Sukka 7 a, b

Partitions... where should they be placed?  What is the appropriate shape of a sukka?  Should it be rectangular, like an alleyway?   If there is the measure of an expansive handbreadth at the end of one wall, in which direction should that partial-wall face?  Does it count as a third wall?  And what about a doorway; could that count as a third wall?

Our rabbis compare and contrast the requirements of a fit sukka with the requirements of partitions regarding Shabbat domains.  The considerations are similar, and so it seems to make sense to understand the halachot of sukkot with the halachot of Shabbat partitions.  However, many differences force the rabbis to reexamine these considerations.  Shabbat partitions help us understand what we can carry from one domain to another - they define the domains.  Sukkot partitions help us to build a structure - and that is all.  The functions and consequences of these different halachot are significant.

What about roofs placed over alleyways and walls built around wells?  The rabbis consider many circumstances that might serve as sukkot.  In this context we are reminded that we are permitted to infer halachot from stringent to lenient situation, but we are not to assume that a stringency can become more lenient based on a lenient halacha.  

Our rabbis consider the end of this last Mishna; there should be more shade than sunlight in the sukka.  What does this teach us about the construction of a sukka's roof?   We look at the placement of the roof taking into consideration the movement of the sun and the nature of the sukka's walls.  In this discussion, the rabbis offer very different opinions.  It is said that "all hold that the sukka must be a stable structure, just like a permanent residence".  However Steinsaltz teaches in a note that whenever we read "all hold that..." regarding many diverse opinions, we should understand that the halacha is not in accordance with that statement.  The Gemara uses this tool to teach us that we are to value multiple opinions.

This is particularly resonant today.  As I write this blog, it is 9 Adar, 5774 (Feb. 9, 2014).  9 Adar is a commemorative day for Jews killed in ancient (and in more modern) times.  Originally, it marks a conflict between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai, resulting in many deaths.  Today we are thinking of 9 Adar as a time to think about constructive conflict rather than destructive distancing.  Pardes in Jerusalem has created wonderful workshops toward this end (pardes.org).  It is particularly heartwarming today to learn about our Sages' attempts to systematize our thinking about how to construct 'difference' so that all opinions are preserved and valued.

Looking at the shapes and placement of sukkot, our Sages argue about what might be fit or unfit.  A round sukka? A sukka that narrows at the top like a dovecoat?  What a bout a sukka that is on a boat? How permanent does this temporary structure have to be?  The rabbis disagree about many of these details and we are left with a sense of our Sages passion regarding the details of this metaphor.  We are to sit in a sukka - we are to feel closer to G-d and to remember our ancestors' dwellings in the desert.  We are to recall the decoration of the Ark cover and the partitions of Shabbat domains to help us create sukkot.  But each minute detail of how this is done is up for debate with our rabbis.