״תֵּשְׁבוּ״ ״תֵּשְׁבוּ״ לִגְזֵרָה שָׁוָה. נֶאֱמַר כָּאן ״תֵּשְׁבוּ״ וְנֶאֱמַר בַּמִּלּוּאִים ״תֵּשְׁבוּ״, מַה לְּהַלָּן יָמִים וַאֲפִילּו לֵילוֹת – אַף כָּאן יָמִים וַאֲפִילּוּ לֵילוֹת.

“You shall reside,” “you shall reside,” by means of a verbal analogy. It is stated here, with regard to sukka : “You shall reside in sukkot seven days” (Leviticus 23:42), and it is stated with regard to the inauguration of the Tabernacle: “And at the door of the Tent of Meeting you shall reside day and night seven days” (Leviticus 8:35). Just as there, with regard to the inauguration, the meaning is days and even nights, so too here, with regard to sukka , the meaning is days and even nights.

״עֲרָבָה שִׁבְעָה כֵּיצַד״. עֲרָבָה בַּשְּׁבִיעִי מַאי טַעְמָא דָּחְיָא שַׁבָּת? אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: כְּדֵי לְפַרְסְמָהּ שֶׁהִיא מִן הַתּוֹרָה. אִי הָכִי, לוּלָב נַמִי לִידְחִי כְּדֵי לְפַרְסְמוֹ שֶׁהוּא מִן הַתּוֹרָה!

§ The mishna continues: The altar is encircled with the willow branch for seven days. How so? If the seventh day of performing the mitzva of the willow branch occurs on Shabbat, since on that day the mitzva of the willow branch is a mitzva by Torah law, it overrides Shabbat and the mitzva of the willow branch is then performed seven days. The Gemara asks: With regard to the mitzva of the willow branch on the seventh day, what is the reason that it overrides Shabbat? Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is in order to publicize that it is a mitzva that applies by Torah law, since it is not written explicitly in the Torah. The Gemara raises an objection: If so, lulav too should override Shabbat in the Temple on the other days of Sukkot as well and not only on the first day in order to publicize that it is a mitzva by Torah law all seven days, since that too is not written explicitly in the Torah.

לוּלָב גְּזֵרָה מִשּׁוּם דְּרַבָּה. אִי הָכִי, עֲרָבָה נַמִי נִגְזוֹר! עֲרָבָה שְׁלוּחֵי בֵּית דִּין מַיְיתֵי לָהּ, לוּלָב לַכֹּל מָסוּר.

The Gemara answers: One is prohibited from taking the lulav on Shabbat by rabbinic decree due to the concern expressed by Rabba (42b) lest he take the lulav in his hand and go to an expert to learn how to wave the lulav and thereby carry it in the public domain. The Gemara objects: If so, with regard to the willow branch as well let us issue a decree due to the same concern. The Gemara answers: The two cases are different. With regard to the willow branch, agents of the court bring it to the priests who perform the mitzva in the Temple, and they carefully prepare the willow branch prior to the onset of Shabbat and will not come to carry it in a prohibited manner on Shabbat. However, performance of the mitzva of lulav is incumbent upon every individual. Therefore, there is concern lest one unwittingly perform the prohibited labor of carrying on Shabbat.

אִי הָכִי, כָּל יוֹמָא נַמִי לִידְחִי! אָתֵי לְפִקְפּוּקֵי בְּלוּלָב. וְלִידְחִי בְּיוֹם טוֹב רִאשׁוֹן! לָא מוֹכְחָא מִלְּתָא, אָמְרִי: לוּלָב הוּא דְּקָא דָּחֵי.

The Gemara objects: If so, i.e., because the willow branch is supplied by agents of the court there is no concern that Shabbat will be desecrated, let the mitzva of the willow branch override Shabbat on every day of the Festival as well. The Gemara answers: In that case people would come to raise doubts about the significance of the mitzva of lulav , as, unlike the mitzva of the willow branch, it would override Shabbat on only one day of the Festival and not on all seven. The Gemara asks: And let the mitzva of the willow branch override Shabbat on the first day of the Festival, just as the mitzva of lulav does, and not on the seventh day. The Gemara answers: The matter of publicizing that the mitzva of willow branch is a mitzva by Torah law would not be apparent, as people would say that it is really the mitzva of lulav that overrides Shabbat, and once lulav is permitted the willow branch is permitted as well.

וְלִידְחִי בְּחַד מֵהָנָךְ! כֵּיוָן דְּקָא מַפְּקַתְּ לָהּ מֵרִאשׁוֹן – אוֹקְמָהּ אַשְּׁבִיעִי.

