Hilchos Sukkos 6 - The Beracha of Leisheiv B'Sukkah

אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל לולב שבעה וסוכה יום אחד מאי טעמא לולב דמפסקי לילות מימים כל יומא מצוה באפיה נפשיה הוא סוכה דלא מפסקי לילות מימים כולהו שבעה כחד יומא אריכא דמו ורבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן סוכה שבעה ולולב יום אחד מאי טעמא סוכה דאורייתא שבעה לולב דרבנן סגי ליה בחד יומא כי אתא רבין אמר רבי יוחנן אחד זה ואחד זה שבעה אמר רב יוסף נקוט דרבה בר בר חנה בידך דכולהו אמוראי קיימי כוותיה בסוכה מיתיבי

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העושה לולב לעצמו אומר ברוך שהחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה נטלו לצאת בו אומר ברוך אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על נטילת לולב ואף על פי שבירך עליו יום ראשון חוזר ומברך כל שבעה העושה סוכה לעצמו אומר ברוך שהחיינו וקיימנו כו׳ נכנס לישב בה אומר אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו לישב בסוכה וכיון שבירך יום ראשון שוב אינו מברך קשיא לולב אלולב קשיא סוכה אסוכה בשלמא לולב אלולב לא קשיא כאן בזמן שבית המקדש קיים כאן בזמן שאין בית המקדש קיים אלא סוכה אסוכה קשיא תנאי היא דתניא תפילין כל זמן שמניחן מברך עליהן דברי רבי וחכמים אומרים אינו מברך אלא שחרית בלבד.

Sukkah 45b:10-46a:4

§ Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: The blessing over the mitzva of lulav is recited seven days and the blessing over the mitzva of sukka is recited one day. What is the rationale for this distinction? It is written explicitly in the Torah that the mitzva to sit in the sukka applies all seven days. The Gemara explains: With regard to the lulav, where the nights are distinct from the days, as the mitzva of lulav is not in effect at night, each day is a mitzva in and of itself. A separate blessing is recited over each mitzva. However, with regard to sukka, where the nights are not distinct from the days, as the mitzva of sukka is in effect at night just as it is during the day, the legal status of all seven days of the Festival is like that of one long day. But Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The blessing over the mitzva of sukka is recited seven days and the blessing over the mitzva of lulav is recited one day. What is the rationale for this distinction? The Gemara explains: The mitzva of sukka is a mitzva by Torah law all seven days of the Festival. Therefore, a blessing is recited for seven days. However, the mitzva of lulav, other than on the first day, is a mitzva by rabbinic law, as the Sages instituted an ordinance to take the lulav for all seven days to commemorate the practice in the Temple. Therefore, it is enough to recite the blessing one day, on the first day. When Ravin came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: One recites a blessing over both this, the mitzva of sukka, and over that, the mitzva of lulav, all seven days. Rav Yosef said: Take the statement of Rabba bar bar Ḥana in your hand, as all the amora’im who transmitted statements of Rabbi Yoḥanan hold in accordance with his opinion in matters related to sukka. The Gemara raises an objection based on a baraita: One who prepares a lulav for himself, but not one who prepares for others, recites when preparing it on the eve of the Festival: Blessed…Who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this time. When he takes it during the Festival in order to fulfill his obligation, he says: Blessed…Who sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us concerning the taking of a lulav. And even though he recited the blessing over the lulav on the first day of the Festival, he repeats and recites the blessing over the lulav all seven days when fulfilling the mitzva. One who establishes a sukka for himself recites: Blessed…Who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this time. When he enters to sit in the sukka, he recites: “Blessed…Who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to reside in the sukka. And once he recited the blessing on the first day, he no longer recites it on the rest of the days, as all seven days are considered a single unit. Now, the halakha cited in this baraita that the blessing over lulav is recited all seven days is difficult; it contradicts the halakha stated by Rabba bar bar Ḥana in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan, that the blessing over lulav is recited only on the first day. The halakha cited in this baraita that the blessing over sukka is recited only on the first day is likewise difficult, as it contradicts the halakha that Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said, that the blessing over sukka is recited all seven days. The Gemara continues: Granted, the contradiction between the halakha with regard to lulav in the baraita and the halakha with regard to lulav stated in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan is not difficult. Here, in the baraita, where the halakha is to recite the blessing each day, it is referring to a time when the Temple is in existence, where the mitzva of lulav is performed all seven days. There, in the case of the statement of Rabbi Yoḥanan that the blessing is recited only on the first day, it is referring to a time when the Temple is not in existence. However, the contradiction between one halakha of sukka and the other halakha of sukka remains difficult, as Rabbi Yoḥanan’s statement indicates that the mitzva of sukka during the Festival is considered seven separate mitzvot, while the halakha in the baraita indicates that it is one extended mitzva. The Gemara answers: This matter is related to a general dispute between tanna’im, as it was taught in a baraita: With regard to phylacteries, every time one dons them he recites the blessing over them; this is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. And the Rabbis say: One recites the blessing only in the morning. Apparently, these tanna’im would dispute the issue of sukka as well: Does one recite the blessing each time he performs the mitzva or only the first time he performs it at the beginning of Sukkot?

