Today’s learning is sponsored

Sponsor a day's learning (thousands of minutes!) for only $72 click here

 https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/ODUwOTU=

 The aravah is not taken on Shabbos nowadays because we aren’t certain which day is the seventh.

Challenge: Let it be taken in Eretz Yisroel where they do know?

Rav Yosef: Who says the mitzvah is to surround the mizbeach holding aravos? Perhaps the mitzvah is to surround the mizbeach with aravos [and since there is no mizbeach nowadays it is not possible to make a zecher to this mitzvah]. The beraisa that seems like they circled the mizbeach means that they circled it with lulavim. 

 Summary 

 Abayye to Rav Yosef: “The lulav overrides Shabbos at the beginning of Yom Tov and the aravah at the end of Yom Tov.

It once happened that the seventh day fell on Shabbos; on Friday they brought big aravah branches to the Beis Hamikdash. The Baytusin [dissidents who did not approve of the mitzvah of aravah which is not written explicitly in the Torah] hid the branches under stones.

On Shabbos the common folk noticed and brought them out from under the stones [they were amei ha’aretz who weren’t careful with muktzah but were loyal to the sages]. Then the kohanim took them and set them up around the mizbeach. The Baytusin did this because they didn’t agree that aravah overrides Shabbos.

So we see that the mitzvah was to handle the aravos on Shabbos, otherwise the Baytusin would not have opposed it.

So the Challenge stands: Let them do the mitzvah of aravah nowadays in Eretz Yisroel when the seventh day falls on Shabbos.

 Resolution: Since we don’t do the mitzvah here, they don’t do it either to be in unison with us.

 Challenge: But regarding lulav we did say (34.2) that in Eretz Yisroel it overrides Shabbos on the first day but not elsewhere? 

 Resolution: Actually the lulav doesn’t either override the Shabbos anywhere nowadays. 

Although we previously brought a proof (34.2) from two mishnas, one which said that people brought the lulav to Har Habayis before Shabbos, and one which said that they brought it to the Beis Haknesses. And it was explained that the first mishna is discussing the practice during the times of the Beis Hamikdash, and the second mishna is discussing the practice after the Destruction.

We can explain that both mishnas are referring to the times of the Beis Hamikdash, the second mishna discusses the practice in all other places outside of Yerushalayim.