[Avodah] The sukkah on Shemini Atzeret controversy

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 08:29:54PM +0000, kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:
: I learned the answer to this on these pages two years ago, at
: http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/vol26/v26n204.shtml#05, where R' Harry
: Weiss provides a link to a shiur in which
: > Rabbi Shechter brings down a Rav Kolonimus from the 12th
: > century saying that this was added by the Gaonim.

: In other words, it can be argued that this was NOT "the gemara's conclusion".

Well, it is the gemara's conclusion, because the text got included in
the gemara. I made an oblique reference to your point in my prior post
when I wrote that the Rambam agrees with the conclusion in our gemara,
"(Even though the Rambam would have to hold that a 'vehilkhisa' is after
R' Ashi veRavina sof hora'ah.)"

According to one opinion (mentioned also back in
2000 by R' Yitzi Oratz in the thread RAM pointed to
<http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/vol06/v06n021.shtml#09>), "Vehilkhisa" is
actually a reference to the Behag, which wasn't written until the early
9th cent! Meaning: the gemara's redaction continued through the majority
of the geonic period. It is true that the Behag records every "Vehilkhisa"
conclusion. RYO reported that his father-in-law, R Shneur Leiman, saw
a manuscripts that lacks the "vehilkhisa". But more compelling than
a 3rd hand report (RYO was quoting RSL's son) of what could otherwise
have been a faulty manuscript is that Tosafos say so on Chullin 97a and
Pesachim 30a.

In any case, anything accepted as part of the gemara is accepted by most
rishonim -- save the Rambam and perhaps others of which I'm unaware --
as being basically as authoritative as the amoraim. The Rambam made a
point about who is sof hora'ah, and it can be shown that he not once
quotes savoraim who post-date Rav Ashi.

But what's more relevent to us is authority, not history. If rov rishonim
assume the inserts from the Behag are to be treated as sereiously as the
rishonim, if that many gedolim were willing to keep the insertion in
their gemaros, then does it make a difference? The question of how the
"vehilkhisa" isn't obeyed isn't answered by its late date if the authority
is nearly the same anyway.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
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