Rif Succah 16a {Succah 33a continues; 33b - 34b}

HIDE/SHOW IMAGE
16a

{Succah 33a continues}
whether it is tied or untied is valid.
And Rabbi Yehuda says: Tied, it is valid. Untied, it is invalid.

What is the reason of Rabbi Yehuda? He learns {a gezera shava of} lekicha-lekicha {since tit states here וּלְקַחְתֶּם} from the bundle of hyssop.

And the halacha is like the Sages who state that a lulav does not require tying. However, we do tie it, just for hiddur {embellishing, beautification}. For the Sages learnt {in a brayta}: A lulav, it is a mitzvah to tie. If he did not tie it, it is valid.
And we say, "what is this mitzvah? Because of {Shemot 15:2}:

ב עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ, וַיְהִי-לִי {ר} לִישׁוּעָה; {ס} זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ, {ס} אֱלֹהֵי {ר} אָבִי וַאֲרֹמְמֶנְהוּ. {ס}

2 The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation; this is my God, and I will glorify Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him.

Glorify yourself before Him with mitzvot - with a beautiful lulav, with a beautiful succah shofar, with a beautiful shofar, and with a beautiful tallit.

We learn in perek Arba'a Avot Nezikin {Bava Kamma 9b}: Rabbi Zera said: And for hiddur mitzvah until a third of the mitzvah. In the East they said in the name of Rabbi Zera: until a third {of the mitzvah} of his own {money}; from there on in, from Hashem. {That is, if he pays more for hiddur mitzvah, Hashem will recompense him.}

And now that we establish that a lulav does not require a tying, if he did not place a hoshana {willow; or rather, = lulav bundle} with it on erev Yom Tov, he may place it on Yom Tov, and it is fine. And if he ties it on Yom Tov, he should only tie it with a binding made of vegetation -- that he weaves the two ends of a leaf and tucks it in underneath by the hoshana, or else, that he ties it in a tie.

{Succah 33b}
Mishna:
A stolen or dried willow {arava} is invalid. And of an idolatrous tree {ashera} or an idolatrous city is invalid.
If its top is broken off, if its leaves are detached, or it is is a tzaftzefa {to be defined later}-- it is invalid.

If it is faded, if some of its leaves have fallen off, or if it was grown on dry ground, it is valid.

Gemara:
The Sages learnt {in a brayta}: {Vayikra 23:40}:

מ וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן, פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים, וַעֲנַף עֵץ-עָבֹת, וְעַרְבֵי-נָחַל; וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם--שִׁבְעַת יָמִים.

40 And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

thus, which grow on the brook.
Another explanation -- עַרְבֵי-נָחַל -- whose leaves are as smooth {alternatively: drawn out, thus elongated -- see other brayta} as the brook.

{Succah 34a}
Another brayta: עַרְבֵי-נָחַל -- which grow on the brook, to the exclusion of the tzaftzefa which grows between the mountains.

The Sages learnt {in a brayta}: What is the arava and what is the tzaftzefa?
The arava, its stem is red, its leaves are elongated, and its edges are smooth. The tzaftzefa, its stem is white, its leaves are round, and its edge is like a scythe.

But they learnt {in a brayta}: Similar to a scythe, it is valid, similar to a saw, it is invalid!

Abaye said: When they learned this {that it is valid}, it was in regard to the willows of Chilfa Gila {a specific type of willow}, and Abaye said: The willows of Chilfa Gila are valid for hoshana {=arava, willow}.

{Succah 34b}
Mishna:
Rabbi Yishmael says: Three myrtles {hadas} and two willows {aravot}, one lulav, and one etrog. And even two {myrtles with their tops} lopped off and one not lopped off.
Rabbi Tarfon says: Even three which are lopped off.
Rabbi Akiva says: Just as