Hoshanos

By Rabbi Joshua Flug

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I.

Introduction- This shiur outline will present the background behind what we call "Hoshanos." This includes the daily circling of the bimah on the first six days of Sukkos and the entire Hoshanah Rabbah service including chibut aravah. The Hakafah in the Beis HaMikdash a. The Mishna teaches that the mitzvah of aravah was fulfilled by leaning the aravos against the mizbe'ach, they blew shofar, they encircled the mizbe'ach and recited ' ' or . On the seventh day, the encircled the mizbe'ach seven times. {} b. The Gemara has a discussion about what they did with the aravos. [The reason for this discussion is that the Gemara is trying to figure out why you would skip aravos on Shabbos. If there is no need to pick them up, then there is less of a concern regarding Shabbos.] {} i. R. Yosef suggests that maybe the only mitzvah is to place them on the mizbeach. ii. Abaye thinks that they must be held and tries to prove this from the fact that they encircled the mizbe'ach each day, ostensibly holding the aravos. iii. The Gemara rejects this proof based on the opinion of a number of Amoraim that the hakafos were done with the lulav and not the aravos. iv. The Rishonim have different approaches regarding the conclusion of the sugya: 1. Rashi (1040-1105) in a number of places writes that the mitzvah of aravah is to encircle the mizbe'ach, implying that the hakafos were done with the aravos and not the lulav. {} 2. Rambam (1138-1204) writes that the hakafos were done with the lulav and this practice continues until today. {} 3. Rabbeinu Nissim (1320-1380) proves that the hakafos were done with the lulav based on the comment of the Gemara that the mitzvah of aravah is only observed nowadays on the seventh day and not all seven days. {} If the original hakafah was done with the aravos, we wouldn't have a minhag to do hakafos all seven days. However, if the original hakafos were done with the lulav, this is an extension of our zecher l'mikdash to the mitzvah of lulav. {} a. Ran's comments highlight the fact that according to Rambam, the mitzvah of hakafah doesn't relate at all to the mitzvah of aravah but rather is an enhanced fulfillment of the mitzvah of lulav. c. Who Performed the Hakafos?

II.

i. The Mishna states that Kohanim ba'alei mumin (and ostensibly Yisraelim) may not enter the area between the ulam and the mizbe'ach. {&} 1. The Gemara quotes a machlokes whether Kohanim ba'alei mumin may enter that area for hakafos. {} The implication is that Yisraelim cannot enter that area for hakafos. ii. Rashi is of the opinion that only kohanim performed the hakafos: 1. The Gemara writes that aravos on Shabbos are less of an issue than lulav because lulav is }{ . Rashi explains that only kohanim did hakafos. {} a. Rashi's opinion is further clarified in a later comment where he states that only Kohanim perform hakafos because Yisraelim cannot enter }{ . 2. Tosafos asks: If the mitzvah of aravah is and the prohibition against entering is only ,how can the prohibition override the mitzvah? Tosafos answer that perhaps the mitzvah of hakafah doesn't require entering . It can be performed without doing a hakafah around the mizbe'ach. {} a. The question of Tosafos follows Rashi's approach that the mitzvah of aravah involves hakafah. According to Rambam, the hakafah has nothing to do with the mitzvah of aravah. According to Tosafos' conclusion, what is the mitzvah of aravah? Is it simply netillah in or is it a modified hakafah? b. The Gemara has a discussion whether entering is or }{ .Tosafos' question only applies if it is .Rambam assumes that it is }{ ,but as we noted, Tosafos' question doesn't really apply according to Rambam. i. R. Yosef D. Soloveitchik (1903-1993) notes that according to Rambam, perhaps the only applies to and not to Yisraelim. As such, everyone was able to do the hakafah. {} iii. R. Yosef ibn Migash (1077-1141) assumes that Yisraelim couldn't do the hakafah if it meant going }{ : 1. He suggests that hakafah doesn't mean that everyone walked around the mizbe'ach. Rather what it means is that everyone gathered together in a circle, the kohanim stood and everyone else occupied the other spots. On the seventh day, they walked away from the circle and returned seven times. 2. He also suggests that the Yisraelim didn't do a complete circle.

