The Mishnah on today’s daf TB Sukkah 23 states that one may build a sukkah upon a boat. The Gemara identifies the author of this statement as Rabbi Akiva. Not everybody agrees with them. In fact Rabban Gamliel disagrees and holds that such a sukkah is invalid.
“The Gemara comments: In
accordance with whose opinion is the mishna? It is in
accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Akiva, as it is taught in a baraita:
In the case of one who establishes his sukka at the top of the ship,
Rabban Gamliel deems it unfit and Rabbi Akiva deems it fit.
There was an incident involving Rabban Gamliel and
Rabbi Akiva, who were coming on a ship. Rabbi Akiva arose and established a sukka
at the top of the ship. The next day the wind blew and uprooted it. Rabban
Gamliel said to him: Akiva, where is your sukka? It was unfit from
the start.”
(Sefaria.org translation)
Abaye
refines the disagreement. Rabbi Akiva and Rabban Gamliel agree that a sukkah is
valid if it can withstand normal land breezes and is invalid if it cannot
withstand strong winds which would blow down any sukkah. They disagree
concerning sea breezes. “Abaye said: Everyone agrees that in a case where the sukka is unable to
withstand a typical land wind, the sukka is of no consequence
and it is not even a temporary residence. If it is able to withstand
even an atypical land wind, everyone agrees that the sukka is
fit. Where they disagree is in a case where the sukka is
able to withstand a typical land wind but is unable to withstand a typical sea
wind[1]. Rabban
Gamliel holds: In order to fulfill the mitzva of sukka, we require a permanent
residence, and since it is not able to withstand an atypical land wind,
which is like a typical sea wind, it is of no consequence and is not a sukka
at all. Rabbi Akiva
holds: In order to fulfill the mitzva of sukka, we require a
temporary residence, and since it is able to withstand a typical land wind,
it is fit, although it is unable to withstand a typical sea wind.” (Sefaria.org translation)
Back
on TB Sukkah 7 we learned about a basic disagreement between the tannaim. Some tannaim like Rabban Gamliel hold that the sukkah becomes the person’s
permanent residence and others like Rabbi Akiva hold that it only needs to be a
temporary dwelling. Rabban Gamliel holds that the sukkah on the boat which
cannot withstand the sea winds can never be a kosher sukkah. Rabbi Akiva holds
that as long as it is up as a temporary dwelling it is a kosher sukkah even
though a strong sea wind could knock it down in the future
This sugiyah brought back memories of one of
my adventures in the sukkah. My second son Hillel was born on Kol Nidre night.
He was jaundiced and at that time he had to stay in the hospital until his
bilirubin number went down. He was still in the hospital on Sukkot. My wife
stayed at friend’s apartment near the hospital so she could breast-feed him. I
stayed home with my firstborn, Amichai. We had already invited guests for the
first night of Sukkot and I saw no reason to cancel. There I was sitting in my
sukkah with two friends lamenting that my son was jaundiced and stuck in the
hospital with my wife by his side. I missed both of them. I asked my friends, “What
else can go wrong?” Immediately afterwards a strong wind actually blew down my
sukkah and a collapsed behind us. I said: “Thank you God. Now I know what else
can go wrong.”
Ever since then I’ve
jokingly said that that year’s sukkah was featured in the movie “Gone with the
Wind.”
[1] I have used a emended version of our text as found on the side of the Gemara.
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