Thursday, October 19, 2006

Daf Yomi - Sukkah 47 - Can't get Enough of Shmini Atzeres

The Rosh writes that if one enters the Sukkah on Shemini Atzeres without reciting a blessing, his behavior is not contradictory to the theme of the day, because people will occasionally eat outdoors if it is pleasant for them. Rashi in Sefer HaPardes and the Machzor Vitri write that the custom of many great people was to recite Kiddush in the Sukkah and then to finish the meal in the house. Perhaps the rationale for this custom is because it will only be pleasant for short intervals of time but it will not be pleasant to sit in the Sukkah for the entire meal.The Maharil rules that one should eat in the house at night and one should eat in the Sukkah by day. The rationale for this ruling is because it is not considered pleasurable to eat in the Sukkah at night when it is cold. For this reason the Korban Nesanel and the Aruch HaShulchan rule that if it is extremely windy or cold on Shemini Atzeres, one should not eat in the Sukkah. The discomfort that one feels when sitting in the Sukkah when there is inclement weather is in contradiction to Shemini Atzeres.The Minchas Elazar writes that when the requirement to eat in the Sukkah on Shemini Atzeres was instituted, the countries where the Jews resided generally had a mild climate and it was pleasant for the Jews to dwell in the Sukkah. Now that Jews reside in the northern countries where it is cold during the Sukkos season, one should not sit in the Sukkah on Shemini Atzeres because then it will be evident that he is sitting in the Sukkah for the sake of the mitzvah and not for his own pleasure. This will then contradict the theme of Shemini Atzeres. The Raaviah writes that the reason we do not sleep in the Sukkah on Shemini Atzeres is because one only recites a blessing when sitting in the Sukkah and not when sleeping in the Sukkah. When one sits in the Sukkah on Shemini Atzeres and does not recite a blessing, it is evident that he is sitting in the Sukkah because of the uncertainty of what day it is and not because he seeks to add on to the mitzvah of dwelling in the Sukkah. When one sleeps in the Sukkah, however, one never recites a blessing on sleeping in the Sukkah, so it is not evident why he is sleeping in the Sukkah and people will think that he is sleeping in the Sukkah to fulfill the obligation of Sukkah and this is incorrect.

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