Mishnah.org Logo
Perek 1

Mishnayos Sukkah Perek 1 Mishnah 11

סוכה פרק א׳ משנה י"א

11
One who establishes his sukka like a type of circular hut, with no roof whose walls slope down from the center or who rested the sukka against the wall, by taking long branches and placing one end on the ground and leaning the other end against the wall to establish a structure with no roof, Rabbi Eliezer deems it unfit because it does not have a roof, and the Rabbis deem it fit; as, in their opinion, the roof and the walls may be a single entity, indistinguishable from each other. In the case of a large mat of reeds, if one initially produced it for the purpose of lying upon it, it is susceptible to ritual impurity like any other vessel, and therefore one may not roof a sukka with it. If one initially produced it for roofing, one may roof a sukka with it, and it is not susceptible to ritual impurity, as its legal status is not that of a vessel. Rabbi Eliezer says that the distinction between mats is based on use, not size. Therefore, with regard to both a small mat and a large mat, if one produced it for the purpose of lying upon it, it is susceptible to ritual impurity and one may not roof a sukka with it. If one produced it for roofing, one may roof a sukka with it, and it is not susceptible to ritual impurity.
הָעוֹשֶׂה סֻכָּתוֹ כְּמִין צְרִיף, אוֹ שֶׁסְּמָכָהּ לְכֹתֶל, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר פּוֹסֵל, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין לָהּ גָּג, וַחֲכָמִים מַכְשִׁירִין. מַחְצֶלֶת קָנִים גְּדוֹלָה, עֲשָׂאָהּ לִשְׁכִיבָה, מְקַבֶּלֶת טֻמְאָה וְאֵין מְסַכְּכִין בָּהּ. לְסִכּוּךְ, מְסַכְּכִין בָּהּ וְאֵינָהּ מְקַבֶּלֶת טֻמְאָה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, אַחַת קְטַנָּה וְאַחַת גְּדוֹלָה, עֲשָׂאָהּ לִשְׁכִיבָה, מְקַבֶּלֶת טֻמְאָה וְאֵין מְסַכְּכִין בָּהּ. לְסִכּוּךְ, מְסַכְּכִין בָּהּ וְאֵינָהּ מְקַבֶּלֶת טֻמְאָה:
י"א

כמין צריף – which has no roof and the heads/tops of the walls touch each other from above [like the upside down letter “V”] and become distanced from each other from below.

או שסמכה – or inclined the heads of the poles/reeds on the wall and they continue downwards slanting towards the ground.

מפני שאין לה גג – and it is not recognized what is a roof and what is a wall, and a slanting tent is not called a tent, unless it has a roof of a handbreadth, and the Halakha is according to Rabbi Eliezer [who declares it invalid].

מחצלת של קנים וכו' – a small mat, everyone does not argue that if it is merely for lying, they do not cover it with festive covering. But they argue regarding a large one. The first Tanna/teacher thinks that a mere large mat is made for covering and a mere small mat is made for lying. And this is how it should be understood: A large mat is made for covering, and if he expressed that he made it for lying, it [is liable] to receive ritual defilement and we don’t make the festive covering of the Sukkah with it, but for the festive covering, we cover the Sukkah with it. This is how it should be understood – that the mere small mat is used for lying, but if he expressed that it is for the Sukkah covering, he covers the Sukkah with it.

רבי אליעזר אומר אחת גדולה ואחת קטנה – undefined for lying, but if he made it for lying, as he stated, that is to say, they were made at their outset as undefined for lying, therefore, even the large one receives ritual defilement and we don’t cover [the Sukkah] with it. But if he expressed that it is for the festive covering [of the Sukkah], we do cover [the Sukkah] with it. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Eliezer.

כמין צריף. שאין לה גג, וראשי הדפנות נוגעות זו בזו מלמעלה [כזה], ומתרחבים והולכים מלמטה:

או שסמכה. שהטה ראשי הקנים על הכותל והולכים בשפוע למטה לארץ:

מפני שאין לה גג. אינו ניכר מהו גג ומהו כותל. דאהל משופע לאו שמיה אהל אלא א״כ יש לו גג טפח. והלכה כר״א:

מחצלת של קנים וכו׳ במחצלת קטנה כו״ע לא פליגי דסתמא לשכיבה ואין מסככין בה. כי פליגי בגדולה, תנא קמא סבר סתם גדולה לסיכוך עבידא וסתם קטנה לשכיבה. וה״ק מחצלת גדולה סתמא לסיכוך, ואם פירש שעשאה לשכיבה מקבלת טומאה ואין מסככין בה. ולסיכוך מסככים בה, הכי קאמר, ומחצלת קטנה סתמא לשכיבה, ואם פירש שיהא לסיכוך מסככין בה:

רבי אליעזר אומר אחת גדולה ואחת קטנה. סתמן לשכיבה. ועשאה לשכיבה דקאמר, כלומר עשויות הן מתחלתן סתמא לשכיבה, הלכך אף הגדולה מקבלת טומאה ואין מסככין בה. ואם פירש שהיא לסיכוך מסככין בה. ואין הלכה כר״א: