Succah 10b

סוכה י׳ ע״ב

Sukkah 10b

Learn Succah 10b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Succah 10b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

סוכה decorations, and when a כילה or canopy counts as a separate tent (for סוכה and for קריאת שמע)

Overview

The amud opens at the end of a ברייתא that seems to support decorating a סוכה with sheets, but the גמרא rejects the proof because the sheets may have hung on the walls. It then rules that decorations hanging from the סכך do not reduce the סוכה's size, and רב אשי adds that decorations on the side do. A story about רב אשי's servant מנימין shows that even a drying shirt on the סוכה must come down once it could look like סכך that can become טמא. רב נחמן argues with רב חסדא and רבה בר רב הונא about decorations hanging four טפחים below the סכך. When רב נחמן hosts them in such a סוכה, they explain that they were exempt as שלוחי מצוה, so they never took back their ruling. Next, שמואל allows sleeping under a כילה in the סוכה if it is under ten טפחים, and the גמרא defends this against several challenges. Along the way it learns that fixed קינופות count as a tent even when low. The amud ends with שמואל's ruling about reciting קריאת שמע with one's head outside a כילה, which the גמרא limits to a כילה lower than ten טפחים.

Opening lines

The steps (27)

1. ProofEnd of the ברייתא: decorations stay until after the festival unless he made a condition
2. RejectionRejection: maybe the sheets were hung on the side
3. Statementסוכה decorations do not reduce the size of the סוכה
4. Statementרב אשי: decorations on the side do reduce the סוכה
5. Statementרב אשי tells his servant to take his drying shirt off the סוכה
6. ChallengeThe servant objects: people can see the shirt is wet
7. Resolutionרב אשי: I mean once it dries
8. StatementDispute: decorations hanging four טפחים below the סכך
9. Statementרב נחמן hosts his opponents in a סוכה they consider invalid
10. Questionרב נחמן asks if they changed their minds
11. ResponseThey were exempt anyway as travelers on a מצוה
12. StatementSleeping under a low canopy inside the סוכה is allowed
13. ChallengeA ברייתא says sleeping under a canopy does not count
14. ResolutionThe ברייתא means a canopy ten handbreadths high
15. ChallengeThe משנה says sleeping under a bed does not count
16. Resolutionשמואל already explained the משנה as a tall bed
17. ChallengeA challenge from the canopy over four bed posts
18. ResolutionThe posts in that case are ten טפחים high
19. ChallengeA ברייתא shows four posts are פסולה even when low
20. ResolutionFour posts are different because they are fixed
21. ChallengeBut a סוכה on top of a סוכה is fixed and still needs ten
22. ResolutionDisqualifying a סוכה needs ten; making a tent does not
23. StatementReciting קריאת שמע while sleeping unclothed under a כילה
24. ChallengeA ברייתא seems to forbid what שמואל allowed
25. ResolutionThe ברייתא speaks of a כילה ten טפחים high
26. ProofThe end of the ברייתא compares it to a house, which supports the answer
27. ConclusionConclusion: the reading is proven