Siman - Succah Daf 4

• הוצין

The Gemara presents several halachos pertaining to the Mishnah’s ruling that a succah above twenty amos is passul. If the succah was taller than twenty amos והוצין יורדין בתוך עשרים אמה – and the leaves of the palm branches that comprise its s’chach, were dangling into the airspace of the succah, within twenty amos of the floor, אם צלתם מרובה מחמתם כשרה – if the shade provided by these tips, is greater than their sunlight – it is kosher. If not, it is passul.

If the succah was exactly ten tefachim tall, the minimum height of a succah, והוצין יורדין לתוך עשרה – and the palm branch leaves were dangling within the ten tefachim, Abaye thought to say, if their sunlight is greater than their shade, it is kosher. Rava said to Abaye, הא דירה סרוחה היא ואין אדם דר בדירה סרוחה – But this is a dwelling that is uncomfortable to live in, and a person does not live in such a dwelling.

• בנה בה איצטבא

The Gemara presents another case of a succah that is taller than twenty amos ובנה בה איצטבא – and one built in it a platform opposite the entire face of the succah’s middle wall, so that the platform abuts all three walls ויש בה הכשר סוכה כשרה – and this platform contains the minimum required area for a succah, which is seven by seven tefachim, the succah is kosher. If he built the platform on the side of the succah, which Rashi explains means that it runs along one wall, part of the middle wall, but is distant from the third wall, then if there is from the edge of the platform until the opposite wall, a distance of four amos, it is passul. If the distance is less than four amos it is kosher. Rashi explains that it is kosher based on the Halachah l’Moshe M’Sinai of דופן עקומה – a bent wall. This law allows us to qualify a succah by “bending” up to slightly less than four amos of its wall. That is, we view the s’chach that abuts the distant wall, as part of the wall itself. We then measure the succah’s height from the edge of the platform until the head of the curved extension, for a distance of twenty amos or less.

The Gemara clarifies that even though the law of דופן עקומה is already taught elsewhere, this case of the platform is coming to teach that even though the third wall was not a valid wall to begin with, because it was above twenty amos, we can still apply the halachah of דופן עקומה to it to remedy the disqualification.

• When to apply גוד אסיק מחיצתא

The Gemara presents another case of a succah taller than twenty amos, and one built in it a pillar that is ten tefachim tall and is seven by seven tefachim. Abaye thought to say גוד אסיק מחיצתא – that we would extend and raise the partition on each of the pillar’s sides, to the s’chach above, creating a valid succah on the pillar’s top. Rashi explains that since the pillar’s sides are themselves partitions ten tefachim in height, the top of the pillar can be viewed as though it were surrounded by the partitions rising from below. Rava said to Abaye, בעינן מחיצות הניכרות וליכא – We need noticeable walls for a succah and there are none here. The Rishonim explain that although גוד אסיק would work for hilchos Shabbos, to consider the top of the pillar a reshus hayachid, it does not apply here, since the area of a succah must be a דירה – a dwelling place. This can only be attained through noticeable walls.