BS”D

Suka 51a (2) – 51b

Iyor 11, 5783. May 2, 2023

Some short notes. 

1- We concluded the סוגיא of עיקר שירה בפה או עיקר שירה בכלי with discussing where exactly the לווים stood during their שירה.  

As mentioned last week, between the first courtyard -עזרת נשים ,  and the 2nd courtyard- עזרת ישראל , there were 15 stairs. 

Between the 2nd courtyard -עזרת ישראל ,and the 3nd courtyard- עזרת כהנים there were 3 stairs.

2- During the daily שירה the לווים would stand on the 3 stairs that went from עזרת ישראל to the עזרת כהנים. 

רמב”ם בית הבחירה 6,6,

The musical procession of שמחת בית השואבה that greeted the water arriving  from the שילוח began on the 15 steps between the  2nd courtyard – עזרת ישראל and the first courtyard -עזרת נשים. 

3- We moved on to  the משנה that describes the happenings before and during שמחת בית השואבה. 

שער ניקנור

בְּמוֹצָאֵי יוֹם טוֹב הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל חָג, יָרְדוּ לְעֶזְרַת נָשִׁים, וּמְתַקְּנִין שָׁם תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל.

This תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל, basically creating a women’s balcony, will be explained at the next shiur.

וּמְנוֹרוֹת שֶׁל זָהָב הָיוּ שָׁם

Tall candelabras. How tall? The Yerushalmi says they were 100 Amos or about 150’ high. The Yerushalmi concludes that absent a very wide base to support such tall structures they could not stand upright. Being that עזרה was limited in space to allow such a wide base for these candelabras, we must say that they stood upright miraculously. נס! 

How many candelabras? The בעל הטורים says 4 corresponding to the 4 times the word מנורה appears in פרשת בהעלותך. במדבר ח

כן עשה. כ”ן נרות עשה שלמה בי’ המנורות. עשה. בגימ’ שלמה. ד’ פעמים הזכיר מנורה שהיא כשרה מד’ מינין כדאיתא במנחות דף כ”ח ע”ש. ורמז לארבע מנורות בשמחת בית השואבה:

וְאַרְבָּעָה סְפָלִים שֶׁל זָהָב בְּרָאשֵׁיהֶן, וְאַרְבָּעָה סֻלָּמוֹת לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד, וְאַרְבָּעָה יְלָדִים מִפִּרְחֵי כְהֻנָּה וּבִידֵיהֶם כַּדִּים שֶׁל שֶׁמֶן שֶׁל מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים לֹג, שֶׁהֵן מַטִּילִין לְכָל סֵפֶל וָסֵפֶל:

We tried to figure out the weight of the buckets full of oil and how the young כהנים carried them up 150’ to reach the top of the candelabras. 

Each Lug is 0.091298 of a US Gallon

Olive oil is 7.6lbs per gallon.

So:

מִבְּלָאֵי מִכְנְסֵי כֹהֲנִים וּמֵהֶמְיָנֵיהֶן מֵהֶן הָיוּ מַפְקִיעִין, וּבָהֶן הָיוּ מַדְלִיקִין, 

So the wicks were made from the remnants of the trousers and ‘gartlach’ of the כהנים. 

Tosfos asks ‘why not from their shirts’ as well? The Tosfos Yom Tov asks why Tosfos doesn’t ask ‘why not from their hats’ as well? All the בגדי כהן הדיוט were made from flax which is suitable for wicks. 

כתבו התוספות תימה דלא קא חשיב כתונת. שגם היא היתה של שש ע”כ. ולי קשה גם מצנפת.

See כסף משנה כלי כלי המקדש 8 , 6. 

 ומצנפת וצריך טעם למה השמיט רבינו מצנפת ואפשר דתנא כתנות והוא הדין למצנפות אי נמי משום דמצנפות דקות ביותר ולא חזו לפתילות לכך השמיטם

וְלֹא הָיְתָה חָצֵר בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְאִירָה מֵאוֹר בֵּית הַשּׁוֹאֵבָה

We discussed as to why there was no issue with  מעילה by using the light and brightness of the שמן that shinned in from the בית המקדש. 

To be continued. 

BS”D

Sukkah 51a

Iyar 4, 5783. April 25, 2023

1- Continuing with the Sugya of the שירת הלויים if the Mitzvah is primarily for vocalist to sing or the orchestra to play the musical instruments. עיקר שירה בפה או עיקר שירה בכלי. 

2- The conclusion is that עיקר שירה בפה which needed to be sung by proper לויים. However, the members of the orchestra could in theory even be עבדים, or Yisroelim. 

Having established that anyone could join the oerchestra,  who actually played the instruments? ישראלים  ? עבדי כהונה?   Or Leviim?

It depends on the understanding at the time by the listeners-meaning the conception of the listening crowd, of the status of these players. 

The גמרא discusses the Halachic status people would perhaps ascribe (after seeing the members of the  כלי players/ orchestra) to the actual players. While others wouldn’t give it much thought, some would go away thinking that surely, these selected musicians, were מיוחסים having attained the job of playing music in the בית המקדש. 

Some would even take it for granted that they were לויים! 

Thus, the makeup of the orchestra was a result of the what the crowd thought at that time. For example: If a musician would be considered by the listeners as a proper Levi (and give him מעשר) then the orchestra would need to choose only לויים. 

If a musician would be considered by the listeners not as a proper Levi, but at least as an ישראלי כשר , then the orchestra would need to choose only ישראלים כשרים. 

3- We discussed a sad chapter in Jewish history pertaining to the לויים. When the גלות בבל came to its conclusion Ezra Hasofer urged people to pack up and go back with him to ארץ ישראל. He was partially successful with tens of thousand making Aliyah with him. 

Prior to leaving, realizing that henceforth, there would be a lack proper Rabonnim or leaders in בבל, he rounded up all the families and individuals whose יחוס was in question and took them with him to ארץ ישראל. 

 Ezra figured that the ‘problematic’ families would be dealt with the newly established סנהדרין in ירושלים 

So what remained in בבל were only the מיוחסים.

4- On the way up to ארץ ישראל, Ezra realized that there were no לויים! As the Pasuk says “and I looked around and found Kohanim but no לויים’. 

By the rivers of Babylon….

