Parallel
סוכה 45:1
Soncino English Talmud · Berean Standard Bible
‘Does one then need to dry them? Say rather, Upon the portico’. Rehaba citing R. Judah stated, The Temple Mount had a double colonnade, one colonnade being within the other. MISHNAH. HOW WAS THE PRECEPT OF THE WILLOW-BRANCH [CARRIED OUT]? THERE WAS A PLACE BELOW JERUSALEM CALLED MOZA. THEY WENT DOWN THERE AND GATHERED THENCE YOUNG WILLOW-BRANCHES AND THEN CAME AND FIXED THEM AT THE SIDES OF THE ALTAR SO THAT THEIR TOPS BENT OVER THE ALTAR. THEY THEN SOUNDED A TEKI'AH [LONG BLAST], A TERU'AH [TREMULOUS BLAST] AND AGAIN A TEKI'AH. EVERY DAY THEY WENT ROUND THE ALTAR ONCE, SAYING, ‘WE BESEECH THEE, O LORD, SAVE NOW, WE BESEECH THEE, O LORD, MAKE US NOW TO PROSPER’. R. JUDAH SAID, [THEY WERE SAYING], ‘ANI WAHO, SAVE NOW’. BUT ON THAT DAY THEY WENT ROUND THE ALTAR SEVEN TIMES. WHEN THEY DEPARTED, WHAT DID THEY SAY? ‘THINE, O ALTAR, IS THE BEAUTY! THINE, O ALTAR, IS THE BEAUTY!’ R. ELIEZER SAID, [THEY WERE SAYING,] ‘TO THE LORD AND TO THEE, O ALTAR, TO THE LORD AND TO THEE, O ALTAR’. AS WAS ITS PERFORMANCE ON A WEEKDAY, SO WAS ITS PERFORMANCE ON THE SABBATH, SAVE THAT THEY GATHERED THEM ON THE EVE [OF THE SABBATH,] AND PLACED THEM IN GOLDEN BASINS THAT THEY MIGHT NOT BECOME MILDEWED. R. JOHANAN B. BEROKA SAID, THEY USED TO BRING PALM TWIGS AND BEAT THEM ON THE GROUND AT THE SIDES OF THE ALTAR, AND THAT DAY WAS CALLED ‘[THE DAY OF] THE BEATING OF THE PALM TWIGS’. THEY USED TO TAKE THEIR LULABS FROM THE HANDS OF THE CHILDREN AND EAT THEIR ETHROGS. GEMARA. It was taught, It was the place called Kolonia. Then why does our Tanna call it MOZA? — Since it was exempt from the king's tax, he calls it MOZA. AND THEN CAME AND FIXED THEM AT THE SIDES OF etc. A Tanna taught, They were large and long and eleven cubits high, so that they might bend over the altar one cubit. Meremar citing Mar Zutra observed, Deduce therefrom that they were laid upon the base [of the altar], for if you were to assume that they were placed on the ground, consider this: It rose up one cubit and drew in one cubit, and this formed the base. It then rose up five cubits and drew in one cubit, and this formed the circuit; it [then] rose up three cubits, and this was the place of the horns. Now how could they bend over the altar? Consequently it may be deduced from this that they were laid on the base. This is conclusive. R. Abbahu said, What is its Scriptural proof? — Since it is said, Order the festival procession with boughs, even unto the horns of the altar. R. Abbahu citing R. Eleazar stated, Whosoever takes the lulab with its binding and the willow-branch with its wreathing is regarded by Scripture as though he had built an altar and offered thereon a sacrifice. For it is said,
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