רש"י על סוכה מ״ו א:ד׳:א׳

כל זמן שמניחן. ואפילו חולצן ומניחן מאה פעמים ביום וגבי סוכה נמי אע"ג דלא מפסקי לילות מימים וכחד יומא אריכא הוא מברכין עליה בכל יום דהוא דומיא דחולץ ומניח:

Rashi on Sukkah 46a:4:1

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תוספות על סוכה מ״ה ב:י״ב:א׳

אחד זה ואחד זה שבעה. אין סוכה ולולב שוין לברכה דאלולב אין מברך אלא פעם אחת ביום אבל סוכה כל אימת דנכנס לה כדי שיאכל וישתה וישן ואפילו עשר פעמים ביום מברך אכל אחת ואחת מידי דהוה אתפילין כל זמן שמניחן והיינו טעמא דסוכה דאי מתרמי ליה סעודתא לא אפשר למיכל חוץ לסוכה אע"פ שכבר אכל בו ביום בסוכה וכן תפילין כל היום מצותן שיהו מונחין בראשו ובזרועו אבל לולב אין עיקר מצותו אלא פ"א ביום כדאמ' (לעיל סוכה ד' מב.) מדאגבהיה נפיק ביה:

Tosafot on Sukkah 45b:12:1

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משנה תורה, הלכות שופר וסוכה ולולב ו׳:י״ב

כל זמן שיכנס לישב בסכה כל שבעה מברך קדם שישב אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו לישב בסכה.

Mishneh Torah, Shofar, Sukkah and Lulav 6:12

(12) Whenever a person enters a sukkah with the intention of sitting down throughout the seven [days of Sukkot], he should recite the following blessing1Note the commentary on Halachah 7, which explains the difference between this law and the rules governing the blessing recited before eating matzah. before sitting:
[Blessed2The Rambam maintains that by sitting or doing any other activity which one would perform in one's home in the sukkah, one fulfills the mitzvah. Hence, the blessing is recited before one performs the mitzvah, as required by Hilchot Berachot 11:2.
The Maggid Mishneh questions why the blessing is not recited before one enters the sukkah, noting that the interpretation of the command לישב בסוכה is "to dwell in the sukkah," not "to sit in the sukkah." However, the Taz 643:2 explains that merely passing through the sukkah is not part of the mitzvah. Rather, one must perform an activity that reflects "dwelling." Hence, the blessing is not recited until one sits down, because previously it is not obvious that one wants to perform a significant activity in the sukkah.
The Ra'avad objects to the Rambam's decision, maintaining that one should recite the blessing only before partaking of a meal in the sukkah. This reflects the decision of the Ashkenazic authorities, who maintain that though the performance of all one's activities in the sukkah is a mitzvah, it is not customary to recite the blessing except when eating. When reciting the blessing on that occasion, one should intend to include all other activities. (See Tur and Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 639:8.) are You...] who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to dwell in the sukkah.3The Maggid Mishneh states that there is no limit to the number of times one recites the blessing each day. Nevertheless, if one left the sukkah for a brief interval or left with the intent of performing an activity which would improve the sukkah, that departure is not considered an interruption and no blessing is required upon one's return.
On the first night of the festival, one should first recite the blessing on the sukkah, and then the blessing for the occasion.4i.e., the blessing shehecheyanu, which thanks God for enabling us to reach this occasion. This blessing is recited whenever one performs a mitzvah that can be fulfilled only from time to time (Hilchot Berachot 11:9).
That halachah and, similarly, Sukkah 46a, imply that, at the outset, one should recite the blessing shehecheyanu upon construction of the sukkah. Though the Rambam makes no mention of that concept here, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 641:1) states that one should have the construction of the sukkah in mind when reciting shehecheyanu at night.
One should recite all the blessings over a cup of wine.5as did Rav Kahana (Sukkah 46a). Thus, one should recite kiddush6for the festival while standing,7The Ramah (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 643:2) states that kiddush may be recited while sitting. recite the blessing leishev basukkah,8Though one might presume that shehecheyanu would be recited first, since it is more frequent, precedence is given to leishev basukkah, because it is "the mitzvah of the day" (Rabbenu Manoach). sit, and then recite the blessing shehecheyanu.9On the second night, it is Ashkenazic custom to recite to the blessing shehecheyanu before the blessing leishev basukkah, since on that occasion the blessing is associated with the celebration of the festival and not the mitzvah of sukkah. (See Bnei Binyamin.)
This was the custom of my teachers and the Rabbis10Rav Kapach notes that most of the manuscripts of the Mishneh Torah state רבי "the great men of" and not רבני, "the Rabbis of." of Spain:11The Ra'avad objects and comments that even in Spain such a custom was not followed. to recite kiddush while standing on the first night of the Sukkot festival, as explained.

מגיד משנה על משנה תורה, הלכות שופר וסוכה ולולב ו׳:י״ב:א׳

כל זמן שיכנס בסוכה וכו'. מסקנא דגמרא פרק לולב וערבה (סוכה דף מ"ז) דכל זמן שנכנס לישב בה מברך וכן כתוב בהלכות ודעת הגאונים שאפילו נכנס בה מאה פעמים ביום חייב לברך וכן דעת רבינו. וראיתי כתוב דדוקא כשיצא יציאה גמורה לעשות עניניו ושלא לחזור לאלתר אבל אם לא יצא אלא לדבר עם חבירו או להביא דבר לסוכה לצורך שעתו לא הויא יציאה לחייבו בברכה כשיחזור ודבר נכון זה. ומ״מ נהגו שאין מברכין אלא מסעודה לסעודה והוא כסברת רבינו יעקב ז״ל:

Maggid Mishneh on Mishneh Torah, Shofar, Sukkah and Lulav 6:12:1

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