Sukkah, Daf Kaf Bet, Part 6
Introduction
The first part of today’s section contains a baraita related to the last part of the Mishnah. The second part is another mishnah, which will be commented upon and explained on subsequent pages.
מעובה כמין בית. תנו רבנן: המעובה כמין בית, אף על פי שאין הכוכבים נראין מתוכה – כשרה. אין כוכבי חמה נראין מתוכה, בית שמאי פוסלין, ובית הלל מכשירין.
If thick like a house.
Our rabbis have taught, if it is thick like a house, even though the stars cannot be seen through it, it is valid.
If the rays of the sun cannot be seen through it: Bet Shammai invalidates it, and Bet Hillel declares it valid.
Both houses agree that one need not be able to see the stars through the skhakh. While this may surprise some people, the idea that you have to see the stars is not true.
If you can’t even see the sun through the skhakh then it must be really thick. Bet Shammai says that it is invalid. But Bet Hillel doesn’t even invalidate this.
משנה. העושה סוכתו בראש העגלה או בראש הספינה – כשרה, ועולין לה ביום טוב.
בראש האילן או על גבי גמל – כשרה, ואין עולין לה ביום טוב. שתים באילן ואחת בידי אדם, או שתים בידי אדם ואחת באילן – כשרה, ואין עולין לה ביום טוב.
שלש בידי אדם ואחת באילן – כשרה, ועולין לה ביום טוב.
זה הכלל: כל שינטל האילן ויכולה לעמוד בפני עצמה – כשרה, ועולין לה ביום טוב.
Mishnah
1) One who makes his sukkah on the top of a wagon, or on the deck of a ship, it is valid and one may go up into it on the festival.
2) If he made it on the top of a tree, or on the back of a camel, it is valid, but one may not go up into it on the festival.
3) If the tree [formed] two [walls] and one was made by the hands of man, or if two were made by the hands of man and one was formed by the tree, it is valid, but one may not go up into it on the festival.
4) If three walls were made by the hands of man and one was formed by the tree, it is valid and one may go up into it on the festival.
This is the general rule: in any case in which if the tree was removed the [sukkah] could stand on its own, it is valid and one may go up into it on the festival.
As background to this mishnah we should note that on a festival or Shabbat it is forbidden to climb a tree, lest one break off a branch, which is prohibited on Shabbat and a festival. It is also forbidden to ride on an animal on a festival or Shabbat.
The mishnah uses the language go up into the sukkah because sukkot were often built on the flat roofs of their homes. Nevertheless, not all of these mishnayot describe actually going up into a sukkah.
Section one: One can build a sukkah on a wagon or on a ship and one can enter into it on Shabbat. The Talmud explains that the sukkah has to be strong enough to stand up to a wind of common strength. One who builds such a sukkah can enter into on the festival because there is no prohibition of getting onto a ship or a wagon on the festival. Indeed, there is a well-known story in the Talmud of rabbis traveling on Sukkot and making a sukkah on the ship.
Assumedly, Rabbi Judah who in yesterday s mishnah stated that a sukkah made using a bed s bedposts is invalid, would also invalidate a sukkah made on a wagon or ship.
Section two: A sukkah made on top of a tree or on the back of a camel is also a valid sukkah (I have actually seen such a thing in Neot Kedumim, near where we live in Israel). However, since it is forbidden to climb a tree or ride on an animal on Shabbat or a festival, these sukkot could only be used during Hol Hamoed, the non-festival days of Sukkot.
Section three: In this and the next section the person doesn t make his sukkah in a tree but rather he uses a tree to support the roof of his sukkah. A tree can be used to support the sukkah s wall even though the leaves may not count as skhakh when they are attached to the tree. A sukkah must have at least three walls, so if he uses a tree to support even one these three walls he cannot enter the sukkah on the festival because that would be considered using the tree.
Section four: If, however, he has four walls and only one supported by the tree then the sukkah would be valid and would be able to stand even without the tree. Hence, he may enter this sukkah on the festival because by doing so he is not actually using the tree. The tree-wall is superfluous.
The last clause provides the general rule that sums up what we learned above.