Related%20passage for Sukkah 4:4

מִצְוַת לוּלָב כֵּיצַד. יוֹם טוֹב הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל חָג שֶׁחָל לִהְיוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת, מוֹלִיכִין אֶת לוּלְבֵיהֶן לְהַר הַבַּיִת, וְהַחַזָּנִין מְקַבְּלִין מֵהֶן וְסוֹדְרִין אוֹתָן עַל גַּב הָאִצְטַבָּא, וְהַזְּקֵנִים מַנִּיחִין אֶת שֶׁלָּהֶן בַּלִּשְׁכָּה. וּמְלַמְּדִים אוֹתָם לוֹמַר, כָּל מִי שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ לוּלָבִי בְיָדוֹ, הֲרֵי הוּא לוֹ בְמַתָּנָה. לְמָחָר מַשְׁכִּימִין וּבָאִין, וְהַחַזָּנִין זוֹרְקִין אוֹתָם לִפְנֵיהֶם. וְהֵן מְחַטְּפִין וּמַכִּין אִישׁ אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ. וּכְשֶׁרָאוּ בֵית דִּין שֶׁבָּאוּ לִידֵי סַכָּנָה, הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהֵא כָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד נוֹטֵל בְּבֵיתוֹ:

The mitzvah of lulav — how so? (i.e., How did they fulfill it in the Temple on Shabbath?) If the first day of the festival fell out on Shabbath, they would take their lulavim to the Temple Mount [on Sabbath eve] and the sextons [who were there for the needs of the congregation] would take them and arrange them atop the Itzteva. [The square of the Temple Mount was surrounded with itztevaoth (colonnades) where people would sit, and which were covered on top against the rain.] And the elders, [who were worried about being jostled when they came the next day to get their lulavim] would leave theirs in the lishkah. And they [beth-din] taught them [all of the people] to say: "If someone else gets my lulav, it is his as a gift" [so that it not be in a status of "stolen" or "borrowed" by him.] The next day they would rise early and come, and the sextons would throw them (the lulavim) before them. They would grab at them (trying to get their own) and would come to blows. When beth-din saw that there was danger in this, they instituted that each one take his own lulav in his house.

Explore related%20passage for Sukkah 4:4. In-depth commentary and analysis from classical Jewish sources.