Rashi (Kiddushin 69b) raises the issue of how to reconcile Ezra’s seeing no לויים in his entourage, when the fourth Perek in Kiddushin begins with the ten ‘types’ of people that went along with Ezra on this epic journey, with the second one being the לויים. 

“עשרה יוחסין עלו מבבל: כהני, לוי, ישראלי, חללי, גירי, חרורי, ממזרי, נתיני, שתוקי, אסופי”

[We briefly discussed this interesting ‘line up’ of then types of Jews]. 

5- Rashi answers with a fascinating story. Years before the לויים were forced by נבוכדנצר to play the instruments as they did in the Beis Hamikdosh before it was destroyed. The refused and cut off their thumbs least he force them to play. 

אֵיךְ נָשִׁיר אֶת שִׁיר יְהוָה עַל אַדְמַת נֵכָר.

These dedicated לויים did indeed join Ezra. They are therefore enumerated as one of the ten types that made the trip with Ezra. 

It was the לויים that did not maul their thumbs who were happy and well settled in  גלות that remained in בבל. 

These were the לויים who would be able to play instruments in the בית המקדש and declined to go back to ארץ ישראל. And that irked Ezra when he realized that they all stayed behind. Who would play the musical instruments?

As Rashi writes: 

ואבינה בעם – מי היה ומי לא היה. ש”מ לא ידע עזרא מי עלה עמו ומי לא עלה עמו. וסבור שהיו שם לוים כשרים, ולא מצא ראויים לעבודה אלא מאותן שקצצו בהונות ידיהם בשיניהם, ואמרו איך נשיר את שיר ה’ וגו’ במזמור על נהרות בבל (תהלים קלז).

שאמר להם נבוכדנצר שירו לנו משיר ציון עמדו וקצצו בהונות ידיהם בשיניהם ואמרו לו איך נשיר את שיר ה’ על אדמת נכר לא נשיר לא נאמר אלא איך נשיר אין לנו במה למשמש בנימי הכנורות, מאותן עלו. 

ומן הכשרים לא מצא לפי שהיו יושבים בבבל בשלוה. והעולים בירושלים היו בעוני ובטורח המלאכה ובאימת כל סביבותיה. והנך לויי דקתני מתניתין מהנך דלא חזו לעבודה היו:

6- What is the relevance of this sad story to our גמרא? 

If we conclude that עיקר שירה בפה, meaning that the musical instruments שירה בכלי was not really part of the שירה, what issue did Ezra have with the לויים that did accompany him? As above, if עיקר שירה בפה then one could hire even עבדים to play these instruments. 

Tosfos in Yevomos 66b asks this question. Their answer: Although the primary component of the שירת הלויים was the singing vocally, nevertheless musical instruments most definitely add to the overall sound and there is a מצוה to play music in addition to the singing. So Ezra, seeing that no לויים capable of playing music have joined him, was obviously very upset. 

His disappointment caused him to sanction the לויים as we will BL”N discuss next week. 

7- We discussed the location of where the לויים stood daily during their singing as opposed the singing during שמחת בית השואבה. 

8 –  Speaking of the elevated platforms for the לויים’s ensemble, we mentioned the different topography of the משכן vs the בית המקדש.

Whereas the משכן was situated on a flat surface, the בית המקדש was built on a mountain with different elevations. 

Although the משכן also had a עזרה, היכל and a קדשי הקדשים, all 3 were on the same level. 

The בית המקדש was of various elevations. See here. 

The Rebbe explains this phenomenon in לקוטי שיחות.  

Vol #29, p71.

The משכן’s presence did not sanctify the ground under it. The Mishkan’s holiness was not derived from the location itself; its קדושה only came from its component parts, such as the מזבח and ארון. When it was moved to another location, nothing of the holiness remained in its original place.

The location of the בית המקדש was/is inherently holy. Each consecutive section of the Beit HaMikdash was elevated from the one beneath it, both in terms of holiness and in terms of physical elevation. One caused the other. This is discussed in depth in Likutei Shichos.

Interestingly, the Rebbe points out that קדש הקדשים, the ultimate Holy of Holies, was not elevated from the room (היכל) before it. The reason is that the קדשי קדשים symbolizes a level of קדושה that cannot be reached by going up any type of stairs or platform. 

BS”D

Suka 50b

Nisan 6, 5783. March 28, 2023

Continued with ניסוך המים. 

הֶחָלִיל — חֲמִשָּׁה וְשִׁשָּׁה. זֶהוּ הֶחָלִיל שֶׁל בֵּית הַשּׁוֹאֵבָה, שֶׁאֵינוֹ דּוֹחֶה לֹא אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת וְלֹא אֶת יוֹם טוֹב.

MISHNA: The flute is played on the festival of Sukkot for five or six days. This is the flute of the Place of the Drawing of the Water, whose playing overrides neither Shabbat nor the Festival.

1- Is it שמחת בית השואבה or שמחת בית חשובה? 

The joy of the drawing of the water,  or the joy of performing the important מצוה.  

Two opinions of in our גמרא what it actually says in the  Mishna  – שואבה or חשובה. 

Interesting מהר”ץ חיות on our גמרא. 

He asks – what is the question? The two opinions were of people that lived much after רבינו הקדוש. So…. open up a משניות and see what it says!

He deducts from this that רבי only compiled and arranged the Mishnayos but did not write them. This allowed for different opinions on the exact wording until one text was universally accepted. 

2- The חליל and other musical instruments used for the שירת הלויים .

חליל is usually translated as a flute or recorder. 

Our גמרא also mentions the אבוב that was the the בית המקדש from the time of משה רבינו!

Another musical instrument mentioned is the אבוב, made of copper or wood. 

 Rav פפא in ערכין 10, a. says that חליל and אבוב שרק are the same instrument.

See פירוש המשניות להרמב”ם ערכין ב , ג. 

ערכין י, ב. 

ת”ר אבוב היה במקדש חלק היה דק היה של קנה היה ומימות משה היה צוה המלך וציפוהו זהב ולא

 היה קולו ערב נטלו את צפויו והיה קולו ערב כמות שהיה

The Sages taught in a baraita: There was a flute in the Temple; it was smooth and it was thin, i.e., its sides were thin; it was made from reed, and it was in existence from the days of Moses. The king issued a command and they plated the flute with gold, but then its sound was not as pleasant as it was previously. They therefore removed its plating and its sound was then as pleasant as it was before. 

See בראשית 4, 21 that Yuval, one of למך’s sons, created the first musical instruments. 

