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

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.

T’s lesson: We see another example of how careful we need to be of even seemingly small objects, which do not have any feelings. We are supposed to be so in tune with how to treat our objects, that we would not think of “slighting” them in the smallest way. This is to train us, all the more so, as to how to act towards people. Also related, is the concept of covering the challah by kiddush. We do this so as not to “embarrass” the challah when we are making kiddush on the wine first.  We learn to be more attuned to the “feelings” of objects, so train us to be attuned to the feelings of others as well.