לולב וערבה - Lulav/the festive wreath (the Four Species) for taking up, and the willow for going around the altar.

ששה ושבעה – because sometimes they supersede the Sabbath and there would be seven, and sometimes, they don’t supersede the Sabbath and there isn’t other than six, and further on, it will explain it.

והלל – to complete [its recitation] all eight days, which is not the case on Passover, because the [intermediate] days of the Festival [of Sukkot] are divided in their sacrifices.

והשמחה – to eat the meat of peace offerings in the time of the Temple, as it is written (Deuteronomy 16:14):”"You shall rejoice in your festival…” and there is no rejoicing at the time of the Temple other than through the meat of peace offerings as it is written (Deuteronomy 27:7): “And you shall sacrifice there offerings of well-being and eat them, rejoicing [before the LORD your God].”

סוכה – to sit/dwell in the Sukkah

וניסוך המים – with the daily morning offerings of the Festival.

החליל – at the joyous procession to and from the well they would rejoice on the Festival [of Sukkot] in honor of the drawing of libation waters, and they would play on flutes and harps, and that flute does not supersede either the Sabbath nor the Festival day.

לולב שבעה – for the first day [of Sukkot] supersedes the Sabbath because it has the essential [principle] from the Torah outside of Jerusalem, as it is written (Leviticus 23:40): “ On the first day you shall take [the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days].”

ושאר כל הימים – if the First Day [of Sukkot] occurs on the other days of the week, and it is found that Shabbat occurs during the Intermediate Days of the Festival, it does not supersede [the Sabbath], and even though, from the Torah, all seven [are observed] in the Temple, the Sages preserved their decree on the other days of the Festival [of Sukkot] since they lack the principle from the Torah outside of Jerusalem. But by law, even in our times, the Lulav would supersede the Sabbath on the First Day of the Festival [of Sukkot], but because we are not expert in the establishment of the month, and lest that it is not the first day of the Festival, therefore, it does not supersede the Sabbath from doubt. But the reason that they (i.e., the Sages) decreed to not take up the Lulav on the Sabbath, for in taking it up, there is no [violation] of work other than merely carrying, and it was decreed lest he take it in his hand and would walk to someone expert to learn the blessing and the order of the Wavings [of the Lulav] and cause to pass four cubits in the public domain, and that is the reason for the Shofar [which is prohibited to carry on Shabbat] and that is the reason for the Megillah [which is prohibited to carry on Shabbat].

יום שביעי של ערבה כו' – for the sake of recognition to know that it is from the Torah, that is to say, a usage dating from Moses as delivered from Sinai (i.e., a traditional interpretation of a written law), and because of this recognition, it was established that its seventh [day] supersedes the Sabbath in the Temple, for with the willow, they would make a circuit around the altar. But today, it is not other than a custom of the Prophets that they directed the people to take the willow on the seventh day other than the willow in the Lulav, but we don’t make a blessing upon it.

מוליכין את לולביהן להר הבית – the first day of the Festival [of Sukkot] that occurs on the Sabbath, they would bring their Lulavim from the eve of the Sabbath (i.e., Friday).

החזנים – the sextons that were there for the needs of the community/congregation.

על גב האצטבא – the open place of the Temple Mount which was surrounded by porticos to sit there and covering the festival booth (i.e., Sukkah) from above because of the rains.

הזקנים – that worry that they would not be knocked down on the morrow when they would come to to take each person his Lulav.

ומלמדין – The Jewish court (would teach] all the people to say that if my Lulav were to come into the hand of my fellow, it would be his as a gift, in order that it wouldn’t be for him either stolen or borrowed.

נקרא מוצא – In the Gemara (Talmud Sukkah 45a) it states that its name is KALANIA. And even today such is its name, and the willow is found there, and the place is a little bit distant from Jerusalem. And the explanation of KALANIA is free from taxation. And therefore, it is called Motza which is removed from the taxation of the king for the willows that they take from there.

מרביות – large and tall branches eleven cubits high, and they place them on the base of the altar and their tops are upright and stretched on the altar by a cubit.

אני הוא – in Gematria (the numerical value) of “We beseech you, O LORD”, and furthermore they are two names which are part of the name of “the world of creation. Another explanation: when he and I are in trouble, I am with him on the path when in trouble, “Save us.”

