Succah 15a

סוכה ט״ו ע״א

Sukkah 15a

Learn Succah 15a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Validating a board ceiling as סכך (גזירת תקרה), and roofing with skewers or bed boards

Overview

The משנה deals with a ceiling of boards that has no plaster. It was not put up as סכך, and it gives three views on how to make it valid: moving the boards, removing one board, or both. The גמרא explains that בית שמאי's reason is גזירת תקרה, so moving the boards does nothing. It then explains that רבי מאיר is saying the two houses never argued about this. The גמרא asks why the dispute between רבי מאיר and רבי יהודה over גזירת תקרה would appear twice, since they already argue about roofing with boards in an earlier משנה. רבי יוחנן's answer, that the earlier משנה is about planed boards and גזירת כלים, is pushed away using רב's ruling on arrow shafts. The גמרא concludes that our משנה is רבי יהודה's reply to רבי מאיר in the same debate. According to שמואל, who holds that everyone forbids wide boards, the two argue only about how to cancel an existing board roof. A new משנה then rules on roofing with skewers or bed boards with gaps 'like them,' and on hollowing out a grain stack. The גמרא defends רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע by reading 'like them' as gaps slightly wider than the boards.

Opening lines

The steps (17)

1. StatementThe משנה: fixing a board ceiling with no plaster
2. Questionבית הלל's reason is clear, but what is בית שמאי's?
3. ChallengeNeither possible reason explains needing both actions
4. ResolutionThe reason is the ceiling decree, and moving the boards does not help
5. ChallengeThen רבי מאיר would be the same as בית שמאי
6. Resolutionרבי מאיר says there was no dispute at all
7. ChallengeThis dispute already appeared in an earlier משנה
8. ResolutionThe earlier dispute was about planed boards and the decree on vessels
9. Challengeרב did not decree with arrow shafts, so why decree with planed boards?
10. ChallengeBoth clauses are about the roof decree, so why argue twice?
11. ResolutionThe later משנה continues the same argument
12. ChallengeThis works for רב, but what about שמואל?
13. ResolutionAccording to שמואל, they argue about how to cancel an existing roof
14. StatementRoofing a סוכה with skewers or bed boards
15. StatementHollowing out a grain stack does not make a סוכה
16. ChallengeDoes the משנה disprove רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע?
17. Resolution'Like them' means slightly wider gaps