Siman - Succah Daf 22
- סוכה המדובללת
The next Mishnah states: סוכה המדובללת ושצילתה מרובה מחמתה כשרה – A succah that is meduvleless, and whose shade exceeds its light, is kosher. The Gemara asks what מדובללת means, and Rav said: סוכה ענייה – It means a meager succah – i.e. one that is covered with a thin layer of s’chach, with many gaps between the various reeds. Rashi explains that no single gap is three tefachim or wider. Shmuel said: קנה עולה וקנה יורד – The Mishnah refers to a succah whose s’chach is arranged so that one reed is up and one reed is down. That is, the s’chach is staggered so that every other reed is laid at one level, while the reeds in between are laid at a higher level. Rashi explains that because of this arrangement, the succah is more sunlit than shaded. The Mishnah is coming to teach that the succah is nonetheless kosher since the succah would be more shaded than sunlit if all the s’chach were on the same level.
- חבוט
Regarding Shmuel’s understanding that the סוכה המדובללת is a succah with staggered s’chach, Abaye said that the succah is only kosher when there is not a gap of three tefachim between the upper and lower s’chach. But if there is a gap of three tefachim, the succah is passul, for the two levels of s’chach cannot be viewed as joined together. Rashi explains that the succah is passul because the sunlight of either of its two separate roofs exceeds the shade. Rava said that three tefachim of open space only passuls in a case when each of the reeds of the upper level is not a tefach wide, אבל יש בגגו טפח כשרה – but if each of the reeds of the upper level is a tefach wide is it kosher דאמרינן חבוט רמי – for we then say, “Lower and cast the upper reed upon the space below.” Chavot is a Halachah LeMoshe MiSinai that when a covering is situated directly over a gap in a roof below, the covering – no matter how high up – is viewed as if it were lowered and resting on the gap below, effectively closing it. Rava asserts that chavot applies only if the covering is at least a tefach wide, in which case the covering is wide enough to constitute an ohel in its own right.
- המעובה כמין בית
The Mishnah stated: המעובה כמין בית אע"פ שאין הכובבים נראין מתוכה כשרה – A succah that is thickly covered, like a house, even though the stars cannot be seen from inside of it, is kosher. It was taught in a Baraisa, אין כוכבי חמה נראין מתוכה בית שמאי פוסלין ובית הלל מכשירין – If the s’chach is so thick that even the rays of the sun cannot be seen from inside the succah, Beis Shammai passuls the succah and Beis Hillel is machshir it. Rashi explains that according to Beis Shammai, a succah with such thick s’chach is not like a succah at all. (It is rather like a house, which is certainly passul for the mitzvah).
