Sukkah, Daf Yod Tet, Part 3

 

Introduction

At the end of yesterday’s section, R. Oshiah interpreted a baraita to mean that a sukkah remains valid even if it has a section of invalid skhakh that is less than three handbreadths. Our section begins with a difficulty on this position.

 

מתקיף לה רב הושעיא: לא יהא אלא אויר, ואויר פחות משלשה טפחים בסוכה קטנה מי פסיל?

 

R. Hoshiah raised a difficulty: Let it be regarded as no better than air space, does then air space of less than three [handbreadths] invalidate a small sukkah?

 

R. Hoshiah raises a difficulty on R. Oshaia (I know, this is confusing). Why would a baraita need to teach that a small sukkah that has less than three handbreadths of invalid skhakh is still valid? Even a gap of less than three handbreadths is not enough to invalidate the sukkah!

אמר ליה רבי אבא: זה מצטרף וישנים תחתיו, וזה מצטרף – ואין ישנים תחתיו.

 

R. Abba answered him, [The difference is that] in the former case it combines [with the rest of the Sukkah] and it is permitted to sleep under it; in the latter case it does not combine and it is forbidden to sleep under it.

 

R. Abba said that if there is invalid skhakh one can still sleep under it, for it combines with the valid skhakh to create a sukkah. But when it comes to a gap of air, while the space can count towards the sukkah, one cannot sleep under it.

 

ומי איכא מידי דאצטרופי מצטרף והוא עצמו אינו כשר?

אמר רבי יצחק בן אלישב: אין, טיט הנרוק יוכיח, שמצטרף לארבעים סאה, והטובל בו לא עלתה לו טבילה.

 

But is there anything which itself is invalid and yet combines [with another thing to become valid]?

R. Isaac b. Elyashiv answered, Yes! Fluid clay proves it; since it combines to make up forty seah, yet he who immerses in it has not undergone a proper immersion.

 

The Talmud asks how the gap in the skhakh can add up to equal the necessary minimum measure for the sukkah but in and of itself is not valid such that one couldn’t sleep under it. Is there another example of such a phenomenon?

R. Yitzchak ben Elyashiv answers in the affirmative! The case is that of a mikveh. If there is fluid clay (mud?) in the mikveh it adds up with the water to create the requisite 40 seahs needed for a valid mikveh. But if one dips in fluid clay alone, without water, it doesn’t count as a mikveh and it doesn’t purify.