A Sukkos Discovery
Two Mothers or Four Mothers?
A small נקודה in an old פיוט — with a fascinating answer
The first day פיוט לסוכות, (Shachris before Kedusha — אקחה בראשון) we say:
“בַּעֲרָבוֹת שְׁתַּיִם”
(we take 2 Arovos)
“כְּאִמָּהוֹת שְׁתַּיִם” (like the 2 mothers)
“כְּאִמָּהוֹת שְׁתַּיִם” (like the 2 mothers)
“בַּאֲגֻדּוֹת אַרְבַּע”
(we take the 4 minim)
“כְּגִבְעוֹת אַרְבַּע” (like the 4 mothers)
“כְּגִבְעוֹת אַרְבַּע” (like the 4 mothers)
THE OBVIOUS QUESTION
Are there two or four mothers?
My father a”h, while in Shul, was troubled by this question.
He looked in the מטה לוי who explains that the 2 mothers are Leah & Rochel.
But my father wasn’t satisfied with this Pshat.
He came up with his own Pshat that the pronunciation should be KeAmhos with a patach.
When he came home from shul, he checked in his Heidenheim Machzor, that he kept at home.
What Heidenheim Writes
החכם וולף היידנהיים writes that he found a very old Machzor
where it says, instead of
Keimahos (mothers) —
Keamhos (maids).
Instead of a חיריק under the Alef, it is a פתח, referring to the two maids זלפה & בלהה.
This makes perfect sense.
The ערבות, which are the least of the Arba Minim,
represent the Amahos — the maids.
And then, that same evening...
I had the opportunity to check out an old 14th-century handwritten Machzor.
In this Machzor it does indeed say KeAmhos with a פתח under the אלף.
כְּאַמָּהוֹת שְׁתַּיִם
Not the two mothers —
but the two maids: זִלְפָּה וּבִלְהָה
but the two maids: זִלְפָּה וּבִלְהָה
