Sukkah, Daf Tet Vav, Part 6

 

Introduction

Today’s section continues to explain the next line of the mishnah why one can’t use the long boards of a bed as skhakh.

 

או בארוכות המטה.

לימא מסייע ליה לרבי אמי בר טביומי. דאמר רבי אמי בר טביומי: סככה בבלאי כלים – פסולה. –

 

Or the long boards of a bed. Can we say that this supports [a statement of] R. Ammi b. Tavyomi, for R. Ammi b. Tavyomi said: If he covered the Sukkah with worn out vessels it is invalid?

The Talmud begins by suggesting that our mishnah supports a statement made by R. Ammi b. Tavyomi that one cannot use discarded vessels as skhakh. Later we shall see that these are worn out pieces of clothing (which are called vessels in rabbinic Hebrew). Once these pieces of cloth are smaller than three handbreadths squared, they are no longer susceptible to impurity. Nevertheless, R. Ammi holds that they may not be used as skhakh. So too, our mishnah might refer to bed boards which have worn out and are no longer susceptible to impurity. Despite the fact that they are not susceptible to impurity, they may not be used as skhkakh.

 

כדאמר רבי חנן אמר רבי: בארוכה ושתי כרעים, בקצרה ושתי כרעים. הכי נמי: בארוכה ושתי כרעים, בקצרה ושתי כרעים.

 

[No,] as R. Hanan said in the name of Rabbi, With the long board and two legs, or with the short board and two legs , so here also it may refer to the long board and two legs, or the short board and two legs.

 

The Talmud now rejects the support of R. Ammi from our mishnah.

Elsewhere (we shall see the context below) R. Hanan explained in the name of Rabbi [Judah Hanasi] that a mishnah referred to the long or short board with two short legs attached. The long and short board are the sides of a bed either the long side of the bed with one leg from the head and one leg from the foot or the short side of the bed with two legs from the head or two legs from the foot. Such a long (or short) board is still susceptible to impurity (to be explained below). So too in the context of skhakh we are talking about the long board with two legs attached which is still susceptible to impurity and therefore cannot be used as skhakh. The implication is that if the long board did not have the legs attached it would not susceptible to impurity, and it could be used as skhakh. This would mean that the mishnah does not support R. Ammi b. Tovyami worn out vessels that are no longer usable can be used for skhakh.

היכא איתמר דרבי חנן אמר רבי – אהא דתנן: מטה מטמאת חבילה ומטהרת חבילה, דברי רבי אליעזר. וחכמים אומרים: מטמאת אברים ומטהרת אברים.

 

Where was this statement of R. Hanan in the name of Rabbi stated? In connection with what we have learned: A bed can become unclean [only] when it is assembled and be rendered clean only when it is assembled, the words of R. Eliezer, but the sages say, it can become unclean when it is in parts and become clean when in parts.

 

The Talmud now searches for the original context of R. Hanan’s statement. It was made in the context of Mishnah Kelim 18:9. According to R. Eliezer a bed can become impure when it is assembled and if unassembled it cannot be purified again in a mikveh until it is reassembled.

The sages say it can be made unclean when unassembled and purified when unassembled.

 

מאי ניהו? – אמר רבי חנן אמר רבי: ארוכה ושתי כרעים, קצרה ושתי כרעים. למאי חזיא – למסמכינהו אגודא ולמיתב עלייהו, ומשדא אשלי.

 

What are [these parts]? R. Hanan said in the name of Rabbi, The long board and two legs or the short board and two legs.

For what is it fit? For placing against a wall and sitting upon it, and for tying it with ropes.

 

R. Hanan explains the sages’ opinion from the mishnah. The bed can become impure and be purified when the parts into which it has become disassembled are still usable. This, according to R. Hanan is the long board with two legs or the short board with two legs. Both of these are usable by propping up one side on the wall and then forming a bed by weaving ropes between the long or short board and the wall. Note that I have explained this Talmud without the words "and sitting upon it." The Talmud describes one way of using these boards with their legs, not two.