Shiur summary (draft from the recording)
Travelers, Guards and the Sick Exempt from Sukkah
הולכי דרכים
Sukkah 26a · from line 9 · Friday, January 2, 2026
The sugya
The shiur continued the Braisos about who is patur from sukkah. It covered travelers by day, by night, and both, and shluchei mitzvah. It then covered city guards and guards of gardens and orchards, including the machlokes Abaye and Rava on why they may not simply build a sukkah where they guard. The Rebbi then began the Mishnah's middle case, cholim and their attendants, explaining that even a choleh not in danger is patur. The recording breaks off as he begins the statement of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel.
Step by step (shakla v’tarya)
- GemaraTanu Rabbanan: travelers by day are patur by day. Rashi says this refers to travelers on business.
- GemaraTravelers by night are patur at night. Those traveling both day and night are patur both day and night.
- GemaraThe story of Amoraim who would shelter, settle or 'hunker down' on the way, saying: we are shluchei mitzvah, and we are patur.
- GemaraCity guards by day are patur by day and chayav at night. Those on the night shift are patur at night and chayav by day. Those guarding both day and night are patur both day and night.
- GemaraGuards of gardens and orchards, which by nature is 24-hour guarding, are patur both day and night.
- KashaLet them make a sukkah there. If they know they will be there the whole time, they should build a sukkah.
- TeirutzAbaye: teshvu k'ein taduru. Sukkah means living the way you live all year, with your beds, lamps and linens, and bringing all that there is too much tircha.
- TeirutzRava: pirtzah koreah laganav. Once the thief sees that the guard's view is blocked and there are ways to sneak around him, he will come.
- MachlokesNafka mina: one guarding a pile of fruit. Under Rava's reason there is no breach, since the thief sees him diligently guarding the pile right in front of him. Under the other reason he would be patur.
- ChazarahEnd of this part of the Mishnah. Review of the Mishnah's parts: the last part was eating a snack outside the sukkah, and now the Gemara turns to the middle part.
- GemaraThe choleh in the Mishnah is not only one in danger of dying. Even a choleh not in danger, like a common cold, is patur.
- GemaraEven if he has pain in his eyes, and even if he has pain in his head (a headache), he is patur.
- The RebbiIn those days, even someone with a headache would have attendants serving him.
- GemaraThe Rebbi began 'Amar Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel.' The recording does not contain the rest.
Kashas
- Why are garden and orchard guards patur? Let them build a sukkah where they guard and sit in it.
Teirutzim
- Abaye: teshvu k'ein taduru. They would need to bring beds, lamps and linens there, which is too much tircha.
- Rava: pirtzah koreah laganav. A sukkah blocks the guard's view and lets the thief sneak around.
Rashi & Tosafos
- Rashi: The travelers in the Braisa are traveling for business.
The Rebbi’s chiddushim
- Guarding gardens and orchards is by nature a 24-hour job, so they are patur day and night.
- K'ein taduru means sukkah is not just sitting in a booth. It means living there the way you live all year, with beds, lamps and linens.
- Pirtzah koreah laganav: the thief sees the guard's view is obstructed and that there are ways to sneak around him.
- With a pile of fruit right in front of the guard, there is no breach under Rava's reason, because the thief sees how diligently it is guarded.
- Example of a choleh not in danger: the common cold.
- Back then, even someone with a headache would have attendants serving him.
Unclear in recording
- A remark ('that's what you would do if you were home') whose context is unclear in recording.
- A discussion with participants about whether the travelers were traveling on Yom Tov or Chol Hamoed. Unclear in recording.
- A remark about city guards eating snacks or whole meals. Unclear in recording.
- Which opinion yields patur for one guarding a pile of fruit. The name of the opinion is unclear in recording.
- Most of the review of the parts of the Mishnah is unclear in recording.
- Further examples of a choleh not in danger (possibly allergies). Unclear in recording.
- The statement of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel and everything after it. The recording breaks off into unrelated conversation.
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.