Sukkah, Daf Mem Bet, Part 4
Introduction
Today’s section deals mostly with the last part of the mishnah at what age do children become obligated or able to perform various mitzvoth?
גמרא. פשיטא: – מהו דתימא: הואיל ואשה לאו בת חיובא היא, אימא לא תקבל – קא משמע לן.
GEMARA. Is not this obvious?
I might have said that, since a woman does not come under the obligation [of lulab] she may not take it, therefore he informs us [that she may].
The Talmud asks why the mishnah even needs to say that a woman can take the lulav and put it in the water why not just say that the man puts it back in the water himself? The answer is that since women are not obligated in the mitzvah of lulav, I might have thought that they cannot carry it on Yom Tov or Shabbat. For them it would be a type of "muktzeh." Therefore, the mishnah had to each that they can.
קטן היודע לנענע. תנו רבנן: קטן היודע לנענע – חייב בלולב, להתעטף – חייב בציצית, לשמור תפילין – אביו לוקח לו תפילין. יודע לדבר – אביו לומדו תורה וקריאת שמע.
A minor who knows how to shake the [lulav].
Our Rabbis taught, A minor who knows how to shake [the lulav] is subject to the obligation of the lulav; [if he knows how] to wrap himself [with a tallit] he is subject to the obligation of tzitzit; [if he knows how] to look after tefillin, his father must buy tefillin for him; if he is able to speak, his father must teach him Torah and the reading of the Shema.
The mishnah says that a child must take the lulav once he is old enough to know what to do with it.
The baraita expands the mishnah and lists minimum ages for a few other mitzvoth. I should note that in the mishnaic period there was no concept of a "bar mitzvah." That is to say, the idea that a child becomes obligated for all of the commandments at one particular age did not yet exist. Rather, it seems that a child was obligated for particular commandments when she/he was able to either physically or mentally perform that commandment. We can see this in this baraita. As soon as he knows how to put on a tallit, he must do so. As soon as he knows how to take care of his tefillin he must do so. This age is certainly younger than thirteen. The notion that 12/13 is the age of obligation is a talmudic innovation.
תורה מאי היא? – אמר רב המנונא: +דברים לג+ תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה קהלת יעקב. קריאת שמע מאי היא? פסוק ראשון.
What [in this context] could be meant by Torah?
R. Hamnuna said: Moses commanded us the Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
What [in this context] is meant by the Shema?
The first verse.
The Talmud offers a minimal interpretation for "Torah" and "Shema" after all, this is a child who just learned how to read. All the father has to do is teach him one verse from the Torah and the first verse of Shema.
היודע לשמור גופו – אוכלין על גופו טהרות, לשמור את ידיו – אוכלין על ידיו טהרות. היודע לישאל, ברשות היחיד – ספיקו טמא, ברשות הרבים – ספיקו טהור.
If [the minor] knows how to take care of his body we may eat food that has been prepared in ritual purity though his body [touched it];
If he knows how to take care of hands, we may eat food that has been prepared in ritual purity even though his hands [touched it].
If he knows how to answer [questions on whether he touched any ritual uncleanliness], a doubtful case on his part that occurs in a private domain is regarded as unclean, but if in a public domain as clean.
These three rules refer to the laws of ritual purity. Basically, if the child is old enough to stay away from things that are ritually impure, such as a dead sheretz (creepy crawly thing) then we can eat pure things that he touched.
And if he knows how to answer a question about purity i.e. did you touch something impure then if there is a doubtful case of impurity, it is treated the same way that doubtful impurity is always treated. If it occurred in the private domain, we rule stringently and it is impure. If in the public domain, the rule is lenient.
היודע לפרוס כפיו חולקין לו תרומה בבית הגרנות. היודע לשחוט – אוכלין משחיטתו.
אמר רב הונא: והוא שגדול עומד על גביו.
[If he knows how] to spread out his hands [in priestly benediction] they may give him terumah on the threshing-floors.
If he knows how to slaughter [animals ritually] we may eat from [the meat of animals] which he has slaughtered.
R. Huna explained: This applies only where an adult was standing by his side [when he slaughtered the animal].
The son of a kohen may be given terumah, the food that only kohanim may eat, once he is old enough to know how to spread his hands to give the priestly benediction. What this probably means is that he can be given this special food as soon as he is aware that he is a priest and that he is different from other boys.
This last one sounds crazy, but if a minor knows how to slaughter an animal, meaning he has learned which parts of the throat must be severed, then we can eat an animal he slaughtered. R. Huna says that this is true only if an adult was standing over him and watching him. In other words, a minor might be able to slaughter, but we can’t trust him to know if he did it properly.