[Avodah] rain on Succot

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 11:19:37AM +0200, Saul Mashbaum wrote:
: RMBerger's suggestion that "the beginning of Succot" means only to
: exclude Shmini Atzeret is tempting, under the circumstances, although
: obviously strained...

I think you credited the wrong person. My only "contribution" to this
discussion was to note that the mishnah in question was discussing
mitzta'eir patur, and therefore doesn't seem to be specifically about
the first day.

I would find such a peshat in the Rambam so much a stretch as to be
implausible. He works from such a clean-slate idealized position; Yom
Tov sheini would be explicitly noted since it's an add-on. And would
he ever assume his reader so blur distinctions as call Shemini Atzeres
"the last days" that he would need to exclude it? For the Rambam in
particular, this suggestion would be far from norm. No?

But then, I find it surprising that the Rambam didn't need to give a
rationalist spin to the concept of "siman qelalah". Leshitaso, nevu'ah
(using the term broadly, including ru'ach haqodesh and siyata diShmaya)
requires a certain status on the part of the recipient. As does HP.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             A pious Jew is not one who worries about his fellow
micha at aishdas.org        man's soul and his own stomach; a pious Jew worries
http://www.aishdas.org   about his own soul and his fellow man's stomach.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                       - Rabbi Israel Salanter