Chagigah 8 - February 17, 16 Adar 1

Today’s daf is sponsored by Leah Shakdiel for the refuah shleima of Nili bat Esther and Moshe Tzvi. Today’s daf is sponsored by Meryl and Harold Sasnowitz in loving memory of their mothers, Mollie Pollack and Toby Sasnowitz yahrzeit. “They would have shepped much nachat from the family's commitment to Torah, and today's vort of their great-granddaughter (our granddaughter) Chavi Sommer to Zecharya Runge (Runge).”  Today’s daf is sponsored by Amy Goldstein in loving memory of her mother.  Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel disagree regarding whether or not the chagigah can be bought from maaser sheni money or not. Ulla explains Beit Hillel to be referring to adding on to the unsanctified money spent on the sacrifice. Chizkiya and Rabbi Yochanan disagree about whether this can be done by adding maaser sheni money to unsanctified money to purchase the chagigah sacrifices or by or adding animals for chagigah sacrifices bought from maaser sheni money in addition to animals bought from unsanctified money (each one holds that one is permitted and the other is not). Braitot are brought to support each position. From where do we derive that in order to fulfill the mitzva of rejoicing on the holiday, one needs to bring animal sacrifices? Two different possibilities are brought. The Mishna distinguishes between different types of people with different financial means and different numbers of people in their family and how that affects whether they should bring more burnt offerings (for appearing) or more chagigah peace sacrifices. One who doesn’t have a lot of money and has a lot of mouths to feed brings more peace offerings and few burnt offerings. But how does he have money even for the chagigah peace offerings? Rav Chisda explains that one can use one’s maaser sheni money to get a bigger animal. Since he uses the example of adding money to get a bigger animal and not adding on additional animals, Rav Sheshet asks why he didn’t give the option to add other animals since the rabbis permit that. The Gemara tries to understand this question in light of the debate between Rabbi Yochanan and Chizkiya but in the end, suggest that Rav Sheshet didn’t agree fully with either of them as he permitted both adding money to buy an animal and adding more animals with maaser sheni money. If one separates ten animals and only brings five on the first day and five on the second day, is that permitted or not? There is a debate on this issue, but the Gemara explains that they do not actually disagree but are each describing a different situation.