וְשֵׁ֥ם אָחִ֖יו יוּבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י כׇּל־תֹּפֵ֥שׂ כִּנּ֖וֹר וְעוּגָֽב׃

And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe.

The תרגום of עוגב, is אבוב! In modern Hebrew, עוגב, is translated as an organ which is a large keyboard instrument. Here. 

3- Whereas our Mishna states explicitly the חליל would not be played on Shabbos and Yom Tov, a Beraisa quotes the opinion of Reb Yosi that the musical instruments were indeed played on Shabbos and Yom Tov. 

4- We discussed the old issue of using grape juice for Kiddush and the 4 cups of wine at the Seder.

Freshly squeezed juice from grapes is mentioned in the גמרא (BB 97b) as being valid for Kiddush.

However, is grape juice considered ‘wine’ in regards to drinking it during the 9 days? Here. 

The modern grape juice is different in 2 ways. 

Firstly, it’s pasteurized making it יין מבושל. That itself is not a major issue as the הלכה is that יין מבושל is fine.

The second issue is the fact that, unlike the grape juice of the גמרא, where the juice is unfermented wine, our grape juice will never turn into wine. See רשב”ם in BB above. 

Additionally, the Alter Rebbe writes that the ד כוסות need to be consumed דרך חשיבות. Does our grape juice fit this category?

See here

https://yaacovhaber.com/rth/using-grape-juice-for-kiddush/

https://beinenu.com/sites/default/files/alonim/164_107_77.pdf

https://www.hidush.co.il/hidush.asp?id=22535

BS”D

Sukkah 50a

Adar 22, 5783. March 15, 2023

1- Tosfos raises 2 points. 

A- What is the issue with filling the vessels with the water for ניסוך המים a day early? 

The Gemara says that it would become פסול בלינה since anything that is left overnight in a כלי קודש becomes פסול בלינה. 

Asks Tosfos: filling up the water a day early is not considered ‘filling it’, since it is before the זמן for the שאיבה which begins only at night. The fact that it was poured into  the vessel before the proper time of the שאיבה is as if ‘a monkey poured into the כלי!

[More on monkeys later]. So even when the זמן of nightfall arrives, it would not become קדוש since ‘no one’ filled it up. מעשה קוף. 

B- Why is the water for the ניסוך המים , that is filled from the שילוח, (a stream outside ירושלים) not become פסול due to the laws of יוצא. 

יוצא is a general rule that anything that is קודש cannot be taken out of either the עזרה or  ירושלים. Removing it causes it to become פסול.

So how can the water remain קודש if it is drawn outside the city walls?

We discussed Tosfos’s answer on these two interesting topics. 

2- We mentioned the famous question on the Gemara פסחים מא. This is in regards to a קרבן פסח, which must be broiled over a fire. Cooking it in water is strictly forbidden.  

[Will discuss at next shiur the reason for this BL”N]. 

What if one cooks the קרבן פסח in the חמי טבריה? The hot springs of טבריה? Rav Chisda  says one is חייב! 

אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: הַמְבַשֵּׁל בְּחַמֵּי טְבֶרְיָא בְּשַׁבָּת — פָּטוּר. פֶּסַח שֶׁבִּשְּׁלוֹ בְּחַמֵּי טְבֶרְיָא — חַיָּיב.

Rav Ḥisda said: One who cooks food in the hot springs of Tiberias on Shabbat is exempt. One violates the Shabbat prohibition of cooking only if he uses a fire. In the case of a Paschal lamb that was cooked, i.e., boiled, in the hot springs of Tiberias, one is liable for boiling the offering.

The obvious question is that taking the קרבן פסח to טבריה would make it פסול! 

It cannot mean a type of hot spring like חמי טבריה in ירושלים, as the גמרא says elsewhere (Pesachim 8b) that there are no hot springs in ירשלים , least someone would say he’s coming not for the קדושה of ירשלים but to soak in the local spas….

Some suggest that the water from ‘טברי can retain it’s heat by bringing it in a thermos…. But would not that be a כלי שני?  Unless the thermos was immersed into the water in טבריה. 

B’H – We finished the 4th Perek. 

3 –  Fifth פרק 

Began to discuss the topic of the שמחה associated with ניסוך המים

As per Rashi, the שמחה is associated with  the drawing of the water as it says ושאבתם מים בששון. 

Mentioned the question on the Rambam that states the obligation for the שמחה יתרה that occurred on סוכות but omits to mention that is was due to ניסוך המים.

That’s a big topic that the Rebbe spoke about many times. We will discuss it again in the future. To start see here. LS 17, 267 . 

4- We mentioned the answer on the above question from an ‘under the radar’ תלמיד חכם that was unknown until he published his magnom opus on the ספר המצוות of Reb Sa’adia Gaon. 

Reb Yeruchem Fishel Perlow. English 

5 – Speaking of מעשה קוף in the above תוספות, we discussed a fascinating piece in the מורה נבוכים where the Rambam states that there are species of beings that are an intermediary between a human and an animal! 

Part 3, 51

6- In this vein, we discussed the Mishna in כלאים. 8, 6. 

שׁוֹר בָּר, מִין בְּהֵמָה. וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, מִין חַיָּה. כֶּלֶב, מִין חַיָּה. רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, מִין בְּהֵמָה. חֲזִיר, מִין בְּהֵמָה. עָרוֹד, מִין חַיָּה. הַפִּיל וְהַקּוֹף, מִין חַיָּה. וְאָדָם מֻתָּר עִם כֻּלָּם לִמְשֹׁךְ וְלַחֲרֹשׁ וּלְהַנְהִיג:

The wild ox [is in the category of] a בהמה. But Rabbi Yose says: [it is in the category] of chayyah. 

The dog [ is in the category of] a chayyah. But Rabbi Yose says: [it is in the category] of a behemah. The pig [is in the category of] a behemah. 

The wild donkey [is in the category of] a  chayyah. 

The elephant and the monkey [they are in the category of] a chayyah. A human being is permitted to draw, plow, or lead with any of them. 

The obvious question is why mention the elephant and monkey and not other animals. Why only these two animals? All animals are different.

The מלאכת שלמה suggest that these two animals resemble the human. The monkey with his upright posture and demeanor and the elephant with his ability to understand human speech. 

Therefore the  גמרא says that when one sees these two particular animals the ברכה of משנה הבריות is made. 