גיגיות – golden utensils filled with water, in order that their leaves will not wither.

חריות – branches of the palm tree that they would bring whether on weekdays or on the Sabbath, and not the willow, as it is written (Leviticus 23:40): “boughs of leafy trees,” which are two, one for the Lulav and another for the Altar. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yohanan ben Beroka.

מיד התינוקות שומטים את לולביהן – the older ones snatch/carry off/steal the Lulavim/palm branches from the hands of the younger children.

ואוכלים – the older ones eat the citrons/Etrogim of the younger children, and there isn’t anything like stealing in this matter for such was how they acted out of joy. Another commentary: the little children would cast their Lulavim/palm branches from their hands and eat their Etrogim/citrons on the seventh day, but the older ones would not eat their Etrogim/citrons all that day, since it was designed for a Mitzvah for part of the day, it was designated for a Mitzvah for the entire day.

לא יתיר – its band to take it (i.e., the Sukkah) down, for the entire day it is required.

אבל מוריד – he would take down from there nice utensils and nice couches/mattresses that he brought up into it (i.e., the Sukkah).

מפני כבוד יו"ט – so that it would appear as if he preparing it [for the place] where he will eat in it in the evening.

מן השלוח – it is a spring that is near to Jerusalem.

מחזקת ג' לוגין - [It] holds three log. [This is] the smallest of the libations, a quarter of a hin for a lamb.

שער המים – One of the gates of the [Temple] courtyard is called this, on account of the fact that there they would bring in the flask of water for the libation of the Festival.

תקעו הריעו – because it is stated (Isaiah 12:3): “Joyfully shall you draw water [from the fountains of triumph].”

עלה בכבש – [the ramp] was on the southern side of the Altar.

ופנה לשמאלו – for the libations were made in the south-west corner, and when he turns to the left, it is the first.

שהיו משחירים פניהם – on account of the wine, and they were similar to silver which is black from the plaster.

כמין שני חוטמין דקין – one snout in one bowl with one perforation in its nose, and the Kohen/priest would empty into the mouth of the bowls and libations would cause an uninterrupted flow/splash and descend through the spouts on the roof of the Altar, and on the Altar was a perforation where the wine and the water would go down to pits by the side of the altar into which the remainder of the libations were poured which are cavities and very deep.

אחד מעובה ואחד דק – one of the perforations was thick, and that was the one for wine, and one that was thin was for the water.

כדי שיהיו כלין שניהן בבת אחת – for the water would hurry to leave more than the wine, for the wine was thicker and took longer to leave, therefore, the perforation for wine was fatter than the thin perforation for water, in order that they can be emptied at the same time.

ה"ג מערבי של מים, מזרחי של יין – the bowls were placed near the corner nearest this one for the one and the other for the other, one to the western side and one more inside of it, that is, to the east.

ר' יהודה אומר וכו' – in two things he disagreed; on the three logs he disagreed and on the seventh [day] that was stated by the first Teacher. And Rabbi Yehuda came to say that even on the eighth day they would pour a libation, but the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.

הגבה את ידך – in order that it could be seen if he was placing water in the bowl, for the Sadducees didn’t accept the libation of the water.

שפעם אחת נסך – one Sadducee [offered a libation] with the water on his feet.

שאינה מקודשת – if it was not prepared for the Divine service on the Altar. For if he brought it while sanctified, he would invalidate it through leaving it overnight, for all Divine service utensils are sanctified, as it is written (Exodus 30:29): “whatever touches them shall be consecrated,” and all that is holy, the sanctity of the body is invalidated by remaining overnight.

היה ממלא מן הכיור – and even though the jug was sanctified as vessels dedicated to the Temple service and which sanctifies its waters, they are not invalidated by remaining overnight, because they would let it down from the evening into a pit, as it states in [Tractate] Yoma (Chapter 3, Mishnah 10): “And he too made a mechanism for the laver so that its water should not be invalidated by being kept overnight.”

שהמים והיין המגולין – that is the reason that if it was revealed, he would fill from the laver and would not offer a libation [from them] for the water [and the wine] that are revealed are invalid for the altar.