Sukkah 003

13:
After this long introduction we can now approach the first mishnah of the tractate. It divides into two sections. In both the Babylonian Talmud and the Talmud of Eretz-Israel these two sections are presented as two separate mishnahs. The first section of our mishnah is concerned with maximum and minimum dimensions of a sukkah. The second section is concerned with when a sukkah may be constructed.

14:
The first section of our mishnah consists of two clauses. The first clause deals with the maximum permitted height for a sukkah and the second clause deals with the minimum required height and the requirements for its sides and roofing.

15:
In the first clause two opinions are presented: that of Tanna Kamma and that of Rabbi Yehudah. Tanna Kamma is a technical term in Aramaic used in the exposition of mishnah (or barayta). It means 'the first Tanna' or 'the first sage'. When two or more sages are quoted, one anonymously and the other or others mentioned by name the first is termed Tanna Kamma. In our present case the sage with whose opinion Rabbi Yehudah disagrees is called Tanna Kamma, because we don't know who he is. The reason why we don't know his name is because when the Mishnah was compiled it was decided, to avoid needless explanations, that rulings presented anonymously reflect the opinion that is accepted halakhah; if an opinion is attributed to a specific sage that is an indication that his view is rejected. The rejected view in our present clause belongs to Rabbi Yehudah bar-Ilai.

16:
Twenty cubits is very high! A cubit was originally the length of the arm from the fingertips to the elbow. For our purposes we can estimate that each cubit is about 50 centimetres long. Thus 20 cubits is a height of about 10 metres, which is higher than a two-story building. Nowhere in the Torah is there even a hint that a sukkah should be limited in height, either minimally or maximally. So this limitation must derive from the sages — or from a tradition that is so old that it can be deemed to be part of the oral explanation given at Sinai.

17:
But even an unattributable ruling must have some kind of reason. In the Gemara three suggestions are put forward. The first suggestion comes from the Amora Rabba. He says that the mitzvah of sukkah is explained in the Torah as being

When the s^ekhakh , the thatched roofing of the sukkah, which is the essential element of the mitzvah, is so high above someone sitting in the sukkah they will not be 'aware' that they are sitting in a sukkah! One's eye will not see the s^ekhakh as an integral part of the sukkah. Therefore the s^ekhakh should not be more than 20 cubits above the ground.

18:
A second suggestion comes from Rabbi Zeira. He brings a verse from Isaiah that we have already quoted:

The main point of the s^ekhakh is to provide shelter and shade. When the s^ekhakh is so high above the person sitting in the sukkah they are not sitting in the shade of the s^ekhakh but in the shade of the walls of the sukkah!

19:
Another Amora, Rava, gives a third suggestion. The Torah says

It is as if the Torah were saying, throughout these seven days leave your permanent abode and reside in a temporary abode. If the top of the sukkah is 20 cubits or less high a person can feel that they are in a temporary structure, but higher than that gives a sense of permanence.

20:
The explanation given by Rava certainly seems convincing. When one reads the instructions of the Torah carefully and intelligently it does seem that the purpose of the mitzvah of sukkah is to reinforce a faith in God. In a predominantly agricultural society nothing can give a greater sense of security than a successful series of harvests. The barley harvest in ancient Israel was in the early spring, around the time of Pesaḥ. the wheat harvest was in the early summer, around the time of Shavu'ot; the fruit and grape harvest was at the end of summer, at the onset of autumn. When this harvest was in, around the time of Sukkot, the Israelite farmer could feel secure. He would be able to feed his family during the coming winter. It was at this time of the year when the danger was greatest that a person would

So, immediately after the harvest we are instructed to leave the security of our homes and go and live in a temporary structure, where we are subject to the vaguaries of nature — rather as Jacob said to his father-in-law:

A sukkah that is higher than 20 cubits could hardly be a temporary structure and would completely miss the purpose of the exercise.

To be continued.