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סוכה 27
Soncino English Talmud · Berean Standard Bible
AND THEY SAID, ‘BRING THEM UP TO THE SUKKAH’, BUT WHEN THEY GAVE TO R. ZADOK FOOD LESS THAN THE BULK OF AN EGG, HE TOOK IT IN A TOWEL, ATE IT OUTSIDE THE SUKKAH, AND DID NOT SAY THE BENEDICTION AFTER IT. But if it was the bulk of an egg, must he needs [eat it in] the Sukkah? Should we say that this is a refutation of R. Joseph and Abaye? — Perhaps [it means that] less than the bulk of an egg does not necessitate washing of the hands and the benediction, but if it was the bulk of an egg, it necessitates washing of the hands and the benediction. MISHNAH. R. ELIEZER SAID, A MAN IS OBLIGED TO EAT FOURTEEN MEALS IN THE SUKKAH, ONE ON EACH DAY AND ONE ON EACH NIGHT. THE SAGES HOWEVER SAY, THERE IS NO FIXED NUMBER EXCEPT ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL ALONE. R. ELIEZER SAID IN ADDITION, IF A MAN DID NOT EAT IN THE SUKKAH ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL, HE MAY MAKE UP FOR IT ON THE LAST NIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL, WHILE THE SAGES SAY, THERE IS NO COMPENSATION FOR THIS, AND OF THIS WAS IT SAID: THAT WHICH IS CROOKED CANNOT BE MADE STRAIGHT, AND THAT WHICH IS WANTING CANNOT BE NUMBERED. GEMARA. What is the reason of R. Eliezer? — Ye shall dwell implies just as you normally dwell. As in a [normal] abode [a man has] one [meal] by day and one by night, so in the Sukkah [he must have] one meal by day and one by night. And the Rabbis? — [They say that the implication is] like an abode. Just as in an abode a man eats if he desires and if he does not so desire he does not eat, so also with the Sukkah; if he desires he eats, and if he does not so desire he does not eat. But if so, [why should he not have the option] on the first night of the Festival also? R. Johanan answered in the name of R. Simeon b. Jehozadak, With regard to Sukkah it says, The fifteenth, and with regard to the Festival of Passover it says, The fifteenth. Just as there the first night only is obligatory but from then on it is optional, so here also the first night is obligatory, but from then on it is optional. And in the case of Passover whence do we know? -Since the verse says, At evening ye shall eat unleavened bread; Scripture thus establishes it as an obligation. R. ELIEZER SAID IN ADDITION. But did not R. Eliezer say that A MAN IS OBLIGED TO EAT FOURTEEN MEALS IN THE SUKKAH, ONE ON EACH DAY AND ONE ON EACH NIGHT? -Bira answered in the name of R. Ammi, R. Eliezer recanted [of his previous statement]. With what does one make up for it? If you will say with bread, is not one merely eating the [obligatory] meal of the festival day? — The fact is that by ‘make up is meant that one should make up with various kinds of desert. So it has also been taught: If he made up [for a meal he has missed] with various kinds of desert he fulfilled his obligation. The major domo of King Agrippa asked R. Eliezer, [A man] such as I am, who eat but one meal a day, may I eat one meal [in the Sukkah] and be free [of my obligation]? He answered him, Every day you draw out [the meal] with all kinds of dainties for your own honour, and now you cannot add one dainty for the honour of your Creator? He also asked him, [A man] such as I who have two wives, one in Tiberias and one in Sepphoris, and two Sukkahs, one in Tiberias and one in Sepphoris, may I go from one Sukkah to the other and thus be free from my obligation? He answered him, No! For I say that he who goes from one Sukkah to another annuls the ‘mizwah of the first. It has been taught: R. Eliezer says,
