סוכה 54:1 — Soncino English Talmud

— [No.] As it might have been said that it is also in agreement with the view of the Rabbis, and that its purpose was to exclude the view of R. Johanan who laid down that if a man heard the nine Teki'ahs in nine hours during the day he has still fulfilled his obligation, therefore he informed us [that it agrees only with the view of R. Judah]. Might it not be suggested that it is indeed so? — If it were so, what could be meant by ‘no interval whatever’? ON THE EVE OF THE SABBATH IN THE INTERMEDIATE DAYS OF THE FESTIVAL etc. But [the sounding of the trumpet] on the tenth step he does not mention. In agreement with whose view then is our Mishnah? — It is in agreement with that of R. Eliezer b. Jacob, for it has been taught: Three blasts on the tenth step. R. Eliezer b. Jacob ruled, Three at the altar. He who ruled three on the tenth step omits the three at the altar; and he who ruled three at the altar omits the three upon the tenth step. What is the reason of R. Eliezer b. Jacob? — Since one sounded the trumpet for the opening of the gates, why should one sound it on the tenth step? Is it not a gate! It is, therefore, preferable that the trumpet should be sounded at the altar. The Rabbis, however, are of the opinion that since one sounds the trumpet for the Water-Drawing, why should one sound it at the altar? It is, therefore, preferable to sound it upon the tenth step. When R. Aha b. Hanina came from the South, he brought a Baraitha with him [which read:] And the sons of Aaron the priests shall blow with trumpets. Surely there was no need to state explicitly ‘shall blow’, since it is already written, Ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt-offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace-offerings. Why then was it stated, ‘shall blow’? [To teach you that] the sounding of the trumpets is throughout in accordance with the number of the additional offerings. He taught this [Baraitha] and he also explained it to mean that the trumpet is to be sounded for every single additional offering. We have learnt, ON THE EVE OF THE SABBATH IN THE INTERMEDIATE DAYS OF THE FESTIVAL THERE WERE [THEREFORE] FORTY-EIGHT BLASTS. Now if it were so, why was it not stated that on the Sabbath of the Festival it was possible to have fifty-one blasts? — R. Zera answered, Because the trumpet was not sounded at the opening of the gates on the Sabbath. Who is this, Raba exclaimed, who is not concerned about the flour [he grinds out]? [The answer is untenable], firstly, because we have learnt EVERY DAY and, secondly, even if there were the same number, it should still have been stated that ‘on the Sabbath of the Festival they blew forty-eight blasts’ since from this statement one could make two deductions, that of R. Eliezer b. Jacob and that of R. Aha b. Hanina. The fact, however, is, Raba explained, [that the reason is] because the trumpet was not sounded for the Water-Drawing on the Sabbath, so that the number was diminished much. But why was not the New Year that fell on a Sabbath mentioned seeing that on it there are three additional sacrifices: The additional offering of the New Year, the additional offering of the New Moon, and the additional offering of the Sabbath? — It was necessary to teach the instance of the eve of the Sabbath in the Intermediate Days of the Festival in order to inform us that the law is in agreement with R. Eliezer b. Jacob. Was it then asked why the one was not mentioned instead of the other? [The question in fact is] why is not the one mentioned as well as the other? — [The Tanna of our Mishnah] might have mentioned some and omitted others. But what else did he omit to justify this omission also? — He omitted the instance of the eve of Passover.40^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ^ᵘ^ᵛ^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ^ᵃᵃ^ᵃᵇ^ᵃᶜ^ᵃᵈ^ᵃᵉ^ᵃᶠ^ᵃᵍ^ᵃʰ^ᵃⁱ^ᵃʲ^ᵃᵏ^ᵃˡ^ᵃᵐ^ᵃⁿ

^ᵃnote:In stating that there must be ‘no interval’.
^ᵇnote:Of the New Year (v. R.H. 34b).
^ᶜnote:I.e., at long intervals.
^ᵈnote:That R. Kahana's statement agrees also with the view of the Rabbis and excludes only that of R. Johanan.
^ᵉnote:That in agreement with the Rabbis, short intervals are permitted.
^ᶠnote:Of the Temple court; v. Mishnah supra 51b.
^ᵍnote:Sc. the Rabbis.
^ʰnote:R. Eliezer.
^ⁱnote:Of course it is.
^ʲnote:The rejoicing at which is the real cause of all the extra soundings of the trumpet on the Festival (Rashi).
^ᵏnote:I.e.,where the sounding might appear to be due to the willow-branch ceremony.
^ˡnote:Which makes it more evident that it is specially sounded on account of the Water-Drawing, as no other rite is connected with the tenth step.
^ᵐnote:Num. X, 8.
^ⁿnote:Num. X, 10.
^ᵒnote:This is explained presently.
^ᵖnote:R. Aha b. Hanina.
^ᵠnote:The prescribed number of blasts.
^ʳnote:If the day is, for instance, both a Sabbath and a Festival, the prescribed number of nine blasts must be sounded for each of the two additional offerings.
^ˢnote:As R. Aha b. Hanina interpreted.
^ᵗnote:In giving the maximum number possible.
^ᵘnote:Since there are two additional sacrifices, that of Sabbath and that of the Festival.
^ᵛnote:Three more than on the Sabbath eve (according to R. Judah) on account of the second additional offering, after deducting the special six sounded on Sabbath eve.
^ʷnote:So that there were three less than on the Sabbath eve.
^ˣnote:A criticism of R. Zera: ‘He does not care what answer he gives’.
^ʸnote:Including the Sabbath day. If on the Sabbath no blasts were sounded at the opening of the gates the number on that day would have been less than the number so given in our Mishnah.
^ᶻnote:On the Sabbath and on the Sabbath eve.
^ᵃᵃnote:Forty-eight.
^ᵃᵇnote:That the blowing of the trumpets was upon the altar and not on the tenth step, as our Mishnah goes on to explain.
^ᵃᶜnote:That the trumpet was sounded for every additional offering.
^ᵃᵈnote:Why the Sabbath was not mentioned.
^ᵃᵉnote:Since the water was drawn on the Sabbath eve (v. supra 48b).
^ᵃᶠnote:On the Sabbath.
^ᵃᵍnote:Those of the upper gates and the lower gates and the altar, besides those that served as a sign to cease work and to mark the distinction between the holy and the profane.
^ᵃʰnote:According to R. Aha who maintains that each additional offering was accompanied by additional blasts.
^ᵃⁱnote:Among the maxima in our Mishnah.
^ᵃʲnote:Making a total of forty-eight: The twenty-one daily blasts and the twenty-seven for the three additional sacrifices.
^ᵃᵏnote:As stated supra, that no blasts were sounded on the tenth step.
^ᵃˡnote:Lit., ‘let him teach this and let him teach that’.
^ᵃᵐnote:The answer that he mentioned some and omitted others is valid only if it can be shown that other instances beside the one under discussion have also been omitted.
^ᵃⁿnote:The sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb was performed by three groups of the people, each one reading the Hallel three times and sounding three blasts on the trumpet each time, making a total of twenty-seven blasts (cf. Pes, 64a). which added to the twenty-one blasts sounded daily, amounts to forty-eight.