Sukkah, Daf Tet Zayin, Part 6
Introduction
Since using matting as skhakh was mentioned earlier on this daf, the Talmud now discusses using matting as a wall for a Sukkah. Note that the question here is not about the material any material is valid as a wall. The question is about size and position.
אמר רב חסדא אמר אבימי: מחצלת ארבעה ומשהו מתרת בסוכה משום דופן.
היכי עביד – תלי ליה באמצע, פחות משלשה למטה ופחות משלשה למעלה, וכל פחות משלשה כלבוד דמי.
R. Hisda stated in the name of Abimi: A matting slightly more than four handbreadths [wide] is permitted as a sukkah wall.
How does one place it? One suspends it in the middle less than three [handbreadths] from the ground and less than three from the top, and whatever [space] is less than three handbreadths is treated as lavud.
One can use a four handbreadth wide mat as a wall by suspending it in the middle of a ten handbreadth space, the minimum size of a sukkah wall. This allows us to invoke the principle of "lavud" which states that a space less than three handbreadths is nullified. The mat is considered next to the ground and next to the top by being three handbreadths away from each.
פשיטא! – מהו דתימא: חד לבוד – אמרינן, תרי לבוד – לא אמרינן, קא משמע לן.
But is not this obvious? One might have said that we apply the law of lavud once, but we do not apply lavud twice [to the same wall], therefore he informed us of this.
The Talmud explains the innovation is R. Hisda’s statement. You might have thought that one can invoke the principle of "lavud" only once, either at the bottom or at the top. R. Hisda lets us know that you can invoke it both times, to fictionally consider the wall as reaching the bottom and fictionally reaching the top as well.
מיתיבי: מחצלת שבעה ומשהו מתרת בסוכה משום דופן!
It was objected: A matting slightly more than seven [handbreadths] is permitted as a Sukkah wall!
According to this baraita, the matting must be seven handbreadths, which implies that you could invoke the principle of "lavud" only once. A four handbreadth mat would not be sufficient.
כי תניא ההיא בסוכה גדולה. ומאי קא משמע לן – דמשלשלין דפנות מלמעלה למטה כרבי יוסי.
That was taught with reference to a large Sukkah; and what does it inform us? That walls may be suspended from above downwards in agreement with R. Yose.
The Talmud resolves that this baraita does not refer to a wall used for a minimum size sukkah. Rather it refers to a wall used for a larger sukkah. The seven handbreadth mat is hung within three handbreadths of the top of the sukkah, thereby creating a fictitious ten handbreadths wall. It need not go all the way to the bottom of the sukkah, because this baraita follows the opinion of R. Yose who allows hanging partitions.
אמר רבי אמי: פס ארבעה ומשהו מתיר בסוכה משום דופן, ומוקים ליה בפחות משלשה טפחים סמוך לדופן. וכל פחות משלשה סמוך לדופן כלבוד דמי.
מאי קא משמע לן? – הא קא משמע לן: שיעור משך סוכה קטנה.
R. Ammi said: A board which is slightly more than four [handbreadths] wide is permitted for a sukkah wall when he places it less than three [handbreadths] from the the adjacent wall, since a space less than three [handbreadths] is treated as lavud.
What does he inform us? He informs us this: That the minimum extent of a small sukkah is seven [handbreadths].
R. Ammi allows one to use a four handbreadth board as a wall as long as he puts it three handbreadths away from the adjacent wall. This allows us to invoke the principle of "lavud" to achieve the requisite seven handbreadth wall.
The Talmud asks what new thing R. Ammi teaches us. In the Talmud’s opinion we have already learned the principle of "lavud" on several occasions. We don’t need another example from R. Ammi. The answer is that R. Ammi teaches us that the minimum size of a sukkah is seven handbreadths.