Commentary for Sukkah 4:7
מִיַּד הַתִּינוֹקוֹת שׁוֹמְטִין אֶת לוּלְבֵיהֶן וְאוֹכְלִין אֶתְרוֹגֵיהֶן:
Immediately, the children release their lulavim [i.e., the adults release the lulavim of the children from their hands], and they eat their ethrogim. [The adults eat the children's ethrogim. And there is no "theft" in this, this being their custom in rejoicing. Another interpretation: The children would cast away their lulavim and eat their ethrogim on the seventh day. But the adults would not eat theirs the entire day, for since they were set aside for a mitzvah for part of the day, they are "set aside" (huktzah) for all of it.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
מיד התינוקות שומטים את לולביהן – the older ones snatch/carry off/steal the Lulavim/palm branches from the hands of the younger children.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
Immediately after beating the willows (or palm branches) the children undo their lulavs and eat their etrogim. Once the ritual of the aravah was completed, children would immediately undo the ties binding their lulavim together and would immediately eat the etrogim. This seems to encompass two concrete ways of demonstrating that the mitzvah was utterly completed. Once the lulav is untied it is no longer really a lulav it is now just a palm branch, a willow and a myrtle branch. Once the etrog has a bite taken out of it, it can no longer be used on Sukkot.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
ואוכלים – the older ones eat the citrons/Etrogim of the younger children, and there isn’t anything like stealing in this matter for such was how they acted out of joy. Another commentary: the little children would cast their Lulavim/palm branches from their hands and eat their Etrogim/citrons on the seventh day, but the older ones would not eat their Etrogim/citrons all that day, since it was designed for a Mitzvah for part of the day, it was designated for a Mitzvah for the entire day.
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