He adds that during the מבול some humans were punished by turning into monkeys and elephants. Evolution in reverse. 

That is the reason for this ברכה on these two animals only.

Truly משנה הבריות!  

Similarly, the Mishna in כלאים needs to tell us that despite the elephant and monkey being descendants from humans they are considered animals. 

Thanks to Dani Chitrik who sent this link:

ספר שלמה משנתו. ברכות נז, א. 

IY”H more on this in the next shiur . 

BS”D

Sukkah 49b (2)

Adar 7, 5783. February 28, 2023

1- Continued with the last lines of the אגדתא.

Our גמרא cites 3 distinction between צדקה and גמילות חסדים.

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה דְּבָרִים גְּדוֹלָה גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים יוֹתֵר מִן הַצְּדָקָה.

א – צְדָקָה — בְּמָמוֹנוֹ; גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים — בֵּין בְּגוּפוֹ, בֵּין בְּמָמוֹנוֹ.

ב – צְדָקָה — לָעֲנִיִּים; גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים — בֵּין לָעֲנִיִּים בֵּין לָעֲשִׁירִים.

ג –  צְדָקָה — לַחַיִּים; גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים — בֵּין לַחַיִּים בֵּין לַמֵּתִים.

Mentioned the שפת אמת that proves from this גמרא  that  צדקה can only be performed with cash or gifting . Doing someone a favor, even to a needy and poor fellow, is גמילות חסדים.

2- The גמרא mentions the פסוק:

״אוֹהֵב צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט חֶסֶד ה׳ מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ״.

Literally translated as charity and justice.

On a similar note there is a פסוק:

משפט וצדקה ביעקב אתה עשית

Spoke about the contrasting features of צדקה which means kindness, giving and showing affection. משפט – justice, on the other hand, shows rigidness, structure, and even harshness.

In other word, צדקה is a voluntary act of kindness which is not necessarily based on reciprocity. It is an expression of love, compassion, and understanding, and often requires one to put the needs of others before their own.

משפט, however, is driven by a sense of fairness and justice, and is based on a system of rules, laws, and regulations. It is often seen as a way to maintain order and justice in a society. צדקה is focused on helping others in a compassionate way, while משפט is focused on making sure that everyone is treated fairly and equally.

So how do these two, משפט וצדקה come together?

The Alter Rebbe expounds on this concept in תורה אור, בשלח סג, ב, suggesting that one should develop a genuine feeling of giving charity by applying משפט in his personal life.

משפט leads to צדקה.

This משפט is the “judgment” one makes of his expenditures, accounting for his basic needs (food, clothing, etc.) and his מותרות. By calculating that even though he has all he needs and more, someone else is lacking basic necessities, he can deduce that the charity he gives is simply “deducting” from his מותרות.

Through this .משפט\חשבון, or reckoning, of his extras and luxuries against the basic needs of another, one can come to צדקה.

Thus, משפט וצדקה ביעקב אתה עשית.

בחי’ משפט שעושה האדם בנפשו על מותרות חיי גופו נגד הצדקה.

כי הנה ארז”ל חייך קודמין לחיי חבירך ודוקא חייך ממש כמשל הקיתון של מים שאם ישתו שניהם ימותו כו’ כדאיתא בגמרא.
מה שאין כן המותרות שלך אינן קודמין לחיי חבירך שאינו בדין שיפנק האדם את נפשו בתפנוקי עלמא וחבירו ימות ברעב ח”ו.

ועל ידי משפט זה שעושה האדם שלא לתת יניקה וחיות מותרות הגוף גורם למעלה בחי’ משפט שלא יומשך חיות המותרות שהן החיצוני’ וסטרא אחרא. וזהו שמשבחים ומברכים את ה’ אוהב צדקה ומשפט:

3 – We moved on to the topic of כלי שרת and why the drawing of the ניסוך המים  was not performed on שבת but on the Friday preceding it.

4- We repeated the explanation of the יערות דבש on the entire saga and plan of Esther to lure המן to attend a party in her home which was devoid of עבודה זרה.

Thus we can understand why it says ויבהילו.

5- Being it was ז’ אדר, we discussed an idea of the מאור עינים. This ספר contains the תורות of Reb Menachem Nochum of Chernobyl, who was a friend of the Alter Rebbe and eventually, also his מחותן.

The question he poses is  on the גמרא, that המן was happy that the גורל he did fell out in חודש אדר, since it is the month that משה רבינו passed away. If המן knew Jewish calendar dates then he would also have known that it is also the day that he was born.

Many answers are offered.

The מאור עינים answers that המן surely knew that both, the לידה and פטירה occurred on ז’ אדר.  (Truma)

His mistake was that he figured that the fact that on ז’ אדר, when משה רבינו passed away it ‘canceled’ his לידה. The effect of Moshe was gone. His legacy didn’t continue.

Thus, the positive effect of ז’ אדר, being the day of the לידה is something of the past and overshadowed by his פטירה that occurred on that very same day.

However, says the מאור עינים, that is not what the גמרא meant ‘that on ז’ אדר he was also born’.

Born on ז’ אדר here means his rebirth!  A spiritually rebirth in the heart of every איד. And that occurred immediately after his פטירה. This amazing phenomenon was unknown to המן.

Thus, every Jew has a ניצוץ of Moshe Rabbeinu within himself.  This ניצוץ, grants the ability of every Jew to grasp and understand תורה, each according to his ability.

[This idea is discussed in Tanya 42.

אלא הענין הוא כי כל נפש ונפש מבית ישראל יש בה מבחי’ משרע”ה כי הוא משבעה רועים הממשיכים חיות ואלהות לכללו’ נשמות ישראל שלכן נקראים בשם רועים

ומשרע”ה הוא כללו’ כולם ונקרא רעיא מהימנא דהיינו שממשיך בחי’ הדעת לכללות ישראל לידע את ה’ כל אחד כפי השגת נשמתו ושרשה למעלה ויניקתה משרש נשמת משרע”ה המושרשת בדעת העליון שבי”ס דאצילות המיוחדות במאצילן ב”ה שהוא ודעתו אחד והוא המדע כו’.]

How does one develop this ניצוץ? How does one get to feel this concept?

This is accomplished by emulating a trait that Moshe excelled in.

וְהָאִ֥ישׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה עָנָ֣ו מְאֹ֑ד מִכֹּל֙ הָֽאָדָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָֽה׃

Moshe was the most humble human on the face of the earth.