The Gemara asks: And let the mitzva of the willow branch override Shabbat on one of these other days of Sukkot ; why specifically the seventh day? The Gemara answers: Once you moved it from the first day, establish it on the seventh day, which is also a unique day of Sukkot , and not on one of the other intermediate days of Sukkot .

אִי הָכִי, הָאִידָּנָא נַמִי לִידְחִי! אֲנַן לָא יָדְעִינַן בְּקִיבּוּעָא דְּיַרְחָא.

The Gemara asks: If so, i.e., if the mitzva of the willow branch is so significant that it overrides Shabbat, let it override Shabbat today as well, even though the Temple is not standing. The Gemara answers: We do not know when precisely the establishment of the month was determined by the court. Therefore, it is possible that the day observed as the seventh day of Sukkot is not the seventh day at all. Certainly, one does not violate the rabbinic decree to fulfill a mitzva that is not definitely a mitzva by Torah law.

אִינְהוּ דְּיָדְעִי בְּקִיבּוּעָא דְּיַרְחָא, לִידְחִי! כִּי אֲתָא בַּר הֶדְיָא אֲמַר: לָא אִיקְלַע, כִּי אֲתָא רָבִין וְכָל נָחוֹתֵי אָמְרִי: אִיקְלַע, וְלָא דָּחֵי.

The Gemara asks: If so, with regard to the people of Eretz Yisrael, who know the establishment of the month, let them override Shabbat for the mitzva of willow branch on the seventh day of Sukkot even today. When bar Hedya came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said: That is not a practical question, as the seventh day does not coincide with Shabbat, since the Sages fixed the calendar to avoid that possibility. When Ravin and all those emissaries who descended to Babylonia, or who originally left Babylonia for Eretz Yisrael and returned, came, they said: It does coincide with Shabbat, but it does not override Shabbat.

וְאֶלָּא קַשְׁיָא! אֲמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: מַאן לֵימָא לָן דַּעֲרָבָה בִּנְטִילָה, דִּלְמָא בִּזְקִיפָה?

The Gemara asks: But then it is difficult; why doesn’t the mitzva of the willow branch override Shabbat on the seventh day today? Rav Yosef said: Who will say to us definitively that the mitzva of the willow branch is performed by taking it? Perhaps it is performed by standing the branches upright against the altar. Since there is no altar today, the mitzva does not override Shabbat.

אֵיתִיבֵיהּ אַבַּיֵי: לוּלָב וַעֲרָבָה שִׁשָּׁה וְשִׁבְעָה. מַאי לָאו – כְּלוּלָב, מַה לּוּלָב בִּנְטִילָה, אַף עֲרָבָה בִּנְטִילָה! מִידֵּי אִירְיָא?! הָא – כִּדְאִיתֵיהּ, וְהָא – כִּדְאִיתֵיהּ.

Abaye raised an objection to Rav Yosef from the mishna, which states: The lulav is taken and the altar is encircled with the willow branch either six or seven days. What, is it not learned from the juxtaposition of these mitzvot in the mishna that the mitzva of the willow branch is like the mitzva of lulav in that just as the mitzva of lulav is performed by taking it, so too, the mitzva of the willow branch is performed by taking it and not by standing it upright? He answered him: Are the cases necessarily comparable? Perhaps this mitzva of lulav is as it is, by means of taking, and this mitzva of the willow branch is as it is, by means of standing it upright.

אֵיתִיבֵיהּ אַבַּיֵי: בְּכָל יוֹם מַקִּיפִין אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ פַּעַם אַחַת, וְאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים. מַאי לָאו – בַּעֲרָבָה! לֹא, בְּלוּלָב. וְהָא אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר אֲבוּהּ: בַּעֲרָבָה! אָמַר לֵיהּ: הוּא אֲמַר לָךְ בַּעֲרָבָה, וַאֲנָא אָמִינָא בְּלוּלָב. אִתְּמַר, רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר: בְּלוּלָב, רַב שְׁמוּאֵל [בַּר נָתָן] אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: בַּעֲרָבָה. וְכֵן אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר אֲבוּהּ: בַּעֲרָבָה.

Abaye raised an objection to Rav Yosef from a mishna: On every day the people circle the altar one time, and on that day, the seventh day of the willow branch, they circle it seven times. What, is the mishna not referring to circling the altar with the willow branch in hand? He answered him: No, it is referring to circling the altar with a lulav . Abaye objects: But didn’t Rav Naḥman say that Rabba bar Avuh said: They would circle the altar with the willow branch? Rav Yosef said to him: He said to you with the willow branch; however, my authority is no less than his, as we are both amora’im , and I say that they circle the altar with a lulav . It was stated that this was the subject of dispute between other amora’im as well. Rabbi Elazar says: They circle the altar with a lulav . Rav Shmuel bar Natan said that Rabbi Ḥanina said: They circle the altar with the willow branch. And likewise, Rav Naḥman said that Rabba bar Avuh said: They would circle the altar with the willow branch.

