Shiur summary (draft from the recording)
Head and Most of Body in Sukkah; Katan
Sukkah 28a · Monday, February 9, 2026
The sugya
The shiur finished the Gemara's praise of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai and Yonasan ben Uziel, then learned the last Mishnah of the second perek. The Mishnah has a machlokes Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel about someone whose head and most of his body are in the sukkah while his table is in the house, with the story of R' Yochanan ben HaChoranis. It then teaches that women, avadim and ketanim are patur from sukkah, that a katan who does not need his mother is chayav, and tells how Shammai put schach over the bed of his newborn grandson. The Rebbi then reviewed the whole Mishnah.
Step by step (shakla v’tarya)
- GemaraEnd of the Gemara about Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai, who left nothing out of his learning: Mikra, Mishnah, Talmud, halachos, aggados, dikdukei Torah, dikdukei sofrim, kal vachomer, gezeirah shavah, tekufos, gematrios, and more.
- The RebbiDikdukei Torah are the precise words, the letters, ribuyim and miyutim. Dikdukei sofrim is how careful the Chachamim were in setting up a siyag (fence) for the Torah.
- A gezeirah shavah has to be passed down (e.g. tzav-tzav, chamisha asar-chamisha asar). Tekufos are the calendar and the cycles of sun, moon and stars. Gematrios are numerical teachings.
- He learned sichas malachei hashareis, sichas sheidim and sichas dekalim, explained as talk about herbal medicines that come from trees. Also mishlos kovsin and mishlos shualim: parables of the laundry workers and the foxes.
- GemaraDavar gadol is maaseh merkavah, Hashem's chariot or throne. Davar katan is the havayos (deliberations) of Abaye and Rava.
- The RebbiTalmud in this list means their own Gemara on the Mishnayos (later Tannaim). Abaye and Rava were to come even later.
- Ra'ayahThis fulfils the pasuk 'l'hanchil ohavai yesh v'otzroseihem amalei.'
- The RebbiThe simple meaning is that Hashem fills the storehouses of the good with blessing. The play on words is that they fill their storehouses, meaning their heads, never sitting idle but always learning.
- GemaraKal vachomer: if the smallest of Hillel's talmidim was like this, how much more the greatest, Yonasan ben Uziel.
- GemaraWhen Yonasan ben Uziel sat and learned, any bird flying over him was burnt immediately, from the koach of kedushah.
- ChazarahFraming: the first half of perek 2 relates to perek 1 (building the sukkah). The second half deals with yeshivas sukkah. This is the last Mishnah of the perek.
- MishnahIf someone's head and most of his body are in the sukkah and his table is in the house, Beis Shammai say pasul and Beis Hillel say kosher.
- The RebbiPicture a very small sukkah attached to the kitchen or house, like many of our sukkahs, so the table stays inside.
- The RebbiThe Gemara in the first perek says the Mishnah really should say yotzei or not yotzei rather than kosher or pasul. The issue is how one sits (yeshivas sukkah), not whether the sukkah is kosher; the size was already covered in perek 1.
- The RebbiThe sukkah itself could be kosher, even large. He might simply have left the table in the house.
- Ra'ayahBeis Hillel's proof: the zekenim of Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel visited R' Yochanan ben HaChoranis. They found him sitting this way and said nothing to him. If Beis Shammai held it is not allowed, they should have protested.
- The RebbiSide point: the zekenim visiting him shows they definitely did not hold that one must sit in one's own sukkah.
- DechiyahBeis Shammai: is that your proof? They did tell him: if this is how you have conducted yourself, you never fulfilled the mitzvah of sukkah in your life.
- The RebbiDistinguish Shammai and Hillel themselves, Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel (their yeshivos), and the zekenim. The zekenim may have passed away by then, which is why the story is retold rather than asking them directly.
- The RebbiIt was the zekenim of Beis Shammai, not Beis Hillel, who protested, since Beis Hillel holds it is fine. 'Amru lo' means they said it to one person.
- MaskanaBeis Shammai: sitting this way, one is not yotzei. Beis Hillel: one is yotzei. Most of this part of the Mishnah is about whether the protest happened or not.
- MishnahNashim, avadim (eved kenaani) and ketanim are patur from sukkah. In the review he adds that sukkah is a time-bound mitzvah.
- MishnahA katan who does not need his mother is chayav in sukkah. This is often cited regarding mitzvas chinuch.
- MishnahMaaseh: Shammai HaZaken's daughter-in-law gave birth. He removed the maaziva (part of the roof or plaster) and put schach over the bed for the katan.
- KashaThis katan, a newborn, certainly needs his mother. So why did Shammai put schach over him?
- TeirutzShammai was being machmir on himself. A quick look shows words are missing from the Mishnah: 'Shammai machmir.'
- A talmid compared this to the earlier case of being machmir by eating less than a small amount in the sukkah. The Rebbi said they will see when they get there.
- ChazarahReview of the entire Mishnah.
Kashas
- The Gemara in the first perek asks why the Mishnah says kosher or pasul, when it should say yotzei or not yotzei.
- Beis Hillel to Beis Shammai: the zekenim saw R' Yochanan ben HaChoranis sitting this way and said nothing, so how can you say it is pasul?
- Shammai's grandson was a baby who needs his mother and is patur, so why put schach over his bed?
Teirutzim
- The Mishnah's machlokes is about how one sits (yeshivas sukkah), not about whether the sukkah itself is kosher.
- Beis Shammai: the zekenim did protest, telling him he never fulfilled the mitzvah of sukkah in his life.
- Shammai was machmir on himself. The Mishnah is missing the words 'Shammai machmir.'
Mareh mekomos
- Pasuk 'l'hanchil ohavai yesh v'otzroseihem amalei', cited as fulfilled by Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai's complete learning.
- The parallel in the third perek, 'katan hayodea l'naanea chayav b'lulav', mentioned alongside katan she'eino tzarich l'imo for chinuch.
The Rebbi’s chiddushim
- 'V'otzroseihem amalei' read as a play on words: they fill their storehouses, their heads, by never sitting idle.
- Talmud in the list means their own Gemara on the Mishnayos. Havayos d'Abaye v'Rava were to come even later.
- The sukkah could have been large and kosher; the case is only about the way he sat with the table in the house.
- Visiting R' Yochanan ben HaChoranis in his sukkah shows the zekenim did not hold one must sit in one's own sukkah.
- Three levels: Shammai and Hillel, their yeshivos, and the zekenim, who may no longer have been alive when the story was cited.
- Much of the Mishnah is spent on a factual dispute: did the protest happen or not?
Unclear in recording
- Who is quoted on sichas dekalim: it sounds like 'Rashi doesn't know' and 'Rashba says' (herbal medicines from trees).
- A remark that 'havayah means the future'.
- How the second half of the perek is laid out (references to 'Shulchan', arba esrei seudos, and the maasim).
- Size figures mentioned after 'seven by seven' ('10 of 9 or 4').
- Whether the zekenim held like R' Eliezer, or went and returned the same day.
- Part of the explanation of the maaziva and what exactly Shammai removed.
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.