3. Either of these answers could be used to explain that Tosafos require a hakafah and that Yisraelim can perform it without entering . iv. Ran quotes from who are of the opinion that the mitzvah of aravah doesn't require hakfah but rather netilah. The hakafah is only performed by the kohanim. {} 1. This opinion also explains that this is why it is less of an issue regarding Shabbos. Although the Yisraelim did take an aravah, it was monitored by shluchei beis din. This is why the minhag still remains that aravos are purchased from the shul. 2. This opinion would be an alternative explanation to Tosafos' opinion: there is no requirement to do hakafah, only netilah. v. R. Yitzchak Ibn Ghiyyat (1038-1089) quotes one of the Geonim that the mitzvah of hakafah overrides the prohibition against entering . {} 1. This is similar to R. Solovetchik's understanding of Rambam's opinion. d. What is the nature of the mitzvah of hakafah? i. If the mitzvah is with the lulav, it can be viewed as an enhanced form of the mitzvah of lulav in the mikdash. When the Torah states ,' one fulfills the mitzvah by taking lulav in the mikdash, but it is further enhanced by doing a hakafah around the mizbe'ach. 1. R. Soloveitchik queries whether the hakafah is a personal fulfillment or an enhancement of the mizbe'ach. If it is a personal fulfillment, perhaps one who forgot to recite a beracha and has not yet done the hakafah (in the mikdash) can still recite a beracha. If it is not a personal fulfillment, it doesn't relate to the mitzvah of netillah. {} 2. In order to assume that it is a personal fulfillment of ,' one must assume that even Yisraelim fulfilled the mitzvah of hakafah. This can be accomplished either by stating that Yisraelim can do the full hakafah (as per the Gaon quoted by R. Ghayyat. or R. Solovetchik) or that the hakafah didn't require entering . ii. If the mitzvah is with the aravah, it can either be viewed as an enhanced fulfillment of zekifah/netillah or it can be viewed as an integral part of the avodah. 1. Tosafos write that if netillah/hakafah is required, then that must be done before zekifah. {} This implies that netilah/hakafah is a hechsher for the aravah to be placed on the mizbe'ach. III. Hakafos Nowadays

a. Rashi was asked if there is a purpose to doing hakafos if you don't have a lulav. He writes (obviously without referencing the opinions) that it depends on the dispute between his original opinion (which we now call Tosafos' opinion) and his new opinion (which is basically the opinion of Rambam): {} i. He originally assumed that the hakafah was with the aravah. As such, there is no obligation to do any hakafah and what we do nowadays is a zecher to hakafos of the aravah. Therefore, the lulav is not necessary because it is not relevant to the hakafah. ii. After his retraction, he assumes that the hakafah was with the lulav and therefore, our practice is to fulfill what was done in the mikdash. If you don't have a lulav, there is no purpose to the hakafah. iii. Shulchan Aruch writes that one should perform hakafos even without a lulav and Rama disagrees. {} 1. The Vilna Gaon (1720-1797) ties this issue to the question of whether one recite hoshanos on Shabbos: a. Shabbos is a day when there is no lulav and therefore if a lulav is required, one should not recite hoshanos. b. If the hakafah was done with the aravah, there is no difference between Shabbos and weekday. We don't use aravos for either and yet we still recite hoshanos. b. There is a dispute regarding whether a mourner performs hakafos. i. R. Yosef Karo (1488-1575) is of the opinion that he may perform hakafos. {} ii. Rama (1520-1572) writes that he may not. {} 1. The Vilna Gaon writes that it is based on the fact that it states . ' This implies that because the hakafah is an enhanced fulfillment of ,an avel should not be engaged in an act of simcha. {} 2. If one assumes that the hakafah was with the aravah, the hakafos that we do nowadays don't represent simcha and would be permitted for a mourner. This would make Shulchan Aruch and Rama consistent with their opinions regarding someone who doesn't have a lulav. c. R. Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986) in a discussion about when to perform Hoshanos provides a reason for each minhag: {} i. The minhag to perform them after mussaf is based on the fact that Krias HaTorah and mussaf are absolute obligations and hoshanos is only a minhag. ii. The minhag to recite after hallel is based on .

