Back to Mishnah
Sukkah (סוכה)
The tractate Sukkah treats the laws of the festival of Sukkot: the validity of the booth (dimensions, sekhakh covering, materials), the four species (lulav, etrog, hadas, aravah), the Temple rites, and the celebration of the Beth HaShoevah.
Moed5 chapters
Requisiti di validità della capanna: misure, copertura e materiali leciti (Mishnah 1:1–11)
V.
Hebrew
Orthodox reading
1:1
סֻכָּה שֶׁהִיא גְבוֹהָה לְמַעְלָה מֵעֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, פְּסוּלָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה מַכְשִׁיר. וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ גְּבוֹהָה עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים, וְשֶׁאֵין לָהּ שְׁלֹשָׁה דְּפָנוֹת, וְשֶׁחַמָּתָהּ מְרֻבָּה מִצִּלָּתָהּ, פְּסוּלָה. סֻכָּה יְשָׁנָה, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי פּוֹסְלִין, וּבֵית הִלֵּל מַכְשִׁירִין. וְאֵיזוֹ הִיא סֻכָּה יְשָׁנָה, כָּל שֶׁעֲשָׂאָהּ קֹדֶם לֶחָג שְׁלשִׁים יוֹם. אֲבָל אִם עֲשָׂאָהּ לְשֵׁם חָג, אֲפִלּוּ מִתְּחִלַּת הַשָּׁנָה, כְּשֵׁרָה:
A sukkah that is more than twenty ammahⓘ high is invalid. Rabbi Yehudah declares it valid (fit). One that is not ten tefachⓘ high, one that does not have three walls, and one in which the sunlit area exceeds the shade — invalid. The pre-existing hut: Beit Shammai declares it invalid, and Beit Hillel declares it valid (fit). And what is meant by a pre-existing hut? Any hut built thirty days before the Festival. But if one built it with the Festival in mindⓘ, even from the beginning of the year, it is valid (fit).
1:2
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:
One who builds his sukkah beneath a tree is as if he had built it inside a house. A sukkah built on top of another sukkah: the upper one is valid (fit), the lower one is invalid. Rabbi Yehudah states: if there is no actual dwelling in the upper sukkah, the lower one is valid (fit).
1:3
פֵּרַס עָלֶיהָ סָדִין מִפְּנֵי הַחַמָּה, אוֹ תַּחְתֶּיהָ מִפְּנֵי הַנְּשָׁר, אוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַס עַל גַּבֵּי הַקִּינוֹף, פְּסוּלָה. אֲבָל פּוֹרֵס הוּא עַל גַּבֵּי נַקְלִיטֵי הַמִּטָּה:
If one spread over it a sheetⓘ to shelter from the sun, or spread it beneath it to shelter from falling (leaves), or spread it over the kinof (bed canopy), the sukkah is invalid. It is permitted, however, to spread it over the bed posts.
1:4
הִדְלָה עָלֶיהָ אֶת הַגֶּפֶן וְאֶת הַדְּלַעַת וְאֶת הַקִּסּוֹם וְסִכֵּךְ עַל גַּבָּהּ, פְּסוּלָה. וְאִם הָיָה סִכּוּךְ הַרְבֵּה מֵהֶן, אוֹ שֶׁקְּצָצָן, כְּשֵׁרָה. זֶה הַכְּלָל, כֹּל שֶׁהוּא מְקַבֵּל טֻמְאָה וְאֵין גִּדּוּלוֹ מִן הָאָרֶץ, אֵין מְסַכְּכִין בּוֹ. וְכָל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל טֻמְאָה וְגִדּוּלוֹ מִן הָאָרֶץ, מְסַכְּכִין בּוֹ:
He made a vine, a gourd, and a qissom (a climbing plant) climb over it, and covered the roof with vegetable covering: invalid. And if the vegetable covering was greater in quantity than they were, or if he had cut them: valid (fit). This is the general ruleⓘ: anything that is susceptible to ritual impurityⓘ and whose growth does not come from the ground, one does not cover with it as vegetable covering. And anything that is not susceptible to ritual impurity and whose growth comes from the ground, one covers with it as vegetable covering.
1:5
חֲבִילֵי קַשׁ וַחֲבִילֵי עֵצִים וַחֲבִילֵי זְרָדִין, אֵין מְסַכְּכִין בָּהֶן. וְכֻלָּן שֶׁהִתִּירָן, כְּשֵׁרוֹת. וְכֻלָּן כְּשֵׁרוֹת לַדְּפָנוֹת:
Bundles of straw, bundles of wood, and bundles of twigs may not be used to cover (with valid vegetative covering the sukkah). If, however, they have been untied (their bindings removed), all are valid (fit). And all are valid (fit) for the walls.