אָמַר לֵיהּ רָבָא לְרַב יִצְחָק בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: בַּר אוּרְיָא, תָּא וְאֵימָא לָךְ מִלְּתָא מְעַלְּיָתָא דַּהֲוָה אֲמַר אֲבוּךְ. הָא דִּתְנַן כָּל הַיּוֹם מַקִּיפִין אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ פַּעַם אַחַת, וְאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם מַקִּיפִין אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים – הָכִי אֲמַר אֲבוּךְ מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: בְּלוּלָב.

Rava said to Rav Yitzḥak, son of Rabba bar bar Ḥana: Son of Torah [ bar urya ], come and I will tell you an outstanding statement that your father would say. With regard to that which we learned in a mishna: On every day the people circle the altar one time, and on that day, the seventh day of the willow branch, they circle the altar seven times; this is what your father said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: They circle the altar with a lulav .

אֵיתִיבֵיהּ: לוּלָב דּוֹחֶה אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת בִּתְחִלָּתוֹ, וַעֲרָבָה בְּסוֹפוֹ. פַּעַם אַחַת חָל שְׁבִיעִי שֶׁל עֲרָבָה לִהְיוֹת בַּשַּׁבָּת, וְהֵבִיאוּ מֻרְבִּיּוֹת שֶׁל עֲרָבָה מֵעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת, וְהִנִּיחוּם בָּעֲזָרָה, וְהִכִּירוּ בָּהֶן בַּיְיתוֹסִין וּנְטָלוּם וּכְבָשׁוּם תַּחַת אֲבָנִים.

Abaye raised an objection to Rav Yosef from the Tosefta ( Sukka 3:1): The mitzva of lulav overrides Shabbat at the start of the Festival, and the willow branch overrides it at the end of the Festival. One time, the seventh day of the willow branch occurred on Shabbat, and they brought branches of the willow tree on Shabbat eve, before Shabbat, and placed them in the Temple courtyard for use on Shabbat. The Boethusians in the Temple, who disagreed with the Sages and held that there is no mitzva of the willow branch on the seventh day of the Festival, noticed them and took them and concealed them under the stones. This was an attempt to prevent fulfillment of the mitzva, as they knew that the Sages would prohibit moving the stones, which are set-aside on Shabbat.

לְמָחָר הִכִּירוּ בָּהֶן עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ, וּשְׁמָטוּם מִתַּחַת הָאֲבָנִים, וֶהֱבִיאוּם הַכֹּהֲנִים וּזְקָפוּם בְּצִידֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ. לְפִי שֶׁאֵין בַּיְיתוֹסִין מוֹדִים שֶׁחִיבּוּט עֲרָבָה דּוֹחֶה אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת.

The next day, some of the ignoramuses noticed the branches concealed under the stones. And since the ignoramuses identified with the opinion of the Sages, and at the same time were ignorant of the details of the mitzvot, they extracted them from under the stones. And the priests brought them and stood them upright at the sides of the altar. This happened because the Boethusians do not concede that waving the willow branch overrides Shabbat.

אַלְמָא בִּנְטִילָה הִיא! תְּיוּבְתָּא.

Apparently, based on the conclusion of the incident, the mitzva of the willow branch is fulfilled by taking it, as it is referring to waving the willow branch and not just standing it upright at the sides of the altar. The Gemara notes: Indeed, it is a conclusive refutation of Rav Yosef’s opinion.

וְאֶלָּא נִדְחוּ! כֵּיוָן דַּאֲנַן לָא דָּחֵינָן – אִינְהוּ נַמִי לָא דָּחוּ. וְהָא יוֹם טוֹב הָרִאשׁוֹן, דִּלְדִידַן לָא דָּחֵי וּלְדִידְהוּ דָּחֵי!

Given the refutation of Rav Yosef’s opinion, the original question is difficult: Rather, let them in Eretz Yisrael override Shabbat for the mitzva of the willow branch on the seventh day of Sukkot nowadays as well. The Gemara answers: Since we in the Diaspora do not override Shabbat for this purpose, they in Eretz Yisrael also do not override it. The Gemara objects: But doesn’t the first day of the Festival refute that contention, as for us in the Diaspora it does not override Shabbat and we do not take the lulav , and for them in Eretz Yisrael it overrides Shabbat and they take the lulav ?