Sukkah, Daf Mem Bet, Part 5

 

Introduction

This section continues discussing the development of a child and the ramifications for how he is treated by Jewish law.

 

יכול לאכול כזית דגן – מרחיקין מצואתו וממימי רגליו ארבע אמות. אמר רב חסדא: והוא שיכול לאוכלו בכדי אכילת פרס. אמר רב חייא בריה דרב ייבא: ובגדול, אף על פי שאינו יכול לאכול בכדי אכילת פרס, דכתיב +קהלת א+ ויוסיף דעת יוסיף מכאוב.

 

If [a child] is able to eat an olive size of grain, one must remove oneself a distance of at least four cubits from his excrement or water.

R. Hisda explained: This applies only where the child is able to consume it in the time [which it takes an ordinary adult] to eat half a loaf.

R. Hiyya the son of R. Yeva said: But in the case of an adult [the law applies] even if he cannot eat it in the time [which it takes a normal person] to eat half a loaf, since it is written, He that increases knowledge increases sorrow.

 

It is forbidden to pray or recite the Shema within four cubits of excrement or urine. But a child’s waste is not considered waste until he/she can eat bread. Before that time, the waste is not sufficiently malodorous to mandate distancing. To eat bread is defined by the ability to eat an olive’s worth within the amount of time it takes an adult to eat half a loaf of bread (this is a standard time used in many contexts). I think that this is something any parent who has watched their child weaned from breast milk knows-changing diapers was more pleasant before the kid started eating regular food.

When it comes to an adult, it doesn’t matter whether he can eat this amount of bread in this amount of time. One can never recite the Shema or pray within four cubits of his excrement. The verse states that the more you know the more your stuff smells. Some truth to that!

יכול לאכול כזית צלי – שוחטין עליו את הפסח, שנאמר +שמות יב+ איש לפי אכלו. רבי יהודה אומר: עד שיכול לברר אכילה, כיצד? נותנין לו צרור וזורקו, אגוז ונוטלו.

 

If [a child] can eat an olive of roast meat, they slaughter the pesah sacrifice on his behalf, as it is said, "According to the eating of every man" (Exodus 12:4).

Rabbi Judah said: Until he is able to pick out food. How so? If they give him a splinter, he throws it away; if they give him a nut, he eats it.

 

Exodus 12:4 says that when slaughtering the pesach sacrifice, they count how many people will be able to eat it, and they slaughter the number of goats/sheep to provide for that number of people. A minor is taken into account only when he is old enough to eat roasted meat, which would probably be a bit tougher to eat than boiled meat.

Rabbi Judah offers another way of determining when a child is old enough to be taken into account for slaughtering the pesah he puts food in his mouth, but not other things. I’m not sure how old this is, but I imagine it is older than the previous opinion.

 

הדרן עלך לולב הגזול.

 

May we return to you, chapter "A Stolen Lulav."

 

Congratulations You finished the third chapter of Sukkah. Tomorrow we start chapter four. Way to go!