Daf Yomi - Sukkah 26 - Heoros by David

26a – the Gemara says “the guarantor himself needs a guarantor”. This phrase is repeated in Gittin 28b, and there Rav Reuven Margolios notes that the Rambam attributes this phrase to be an Arabic expression, and did note that the Gemara itself says the same thing.

26a – “he placed his head between his knees”. This was a common position which the early kabbalists used for meditation. See the many books by R’ Aryeh Kaplan z’l on the subject. My own speculation is that it is reminiscent of the fetal position, the same position a baby is in when he learns the entire Torah through an angel, as recorded in Niddah.

26a – Rashi q.v. “holchei derachim”. etc. I think this Rashi implies that there is no problem with working on Cholo shel moed. However, Reb Tzvi Berkowitz shlita does not believe one can draw this inference from this Rashi, and directed my attention to Rashi in Chagigah 18a, which holds explicitly to the contrary.

26a – Rashi q.v. “portzah” – its worthwhile to note that the common word “hedyot” is simply a transliteration of the Greek word “idiot”. It’s original connation simply meant “commoner”, and it’s meaning has since changed. ( Similar to the way word “vulgar” and the Yiddish word “prost” now mean much worse than simply “common”, which was their original meaning).