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 Summary 

 Beraisa: What is the difference between an aravah and tzaftzafah? 

The aravah’s stem is red and its leaf is elongated and its edge is smooth.

The tzaftzafah has a white stem, its leaf is rounded and its edge is like a scythe [it has sharp teeth]. (In some cases, kosher aravos have some of these characteristics but since they have some of the kosher signs, they’re kosher).

 Challenge: Beraisa: If it has points like a scythe (the teeth look like waves), it’s kosher, but if it has teeth like a saw it’s possul. 

 Abayye: This beraisa is discussing Chilfa Gilla [which is kosher even though it has spikes].

 Abayye: We see from here that chilfa gilla may be used for the lulav. 

 Challenge: Isn’t that obvious?

 Resolution: One might have thought that it’s possul since it has an attached name (26.5).

 Question: Why indeed is it kosher?

 Response: The Torah says ‘arvei nachal’ which implies all aravos. 

 Rav Chisda: Since the churban these three things have swapped their names:

The aravah is now called chilfa, while chilfa is called aravah. So only chilfa is kosher for the lulav. 

The shofar is now called chatzotzros , while chatzotzros is called shofar. So only the chatzotzros is kosher for Rosh Hashana.

A pesorta (small table) is now called a pesora, while a pesora is called pesorta. It makes a difference with regard to buying and selling [one needs to know which he is ordering].

(The idea here is that when we had a Sanhedrin they would appoint inspectors to oversee everything in the land. They also took care to ensure that the language remained the same, because lexical changes can affect halachos and business).

 Abayye: I’ll add one as well.

 Bei kosi is now called huvlila, while huvlila is called bei kosi. It makes a difference with regard to a needle found in the beis hakosos [bei kosi in Aramaic]. (When a needle is found in the body of an animal, the animal is treif, but when it’s found in the stomach it may be kosher. If it is stuck in the wall of the stomach called the hemses - a thin wall - it is treif, but in the beis hakosos which is thick and fleshy, it is still kosher).