Siman - Succah Daf 21

  • רבי יהודה: כל אהל שאינו עשוי בידי אדם אינו אוה

On the bottom of Daf 20b the Gemara brought a Mishnah from Oholos, where Rebbe Yehudah said: כל אהל שאינו עשוי בידי אדם אינו אהל – Any ohel that is not made by man is not an ohel with regard to tumah. The Gemara asks for Rebbe Yehudah’s source, and answers that he derives a gezeirah shaveh based on the word ohel, for it is written here regarding tumah via ohel, "זאת התורה אדם כי ימות האהל" – This is the law regarding a man who will die in a “tent,” and it is written regarding the Mishkan, "ויפרש את האהל על המשכן" – And he (Moshe) spread the “tent’ over the Mishkan. Just as the ohel in the case of the Mishkan refers to an ohel made by man, so too here, in the case of tumah, the term “ohel” refers to a shelter made by man. The Rabbanon who dispute Rebbe Yehudah and rule that even a naturally formed ohel, such as one burrowed by a weasel, transmits tumah, learn from the repetitive expressions of “ohel” “ohel” written in the context of tumah, that it comes to include the law of tumah even by a naturally formed ohel

  • לא היו מביאין דלתות אלא שוורים

The Gemara questions whether Rebbe Yehudah indeed holds that כל אהל שאניו עשוי בידי אדם אינו אהל, citing a Mishnah from Parah that details how children were born and raised in special courtyards in Yerushalayim, on top of the bedrock with a hollow beneath them, so that these children, protected from birth from any possible tumas meis, would be available to draw water for the sequestered Kohen Gadol, who would prepare the parah adumah. When the time came to draw water, they would bring oxen with doors on their backs and the children would ascend and sit on top of them. The door served as an ohel to block any subterranean corpse tumah from penetrating to the children sitting on top, while they travelled from the protected courtyard to the spring where the water was drawn. Rebbe Yehudah said: לא היו מביאין דלתות אלא שוורים – they would not bring doors but rather wide-bellied oxen, and it was these oxen that shielded the children from any tumah. We see from here that Rebbe Yehudah rules that the naturally formed ohel formed by the oxen’s back constitutes an ohel? When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisroel, he said in the name of Rebbe Elazar, מודה רבי יהודה כמלא אגרוף – Rebbe Yehudah agrees in the case of a naturally formed ohel that is as large as a fist, that it is deemed an ohel.

  • אפילו שיחת תלמידי חכמים צריכה לימוד

In the Mishnah, Rebbe Shimon said that there was an incident involving Tavi, Rabban Gamliel’s eved, who would sleep under a bed, and Rabban Gamliel remarked to the Zekeinim to observe that Tavi is a Talmid Chochom and knows that slaves are patur from sukkah. The Gemara brings a Baraisa, where Rebbe Shimon says משיחתו של רבן גמליאל למדנו שני דברים – From the conversation I just reported we can learn two things. We learn that slaves are patur from dwelling in a succah, and that one who sleeps under a succah has not fulfilled his chiyuv. The Gemara notes that from the fact that Rebbe Shimon used the more unusual term of משיחתו – from his casual conversation, Rebbe Shimon is teaching us the lesson that was said in the name of Rav: מנין שאפילו שיחת תלמידי חכמים צריכה לימוד – From where do we know that even the casual conversation of talmidei chochomim require study, as there are lessons to be gleaned from it? For it is stated: "ועלהו לא יבול" – and whose leaves do not wither. Leaves are the lightest part of the tree, representing a talmid chochom’s casual speech, and they do not wither but endure.