Sukkah, Daf Yod Het, Part 2

 

Introduction

In yesterday’s section we saw one amora who holds that we don’t invoke the principle of lavud when the gap is in the middle of the sukkah. The Talmud now attempts to find a source for this position.

 

מאי טעמא דמאן דאמר אין לבוד באמצע – דתנן: ארובה שבבית ובה פותח טפח, טומאה בבית – כולו טמא, מה שכנגד ארובה – טהור. טומאה כנגד ארובה – כל הבית כולו טהור. אין בארובה פותח טפח, טומאה בבית – כנגד ארובה טהור, טומאה כנגד ארובה – כל הבית כולו טהור.

 

What is the reason of the one who says that the rule of lavud is not applied in the middle? Because we learned: If a skylight in [the roof of] a house was of one handbreadth square, and there was an object of uncleanliness in the house, all the house is unclean, but what is directly below the skylight is clean.

If the unclean object is directly below the skylight, the whole house is clean.

If the skylight was less than a handbreadth square, and there was an unclean object in the house, what is directly below the skylight is clean.

If the unclean object is directly below the skylight, the whole house is clean.

 

The Talmud cites Ohalot 10:1 as proof that we don’t invoke the principle of lavud when the gap is in the middle. The mishnah discusses the formation of an "ohel" a tent. If there is a dead body or piece thereof in the tent the impurity spreads throughout the tent. Without getting into the details of this mishnah (see my commentary on that mishnah in Mishnah Yomit), clearly a one handbreadth hole is sufficient enough to let the impurity out, if the unclean object is directly underneath. Thus one handbreadth is not lavud when in the middle of the house.

 

ואידך: שאני הלכות טומאה דהכי גמירי להו.

 

And [what does] the other [say]? The laws of uncleanliness differ [from those of sukkah] since they have a tradition about them.

 

The other position, which holds that there is "lavud" in the middle, responds by claiming that the laws of uncleanness are different because they have been learned in a special tradition. But this tradition is specific to the laws of uncleanness. And wouldn’t extend to the laws of sukkah.