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One may not go from one Sukkah to another, nor may one make a Sukkah during the Intermediate Days of the Festival, while the Sages say, One may go from one Sukkah to another, and one may make a Sukkah during the Intermediate Days of the Festival; but both of them are in accord that if it fall down, one may re-erect it during the Intermediate Days. What is the reason of R. Eliezer? — Scripture says, Thou shalt keep the Feast of Sukkah for seven days, [which implies,] make a Sukkah which shall be fit for seven days. And the Rabbis? -This is what the Divine Law means: Make a Sukkah for the Festival. ‘But both of them are in accord that if it fall down one may re-erect it during the Intermediate Days’ — But is not this obvious? — I would have said that this is [deemed to be] another [Sukkah] and is [thus] not one for seven days, therefore he informs us [that we do not say so]. It has been taught: R. Eliezer said, Just as a man cannot fulfil his obligation on the first day of the Festival with the palm-branch of his fellow, since it is written, And ye shall take to you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees i.e., from your own, so cannot a man fulfil his obligation with a Sukkah of his fellow, since it is written, The festival of Sukkoth thou shalt keep to thee for seven days. I.e., of thine own. The Sages, however, say, Although they said that a man cannot fulfil his obligation on the first day of the Festival with the palm-branch of his fellow, he may nevertheless fulfil his obligation with the Sukkah of his fellow, since it is written, All that are homeborn, in Israel shall dwell in Sukkoth, which teaches that all Israel are able to sit in one Sukkah. And how do the Rabbis interpret the words ‘to thee’? — It is needed to exclude a stolen [Sukkah]; but as to a borrowed one, It is written, ‘All that are homeborn’ etc. And what does R. Eliezer do with, ‘All that are homeborn’? — It is needed [to include] a convert who had become converted in the meantime or a minor who had attained his majority in the meantime. And the Rabbis? — Since they say that a man may make a Sukkah during the Intermediate Days of the Festival no [special] verse is needed [for converts and minors]. Our Rabbis have taught: It once happened that R. Ila'i went to pay his respects to R. Eliezer his master in Lydda on a Festival. He said to him, ‘Ila'i, you are not of those that rest on the Festival’, for R. Eliezer used to say, ‘I praise the indolent who do not emerge from their houses on the Festival since it is written, And thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household’. But it is not so? For did not R. Isaac say, Whence do we know that a man is obliged to pay his respects to his teacher on the Festival? From Scripture which said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day? It is neither New Moon nor Sabbath from which it follows that on the New Moon and the Sabbath a man is obliged to pay his respects to his master?’ — There is no difficulty. The latter refers to where he can go and return [to his house] on the one day; the former to where he cannot go and return on the same day. Our Rabbis have taught: It happened that R. Eliezer passed the Sabbath in Upper Galilee in the Sukkah of R. Johanan son of R. Ila'i at Caesarea or, as some say, in Caesarea [Philippi], and when the sun reached the Sukkah he said to him, ‘How if I spread a cloth over it?’ He answered him, ‘There was not a tribe in Israel which did not produce a judge’. When the sun reached to the middle of the Sukkah, he said to him, ‘How if I spread a cloth over it?’ He answered him, ‘There was not a tribe in Israel from which there did not come prophets, and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin appointed their kings at the behest of the prophets’. When the sun reached the feet of R. Eliezer, Johanan took a cloth and spread it over [the Sukkah]. R. Eliezer [thereupon] tied up his cloak, threw it over his back, and went out. It was not in order to evade an answer [that he answered as he did] but because he never said anything which he had not heard from his master. How did R. Eliezer act thus? Did not R. Eliezer say, One may not go from one Sukkah to another? — It was on another Festival. But did not R. Eliezer say, I praise the indolent who do not leave their houses on the Festival? — It was an ordinary Sabbath. But could he not deduce [the answer] from his own statement, since we have learnt: One may shut a window with a window-shutter if it is fastened or hung [on the window-frame], but if not, one may not shut a window with it; but the Sages say, In either case one may shut the window with it?48
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