Sukkah 008

נושא: Sukkah

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI

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If one trained over it a vine or a gourd or ivy and [then] covered it with thatching — it is invalid. But if the thatching was thicker than them or if one cut them — it is valid. This is the [general] rule: we may not thatch with anything that can contract ritual impurity and does not grow in the ground; we may thatch with anything that cannot contract ritual impurity and does grow in the ground.

1:
The s^ekhakh of the sukkah must fulfill certain requirements in order to be valid. We have already learned that the amount of shade that the s^ekhakh affords must exceed the amount of sunlight that shines through it. We have also learned that it must not be so thick as to prevent rain from penetrating into the sukkah. Our present mishnah adds some more details concerning the s^ekhakh.

2:
The thatching must have been cut down before it is laid on top of the sukkah. Therefore, the first clause of our mishnah states that if one sets up a sukkah next to a climbing plant and trains the branches of the plant over the top of the sukkah to serve as s^ekhakh the sukkah is invalid. This is still true even if one piles valid thatching on top of the vine or the gourd or the ivy. (A dictionary definition of 'gourd' is "any cucurbitaceous plant". This refers to plants such as cucumber or squash or pumpkin.)

3:
However, if one severs the climbing plant from the ground in which it is growing it may now serve as s^ekhakh. Our mishnah says:

But if the thatching was thicker than them or if one cut them — it is valid.

This, however, is not as straightforward as appears at first sight. In his commentary on our present mishnah Rambam writes:

If the thatching was thicker than them it is valid — provided that they have been severed. If one does not sever them the part of the s^ekhakh which is valid will combine with the invalid part and will invalidate [the sukkah]. This is because it is forbidden to thatch with a plant that is still attached.

Rambam continues explaining the other element in the clause:

If one cut them it is valid — provided that one removes them and shakes them after they have been severed.

In other words, the climbing plant must be severed from the ground and removed from the sukkah. It can then be replaced on top of the sukkah and can serve as valid s^ekhakh (assuming that it meets all the other requirements as well).

4:
The last clause of our mishnah seeks to establish a general rule that people can follow regarding s^ekhakh. In order for something to be valid as s^ekhakh it must not be able to contract ritual impurity and it must be something that grows in the ground. Perhaps it will be easier to understand this rule of we reverse the order: in order for something to be valid as s^ekhakh it must be something that grows in the ground but that cannot contract ritual impurity.

5:
One could say that linen grows in the ground because it is treated flax; but garments can contract ritual impurity so using a linen sheet or garment is invalid. We have mentioned gourds and, as is well known, the fruit of such plants when dried can also serve as a utensil — a cup or a water bottle. Therefore one cannot thatch the sukkah with a gourd even though it did come from the ground.

6:
Obviously anything that is not vegetable and does not grow in the ground cannot serve as s^ekhakh. This invalidates metal, bone, hides and so forth. Those who wish to learn more about the concepts of ritual impurity may like to review what we learned when we studied Tractate Yadayyim. Simply put, anything in its natural state does not contract ritual impurity; anything that has been treated, manufactured, or otherwise 'improved' to make something useful for us can contract ritual impurity.

7:
This general rule was derived by the sages from a biblical verse. The Torah [Deuteronomy 16:13] says:

You shall celebrate the festival of Sukkot for seven days, when you gather in from your threshing-floor and your vat.

The Gemara [Sukkah 12a] says:

When Ravin came [to Babylon from Eretz-Israel], he said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Scripture says, 'when you gather in from your threshing-floor and your vat.' The verse thus speaks of the leavings of the threshing-floor and the residue of the vat.

In other words, the sages understand the biblical verse as indicating what kind of materials may be used to observe the mitzvot of the festival: the materials found on the threshing floor and beside the vat — wheat, vine leaves, and all similar plants.

In Sukkah 004 I wrote: "A sukkah does not have to have four walls: three is sufficient. Actually, even 'two and one half' walls are sufficient!" Ed Frankel writes:

Is there any allowance for a circular sukkah? As I had understood it, the two and a half plus rule was to make sure the sukkah was a structure, albeit temporary, that could be perceived as a dwelling place. The limits established set the minimum standard. I doubt that Chazal would be been bothered by a pentagonal, hexagonal or even greater number of sides. Having studied some calculus we can see a circle as one sided, or alternatively as a structure with so many sides that they are perceived as one side.

I respond:

Surpising as it may seem it is permitted to build a circular sukkah! However, the circular sukkah must be large enough to contain a square with sides of at least 7 handbreadths (about 60 centimetres — say 2 feet). The circle does not have to be perfect, but the sukkah must be at least semi-circular (180°). Those who are curious enough to require more information will find it in the commentary of Rabbi Israel Me'ir Kagan ("Ḥafetz Ḥayyim") to Shulḥan Arukh Oraḥ Ḥayyim 634. The Commentary is called "Mishnah Berurah", but the information is in the super-commentary called Bi'ur Halakhah (s.v. 'Sukkah').

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