1. One can add to this explanation and suggest that just as we try to juxtapose the beracha and netillah with hallel because it is an added fulfillment of lulav, we also try to perform hakafos together because it is also a further fulfillment (assuming is an added fulfillment and not an independent idea). d. R. Soloveitchik raises the issue of someone who forgot to recite the beracha on the lulav but did not yet perform hakafos. He suggests that if it is an enhanced fulfillment of lulav, perhaps one can recite the beracha. {} IV. Netillas Aravah on the Seventh Day a. The Gemara quotes a dispute whether our fulfillment of aravah nowadays is a takanah from the nevi'im or whether it is a minhag from the nevi'im. [The practical difference is with regards to the recitation of a beracha. We assume that it is a minhag and therefore, we don't recite a beracha.] {} b. There is a dispute among the Rishonim regarding what we should do: i. Rambam is of the opinion that the minhag is to do chavatah with the aravos. ii. R. Ya'akov ben Asher (1269-1343) writes that we do hakafah with the aravos (as well as chavatah). iii. The practical difference between these two approaches is whether one should hold the aravos for the hakafos of Hoshanah Rabbah: 1. Shulchan Aruch writes that one should hold the aravos during the hakafos on Hoshanah Rabbah. {} 2. Rama in Darkei Moshe quotes the "minhag" to hold the aravos but then he writes that it is preferable not to hold the lulav with the aravos at all. {} 3. As a matter of halacha, Rama writes that one should not hold the aravos until after hakafos. {} a. This position is also adopted by Mishna Berurah. {} b. R. Soloveitchik writes that the minhag of R. Chaim and R. Moshe Soloveitchik was to follow the Shulchan Aruch. {} c. R. Yoel Sirkes (Bach 1561-1640) has the following analysis of this issue: {} i. Ostensibly, our minhag to do hakafos every day with the lulav indicates that we follow the opinion that the hakafos in the Mikdash were with the lulav. ii. Yet, Bach suggests that the machlokes about whether the hakafah was with a lulav or aravah is really whether the hakafah was only with a lulav or with a lulav and aravah. The fact that we perform hakafos every day with a lulav

doesn't tell us anything about which opinion we follow because both opinions agree that there is an independent fulfillment of hakafas lulav each day. iii. Bach then suggests that we follow the opinion that hakafos were also done with the aravos. Since we only observe the zecher la'aravos on the seventh day, we should do the hakafos on Hoshanah Rabbah with our lulav and aravos. V. Hashkafic Points Relating to Hoshanos a. The Yerushalmi states that that the hakafos are representative of the hakafos of Yericho (one time each day and seven on the seventh day). {} i. R. Bachya ben Asher (mid thirteenth century) writes that the hakafos of Yericho represent the destruction of the on the Jewish people. When the Beis HaMikdash was standing, it was a way of protecting the Jews from the enemies and the hakafos that we do nowadays is a to what will be in the future when the enemies will fall. {} ii. R. Shmuel Eidels (1555-1631) writes that R. Yehuda, in advancing the nusach of instead of , ' is highlighting the fact that God is with us in our suffering , and the hakafos represent God protecting us from our oppressors, similar to the hakafos of Yericho. This is why we do chibut aravos- to symbolize the wilting away of our enemies.{} b. R. Yehuda A.L. Alter (1847-1905) writes that the aravah represents the Jew that has no Torah or mitzvos. All he has is his tefillos and since he is an ,his tefillos are accepted. This is why there are so many prayers on Hoshanah Rabbah. {}

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