Shiur summary (draft from the recording)
Sukkah on a Boat and on an Animal
Sukkah 23a · from line 9 · Thursday, November 20, 2025
The sugya
The shiur finished Abaye's explanation of the machlokes Rabban Gamliel and R' Akiva about a sukkah on a boat. It then moved to the next part of the Mishnah, a sukkah in a tree or on a camel, which the Gemara attributes to R' Meir. The Rebbi explained R' Yehuda's drasha that a sukkah must be fit for all seven days, and R' Meir's answer that d'oraisa it is fit and only the Rabbanan made a gezeirah against going up on Yom Tov.
Step by step (shakla v’tarya)
- GemaraAbaye: everyone agrees that a sukkah that cannot stand in a common wind on dry land is nothing, and one that can stand in an uncommon wind on dry land is kosher.
- MachlokesThey argue where it can stand in a common wind on land but not in an uncommon wind on land. The Rebbi: an uncommon wind on land is the same as a common wind at sea.
- ShitahRabban Gamliel: a sukkah must be a diras keva. Since it cannot stand in a common wind of the sea, it is nothing.
- ShitahR' Akiva: a diras arai is enough. Since it can stand in a common wind on land, it is kosher. The Rebbi: the sukkah is measured by land standards. It blew away on the boat because it was only built well enough for land, and R' Akiva says that is no problem.
- KashaA question sent in by Menachem Friedman: according to Rabban Gamliel, can you have a sukkah on a boat? Yes, if it can withstand the real winds of the sea. If so, why say our Mishnah is R' Akiva? It could be Rabban Gamliel, speaking of an unusually strong sukkah. The question was left open.
- MishnahNext part of the Mishnah: a sukkah in a tree or on a camel is kosher, but one may not go up to it on Yom Tov because of the concern of ripping off a branch.
- The Mishnah is stam, with no names. The Gemara brings a Braisa that spells out the names in order to identify its author.
- GemaraMasnisin mani? It is R' Meir. A Braisa: one who makes his sukkah on top of an animal, R' Meir is machshir and R' Yehuda is posel.
- Ra'ayahR' Yehuda's reason is the pasuk חג הסוכות תעשה לך שבעת ימים. The drasha: a sukkah fit for seven days is called a sukkah, and one that is not fit for seven days is not called a sukkah.
- The RebbiThis sukkah is fit for only six days, because you cannot go up to it on the first day, Yom Tov. Therefore, according to R' Yehuda, it is not a sukkah.
- KashaWhat does R' Meir do with the pasuk and drasha of R' Yehuda?
- TeirutzR' Meir: d'oraisa it is fit (מחזא חזיא). It is only the Rabbanan who made a gezeirah against going up to it.
- The RebbiIf someone went against the gezeirah and climbed the tree, he is still fulfilling the mitzvah of sukkah. This is not like a stolen lulav, because here the aveira and the mitzvah are two separate steps.
- The RebbiThis is a gezeirah d'Rabbanan of the usual type: you are not allowed to do this because you may come to do that. Climbing a tree is not itself an issur. You might rip off a branch, which is a real melacha. The same applies to an animal, since you might cut a branch to whip it.
Kashas
- According to Rabban Gamliel, a very strong sukkah that can withstand sea winds is kosher on a boat. So why must the Mishnah be R' Akiva and not Rabban Gamliel? Left open.
- How does R' Meir deal with R' Yehuda's drasha that a sukkah must be fit for seven days?
Teirutzim
- R' Meir: d'oraisa the sukkah is fit (מחזא חזיא). The problem of going up on Yom Tov is only a gezeirah of the Rabbanan.
Mareh mekomos
- Pasuk חג הסוכות תעשה לך שבעת ימים, the source of R' Yehuda's drasha that the sukkah must be fit for all seven days.
- Stolen lulav (third perek): mentioned to contrast with mitzvah haba'ah ba'aveira. There the lulav is not yours; here the climbing and the sitting are two separate steps.
The Rebbi’s chiddushim
- An uncommon wind on land and a common wind at sea are the same measure.
- R' Akiva measures the sukkah by land standards. It blew away on the boat because it was only good enough for land.
- Being unusable on the first day of Yom Tov makes the sukkah fit for only six days, which is why R' Yehuda considers it pasul.
- One who climbed the tree against the gezeirah still fulfills the mitzvah of sukkah. This is not mitzvah haba'ah ba'aveira, since the aveira and the mitzvah are separate steps.
- The issur of climbing a tree or riding an animal on Yom Tov is only a safeguard against ripping or cutting a branch, which is a real melacha.
Unclear in recording
- Discussion of whether the location of the sukkah makes a difference, referred to as the last question on the quiz. Unclear in recording.
- A student's point about the Braisa. Unclear in recording.
- A question about building a car sukkah, or a sukkah in a place one cannot go to. Unclear in recording.
- The remaining discussion from this point on is unclear in recording.
Drafted from the recording of the shiur, for chazarah. Torah terms follow the Rebbi’s own words; anything that could not be made out is marked “unclear in recording”. Tap a time to hear that point. Corrections welcome.