It was said of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel that at Simchat Beit HaSho'eva he would take eight burning torches. He threw one, caught one, and they never touched. On the night of Sukkot, the tour shows the act without claiming to show the man: eight torches, four in each hand, each thrown again by the hand that caught it.
Dimensions
- eight torches
- “they did not touch one another”
Sources
- Sukkah 53a“הָיָה נוֹטֵל שְׁמֹנֶה אֲבוּקוֹת שֶׁל אוֹר, וְזוֹרֵק אַחַת וְנוֹטֵל אַחַת וְאֵין נוֹגְעוֹת זוֹ בָּזוֹ”
- Bartenura Soucca 5:4“בְּאַרְבַּע אֲבוּקוֹת אוֹ בִּשְׁמֹנֶה, זוֹרֵק זוֹ וּמְקַבֵּל אֶת זוֹ”
Project decisionTour's choice: the figure is anonymous. The pattern is a fountain, each hand with its own four torches, never crossing. It is one way to make what the account describes possible. The rhythm and height of the throws are also choices.