Commentary for Sukkah 4:3
עֲרָבָה שִׁבְעָה כֵּיצַד, יוֹם שְׁבִיעִי שֶׁל עֲרָבָה שֶׁחָל לִהְיוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת, עֲרָבָה שִׁבְעָה, וּשְׁאָר כָּל הַיָּמִים שִׁשָּׁה:
Aravah — seven. How so? If the seventh day of aravah fell out on Shabbath, aravah — seven. All the other days, six. [The sages made a distinct sign to show that aravah is Torah ordained, i.e., a halachah to Moses on Sinai. In keeping with this, they instituted that on the seventh day, in the Temple, aravah override Sabbath (for they would circle the altar with the aravah.) And today, it is only a custom of the prophets, who had the people take the aravah on the seventh day (Hoshanah Rabbah) aside from the aravah in the lulav (and no blessing is made over it.)]
Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
יום שביעי של ערבה כו' – for the sake of recognition to know that it is from the Torah, that is to say, a usage dating from Moses as delivered from Sinai (i.e., a traditional interpretation of a written law), and because of this recognition, it was established that its seventh [day] supersedes the Sabbath in the Temple, for with the willow, they would make a circuit around the altar. But today, it is not other than a custom of the Prophets that they directed the people to take the willow on the seventh day other than the willow in the Lulav, but we don’t make a blessing upon it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
“The aravah seven days.” How is this? If the seventh day of [the ritual of] the aravah fell on Shabbat, [it lasts] seven days; if it fell on any other day, [it lasts only] six.
The only difference between this mishnah and the previous mishnah concerning the lulav is that the lulav is taken on Shabbat if Shabbat is the first day of the festival, whereas the aravah (the willow) is taken on Shabbat if Shabbat falls on the seventh day of the festival. If Shabbat falls on one of the other days, the aravah ritual is not performed on that day and it will turn out that the aravah ritual happens on only six days. In mishnah five we will learn more about the aravah ritual as it was performed in the Temple. The reason that only the seventh day supersedes Shabbat is that the seventh day is the climax of the ritual.
The only difference between this mishnah and the previous mishnah concerning the lulav is that the lulav is taken on Shabbat if Shabbat is the first day of the festival, whereas the aravah (the willow) is taken on Shabbat if Shabbat falls on the seventh day of the festival. If Shabbat falls on one of the other days, the aravah ritual is not performed on that day and it will turn out that the aravah ritual happens on only six days. In mishnah five we will learn more about the aravah ritual as it was performed in the Temple. The reason that only the seventh day supersedes Shabbat is that the seventh day is the climax of the ritual.
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