16 Adar II, 5774 (3/18/14) – Sukkah#43 {Eliezer}

Gemarah [43b top]: A lulav may only be brought on Shabbos if it is the 1st day of the festival (which is Biblical). If Shabbos occurs on another festival day (only rabbinic), we are worried that one may carry it through a public domain four amos (which is biblically prohibited) to have an expert examine it for him (and we do not push aside a biblical worry for a rabbinic obligation). The aravos ceremony is only done on Shabbos if it is the 7th day (which is set aside for this ceremony). Even though there is no technical problem to worry about carrying the aravos to an expert on any Shabbos (ie: the 1st day of the festival), the Rabbis made a takanah (decree) that the aravos should only be allowed to be taken on one Shabbos (namely, the 7th day). This was done so as not to “embarrass” the lulav by allowing the aravos to be viewed as greater in importance and taken on more days than the lulav.

E’s Lesson: Rabbi Tatz explains the beautiful deeper message about objects’ feelings. Moshe was not allowed to hit the land or the sea that spared his life. It is not that these objects have any feeling at all! And, it is not just to teach us a lesson about caring for inanimate objects. It would seem silly to show emotions to “things” even if it IS for us to learn that lesson. The idea is to recognize that these “things” are actually G-d’s channel to bring about blessings for us. We need to recognize not to ever get stuck in the mentality of viewing or thanking an object. Everything IS Hashem. When we recognize water as a channel bringing forth blessing from Above, we are in fact thanking our Creator and realizing Him within our world. That is why we must learn to view Every-THING as being that connection between us and Him. And in turn thank and bless Hashem always.