Sukkah, Daf Yod Zayin, Part 6

 

Introduction

Today brings us to the exciting conclusion of the debate concerning how much invalid skhakh disqualifies a sukkah when placed in the middle of the sukkah.

 

תא שמע: סככה בנסרין של ארז שיש בהן ארבעה – דברי הכל פסולה. אין בהן ארבעה, רבי מאיר פוסל, ורבי יהודה מכשיר. ומודה רבי מאיר שאם יש בין נסר לנסר כמלא נסר, שמניח פסל ביניהם וכשרה.

בשלמא למאן דאמר בין באמצע בין מן הצד בארבע אמות – משום הכי כשרה. אלא למאן דאמר באמצע בארבעה, אמאי כשרה?

 

Come and hear: if he covered the sukkah with planks of cedarwood which are four [handbreadths wide], according to all it is invalid;

If they are not four handbreadths: R. Meir disqualifies and R. Judah validates.

R. Meir admits that if there is the space of one plank between every two planks that one may place valid skhakh between them and it is valid.

It is well according to him who says that whether in the middle or at the sides it needs four cubits [of invalid covering to invalidate a sukkah], for this reason it is here valid; but according to him who says that in the middle four [handbreadths of invalid skhakh invalidate] why is it valid?

 

In this baraita R. Meir and R. Judah disagree about whether one can use planks that are four handbreadths wide. While both agree that one couldn’t use such planks as skhakh for the whole sukkah, R. Meir (and all the more so R. Judah) allows one to use some planks as skhakh, as long as one puts valid skhakh equal to the size of the invalid skhakh in between each plank.

Clearly, this baraita follows the opinion of the amoraim who hold that in the middle of the sukkah invalid skhakh needs to be four cubits to invalidate the whole sukkah. For if one plank of four handbreadths would invalidate the skhkah, how would putting valid skhakh between it and the next four handbreadth plank help matters?

 

אמר רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע: הכא בסוכה דלא הויא אלא שמנה מצומצמות עסקינן, ויהיב נסר ופסל, ונסר ופסל, ונסר ופסל מהאי גיסא, ונסר ופסל ונסר ופסל ונסר ופסל מהאי גיסא, דהוו להו שני פסלין באמצע, ואיכא הכשר סוכה באמצע.

 

R. Huna the son of R. Joshua answered: Here we are dealing with a sukkah which measures no more than a bare eight [cubits], and he places [alternately] plank and valid skhakh, plank and valid skhakh, plank and valid skhakh on one side and [similarly] plank and valid skhakh, plank and valid skhakh, plank and valid skhakh on the other side, so that there are two sections of valid skhakh in the middle, and thus a valid sukkah is formed in the middle.

 

R. Huna finds a scenario where four handbreadths of invalid skhakh do invalidate the sukkah, but there is still a valid sukkah created. The sukkah is exactly eight cubits in width. And he puts a plank on both sides and then works inward, alternating valid skhakh with invalid planks. In the middle there will be two sections of valid skhakh, each four handbreadths in width. This is sufficient to form a valid sukkah. The walls count because the invalid skhakh is only on the side. If the sukkah were any larger, then you wouldn’t have a valid patch in the middle and it would be invalid.

 

Although I don’t usually get in to halakhic matters in these pages, since you spent so long invested in learning this material, I will tell you that the halakhah follows the opinion that four handbreadths invalidates even in the middle of the sukkah. So be careful when you make your sukkah.