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Rabbi Ami: The Aravah used on Hoshana Rabbah [or every day in the Beis Hamikdash] requires a certain measure. It must be taken on its own, not with the lulav. One cannot fulfill his obligation with the Aravah that’s bound in the lulav.

 Summary 

 Chizkiyah quoting Rabbi Yirmiyah from Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: I have seen the Bnei Aliyah and they’re few. If they number a thousand, my son and I are among them. If they number a hundred, my son and I are among them. If there are only two, it’s my son and me. 

 Challenge: Are the tzaddikim so few? 

 Rava: There are 18,000 generations [or rows] of tzaddikim before Hakadosh Baruch Hu, as it states “Eighteen thousand surround him”

 Resolution: There are many tzaddikim who can see Hashem with a lamp but there are few who can see Him with an illuminated lamp. 

 Challenge: Are the tzaddikim who see Hashem with an illuminated lamp so few? 

 Abayye: The world will always have at least 36 tzaddikim [who pray properly and] greet the shechina each day as it states “Praiseworthy is he who hopes to Him” ‘Him’ is gematriya 36.

 Resolution: There are many who enter with permission but there are few who can enter without permission. 

We learned in the mishna (35.6): When they finished the mitzvah they would say “Beauty belongs to you, mizbeach”

Rabbi Eliezer: “Beauty belongs to Kah, and to you, mizbeach”.

 Challenge: How can Rabbi Eliezer put something else on the same level as Hashem? 

 Beraisa: Anyone who combines Hashem and something else is uprooted from the world, as it states: “Only for Hashem alone”.

 Resolution: It means: “We thank You Kah, and we praise you, mizbeach”. 

We learned in the mishna (35.6): Rabbi Yochanan ben Berokah: They would bring branches of a palm tree, lulavim, and strike it on the ground beside the mizbeach. That day was called “Chibut Chariyos” [striking of the palm branches].

 Rav Huna: This is because Kapos is plural (26.2), one for the lulav and one for the mizbeach.* The Chachomim maintain that it is written in the singular form, Kapas.

 Rabbi Levi: The lulav is taken because it represents the praise of the Am Yisroel: Just as a palm tree has only one “heart” in the center of its trunk and not in all its branches, so too the Am Yisroel only have one interest; their father in Heaven. We do not seek entertainment, arts and war, our sole interest is Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

 Click here to listen to the shiur with Tosfos https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g8QZ69f8xSKe8ZbUxda-K7aFoX1Mau9y/view?usp=sharing

* Tosfos: We see from here that according to Rabbi Yochanan ben Brokah there was no Aravah taken in the Beis Hamikdash at all. He learns from “Kapos - Plural” just as we learned (27.4) that “Arvei - Plural” teaches the two mitzvos of Aravah. Tosfos does not remain with this pshat.