A person that strives towards humility and ביטול can reach this ניצוץ משה שבתוכו

The פסוק tell us, continues Reb Menachem Nachum, that Moshe was buried in a valley; a symbol of humility.

וַיִּקְבֹּר אֹתוֹ בַגַּיְ.

However, we all must remember that even if we have not attained such humility, regardless, this ניצוץ is there right inside of us.

As the פסוק attests to this by saying וְלֹא יָדַע אִישׁ אֶת קְבֻרָתוֹ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה.

It’s buried within us all…..even if we don’t know where…yet.

פורים שמח!

BSD

Sukkah 49b

Shvat 30, 5783. February 21, 2023

1 – Continuing on ניסוך המים, and ניסוך היין. 

Two opinions of where the water and wine flowed to, after draining into the שיתין , thru the holes that were on top of the מזבח. Either they went into the תהום (underground water flows) or into a לול, which was a large stone vat that collected the wine. This vat needed to be emptied when full. The גמרא says:  

Once in seventy years young priests would descend there and gather from there the congealed wine, which resembled round cakes of dried and pressed figs.

2 – The גמרא discusses what makes a person more ‘satisfied’ when drinking wine. When one sips or when one drinks large amounts at one time. 

Discussed Rashi’s and the מהרש”א’s opinion. 

3 – The concepts of performing Mitzvos and studying Torah in a quite and unassuming manner בצנעה. The vice of boasting and flaunting. 

Story of Chasidim of the צמח צדק who reluctantly divulged his vast knowledge of ש״ס only because the Rebbe instructed them to go on מסירת נפש!

4-  ״וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם אֱלֹהֶיךָ״ — זוֹ הוֹצָאַת הַמֵּת וְהַכְנָסַת כַּלָּה לַחוּפָּה. 

How can one help with these two מצוות and yet keep it under the wraps? 

Rashi answers this question:

הוצאת המת והכנסת כלה – דכתיב בהו לכת טוב ללכת אל בית אבל מלכת אל בית משתה (קהלת ז׳:ב׳) אף שם צריך הצנע לסעוד במדה נאה ולשמוח במדה נאה ולא להנהיג קלות ראש בעצמו

 וי”א אם צריך לבזבז להוצאת מת עני או להכנסת כלה ענייה יעשה בצנעא ולא לימא קמי מאן דלא ידע דעבדי [כן] וכן מפרש בשאלתות דרב אחאי:

1st explanation is referring to one’s personal participation. So at a wedding, although the intention is to be משמח חתן וכלה, one should keep it under control. 

The 2nd explanation by the שאלתות refers to his monetary contribution towards the burial or wedding of a poor person. “One should not divulge how much his participation is”. 

5- שאילתות דרב אחאי Topics discussed:

•  שאילתות דרב אחאי which is the first written ספר we have after the writing of the final version of the גמרא.
• Discussed the times of the רבנן סבוראי that was then followed by the גאונים. 
• Who was this רב אחא or אחאי? An אמורא or from a later time? 
• Is this  רב אחא mentioned in גמרא despite not being an אמורא? 
• His sayings in our גמרא are written using different syntax . Like פשיט רבי אחאי. 
• If he was from the times of the אמוראים then why is he called גאון when this tile was used only from the era of the רבנן סבוראי ( and primarily from גאונים) and on. 
• The structure of the שאילתות. 
• Commentary by רבי ישעי’ ברלין. See here. The massive commentary of the נצי”ב. 
• The title גאון meant that one was versed in all 60 מסכתות.  
• גאו”ן equals 60. 

[See fascinating here about this number regarding the number of Mesechtos.] 

Was there more than one רבי אחא? 

See Tosfos כתובות ב, ב. 

זבחים קב, ב. 

6 – Speaking of the importance of helping to marry off a poor חתן וכלה, we ended with the amazing comment of the מהרש”א on the following גמרא. 

אָמַר רָבָא: בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמַּכְנִיסִין אָדָם לְדִין, אוֹמְרִים לוֹ:.

Rava said: After departing from this world, when a person is brought to judgment for the life he lived in this world, they say to him:

1. Did you conduct business faithfully? נָשָׂאתָ וְנָתַתָּ בָּאֱמוּנָה? 
2. Did you designate times for Torah study? קָבַעְתָּ עִתִּים לַתּוֹרָה? 
3. Did you engage in procreation? עָסַקְתָּ בִּפְרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה?
4. Did you await for Hshem’s help? צָפִיתָ לִישׁוּעָה?
5. Did you engage in the wisdom of Torah? פִּלְפַּלְתָּ בְּחׇכְמָה?
6. Did you try to fully understand Torah? הֵבַנְתָּ דָּבָר מִתּוֹךְ דָּבָר?

And, nevertheless, beyond all these, if the fear of the Lord is his treasure, yes, he is worthy, and if not, no, none of these accomplishments have any value. וַאֲפִילּוּ הָכִי, אִי יִרְאַת ה׳ הִיא אוֹצָרוֹ — אִין, אִי לָא — לָא

The Maharsha comments on #3 above. If this simply means “did you have children” then it it should have said קיימת פריה ורביה? 

Rather, says the Maharsha, עסקת refers to the ‘occupation of assisting a poor חתן וכלה to get married’!

7 – A short note about the discussion of last week (SHIUR SUKKAH 49A 2/14/23)

.חסורי מחסרי והכי קתני and the 3 methods (A, B, C) of explaining this statement. 

A:

חסורי מחסרי means the version we have in our Mishnah is simply incorrect; it’s missing a few words. 

והכי קתני – and it should say so and so. [See there for explanations B & C]

A question arises,  if it’s  a typo, then why didn’t the גמרא simply correct the text of the משנה to avoid future confusion and misunderstanding?  

The תפארת ישראל has an very interesting and novel explanation. We mentioned this idea several years ago: SHIUR 08/08/2017 BEITZA 24A-B

The Mishnayos, prior to them being written, were studied and transmitted verbally. [At that time, writing the משנה was prohibited]. In order to assist in the memorization, they were repeated with a particular song. The words of every Mishna fit to a particular tune, thereby easing the memorization.

Mishna, with Trop (cantillation)

If we were to add the missing words it would cause chaos and the memorization process would be diminished!

This idea is truly unique and original.

