב

(e)

Question: What does Rav say about the blessing on the Lulav on the rest of the days?

מה אם חנוכה שהיא מדבריהן הוא אומר על מצות נר חנוכה לולב שהוא דבר תורה לא כל שכן

(f)

Answer: If on Chanukah which is Rabbinic, he recites the blessing "about the Mitzvah of lighting the Chanukah candles"; for Lulav, which on the first day (and on all seven days in the Temple) is a Mitzvah of the Torah, certainly one should recite "about taking a Lulav"!

מה אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי בחנוכה

(g)

Question: What does R"YBL say about the blessing on the Chanukah candles?

מה אם לולב שהיא דבר תורה אומר על מצות זקינים חנוכה שהיא מדבריהן לא כל שכן

(h)

Answer: If upon a Lulav, which on the first day is a Mitzvah of the Torah, he recites "about the Mitzvos of the Sages" (on the rest of the days); on Chanukah, which is Rabbinic, he should certainly recite "about the Mitzvos of the Sages".

לא צורכא דילא מה א"ר יוחנן בחנוכה

(i)

Our only remaining question is what R. Yochanan would say about the blessing made over the Chanukah candles (although he disagreed with R"YBL over Lulav and held that on the others day of Sukos, he recites "about taking a Lulav", perhaps that is only because its source is in the Torah, but on Chanukah R. Yochanan would agree to R"YBL that he recites "about the Mitzvos of the Sages")...? (This question remains unanswered.)

חייה בריה דרב מברך על כל פעם ופעם

(j)

Chiya son of Rav said that he must recite the blessing "about taking a Lulav" every day of Sukos.

רב חונה לא מברך אלא פעם אחת בלבד

(k)

Rav Chuna said that he recites "about taking a Lulav" only on the first day.

רבי חונה בשם רב יוסף טעמיה דרב חונה דמאי מדבריהן ושאר כל הימים מדבריהן. מה דמאי אין מברכין עליו אף שאר כל הימים אין מברכין עליו

(l)

Reasoning of Rav Chuna (R. Chuna quoting Rav Yosef): Damai is Rabbinic and taking Lulav on the other days of Sukos is Rabbinic - just as one does not recite a blessing on (separating Maaseros from) Damai, so one does not recite a blessing on the Lulav on the other days.

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