Sukkah, Daf Kaf Vav, Part 6

 

Introduction

Today’s section continues with a new mishnah. It discusses whether one can eat anything outside of the sukkah.

 

משנה. מעשה והביאו לו לרבן יוחנן בן זכאי לטעום את התבשיל, ולרבן גמליאל שני כותבות ודלי של מים, ואמרו: העלום לסוכה. וכשנתנו לו לרבי צדוק אוכל פחות מכביצה, נטלו במפה ואכלו חוץ לסוכה, ולא בירך אחריו.

 

It once happened that they brought a dish to Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai to taste, and two dates and a pail of water to Rabban Gamaliel and they said, Bring them up to the sukkah.

And when they gave Rabbi Zadok food less than the bulk of an egg, he took it in a napkin, ate it outside the sukkah and did not say a blessing after it.

 

The mishnah tells a story of two rabbis who refused to eat anything outside of the sukkah, even a couple of dates, water or the taste of a dish. It seems that these rabbis were acting beyond the letter of the law. Although they could have eaten outside of the sukkah as we learned in the previous mishnah, they chose to be strict and ordered their servants to bring the food up to the sukkah.

Rabbi Zadok on the other hand does not tell his servant to bring the small amount of food, less than an egg s worth, up to the sukkah. He eats it outside the sukkah. He also performs a few more acts from which we can learn halakhah. First of all, he takes the food in a napkin and does not wash his hands, as was customary during this period. Secondly, he does not say a blessing afterwards. Rabbi Zadok holds that one recites a blessing after eating only an egg s worth of food.

 

 

גמרא. מעשה לסתור? – חסורי מחסרא והכי קתני: אם בא להחמיר על עצמו – מחמיר, ולית ביה משום יוהרא. ומעשה נמי, והביאו לו לרבן יוחנן בן זכאי לטעום את התבשיל, ולרבן גמליאל שני כותבות ודלי של מים, ואמרו: העלום לסוכה, וכשנתנו לו לרבי צדוק אוכל פחות מכביצה – נטלו במפה, ואכלו חוץ לסוכה, ולא בירך אחריו..

 

GEMARA. Does the case come to serve as a contradiction! Rather, there is something missing in the mishnah, and it should be taught thus: But if he wishes to be strict with himself, he may do so, and it does not constitute presumption, and so it also happened that they brought a dish to Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai to taste, and two dates and a pail of water to Rabban Gamaliel and they said, Bring them up to the sukkah.

And when they gave Rabbi Zadok food less than the bulk of an egg, he took it in a napkin, ate it outside the sukkah and did not say a blessing after it.

 

The previous mishnah (found on Daf Kaf Heh) said that one is allowed to eat casually outside the Sukkah. So, the Talmud, asks, why did R. Yohanan b. Zakkai and Rabban Gamaliel not eat these small amounts of food outside the sukkah. The answer is that they were being strict upon themselves. They could have eaten the food outside the sukkah, but they wanted to eat the food in the sukkah. Without these stories we might have thought that since one is not obligated to eat the food in the sukkah, it is presumptuous, or arrogant to do so. One should not try to "show off" by performing mitzvoth that one is not obligated to do. The mishnah teaches us that in this particular case, eating small amounts of food in the sukkah is not presumptuous.

 

הא כביצה – בעי סוכה. לימא תיהוי תיובתיה דרב יוסף ואביי! – דילמא: פחות מכביצה – נטילה וברכה לא בעי, הא כביצה – בעי נטילה וברכה.

 

But if it was the bulk of an egg, he must [eat it in] the Sukkah.

Should we say that this is a refutation of R. Joseph and Abaye?

Perhaps [it means that] less than the bulk of an egg does not necessitate washing of the hands and the benediction, but if it was the bulk of an egg, it necessitates washing of the hands and the benediction.

 

R. Zadok seems to hold that anything more than the bulk of an egg must be eaten only in a sukkah. But above on this very daf of Talmud, R. Joseph said one can eat 2-3 eggs outside the sukkah. Abaye said that one can eat as much as a young student eats before going into the Talmud lesson. Both of these measures are greater than an egg. So perhaps these amoraic opinions are refuted by the opinion of the tanna, R. Zadok.

The resolution is that the measure of an egg was mentioned not because it is the precise measure of food that obligates one to go into the sukkah. If one eats an egg, one must first wash one’s hands and one must say blessing after eating the food. But if the volume is less than an egg one can eat the food without washing hands and there is no requirement to say a concluding berakhah. When it comes to the laws of sukkah, one can eat even more than an egg’s worth of food outside the sukkah.