Jewish Law Debates Taking Lulav on Shabbat During Sukkot
The practice of taking a lulav (a palm frond) during the Sukkot holiday, particularly when the first day falls on Shabbat, is a subject of extensive debate within Jewish legal tradition. According to the Torah, the commandment to take the lulav for all seven days of Sukkot was specifically applicable only within the Temple. Following the Temple's destruction, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai instituted that the practice extend to the rest of the country for all seven days as a remembrance of the Temple.
A significant point of contention among early authorities, including Rashi and Tosafot, concerns whether the commandment in the Temple for all seven days is equivalent to the first day's commandment, or if there's a distinction. This difference impacts whether prohibitions applicable on the first day, such as using borrowed or incomplete lulav components, would also apply throughout the week in the Temple.
Further debate revolves around Jerusalem's status. Some, like Maimonides, argued that Jerusalem held the same status as the Temple, meaning the lulav commandment would apply there from the Torah for all seven days. Others, including Ritba and Rashi, viewed Jerusalem as equivalent to the rest of the country, not the Temple itself. This distinction is crucial for understanding the application of Sukkot laws in Jerusalem.
The primary question addressed is whether taking the lulav is permitted on Shabbat when it falls on the first day of Sukkot. The Babylonian Talmud suggests a prohibition, stemming from a rabbinic decree fearing that people might carry the lulav in public on Shabbat, violating Torah law. However, the Jerusalem Talmud offers a different perspective, seemingly permitting it under certain conditions and not mentioning the same decree. Despite this, the prevailing Halakha, as codified by Maimonides and others, follows the stricter view, prohibiting the taking of a lulav on Shabbat, even in Israel, to maintain uniformity with practices outside Israel and to avoid potential violations.
Even when the lulav is taken on Shabbat, it is generally understood that one would not be violating the prohibition of 'muktzeh' (objects forbidden to be handled on Shabbat). The article notes that while the Talmudic discussion on taking the lulav on Shabbat is complex, the practical ruling for contemporary times, as per the Shulchan Aruch, is to refrain from taking the lulav on Shabbat.
