[Avodah] Shmini Atzeret - why Sukkah YES and Lulav NO?

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Richard Wolpoe wrote:
> The danger of sitting in the sukkah lesheim mitzva on Shmini
> Atzeres is all about b'al tosif. This sevara is held by many
> poskim including DerechC haim [Nsivos} YOU MUST sit because
> of s'feika deyoma but only ...

I admit that some poskim do write about this, but I honestly don't understand it. Why is the Second Day of Hoshana Raba a more difficult Bal Tosif than the Second Day of Pesach?

I've heard that it's because this is the only case where it is two different holidays conflicting, but I don't know why that would be relevant to Bal Tosif. Bal Tosif is about doing more than was prescribed, no about interfering with another holiday. If there were ever a holiday where Bal Tosif should be a problem, it would be all the wacky things we do at the second Seder, not relaxing in a gazebo after Sukkos.

And the bottom line is that once Chazal institute their halachos, Bal Tosif ceases to be any problem whatsoever. It seems rather simple (in my eyes) that Bal Tosif is among the topics which were discussed by Chazal in their debate over what to do on Second Day of Hoshana Raba. Their conclusion was that Yesuvei Yasvinan, Bruchi Lo Mevarchinan. Once they instituted that as a halacha l'doros, shouldn't Bal Tosif cease to be a problem?

Akiva Miller