Sukkot: Mishnah

Mishnah מִשְׁנָה

What are the rules for building a sukkah?

The main components are a couple of walls and סְכָךְ (skhakh) on top. For skhakh, we use natural materials that are disconnected from the ground, like tree branches.

Here are some more guidelines, all from the Mishnah, about what makes a sukkah either כָּשֵׁר (kosher) or פָּסוּל (pasul, invalid).

As you learn these mishnayot, ask yourself: What do these rules teach us about how it should feel to spend our time in a sukkah on Sukkot?

משנה סוכה א׳

(א)סֻכָּה שֶׁהִיא גְבוֹהָה לְמַעְלָה מֵעֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, פְּסוּלָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה מַכְשִׁיר.

וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ גְּבוֹהָה עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים, וְשֶׁאֵין לָהּ שְׁלֹשָׁה דְּפָנוֹת, וְשֶׁחַמָּתָהּ מְרֻבָּה מִצִּלָּתָהּ, פְּסוּלָה.

הָעוֹשֶׂה סֻכָּתוֹ תַחַת הָאִילָן, כְּאִלּוּ עֲשָׂאָהּ בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּיִת.

סֻכָּה עַל גַּבֵּי סֻכָּה, הָעֶלְיוֹנָה כְשֵׁרָה, וְהַתַּחְתּוֹנָה פְּסוּלָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין דִּיּוּרִין בָּעֶלְיוֹנָה, הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה כְּשֵׁרָה.

פֵּרַס עָלֶיהָ סָדִין מִפְּנֵי הַחַמָּה, אוֹ תַּחְתֶּיהָ מִפְּנֵי הַנְּשָׁר, אוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַס עַל גַּבֵּי הַקִּינוֹף, פְּסוּלָה.

Mishnah Sukkah 1

A sukkah that is taller than 20 amot (around 30 feet) is pasul (invalid). R. Yehudah says it is kosher.

If it is less than 20 tefahim (around 30 inches) tall, or if it has fewer than three walls, or if it is more sunny than shady inside—it is pasul.

If you make your sukkah under a tree, it’s as if you made it inside your house!

If you build a sukkah on top of another sukkah—the top one is kosher and the bottom one is pasul.

R. Yehudah says: If no one is living in the top sukkah, the bottom one is kosher.

If you spread an awning over a sukkah because of the sun, or if you spread a sheet under the skhakh because of falling leaves, or if you have a canopy bed inside the sukkah—it is pasul.

Sitting in a sukkah makes us feel some different, and even opposite, feelings. On one hand, we should feel protected, and so a sukkah should be stable. On the other hand, we should feel a little bit vulnerable, and in need of protection, and so a sukkah should feel temporary.

For each scenario in these mishnayot, why do you think the sukkah described is kosher or pasul?
Can you give an example of a sukkah that would make you feel too protected? How about a sukkah that would make you feel too vulnerable? (Your examples could be from these mishnayot or from your imagination.)
How do sun and shade connect to the rules in these mishnayot?

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