תפארת ישראל על המשניות מסכת ערכין פרק ד’ משנה א’   

BS”D

Sukkah 49a

Shvat 23, 5783. February 14, 2023

1- We continued talking about the fascinating Yerushalmi that G-d didn’t create anything square. See last week’s notes. Here. 

We added another tidbit to the Rebbe’s take on this. In 1962 an author sent to the Rebbe his ספר containing charts on מסכת יבמות וקנים . See here. באר יעקב על מס’ יבמות וקנים

The Rebbe responded to him with a letter thanking him for sending the ספר and added some comments on the ספר. 

The author used symbols to explain the many scenarios of family relationships concerning marriages, יבום and חליצה. 

This is his code page for his charts. 

Sample page

The last note of the Rebbe concerns the symbol of a square the author chose designating a זכר. 

Since there are ‘no squares in מעשה בראשית’ using a square is not proper! 

 ועוד להעיר משטח אחר לגמרי, שלא נראה לי מרובע לסימן (זכר), שהרי אין מרובע מששת ימי בראשית.

2 – We spoke about ‘always turning to the right’ when going up to the בימה. Here is the Shulchan Aruch OC, 141, 7. 

Basically- when going up for an Aliya (or the חזן holding the ספר תורה) one takes the shortest way to the Bima and the reverse when leaving the Bima. If both routes are equal, one takes the path to his right. 

3 – The Gemara expands on the story of the Mishna of the Esrogim that were thrown on the צדוקי. As Rashi explains they also threw rocks and that caused the  מזבח to be damaged and lose its ‘perfect square’.

A not perfect square invalidates the כשרות of the מזבחץ 

ושלשה נביאים עלו עמהם מן הגולה. אחד העיד להן על מקום המזבח. ואחד העיד להן על מדותיו. ואחד העיד להן שמקריבין על המזבח הזה כל הקרבנות אע”פ שאין שם בית:

 We discussed the Tosfos about the smooth rocks and cement that was used to build the מזבח and whether they used the שמיר for the second בית המקדש. 

Mentioned the interesting explanation of the אבני נזר on this גמרא. CM 70

Spoke about the salt that was sprinkled on the כבש to avoid slipping. Mishnah, Eiruvin 104

 4-  The שיתין.

Our Gemara quotes a פסוק  from 7, 2 in  שיר השירים and uses דרש to connect it to the שיתין. 

חַמּוּקֵי יְרֵכַיִךְ כְּמוֹ חֲלָאִים מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אׇמָּן

Your hidden thighs are like jewels,

The work of a master’s hand.

אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: שִׁיתִין, מִשֵּׁשֶׁת יְמֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית נִבְרְאוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״חַמּוּקֵי יְרֵכַיִךְ כְּמוֹ חֲלָאִים מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אׇמָּן״. ״חֲמוּקֵי יְרֵכַיִךְ״ — אֵלּוּ הַשִּׁיתִין. ״כְּמוֹ חֲלָאִים״ — שֶׁמְּחוֹלְלִין וְיוֹרְדִין עַד הַתְּהוֹם. ״מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אׇמָּן״ — זוֹ מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אוּמָּנוּתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.

Drain to Shiloah…

Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The drainpipes [shisin] built into the altar and extending beneath it were created during the six days of Creation, as it is stated: “The hidden of your thighs are like jewels, the handiwork of a skilled workman” 

The Gemara interprets the verse homiletically:

 “Your hidden thighs”; these are the drainpipes that are concealed within the altar;

“are like jewels [ḥala’im]”; they are hollow [meḥolalin] and descend to the depths; “the handiwork of a skilled workman”; this is the handiwork of the Holy One, Blessed be He.

The word חַמּוּקֵי literally means hidden. The גמרא says that it refers to the hidden drainpipes that were in the מזבח that extended to the תהום  – groundwater flows. 

5 – The topic of חסורי מחסרי והכי קתני. This is an expression mentioned many times in ש”ס  

It applies to a discussion in גמרא where we are trying to decipher a cryptic and difficult statement in a particular Mishna. 

The גמרא suggests an explanation,  but the issue is – that is not what is stated in the משנה. 

The גמרא then suggests that to understand the Mishna  חסורי מחסרי והכי קתני.

We mentioned that there are 3 ways to understand this statement. 

A – חסורי מחסרי – The version we have in our Mishnah is simply incorrect; it’s missing a few words. 

והכי קתני – and it should say so and so. Why the text was not corrected is another topic. BL”N next week. 

B – Prior to רבינו הקדוש there were many schools of תנאים, each with its particular version of the myriad of  הלכות that eventually were compiled into the משניות. Each school had its tradition as to what the text and the  הלכה is. 

Now Rebi chose the ‘Reb Meir Edition’. He decided that this version is the correct one. 

Sanhedrin 86 …לא ס”ד דאמר ר’ יוחנן סתם מתני’ ר’ מאיר

Generations later when the אמוראים tried to decipher the משניות, as codified by Rebi, they encountered difficulties. It caused them to state that חסורי מחסרי והכי קתני, meaning that the הלכה is, not as Rebi wrote. Rather the correct version is the Mishna edition of another school and their tradition.  

C – The explanation offered is indeed correct. The reason it does not fit into the words of the משנה as we see it, is for the following reason:

רבינו הקדוש who wrote or compiled the Misnayos chose to write it using very few words. בדרך קצרה. 

Nevertheless, the words he did write were carefully chosen in a way that future generations, when trying to understand the Mishna, by analyzing these short words, would see that Rebi hinted to the suggested explanation thereby solving the problems that would arise. 

So חסורי מחסרי means that the meaning of the words of the משנה lack ones understanding at first. By applying oneself diligently to the Mishna, by spending time to grasp its true meaning then והכי קתני , one will see that Rebi actually meant to say this very explanation. 

6 – Mentioned the פנים יפות (BO) who ties the above, the application to Torah study, to the פסוק our גמרא quotes regarding the ‘hidden drain pipes’ inside the מזבח. 

  חַמּוּקֵי יְרֵכַיִךְ hidden thighs or pipes, refers to what is hidden in the words of תורה. 

תורה has its simple meaning. However, the hidden aspect of תורה needs to be ‘dug’ in order to understand their deeper meaning.  A person should not become depressed when encountering difficulty in understanding תורה. On the contrary, his lack of understanding is a sign that G-d wants him to work hard until he figures out the פשט. 

As the רמ”ע מפאנו writes: חַמּוּקֵי is the ראשי תיבות of חסורי מחסרי והכי קתני!

