Sukkah, Daf Kaf Aleph, Part 4

 

Introduction

Today’s section offers a different reason for why R. Judah allows one to sleep under a bed in the sukkah.

 

ואי בעית אימא: רבי יהודה לטעמיה, דאמר: סוכה דירת קבע בעינן, והוה ליה מטה דירת עראי, וסוכה אהל קבע, ולא אתי אהל עראי ומבטל אהל קבע.

 

And if you like[you may say that] R. Judah follows his own view that a Sukkah must be a permanent abode; and since a bed is but a temporary abode, while a Sukkah is a permanent tent , a temporary tent cannot annul a permanent one.

 

The Talmud now tries to explain that R. Judah in this mishnah follows his reasoning found elsewhere throughout the tractate. R. Judah says that for something to count as a sukkah it must be a "permanent abode" meaning that it has the dimensions of a building in which a person could live permanently. In the case at hand, the sukkah is more permanent than the bed, which is not at all a "permanent abode/tent." Therefore, the temporary abode of the bed would not annul the fact that he is indeed sleeping in the sukkah, the more permanent abode.

 

והא רבי שמעון דאמר נמי סוכה דירת קבע בעינן, (הא) ואתי אהל עראי ומבטל אהל קבע!

 

But does not R. Shimon also say that a Sukkah must be a permanent abode, and yet [he holds that] a temporary tent does annul a permanent tent?

 

The problem is that R. Shimon also demands that a sukkah be a permanent above (as we saw on 7b he requires that it have four walls) and yet he doesn’t allow one to sleep under a bed in a sukkah, as we saw in our mishnah (bottom of 20b).

(אין), בהא פליגי: מר סבר: אתי אהל עראי ומבטל אהל קבע, ומר סבר: לא אתי אהל עראי ומבטל אהל קבע.

 

It is in this that they differ. One Master holds that a temporary tent can come and annul a permanent tent, while the other Master holds that a temporary tent cannot annul a permanent tent.

 

The Talmud resolves this by stating that R. Judah and R. Shimon agree that the sukkah needs to be a permanent abode. However, they disagree about whether the temporary tent (the bed) can annul the permanent tent (the sukkah). R. Shimon would say that it does and therefore, one who sleeps under a bed in a sukkah has not fulfilled his duty. R. Judah says that the temporary tent does not annul the fact that he is sleeping in a sukkah and therefore he has fulfilled his obligation.