Sukkah, Daf Lamed Aleph, Part 2

 

Introduction

Today’s section contains a story about a woman who came before R. Nahman complaining that someone had stolen wood from her to use in building his sukkah.

 

ההיא סבתא דאתאי לקמיה דרב נחמן, אמרה ליה: ריש גלותא וכולהו רבנן דבי ריש גלותא בסוכה גזולה הוו יתבי!

צווחה ולא אשגח בה רב נחמן.

אמרה ליה: איתתא דהוה ליה לאבוהא תלת מאה ותמני סרי עבדי צווחא קמייכו ולא אשגחיתו בה?

אמר להו רב נחמן: פעיתא היא דא, ואין לה אלא דמי עצים בלבד.

 

A certain old woman came before R. Nahman and said to him: "The Exilarch and all the rabbis of the house of the Exilarch are sitting in a stolen Sukkah." She cried but R. Nahman took no notice of her.

She said to him: "A woman whose father had three hundred and eighteen slaves cries out to you, and you take no notice?"

R. Nahman said to them: "This one is a noisy woman; but she can claim only the cost of the wood."

 

This is somewhat of a sad story, at least in my opinion. An old woman comes in front of a bunch of rabbis, complaining that they stole her wood. The rabbis of the exilarch’s house, the head of the community in Babylonia, ignore her. She continues to complain, making a reference to Abraham who had 318 servants she is Abraham’s descendent, just as much as they are. R. Nahman continues to ignore her, dismissing her as a noisy woman. He concludes by stating that they do owe her the value of the wood. But the wood itself belongs to the rabbis who assumedly stole it, or perhaps bought it from someone who stole it.