Shiur summary (draft from the recording)
Sheet spread over or under the schach
פירס עליה סדין
Sukkah 10a · Wednesday, September 9, 2026
The sugya
The shiur began the Mishnah of a sheet spread over the sukkah because of the sun, under the schach because of falling leaves, or over a four-post canopy bed (all pasul), versus over a two-post bed (allowed). The Rebbi tied this to earlier concepts of schach and to the requirement that an ohel be tefach al tefach berum tefach. He then learned Rav Chisda's limitation: only a sheet put up because of falling leaves is pasul, but one put up for decoration is kosher. He also covered the Gemara's kasha of pshita and its teirutz, and ended with a review.
Step by step (shakla v’tarya)
- Introduction: this Mishnah connects to many rules and concepts about schach that were learned already.
- Mishnahפירס עליה סדין מפני החמה: one spread a sheet over his sukkah to shade from the sun. It served a schach-like purpose but is not made of kosher schach.
- The RebbiWe are learning many halachos of schach before learning what kosher schach actually is. It must grow from the ground, must not be mekabel tumah, must not be a keili, and must be detached.
- Mishnahאו תחתיה מפני הנשר: or he spread it under the schach because of falling things, such as leaves and twigs from the schach ("all the stuff you find in your soup").
- Mishnahאו שפירס על גבי הקינוף: or he spread it on top of bedposts. The Rebbi suggests kinof is probably related to the English word canopy, as in a canopy bed.
- MishnahIn all these cases it is pasul.
- The RebbiThe word pasul fits the first two cases, where the sukkah itself is pasul. In the bed case it means you cannot sleep there.
- Mishnahאבל פורס הוא על גבי נקליטי המטה: but he may spread it over a two-post bed.
- The RebbiThere were two kinds of beds. A sheet over a four-post bed makes a real ohel. Naklitin are two posts, one at the head and one at the feet, so the sheet forms a tent coming to a point. That is not an ohel, since an ohel must be tefach al tefach berum tefach, as seen in the previous days.
- Gemaraאמר רב חסדא לא שנו אלא מפני הנשר. Every "lo shanu" is a limitation on the Mishnah: a sheet under the schach is pasul only if it was put there to protect from leaves.
- Gemaraאבל לנאותה כשרה: but if it was put up for decoration (noy sukkah), it is kosher. Examples: beautiful fabrics spread under the schach, or decorative ceiling curtains.
- The RebbiReasoning: if it is there to catch leaves, it serves a schach purpose and is pasul, since it does not grow from the ground. If its purpose is decoration it is kosher, even though it is the same material.
- Kashaפשיטא, מפני הנשר תנן: the Mishnah itself said "because of the leaves." We know how to be medayek in a Mishnah ourselves, so why do we need Rav Chisda?
- Teirutzמהו דתימא הוא הדין דאפילו לנאותה: I would have thought it is pasul even for decoration.
- Teirutzוהאי דקתני מפני הנשר אורחא דמילתא קתני: the Mishnah said "because of the leaves" only as the usual, practical illustration of why someone would do this. So one should not be medayek from it.
- Maskanaקמ"ל: Rav Chisda teaches that we should indeed be medayek and read the Mishnah like a talmid chacham. Only a sheet put up to protect from falling things is pasul.
- Discussion of practical reasons for a protective sheet: rain, or wind in autumn blowing leaves through.
- The Rebbi was unsure whether, according to Rav Chisda, it is practical to put something decorative on top of the schach, since you would not even see it.
- ChazarahReview of the Mishnah's cases and of Rav Chisda, the kasha and the teirutz.
Kashas
- פשיטא, מפני הנשר תנן: the Mishnah already said "because of the leaves," so the diyuk is obvious. Why does Rav Chisda need to say it?
Teirutzim
- מהו דתימא: I would have thought it is pasul even for decoration, and that "mipnei hanesher" is just אורחא דמילתא, the normal practical case. Rav Chisda teaches that we should be medayek.
Mareh mekomos
- The rule from the previous days' sugya that an ohel requires tefach al tefach berum tefach. Used to explain why a sheet over a two-post bed, which comes to a point, is not an ohel.
The Rebbi’s chiddushim
- We are learning halachos of schach before the Gemara defines kosher schach: it must grow from the ground, not be mekabel tumah, not be a keili, and be detached.
- Kinof is probably related to the English word canopy (canopy bed).
- The term pasul suits the first two cases, where the sukkah itself is pasul. In the bed case it means one cannot sleep there.
- A four-post bed with a sheet makes a real ohel. A two-post bed makes a tent that comes to a point, which is not an ohel.
- The difference is the purpose. Catching leaves is a schach function, so non-gidulei karka material pasuls the sukkah. Decoration is not a schach function, so the same material is kosher.
- The hava amina is that the Mishnah speaks to people practically, giving the typical reason. Rav Chisda teaches to read the Mishnah precisely, like a talmid chacham.
- Example of decoration: his uncle used to hang old paroches along the walls of his sukkah. Doing so on the ceiling would be kosher.
Unclear in recording
- The Rebbi said they would also bring back a related topic ("Sukkah Tach"), unclear in recording.
- Reference to where the four-post bed was seen before ("Parakha Yashin"), unclear in recording.
- Exchange with a talmid about why an ohel needs a tefach, compared with the minimum size of a kosher sukkah, unclear in recording.
- Practical case of a covering that slants from the wall over the table to a point (like a V) when it rains. The conclusion is unclear in recording.
- A remark about Rav Chisda's statement in practice ("even paskan like this"), unclear in recording.
- At the end of the review the wording of the kamashma lan seems reversed ("no, you couldn't be midayik like that"), unclear in recording. Earlier he clearly said Rav Chisda teaches to be medayek.
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.