Absorbing Fragility, Inspiring Action

או על גבי גמל כו': מתני' מני רבי מאיר היא דתניא העושה סוכתו על גבי בהמה ר"מ מכשיר ורבי יהודה פוסל מ"ט דרבי יהודה אמר קרא (דברים טז, יג) חג הסוכות תעשה לך שבעת ימים סוכה הראויה לשבעה שמה סוכה סוכה שאינה ראויה לשבעה לא שמה סוכה ורבי מאיר הא נמי מדאורייתא מחזא חזיא ורבנן הוא דגזרו בה עשאה לבהמה דופן לסוכה ר"מ פוסל ור' יהודה מכשיר שהיה רבי מאיר אומר כל דבר שיש בו רוח חיים אין עושין אותו לא דופן לסוכה ולא לחי למבוי ולא פסין לביראות ולא גולל לקבר משום רבי יוסי הגלילי אמרו אף אין כותבין עליו גיטי נשים מ"ט דר' מאיר אביי אמר שמא תמות רבי זירא אמר שמא תברח בפיל קשור כולי עלמא לא פליגי דאי נמי מיית יש בנבלתו י' כי פליגי בפיל שאינו קשור למאן דאמר שמא תמות לא חיישינן למאן דאמר גזרה שמא תברח חיישינן

Sukkah 23a:5-8

§ The mishna continues: Or if one establishes his sukka atop a camel, the sukka is fit. The Gemara asks: Who is the tanna of the mishna? It is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Meir, as it is taught in a baraita: In the case of one who establishes his sukka atop an animal, Rabbi Meir deems it fit and Rabbi Yehuda deems it unfit. The Gemara asks: What is the rationale for the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda? The Gemara answers that it is as the verse states: “You shall prepare for yourself the festival of Sukkot for seven days” (Deuteronomy 16:13), from which Rabbi Yehuda derives: A sukka that is suitable for seven days is called a sukka, while a sukka that is not suitable for seven days is not called a sukka. It is prohibited to climb upon an animal on the first day of the festival of Sukkot, and therefore a sukka atop an animal is unfit, as it cannot be used all seven days. And Rabbi Meir, who holds that the sukka is fit, would say: By Torah law, this sukka is also suitable for use on a Festival and on Shabbat, as there is no Torah prohibition against using an animal on those days, and it is the Sages who issued a decree prohibiting it. The fact that it is prohibited by rabbinic decree does not render the sukka unfit. However, if one utilized his animal as a wall for a sukka and did not establish the entire sukka atop the animal, Rabbi Meir deems it unfit and Rabbi Yehuda deems it fit, as Rabbi Meir would say: With regard to any animate object, one may neither establish it as a wall for the sukka, nor as a side post placed at the entrance to an alleyway to render it permitted to carry in the alleyway on Shabbat, nor as one of the upright boards placed around wells to render the area a private domain and permit one to draw water from the well on Shabbat, nor as the covering for a grave. In the name of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili the Sages said: Nor may one write bills of divorce on it. The Gemara asks: What is the rationale for the opinion of Rabbi Meir, who rules that an animal is unfit for use as a partition in areas of halakha where a partition is required? Abaye said: It is due to the concern lest the animal die, leaving the sukka without a wall. Rabbi Zeira said: It is due to the concern lest it flee. The Gemara explains the practical halakhic differences between the two opinions. In the case where one established a wall with a tied elephant, everyone agrees that the sukka is fit, as even if it dies and falls, its carcass still has a height of ten handbreadths and is fit for the wall of a sukka. Where they disagree is in the case of an elephant that is not tied. According to the one who said: It is due to the concern lest the animal die, we are not concerned in this case, as the carcass would remain a fit wall. According to the one who said: It is due to a decree lest it flee, we remain concerned.

דברים ט״ז:י״ג-ט״ו

(יג) חַ֧ג הַסֻּכֹּ֛ת תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה לְךָ֖ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים בְּאָ֨סְפְּךָ֔ מִֽגָּרְנְךָ֖ וּמִיִּקְבֶֽךָ׃ (יד) וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֖ בְּחַגֶּ֑ךָ אַתָּ֨ה וּבִנְךָ֤ וּבִתֶּ֙ךָ֙ וְעַבְדְּךָ֣ וַאֲמָתֶ֔ךָ וְהַלֵּוִ֗י וְהַגֵּ֛ר וְהַיָּת֥וֹם וְהָאַלְמָנָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃ (טו) שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֗ים תָּחֹג֙ לַיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בַּמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה כִּ֣י יְבָרֶכְךָ֞ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ בְּכֹ֤ל תְּבוּאָֽתְךָ֙ וּבְכֹל֙ מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָדֶ֔יךָ וְהָיִ֖יתָ אַ֥ךְ שָׂמֵֽחַ׃

Deuteronomy 16:13-15

(13) After the ingathering from your threshing floor and your vat, you shall hold the Feast of Booths for seven days. (14) You shall rejoice in your festival, with your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow in your communities. (15) You shall hold a festival for the LORD your God seven days, in the place that the LORD will choose; for the LORD your God will bless all your crops and all your undertakings, and you shall have nothing but joy.

ספרא, אמור, פרק יז י״א

(יא) [יא] וכן עזרא אומר (נחמיה ח טו): "ואשר ישמיעו ויעבירו קול בכל עריהם ובירושלם לאמר צאו ההר והביאו עלי זית ועלי עץ שמן ועלי הדס ועלי תמרים ועלי עץ עבת לעשת סכת ככתוב" "למען ידעו דורותיכם כי בסוכות הושבתי את בני ישראל בהוציאי אותם מארץ מצרים"

ר' אליעזר אומר סוכות ממש היו. ר' עקיבא אומר, ענני כבוד היו. "בהוציאי אותם מארץ מצרים"-- מלמד שאף הסוכה זכר ליציאת מצרים.

Sifra, Emor, Chapter 17 11

(11) And thus does Ezra say, "and that they must announce and proclaim throughout all their cities and Jerusalem, saying: Go out to the mountains and bring olive leaves, and olive-tree leaves and hadas leaves, and date-palm leaves, and plaited-tree leaves to make succoth" (Nehemiah 8:15), as it is written, "So that your generations know that I caused the children of Israel to dwell in succoth when I took them out of the land of Egypt" (Vayikra 23:43).
R. Eliezer says that they were booths, literally; R. Akiva says that they were clouds of glory. "when I took them out of the land of Egypt." We are hereby taught that even the succah is a reminder of the exodus from Egypt.

אורח חיים תר״ל:י״ב

(יב) יָכוֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת מֵחֲבֵרוֹ דֹּפֶן לַסֻכָּה, לְהַכְשִׁירָהּ; וַאֲפִלּוּ בְּיוֹם טוֹב, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יֵדַע אוֹתוֹ שֶׁהָעֳמַד שָׁם שֶׁבִּשְׁבִיל מְחִצָּה הָעֳמַד שָׁם; אֲבָל בַּחֹל, אֲפִלּוּ אִם הוּא יוֹדֵעַ, שַׁפִּיר דָּמִי.

Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 630:12

One can utilize a friend to be a wall of the sukkah and it will be a kosher sukkah. Even on Yom Tov, so long as that person doesn't know they are a sukkah wall (which would violate the prohibition of building on Yontif). On the intermediate days, one can know they are the wall, and it is fine.

Translation by Rabbi Aaron Alexander