Sukkah, Daf Kaf Zayin, Part 3

 

Introduction

This section continues the baraita from the previous section, which discussed how one makes up a missed meal in the sukkah.

 

ועוד שאלו: כגון אני שיש לי שתי נשים אחת בטבריא ואחת בציפורי, ויש לי שתי סוכות אחת בטבריא ואחת בציפורי, מהו שאצא מסוכה לסוכה ואפטר?

אמר לו: לא, שאני אומר: כל היוצא מסוכה לסוכה בטל מצותה של ראשונה.

He also asked him: [A man] such as I who has two wives, one in Tiberias and one in Tzippori, and two sukkahs, one in Tiberias and one in Tzippori, may I go from one Sukkah to the other and thus be free from my obligation? He answered him, No! For I say that he who goes from one Sukkah to another annuls the mitzvah of the first.

 

The baraita proceeds with another question asked of R. Eliezer can a man who has two wives use two sukkot in two different places? R. Eliezer answers in the negative. As we shall see below, R. Eliezer holds that it is a mitzvah to sit all seven days in one sukkah. This also matches what he said in the Mishnah one must eat 14 meals in a sukkah. R. Eliezer seems to conceive of the seven days as one complete mitzvah, that must be completed with integrity, i.e. in one sukkah.

 

תניא, רבי אליעזר אומר: אין יוצאין מסוכה לסוכה, ואין עושין סוכה בחולו של מועד. וחכמים אומרים: יוצאין מסוכה לסוכה ועושין סוכה בחולו של מועד. ושוין, שאם נפלה – שחוזר ובונה בחולו של מועד.

 

It was taught in a baraita: R. Eliezer says: one may not go from one Sukkah to another, nor may one make a Sukkah during the Intermediate Days of the Festival. But the Sages say: One may go from one Sukkah to another, and one may make a Sukkah during the Intermediate Days of the Festival; And both of them agree that if it falls down, he may rebuild it during the Intermediate Days.

 

This is the dispute alluded to above. R. Eliezer holds that one must sit in the same sukkah for all seven days. The mitzvah is to dwell for seven days in a sukkah. The rabbis hold that the mitzvah is to dwell in a sukkah whenever one is "dwelling" on Sukkot. It doesn’t matter what sukkah one dwells in, or whether one dwells in the same sukkah for all seven day.

 

מאי טעמא דרבי אליעזר? אמר קרא +דברים טז+ חג הסכת תעשה לך שבעת ימים – עשה סוכה הראויה לשבעה.

 

What is the reason of R. Eliezer? Scripture says: "You shall keep the Festival of Sukkot for seven days," make a Sukkah which shall be fit for seven days.

 

This is a midrash which provides Scriptural basis for R. Eliezer. The Torah says to keep Sukkot for seven days. The word "keep" can be read "make." R. Eliezer says you have to make a sukkah that you will sit in for seven days. If you make one during the intermediate days (Hol Hamoed) of Sukkot then the sukkah was not for seven days. And if you leave your sukkah during the Festival, then it also turns out that your sukkah was not made for seven days.

ורבנן: הכי קאמר רחמנא: עשה סוכה בחג,

 

And the rabbis? -This is what the Torah means: Make a Sukkah for the Festival.

 

The other rabbis don t read the verse this way. They read it to mean that you make must a sukkah to use during the seven days of Sukkot, but one does not have to make a sukkah that he will live in for all seven days.

 

ושוין שאם נפלה שחוזר ובונה אותה בחולו של מועד.

פשיטא!

מהו דתימא: האי – אחריתי היא, ואינה לשבעה, קמשמע לן.

 

"But both of them agree that if it falls down one may rebuild it during Hol Hamoed." But is not this obvious? What might I have said? This is [considered to be] another [Sukkah] and is not one for seven days, therefore he teaches us [that this is not so].

 

The Talmud comments that the last section of the baraita is obvious. Obviously if the sukkah falls down, R. Eliezer would allow one to rebuild it! What other option is there? The answer is that we might have thought that a rebuilt sukkah is considered to be like a different sukkah and therefore R. Eliezer would not allow one to dwell there. Therefore, R. Eliezer lets us know that it is considered to be the same sukkah as before, and he can fulfill his obligation by dwelling there.