Commentary for Beitzah 20:5

מתניתה דלא כר' דתני אין מטבילין כלי על גב מימיו בי"ט ואין משיקין את המים בכלי אבן לטהרן בשבת דברי רבי וחכ"א מטבילין כלי ע"ג מימיו בי"ט ומשיקין את המים בכלי אבן לטהרה בשבת לא אמר אלא בשל אבן הא בשל

What is Rabbi Eliezer's reason? It is said here "sit". And it says later (Leviticus 8:35): "And you shall sit at the door of the tent of meeting day and night." Just as sitting later [the tent] the nights are like the days, so too here the nights are like the days. Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Yishmael: It is written (Leviticus 23:6) "the fifteenth" in Pesach, and it is written (Leviticus 23:34) "the fifteenth" in Sukkot. Just as "the fifteenth" in Pesach means that the first night is obligatory [to eat matza], and afterwards is optional; so too here "the fifteenth" means that the first night is obligatory [to eat in the Sukkah], and afterwards is optional.

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