Sukkah, Daf Kaf Daled, Part 5
Introduction
Today’s section begins with a new mishnah.
משנה. העושה סוכתו בין האילנות והאילנות דפנות לה – כשרה.
Mishnah. If he makes his sukkah between trees, and the trees form its walls, it is valid.
Whereas the previous mishnayot discussed one who supports his skhakh on trees, this mishnah teaches that one can use trees as walls for a sukkah.
גמרא. אמר רב אחא בר יעקב: כל מחיצה שאינה יכולה לעמוד ברוח מצויה אינה מחיצה.
Gemara. R. Aha b. Jacob said, a partition which is unable to withstand a normal wind is not a valid partition.
R. Aha b. Jacob says that in order for a partition to count (for any halakhic matter requiring a partition) the partition needs to be able to withstand a normal wind. We shall now explore how this relates to our mishnah.
תנן: העושה סוכתו בין האילנות והאילנות דפנות לה – כשרה. והא קאזיל ואתי!
We have learned, if he makes his sukkah between trees, so that the trees form its walls, it is valid. But do they not sway to and fro?
The Talmud uses the above mishnah to raise a difficulty on R. Aha b. Jacob. The mishnah allows one to use a tree as a wall. But trees sway with the wind they are not able to withstand a normal wind.
הכא במאי עסקינן – בקשין.
והאיכא נופו! – דעביד ליה בהוצא ודפנא.
אי הכי מאי למימרא?
מהו דתימא: ניגזר דלמא אתי לאשתמושי באילן, קא משמע לן.
We are dealing here with solid [trees].
But are there not the swaying branches?
[It refers to] where he plaited it with shrubbery and bay-trees.
If so, what does it come to teach us?
One might have thought that we should decree against this lest he come to make use of the tree, therefore he informs us [that it is valid].
The Talmud now offers a series of contextualizations to reconcile the mishnah with R. Aha b. Jacob’s statement. First of all, the trees we are talking about are solid trees, not bushes, which are also called "trees" by the rabbis.
But even solid trees have swaying branches that don’t stand up to a normal wind.
The Talmud answers this by supposing that he plaited the branches so that they wouldn’t move with the wind.
But now that we’ve come this far in understanding the mishnah that it refers to solid trees whose branches have also been made solid by being plaited why do we even need the mishnah? Obviously these trees can be used as walls!
The answer is that without this mishnah we might have thought that since at least on Shabbat or Yom Tov one cannot use a tree, that we wouldn’t let him use it as a wall. Therefore, the mishnah must teach us that he can use it as a wall, even on Shabbat or Yom Tov.
תא שמע: היה שם אילן או גדר או מחיצת הקנים נידון משום דיומד!
התם נמי, משום דעביד ליה בהוצא ודפנא.
Come and hear: If there was there a tree, or a fence, or a partition of reeds, it is regarded as a valid corner-piece!
This also refers to where he plaited it with shrubbery and bay-trees.
The Talmud now uses another baraita as a difficulty on R. Aha b. Jacob. This baraita says that one can use a tree or other types of partitions as a "corner-piece." This corner-piece when placed in the four corners around a well, would allow people to draw from the well on Shabbat. These four fictitious walls create a private domain in which one is allowed to carry. So here to we see that one can use a tree as a partition.
The answer here is the same as that above in order for the tree to count as a valid partition he must solidify the branches. If the branches sway the tree cannot be used.