Sukkah 007

1:
We have already stated on several occasions that the most important element in any sukkah is the s^ekhakh. If the s^ekhakh is absent or invalid there is no sukkah — at least for ritual purposes. But even a valid s^ekhakh can be invalidated by human activity.

2:
Someone, for example, may spread a sheet over the top of his sukkah because when he sits in his sukkah during the heat of a fine autumn day in Eretz Israel the sun is just too hot for him. In doing so he has invalidated his sukkah! Several reasons for this invalidation can be put forward, some more convincing than others. Here are two of the more convincing explanations:

• A sheet is a manufactured article; as such it can contract ritual impurity. We noted in Sukkah 005 that no such article may serve as s^ekhakh.
• The sheet will simply increase the amount of heat preserved within the sukkah; the consequent danger would be that gradually its sunlight would become greater than its shade, which, as we learned in the very first mishnah, invalidates a sukkah.

3:
Another use for a sheet would be to spread it beneath the s^ekhakh. As the festival proceeds the foliage of the s^ekhakh gets older and dryer, and then it starts to fall off the branches and twigs. So one might be tempted to spread a sheet beneath the s^ekhakh to catch falling leaves so that they don't fall into the soup. However utilitarian that may be it would nevertheless invalidate the sukkah because one would be sitting beneath the sheet and not beneath the s^ekhakh.

4:
Later on in our study of this tractate we shall learn that it is commendable to put one's best furniture into the sukkah. Since one of the purposes of the sukkah is to sleep in it at night some people would bring their best beds into the sukkah! (Let's not forget that as late as the 17th century William Shakespeare, in his will, left his wife "my second best bed".) When our mishnah refers to 'posts' it is referring to what we would call a four-poster bed. This is a bed that has four posts rising from its four corners; these posts sustain a canopy (which our mishnah calls a sheet). Here, again, anyone who sleeps in such a bed will be sleeping under the canopy and not under the s^ekhakh.

5:
The Hebrew word used in our mishnah for such a bed is rather rare. It is quite possible that were it not for one biblical verse we would have had to guess its meaning. The latter part of the book of Samuel in the bible relates the series of misfortunes that befell King David during the later part of his life, as a punishment for his great sin in having Uriah, the husband of Batsheva, conveniently killed off in battle. The culmination of this series of misfortunes is the rebellion of his dearest son Absalom. Absalom's insurrection was startlingly successful: he had much of the people behind him and his father had to vacate Jerusalem because Absalom had captured the city. In ancient times one of the surest signs that power had passed from one king to another was that the new king took possession of the previous king's harem. In order to publicize his assumption of power Absalom had a large bed placed on the palace roof and on it he consorted with his father's wives in full public view!

However, the tent here is apparently a euphemism. The Aramaic translation of the text uses the word that appears in our mishnah; so it seems that they set up for Absalom on the roof a four-poster bed!

6:
Another term used in our mishnah is bed-poles. The difference between this kind of bed and the earlier kind mentioned is explained by the commentators. It seems that bed-poles were two poles that were inserted into the bed frame — one in the centre of the head of the bed and the other in the centre of the foot of the bed. Between these two poles was a crossbar. A sheet hung on this crossbar would not invalidate the sukkah because the apex of the sheet would not be wide enough to create a kind of tent or canopy; anyone sleeping in the bed would still be sleeping beneath the s^ekhakh. I am afraid that I have no explanation why anyone would want to hang a sheet from a crossbar above their bed.

In the very first shiur in this series we mentioned the fact that in the Torah the Hebrew word regel sometimes has the connotation of 'occasion'. Tamar Dar wrote to me about this and I am afraid that I have not had the opportunity to respond to her message until now. Tamar writes:

The question of the origin of the word regel as 'occasion' is worrying me; because if we relate to the regel and a limb then in the desert the Tabernacle was among them and there was no need for a pilgrimage. After they settled in the Land Jerusalem is not the place where the Bet Mikdash is, and the Tabernacle was really among them, so there was no need for a pilgrimage. Nevertheless, the Torah stresses that Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles are times for pilgrimage.

I respond:

I find this perceptive question of Tamar's quite fascinating. What she writes is quite true. It seems to me that we must accept that the original meaning of the word regel (in this context) was 'occasion'. Thus the Torah commands that on three occasions during the year all males must present themselves before God. It would make no difference whether the place of the divine residence was in Gilgal or Shiloh or in Jerusalem — or anywhere else: wherever the Sanctuary was that is where the people must muster. After David's conquest of Jerusalem the ark of the covenant was established there; and David's son, Solomon, built the grand Bet Mikdash to house the ark and to serve as the permanent Sanctuary. Now, in order to appear before God the people had to make their way to Jerusalem, so these festivals took on the nature of a pilgrimage; but that was not the original intention of the Torah. And Jerusalemites had to present themselves no less than their fellow Jews from other parts of the country even though, for them, no pilgrimage was involved. Furthermore, those making the pilgrimage did not have to do so on foot! They could travel by cart or donkey if more convenient. So the shalosh regalim had nothing to do with feet or walking or pilgrimages: they were the three occasions during the year when the people had to 'visit God' as it were.

I hope this helps — and my apologies for the delay in responding.