Sukkah, Daf Yod Zayin, Part 5

 

Introduction

The Talmud now cites another baraita which presents a difficulty to the earlier version of Rav’s opinion (the "Sura" version, the position held by the rabbis of the house of Rav). Rav held that four handbreadths of invalid skhakh invalidates the sukkah if placed in the middle of the sukkah.

 

תא שמע: שני סדינין – מצטרפין, שני נסרים – אין מצטרפין. רבי מאיר אומר: נסרים כסדינין.

בשלמא להך לישנא דאמר רב בין באמצע בין מן הצד בארבע אמות, מאי מצטרפין – מצטרפין לארבע אמות.

 

Come and hear: two sheets combine, two boards do not combine. R. Meir says, boards are like sheets.

It is well according to that version which says that Rav says that whether in the middle or at the sides [it invalidates only] if it is four cubits wide; What does it mean by combine’? They combine to make four cubits.

 

We have seen this baraita before (daf 14a). It teaches that according to R. Meir, if one places side by side two boards that are each not the minimum measure to disqualify the sukkah, they join together to disqualify the sukkah.

If Rav holds that four cubits of invalid skhkakh disqualifies the sukkah, then we can make sense of the baraita. The two planks combine together to add up to the four cubits.

 

אלא להך לישנא דאמר רב באמצע בארבעה, היכי דמי? אי דאית בהו ארבעה – למה להו אצטרופי? אי דלית בהו ארבעה – קניא בעלמא נינהו!

 

But, according to the version which says that Rav says that, in the middle [even] four handbreadths [width of invalid skhakh] invalidates, what kind of boards are we to imagine? If they are each four handbreadths wide, why do they need to combine? And if they are each less than four handbreadths wide, they are mere sticks!

 

But if Rav holds that four handbreadths invalidates in the middle as well (the opinion of the rabbis of the "house of Rav" in the Sura version), then we have trouble understanding this baraita. If each board is four handbreadths itself then it need not combine with another board. Even one such board invalidates the sukkah.

And if the board is less than four handbreadths, then it is not invalid skhakh (Rav holds that all tannaim allow boards less than four handbreadths, see 14a). So how can we understand this baraita.

 

לעולם דאית בהו ארבעה, ומאי מצטרפין – מצטרפין לארבע אמות מן הצד.

 

This is indeed a case where they are each four handbreadths wide; and what does combine mean? That they combine to make up four cubits at the side.

 

The Talmud resolves the difficulty by saying that the baraita refers to boards which are each four handbreadths placed on the side of the sukkah. There they do not invalidate the entire sukkah unless together they combine to be four cubits.