—————————-

מאמר הנפש חלק רביעי פרק א. 

BSD

Sukkah 48b (2) 

Shvat 16, 5783. February 7, 2023

We continued the topic of ניסוך המים. 

1- משנה  – And the appointee says to the one pouring the water into the silver basin: Raise your hand, so that his actions would be visible, as one time a צדוקי intentionally poured the water on his feet, as the צדיקים did not accept the oral tradition requiring ניסוך המים.  In their rage all the people pelted him with their אתרוגים.

The גמרא in Yuma 26b (below) quotes our Mishna to establish that ניסוך המים took place in the morning during שחרית.  As Rashi explains, the proof is from the אתרוגים that were hurled at the צדוקי. 

We mentioned the Ritvah that asks there :  This incident occurred in ירושלים where the Minhag of many was to walk around all day holding on to the ‘ד מינים. Sukka 41b.

?וא״ת והלא אנשי ירושלם נוטלין היו לולביהן כל היום כדאיתא התם

The Ritva concludes that the proof is from the words ‘all the people pelted him with their אתרוגים. ‘All the people’ implies a time when there is a large crowd and not just individuals. 

2- We discussed the issue of using the Esrog to pelt someone. Besides the issue of ביזוי אוכלין there is also the Mitzvah aspect of the Esrog; הוקצה למצוותו . 

The above Ritva has an interesting line:

וי״ל דהא פשי׳ דכיון שהכירו בו שהוא צדוקי זהו כבודו של אתרוג לקדש בו השם לענין כזה:

3- We discussed the Yerushalmi that tries to figure out if the 3 צדוקים stories in ש”ס were talking about the same fellow. 

1- Our Mishna with the צדוקי not pouring the water properly. 

2- The צדוקי who put the קטורת on the coals prior to entering the קודש קדשים. 

3- The צדוקי that dragged out the process of the burning the פרה אדומה until after nightfall. 

4- We discussed the cryptic גמרא  describing a seemingly foolish argument between two heretics call ששון ושמחה. 

Anyone with a good explanation please come forth next week. 

5- The topic of always turning to the right in the בית המקדש and when circling the מזבח. 

6- Discussed the מזבח and the importance of it being perfectly square. See here. 

7- The Yerushalmi in שבועות and other places that:

• Swearing that one saw a square snake as wide as the beams of an olive is considered a שבועת שוא. 
• At the time of creation ‘nothing was created in a perfect square’. 
• What does this ‘nothing’ include? Animals? Food items? 

8- Question to the Rebbe in 1948 by Reb Sholom Rivkin about a quote in a מאמר where it seems to say that some items were created square. 

The Rebbe’s response here. 

The Rebbe’s mentioning that salt crystals are square. 

9  – Suggestion that perhaps the building a perfectly square מזבח is the ultimate לעבדה ולשמרה. The human improvement on מעשה בראשית, by ‘creating’ something that Hashem Himself didn’t do. 

BSD

Sukkah 48b

Shvat 9, 5783. January 31, 2023

Topics discussed about ניסוך המים. The pouring of well water (about 1 liter) on the מזבח on the seven day of סוכות. 

1 –  משנה- One would fill a golden jug with a capacity of three log with water from the Siloam pool. When those who went to bring the water reached the Gate of the Water, they sounded a tekia, sounded a terua, and a tekia. The Cohen ascended the ramp of the מזבח and turned to his left. There were two silver basins there into which he poured the water. Rabbi Yehuda said: They were limestone basins, but they would blacken due to the wine. 

Tosfos has an issue with מעלין בקודש ואין מורידין. The water was drawn in a gold flask/jug and then poured into something of lesser value and importance –  either silver or  plaster/clay bowls that were on top of the מזבח. 

When changing the לחם הפנים every Shabbos they would not remove the bread from the שולחן which was gold and place it on a table that was silver. 

Tosfos answers that this rule, מעלין בקודש ואין מורידין, applies only to כלים. These two basins on the מזבח were attached to the מזבח. Thus the are not considered כלים.

There is another answer that the water of  ניסוך המים  was not really placed in these כלים since they just passed thru them. 

2 – משנה – The two basins were perforated at the bottom with two thin perforated nose-like protrusions.

Rashi says the words ‘nose like’ mean that there were two spouts in each basin and the water and wine passed thru these spouts and landed on top of the מזבח and from there into the holes that were drilled in the מזבח, eventually dripping into the underground water stream. שיתין.

Tosfos, uncharacteristically, asks on Rashi ‘where does he take this all from’? 

וזו תימא גדולה. מנין לו אותו כל הענין שמחוטם של הספלים מקלח על גג המזבח, ומשם לנקב המזבח ומשם לשיתין?  

Rather the words ‘nose like’ simply means that each flask had a hole, just as much as a nose has a nostril! 

The water and wine went straight from the flasks into the hole in the מזבח. 

3 – Mentioned the גמרא in Yuma that from the mention of the Esrogim that were hurled at the צדוקי we see that the ניסוך המים was performed in the morning. 

4 – משנה – And the appointee says to the one pouring the water into the silver basin: Raise your hand, so that his actions would be visible, as one time a צדוקי intentionally poured the water on his feet, as the צדיקים did not accept the oral tradition requiring ניסוך המים.  In their rage all the people pelted him with their אתרוגים.

Mentioned the Yerushalmi that this poor fellow didn’t survive the Esrogim pelting. Rashi says that rocks were also thrown at him. 

5 –  Another place where Esrogim were thrown is in Kiddushin when Reb Zeira ? ruled in Mechuza that גרים can marry ממזרים. Since many of the inhabitants of Mechuzah were גרים they took offense and bombarded Reb Zeira with Esrogim. 

Why Esrogim? 

Mentioned the explanation of the ספר המקנה written by a תלמיד of the Maggid of Mezritch. Here. 

 6 –  ניסוך המים in general. Mentioned the famous מאמר of the Alter Rebbe 79, 4 delving on the fact that ניסוך המים is not mentioned explicitly in the תורה. This signifies the lofty meaning and idea of ניסוך המים as opposed to ניסוך היין that was performed every day. 

The Alter Rebbe concludes that the שמחה associated with ניסוך המים is from the fact that it could not be written explicitly in תורה שבכתב and only written in תורה שבעל פה. 

הקפות is not even written in תורה שבעל פה! Thus the even greater joy. 

