- Do כהנים בעלי מומין take the aravah as well?
Reish Lakish said: כהנים בעלי מומין נכנסין בין האולם ולמזבח כדי לצאת בערבה – Blemished Kohanim may enter the area between the Ulam and the mizbayach in order to fulfill the chiyuv of aravah. Rashi explains that even though they are generally forbidden to enter this area, Reish Lakish holds that they are chayav in aravah. Therefore, they also take the aravah in hand, and crowd in among the Kohanim to make their way around the mizbayach. Rebbe Yochanan asked “Who said this?” which is understood to mean, who said that the chiyuv is with fulfilled with נטילה, by taking the aravah and walking around the mizbayach, in which case כהנים בעלי מומים would have to do it, as well? Perhaps it is fulfilled with זקיפה, by standing the aravos up at the sides of the mizbayach, in which case it can be performed by one Kohen on behalf of all the others. And even you say that it must performed with נטילה, who said that it must be performed by כהנים בעלי מומין? דלמא בתמימים – Perhaps it is only performed by unblemished Kohanim. Tosafos explains that it is reasonable that the Halachah leMoshe MiSinai only applies to those that are fit for avodah.
- ערבות – יסוד נביאים או מנהג נביאים
Regarding the aravah obligation, Rebbe Yochanan and Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi disagree. One said that the aravah obligation is יסוד נביאים – an enactment of the nevi’im, and the other says it is מנהג נביאים, a custom of the nevi’im. Rashi explains that a יסוד נביאים means that it was enacted by the latter prophets, Chaggai, Zecharya and Malachi, who insituted a number of Rabbinic enactments during the time of the Anshei Knesses Hagadolah. מנהג נביאים means that they merely instituted the customary performance of the aravah ceremony. The nafka minah between them is that there is no berachah for a מנהג נביאים since the word "וצונו" – "Who has commanded us" cannot be said. It can be recited in the case of the יסוד הנביאים since listening to the Rabbanon is a mitzvah from the Torah. The Gemara goes on to clarify that Rebbe Yochanan holds that the aravah ceremony in the Beis Hamikdash is Halachah leMoshe MiSinai, whereas the aravos done in the provinces on the seventh day is an enactment of the nevi’im.
- The aravah is taken alone
Rebbe Ami said: ערבה צריכה שיעור ואינה ניטלת אלא בפני עצמה ואין אדם יוצא ידי חובתו בערבה שבלולב – The aravah requires a minimum shiur, and it may only be taken alone, and a person cannot fulfill his chiyuv with the aravah that is in the lulav. Rashi explains that it must be taken alone with nothing else bound to it, so that it will be apparent that it is being taken to fulfill the mitzvah of aravah. When the Gemara questions Rebbe Ami’s need to state that it cannot be taken with the lulav, given that he already said that it must be taken alone, it answers that if he had only said that it must be taken alone, one might have thought that this is in a case where one did not lift the lulav once and then lift it again, but where one lifted the lulav once and then lifted it again לשם ערבה, perhaps Rebbe Ami’s rule does not apply. Therefore, Rebbe Ami is coming to teach that even if this manner, the chiyuv cannot be fulfilled with the aravah in the lulav. But Rav Chisda said in the name of Rebbe Yitzchak אדם יוצא ידי חובתו בערבה שבלולב – A person may fulfill his chiyuv with the aravah that is in the lulav, (that is, provided that he lifted it two times).