Sifra 11.0.28

Emor, Chapter 16

1) (Vayikra 23:40) ("And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of a tree that is hadar, branches of date-palms, and a branch of a plaited tree, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the L–rd your G d seven days.") "And you shall take for yourselves": R. Yehudah says: "taking" is written here and elsewhere (Shemoth 12:22 "And take a bunch of hyssop") Just as there, a bunch, here, too, bunched together. And the sages say even without bunching it is kasher.

2) "And you shall take for yourselves": each one of you. "for yourselves": and not what is borrowed or stolen — whence it was ruled: One does not fulfill his obligation on the first day of the festival with his neighbor's lulav. But if he wishes, he may give it as a gift to his neighbor, and his neighbor to his neighbor, even if there be a hundred. Once, R. Gamliel and the elders were coming in a boat and no one but R. Gamliel had a lulav, whereupon he gave it as a gift to R. Yehoshua, R. Yehoshua to R. Elazar b. Azaryah, and R. Elazar b. Azaryah to R. Akiva, and all of them fulfilled their obligation thereby.

3) "on the first day": and not on the first night. "on the first day": and even on the Sabbath. "on the first day": The Sabbath is overridden only for the first day of the festival alone.

4) "the fruit of a tree": the taste of whose trunk and whose fruit is the same — an ethrog. Ben Azzai says "hadar" — "hadar" ("that lives"), something that lives on its tree (i.e., that is produced) from year to year.

5) "and branches (kapoth) of date-palms": R. Tarfon says "kafuth" ("pressed together"). If they are separated they are to be pressed together.

6) "and a branch of a plaited tree": (the connotation is) one whose leaves cover its wood — a hadas. "and willows of the brook": This tells me only of (willows) of the brook. Whence do I derive (for inclusion) those of the mountains and of naturally watered fields? From "and willows of the brook." Abba Shaul says: "willows of the brook" — two, one for the lulav (to be tied together with it) and one for the Temple (with which to circle the altar).

7) R. Yishmael says: "the fruit of a tree that is hadar" — one; branches of date-palms" — one; "a branch of a plaited tree" — three; "willows of the brook" — two; and even two (lopped off) hadas branches with one that is not lopped off. R. Tarfon says: even three lopped off ones. R. Akiva says: "the fruit of a tree that is hadar — one; "branches of date-palms" — one; "a branch of a plaited tree" — one; "willows of the brook" — one. Just as the lulav is one and the ethrog one, so is the hadas one and the willow (aravah) one. I might think that the ethrog is with them in the bunch, but is it written "the frit of a tree that is hadar and branches, etc."? How is that to be understood then? The ethrog by itself; the others in a bunch by themselves.

8) And whence is it derived that they are mutually indispensable? From "And you shall take ("ulekachtem") for yourselves on the first day the fruit of a tree that is hadar, branches of date-palms, and a branch of a plaited tree, and willows of the brook. ("ulekachtem") equals "lekichah tamah," whereby we are taught that they (all of them) are mutually indispensable.

9) "and you shall rejoice before the L–rd your G d seven days": and not in the borders (i.e., outside of Jerusalem) all seven days (but only on the first). And after the destruction of the Temple, R. Yochanan b. Zakkai instituted that the lulav be taken in the country (i.e., outside of Jerusalem seven days, in commemoration of the Temple, and that the entire day of lifting (the omer) be forbidden (See Section 10:11-12).