Siman - Succah Daf 19

• פסל היוצא מן הסוכה נידון כסוכה

A Tanna taught: פסל היוצא מן הסוכה נידון כסוכה – Pesal, referring to s’chach that sticks out of the succah, is treated like a succah. The Gemara provides four interpretations for what this is referring to.

· Ullah said: קנים היצאים לאחורי סוכה – This refers to sticks of s’chach that extend behind the succah. After the Gemara clarifies that the case is where there are three walls around the protruding side, it has the minimum shiur of a succah, and the shade is greater than the sunlight, the Gemara says that the purpose of teaching this is that one might have thought הואיל ולגוואי עבידי ולבראי לא עבידי – since it walls were initially for the interior of the main succah and were not made for the extension, which is outside, one could argue that the extension does not have valid walls. The Baraisa is coming to teach us that it is valid.

· Rabbah and Rav Yosef both said that we are dealing with sticks of s’chach that protrude in front of the succah and one wall extends along with them. You might have said הא לית ליה הכשר סוכה – that it does not have the requirements of a valid succah. The Baraisa is teaching us that it is valid since the protruding section is not regarded as separate from the succah. Two more interpretations are given.

•  העושה סוכתו כמין צריף או שסמכה לכותל

The next Mishnah states: העושה סוכתו כמין צריף – If one makes his succah like a conical hut, או שסמכה לכותל – or he leaned it against a wall, Rebbe Eliezer rules in either case that it is pasul because it has no roof. The Chochomim rule that it is kosher. It was taught in a Baraisa that Rebbe Eliezer agrees that if he raised the succah that leaned against a wall, a tefach off the ground, or distanced it a tefach from the wall and supported it with pegs, that it is kosher. Rashi explains that the rule of lavud allows us to view the gap as a solid horizontal surface fit to serve as part of the succah’s roof. The horizontal tefach-wide gap is adequate even though it does not have the dimensions of s’chach and is even comprised of materials that are not valid for s’chach. As long as the succah appears to have a roof, a portion of the sloping surface, which is comprised of valid material, can be combined with the gap to form the s’chach. The Chochomim permit the two cases in the Mishnah because they hold, שיפוע אהלים כאהלים דמו – that sloping roofs are regarded as roofs, meaning they מחצלת   

The next Mishnah states: מחצלת קנים גדולה – The halachah of a large reed mat is as follows: עשאה לשכיבה מקבלת טומאה ואין מסככין בה – If one made it for reclining purposes, it is mekabel tumah and cannot be used as s’chach. But if he made it for covering a succah, he may cover a succah with it and it is not mekabel tumah. Rebbe Eliezer says that whether the mat is small or large, if he made it for שכיבה it is mekabel tumah and we may not cover a succah with it, but if he made it for covering a succah, we may use it as a cover and it is not mekabel tumah. Rashi points out the Rebbe Eliezer’s opinion is more compelling since the explicit designation of the one who produced the mat should determine its status, regardless of its size. The Gemara will go through an extensive analysis of their machlokes.