Beating the aravah

[1] (Halacha 386)

Beating the Aravah (1)

Question: Why do we not recite a bracha over the beating of the aravah, as we do for other ordinances of the Prophets, such as the reading of the Megillah and the recitation of Hallel?

Answer: The Gemara in Maseches Sukkah¹ states: 'It was stated: Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi — one said: the aravah is an institution of the Prophets [= an ordinance of the later prophets Chaggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, who were among those who established the ordinances of Israel within the Men of the Great Assembly. Rashi], and one said: the aravah is a custom of the Prophets [= they established it as a practice for the people, but did not enact it as an ordinance for them, and the practical difference is that it does not require a bracha, for one cannot say "and He commanded us," since it is not even included in "you shall not deviate". Rashi]. It may be concluded that it was Rabbi Yochanan who said "an institution of the Prophets," for Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: the aravah is an institution of the Prophets — conclude accordingly. Rabbi Zeira said to Rabbi Abahu: Did Rabbi Yochanan say this? But Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Nechunya of the Valley of Beis Choron: the ten saplings, the aravah, and the water libation are halacha leMoshe miSinai! He was astonished for a while and said: they forgot them, and then re-established them. But did Rabbi Yochanan say this? But Rabbi Yochanan said: it is yours that they say it, [yet] it is theirs! — This is not difficult: here — in the Temple [= halacha leMoshe miSinai], here — in the outlying regions [= an institution of the Prophets]'.

And further on there²: 'Aivu said: I was standing before Rabbi Elazar bar Tzadok, and a certain man brought an aravah before him; he took it, beat it and beat it, but did not recite a bracha. He held: it is a custom of the Prophets. Aivu and Chizkiyah, the sons of Rav's daughter, brought an aravah before Rav; he beat it and beat it, but did not recite a bracha, holding: it is a custom of the Prophets'.

If so, according to Rashi the reason we do not recite a bracha over the beating of the aravah is because it is only a custom and not an ordinance, and one who does not fulfill it does not transgress the verse of "you shall not deviate from the matter which they tell you," and consequently one cannot say "and He commanded us."

But Tosafos³ wrote: 'And Rabbeinu Tam says that there is no proof from the aravah regarding Hallel, for the aravah is only a mere carrying⁴, and since it is not an ordinance but a custom, it is not significant enough to establish a bracha over it'.

An additional explanation we find among the Rishonim, as the Ritva wrote there: 'It was stated: Rav and Rabbi Yochanan — one said the aravah is an institution of the Prophets and one said a custom of the Prophets, meaning that they did not institute nor enact anything in this, but rather they practiced thus, and the people practiced like them of their own accord; and this is what we say below, "he beat it and did not recite a bracha, holding it is a custom of the Prophets," meaning that since the custom has no basis and no ordinance of the Sages to practice it, we do not recite a bracha over it, but a custom of a mitzvah of Rabbinic origin we do recite a bracha over, just as we recite a bracha and sanctify on the second day of Yom Tov in the present time, for the Sages obligated us to observe it according to the custom of our forefathers'.

And in a similar vein, Rabbeinu Yehonasan of Lunel⁵ wrote: 'And one said it is a custom of the Prophets, that is to say, a custom of prophets and pious ones who were stringent upon themselves and not upon all of Israel, and since this is so, it is not fitting to recite a bracha over it'.

However, the Baal HaYeraim⁶ wrote: 'And we say Rav took it, beat it and beat it, but did not recite a bracha, holding it is a custom of the Prophets not to recite a bracha'. That is to say, part of the ordinance of the Prophets was that over the beating of the aravah one should not recite a bracha.

If so, we have seen in the Gemara that according to Rabbi Yochanan the beating of the aravah is an ordinance over which one recites a bracha, whereas according to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi it is a custom and one does not recite a bracha over it; and we find various approaches among the Rishonim as to why in truth one does not recite a bracha, and the Gemara relates that they brought aravos before Rabbi Elazar bar Tzadok and before Rav and they beat them without a bracha

And as to the halacha, the Rosh⁷ wrote: 'that Rav Shmuel bar Chofni ruled like Rabbi Yochanan, for Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi and Rabbi Yochanan — the halacha follows Rabbi Yochanan.'

And the Baal HaItur⁸ ruled that an individual does not recite a bracha but a congregation does recite a bracha: 'And presumably Rabbi Yochanan, who did not recite a bracha, was an individual, and an individual does not establish a bracha over the custom but a congregation recites a bracha, just as they recite a bracha over Hallel; the aravah requires a bracha in a congregation'.

But the Rif⁹ ruled like Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi that one does not recite a bracha: 'It was stated: Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi — one said the aravah is an institution of the Prophets and one said it is a custom of the Prophets, and we concluded: Aivu said, I was standing before Rabbi Elazar bar Tzadok, and a certain man brought an aravah before him; he took it, beat it and beat it, but did not recite a bracha, holding it is a custom of the Prophets, and over a custom we do not recite a bracha'.

And the Rosh there testified that the people practiced thus: 'And the people practiced like Rav Alfasi z"l, since Rav and Rabbi Elazar bar Tzadok acted in deed, and also Rabbeinu Tam ruled the halacha follows Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi as against Rabbi Yochanan, and in the Responsa of the Geonim he ruled like Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi in every place'.

And so ruled the Mechaber¹⁰: 'And we take an aravah on this day, apart from the aravah that is in the lulav, and we do not recite a bracha over it'.

However, although the beating of the aravah is a custom over which one does not recite a bracha, nevertheless the Rebbe in the sicha of the night of Hoshana Rabbah 5744¹¹ explained that specifically in the beating of the aravah we see the greatness of the merit of the minhag, in which a special strengthening was made, that it will never fall on Shabbos¹² so that there should be no need to nullify this minhag, just as the blowing of the shofar and the taking of the lulav are nullified when they fall on Shabbos.

¹ מד, א ↩

² מד, ב ↩

³ מד, ב ד"ה כאן במקדש ↩

⁴ כלומר לר"ת פעולת החביטה היא מעשה קל שאינו קובע ברכה, וראה חת"ס שו"ת יו"ד סי' קצא ↩

⁵ כב, א מדפי הרי"ף ↩

⁶ סי' תכב ↩

⁷ סוכה פ"ד סי' א ↩

⁸ הל' לולב דף צג טור ד ↩

⁹ כב, א ↩

¹⁰ שו"ע או"ח סי' תרסד ס"ב ↩

¹¹ שיחת ליל הו"ר תשד"מ (תו"מ ח"א ע' 286 ואילך) ↩

¹² פרישה או"ח סי' תכח סק"א ↩

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