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Why can a second person fulfill the mitzvah (מצוה) of lulav with a stolen object on Yom Tov Sheini when the original thief cannot make a bracha? The shiur explores two distinct dimensions of gezel — the prohibited act of stealing versus using another's property — and argues that mitzvah haba'ah ba'aveirah applies only when the aveirah contributes to the mitzvah itself. Shinui maisa creates independent ownership that severs the connection to the original theft.
This shiur analyzes the complex sugya of mitzvah (מצוה) haba'ah ba'aveirah (a mitzvah that comes through sin) as it relates to stolen arba minim (four species) on Sukkos (סוכות), focusing on Sukkah 30b. The Gemara (גמרא) discusses a case where someone takes esrogim from a non-Jew's orchard, and Rav Huna instructs him to be careful to fulfill the mitzvah properly. The shiur begins by addressing the Magen Avrohom's difficulty: why would Rav Huna be concerned only about the technical fulfillment of the mitzvah while seemingly ignoring the more fundamental issue of theft? The shiur establishes that according to the Gemara, the person was technically permitted to take the esrogim (presumably based on a halachic mechanism like rov), so there was no ma'aseh aveirah (act of theft) performed. The only potential problem is that he might be inadvertently using someone else's property. This leads to a fundamental chakira (conceptual distinction) in the nature of gezel: there are two separate dinim (legal components). First, there is the issur of taking something illegally (ma'aseh gezel). Second, there is the prohibition of using someone else's property (hishtamshus b'mamon chaveiro). One can violate the second without violating the first if the taking itself was permitted but the object actually belongs to someone else.
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Sukkah 30b
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