1:6
מְסַכְּכִין בִּנְסָרִים, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יְהוּדָה. וְרַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹסֵר. נָתַן עָלֶיהָ נֶסֶר שֶׁהוּא רָחָב אַרְבָּעָה טְפָחִים, כְּשֵׁרָה, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹא יִישַׁן תַּחְתָּיו:
He covers it with boards: these are the words of Rabbi Yehudah. Rabbi Meir prohibits. If he placed upon it a board four tefachimⓘ wide, (the sukkah) is valid (fit for use), provided he does not sleep beneath it.
1:7
תִּקְרָה שֶׁאֵין עָלֶיהָ מַעֲזִיבָה, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, מְפַקְפֵּק וְנוֹטֵל אַחַת מִבֵּינְתַיִם, וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, מְפַקְפֵּק אוֹ נוֹטֵל אַחַת מִבֵּינְתַיִם. רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, נוֹטֵל אַחַת מִבֵּינְתַיִם, וְאֵין מְפַקְפֵּק:
A beamed ceiling lacking plaster coatingⓘ: Rabbi Yehudah states — the school of Shammai states: the beams are loosened and one is removed for every two; and the school of Hillel states: the beams are loosened or one is removed for every two. Rabbi Meir states: one is removed for every two, and they are not loosened.
1:8
הַמְקָרֶה סֻכָּתוֹ בְשַׁפּוּדִין אוֹ בַאֲרֻכּוֹת הַמִּטָּה, אִם יֵשׁ רֶוַח בֵּינֵיהֶן כְּמוֹתָן, כְּשֵׁרָה. הַחוֹטֵט בְּגָדִישׁ לַעֲשׂוֹת בּוֹ סֻכָּה, אֵינָהּ סֻכָּה:
One who covers their sukkah with cooking spits or with bed crossbars, if there is a space between them equal to their width, it is valid (fit). One who hollows out the interior of a grain sheaf to make a sukkah — this is not a sukkah.
1:9
הַמְשַׁלְשֵׁל דְּפָנוֹת מִלְמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה, אִם גָּבוֹהַּ מִן הָאָרֶץ שְׁלֹשָׁה טְפָחִים, פְּסוּלָה. מִלְּמַטָּה לְמַעְלָה, אִם גָּבוֹהַּ מִן הָאָרֶץ עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים, כְּשֵׁרָה. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁמִּלְּמַטָּה לְמַעְלָה עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים, כָּךְ מִלְמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים. הִרְחִיק אֶת הַסִּכּוּךְ מִן הַדְּפָנוֹת שְׁלשָׁה טְפָחִים, פְּסוּלָה:
One who lowers the walls from top to bottom: if it is three tefachimⓘ from the ground, it is invalid. From bottom to top: if it reaches ten tefachimⓘ from the ground, it is valid (fit). Rabbi Yosé states: just as from bottom to top [one requires] ten tefachimⓘ, so too from top to bottom [one requires] ten tefachimⓘ. If the vegetative covering is distanced from the walls by three tefachimⓘ, it is invalid.
1:10
בַּיִת שֶׁנִּפְחַת וְסִכֵּךְ עַל גַּבָּיו, אִם יֵשׁ מִן הַכֹּתֶל לַסִּכּוּךְ אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת, פְּסוּלָה. וְכֵן חָצֵר שֶׁהִיא מֻקֶּפֶת אַכְסַדְרָה. סֻכָּה גְדוֹלָה, שֶׁהִקִּיפוּהָ בְדָבָר שֶׁאֵין מְסַכְּכִים בּוֹ, אִם יֵשׁ תַּחְתָּיו אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת, פְּסוּלָה:
A house that had an opening in the roof, over which vegetable covering has been placed: if from the wall to the vegetable covering there are four ammotⓘ, it is invalid. Similarly, a courtyard surrounded by an aksadraⓘ is invalid. A large sukkah, surrounded by material with which one does not cover with vegetable covering: if beneath it there are four ammotⓘ, it is invalid.
1:11
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:
One who builds his sukkah in the form of a tzrif (a lean-to hut), or who has leaned it against a wall: Rabbi Eliezer invalidates it because it has no roof, but the Sages declare it valid (fit).
A large reed mat: if it was made for lying upon, it is susceptible to ritual impurityⓘ and one may not cover with it as vegetable covering; if (it was made) for vegetable covering, one covers with it as vegetable covering and it is not susceptible to ritual impurity. Rabbi Eliezer states: both the small and the large — if it was made for lying upon, it is susceptible to ritual impurity and one may not cover with it as vegetable covering; if (it was made) for vegetable covering, one covers with it as vegetable covering and it is not susceptible to ritual impurity.