Siman - Succah Daf 34
- צפצפה
It was taught in a Baraisa: "ערבי נחל" הגדילות על הנחל פרט לצפצפה הגדילה בין ההרים – The term "brook willows" refers to aravos that grow by a brook, excluded, therefore, is the Tzaftzafah, which grows among the mountains. Rebbe Zeira said, which passuk demonstrates that tzaftzafah is not considered an aravah? "קח על מים רבים צפצפה שמו – He took that which grows on abundant waters and set it up as tzaftzafah. Rashi explains that Hashem provided the Jewish people the opportunity to be as lush as an aravah, but they allowed themselves to be like a tzaftzafah. Clearly, this indicates that tzaftzafah is an inferior species, which is not included in the category of aravah.
The Gemara brings a Baraisa that distinguishes between an aravah and tzaftzafah. ערבה קנה שלה אדום ועלה שלה משוך ופיה חלק – The Aravah: Its stem is red, and its leaf is elongated, and the edge of its leaf is smooth. צפצפה קנה שלה לבן ועלה שלה עגול ופיה דומה למגל – The tzaftzafah: Its stem is white, its leaf is rounded, and the edge of its leaf is serrated like a sickle.
- Machlokes regarding how many of each species must be taken
The next Mishnah brings a machlokes Tannaim regarding how many of each species must be taken. Rebbe Yishmael holds that one must take three hadasim, two aravos, one lulav and one esrog. The hadasim are valid אפילו שנים קטומים ואחד אינו קטום – even if two are clipped and one is not clipped. Rebbe Tarfon saysאפילו שלשתן קטומים - They are valid even if all three are clipped. Rashi explains that Rebbe Tarfon does not require hadar for hadasim. Rebbe Akiva says that just as only one lulav and one esrog are required, so too only one hadas and one aravah are required.
The Gemara brings a Baraisa that elaborates on the Mishnah and teaches that Rebbe Yishmael said: "פרי עץ הדר" אחד – The passuk “the fruit of a hadar tree” teaches that one esrog is the required amount. "כפת תמרים" אחד – The “branches of date palms” refers to one lulav. Rashi explains that although the word כפת is plural, since it is written defectively without the letter vav, it can be read as a singular noun. "ענף עץ עבות" שלשה – The three words of “a shoot of the plaited tree” alludes to three hadasim. "ערבי נחל" שתים and “brook willows” refers to two aravos.
- How the esrog is taken with the other minim
In the same Baraisa, Rebbe Eliezer said יכול יהא אתרוג עמהן באגודה אחת - that it might be thought that the esrog should be tied together with the other three species in one bundle. To counter this thought, Rebbe Eliezer asks, does the passuk say פרי עץ הדר וכפת תמרים, with which the vav of וכפת would connect the hadar tree to the branches of date palms? No, it says כפת without the connecting letter vav. This teaches that the esrog is not bundled with the other species. ומנין שמעכבין זה את זה – And from where do we know that the dalet minim are essential to each other? Rashi explains that if one takes only three of the four minim he has completely failed to fulfill the mitzvah? תלמוד לומר "ולקחתם" שתהא לקיחה תמה – the Torah therefore states, “and you shall take,” which indicates that it should be a complete taking. Rashi explains that Rebbe Eliezer expounds ולקחתם as ולקחת תם – and you shall take completely.