We mentioned half in jest that nowadays הקפות is indeed written in Shulchan Aruch. 

So the only שמחה not written is the dancing in the streets on שמחת בית השואבה…..

7 – We finished with an interesting פוילישע תורה on why we do ניסוך המים on Sukkos. 

From the פרדס יוסף. 

Here it goes:

ניסוך המים is a commemoration for the miracle of the well water that ‘miraculously came up for Rivka when she offered it to Eliezer’. 

And that occurred on the 15th of Tishrei! 

How? 

The עקידה occurred on Yom Kippur. [for those who questioned this at the Shiur see עיין בעבודת הקודש להחיד”א, כף אחת סי’ ח’ שעקידת יצחק היתה ביום כפור.]

After the עקידה, Avrohom travelled back to באר שבע. When he arrived, 3 days later on the 13th of Tishrei (ביום השלישי), he heard that Rivka was born. 

So far we have established that Rivkah was born on the 13th of Tishrei. 

At the end of מסכת סופרים it says that Rivka got engaged when she was 3 years and three days. That is the day she met Eliezer at the well! 

If her birthday was Tishrei the 13th, three days later was 13-14-15- ….. First day of Sukkos! 

So the miracle of the well water occurred on the first day of Sukkos – the 15th day of Tishrei!

ניסוך המים on Sukkos commemorates that נס. 

BS”D

Suka 48a

Shvat 2, 5783. January 15, 2023

Some brief notes. 

1 – We came across one of the famous acrostics – ראשי תיבות of ש”ס. 

פז”ר קש”ב  

The 6 letters symbolize the items by which שמיני עצרת is considered as a Yom Tov on its own, and not just the ‘8th day of Sukkos’. 

פַּיִיס בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ. זְמַן בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ. רֶגֶל בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ. קׇרְבָּן בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ. שִׁירָה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ. בְּרָכָה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ.

2 – We pointed out the Rashi that explains בְּרָכָה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ  as a special blessing that was made for the king on Shemini Atzeres. 

ובתוספתא משמע שמברכין את המלך. והכי גרסינן לה ברכה בפני עצמו שנאמר (מלכים א ח׳:ס״ו) ביום השמיני שלח את העם ויברכו את המלך:

Was it יחי המלך? 

3 – Discussed the three ways of mentioning שמיני עצרת in Davening and Benching. 

שמיני חג העצרת הזה 

Or

יום שמיני עצרת 

Or 

שמיני עצרת החג הזה. 

See here in Shulchan Aruch, Mogen Avrohom and Taz. OC 667. 

What if someone says חג הסוכות הזה? 

4 – The אבני נזר who quotes the Alter Rebbe in Torah Ohr about שמיני עצרת. 

CM 3.  

5 – The next Mishna discusses the obligation to be בשמחה on Shemini Atzeres.

In general –

שמחה –  when there is a בית המקדש this obligation is fulfilled only with eating meat. When there is no בית המקדש, with drinking wine. 

As the Gemara says in Pesachim 109, a.

תניא רבי יהודה בן בתירא אומר: בזמן שבית המקדש קיים אין שמחה אלא בבשר, שנאמר “וְזָבַחְתָּ שְׁלָמִים וְאָכַלְתָּ שָּׁם וְשָׂמַחְתָּ לִפְנֵי ה’ אֱלֹהֶיךָ.”, ועכשיו שאין בית המקדש קיים, אין שמחה אלא ביין, שנאמר “וְיַיִן יְשַׂמַּח לְבַב אֱנוֹשׁ”.

Meaning that everyday, one must eat from the שלמי שמחה or drink a רביעית of wine.  

Discussed the Gemara that says that there is no Simcha on the first night of Sukkos. As Rashi explains that to fulfill that on the first night one would need to bring the שלמי שמחה on ערב יום טוב. 

It seems a bit odd that the first night of Yom Tov there is no שמחה! 

6 – Mentioned the famous שאגת אריה, that says that there is indeed a Mitzvah of Simcha but only מדרבנן.   

Some  ראשונים as well as the Alter Rebbe disagree and say that there is a Mitzvah of שמחה the first night as well, despite not having the שלמי שמחה. As the Gemara says that that are other ways to be בשמחה, with wine, other delicacies or Yom Tov clothes. 

Here is the Rebbe’s Sicha where he discusses the שאגת ארי. 

7- Discussed the opinion of the Alter Rebbe that there is a מצוות עשה to drink at least a רביעית  of wine every day of Yom Tov including Chol HaMoed. 529, 6-7

ו ויש בחול המועד מה שאין בראש השנהלו והוא שכל שבעת ימי הפסח ושמונת ימי החגלז וכן ביו”ט של עצרתלח חייב אדם להיות שמח וטוב לב הוא ובניו ואשתו ובני ביתו וכל הנלוים אליולט ושמחה זו היא מצות עשה מן התורהמ שנאמרמא ושמחת בחגך אתה ובנך ובתך וגו’:

ז כיצד משמחןמב הקטנים נותן להם קליות ואגוזיםמג והנשים קונה להם בגדים ותכשיטין כפי ממונומד והאנשים בזמן שבית המקדש היה קיים היו אוכלין בשר שלמים לשמחהמה ועכשיו שאין בית המקדש קיים אין יוצאים ידי חובת שמחה אלא ביין שנאמרמו ויין ישמח לבב אנוש.

אבל בשר אין חובה לאכול עכשיו כיון שאין לנו בשר שלמים ומכל מקום מצוה יש באכילת בשר ביו”טמז כיון שנאמר בו שמחה והואיל ואי אפשר לנו לשמוח בו בעיקר השמחה שהיא אכילת בשר שלמים יש לנו לשמחו בשאר כל מיני שמחותמח.

לכך נהגו להרבות במיני מאכלים ביו”ט יותר מבשבתמט שלא נאמר בה שמחהנ וכן בגדי יו”ט צריכים להיות יותר טובים מבגדי שבתנא:

8- Concluded by mentioning what a smart Talmid Chacham answered when asked on the above obligation to drink wine every day of Yom Tov. The גמרא said on the previous Daf that wine was not easily available during the week. 

So how can one say there is a Mitzvah to drink wine every day of Chol HaMoed? 

His answer: The גמרא was talking during the time of the בית המקדש when indeed the Mitzvah of Simcha was only by eating meat. So indeed, there was no need to prepare wine for the entire Yom Tov!