How many walls does a kosher sukkah need is a law transmitted to Moses. TB Sukkah 6

Even though the size of measurements are transmitted to Moses from upon Mount Sinai (הֲלָכָה לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי) according to the sages, they like to find support (asmakhtah -אַסְמַכְתָּא) from verses in the Torah. Today’s daf TB Sukkah 6 provides scriptural support for many different measurements. I’ll just share one that pertains to Yom Kippur and one that pertains to Sukkot.

The verse enumerating the seven species of the land of Israel provides that scriptural support for different measurements. “A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey” (Deuteronomy 8:8), and Rav Ḥanin said: This entire verse is stated for the purpose of teaching measures with regard to different halakhot in the Torah. (Ultimately the Gemara decides that this verse is only an asmakhtah.-gg)

“Wheat was mentioned as the basis for calculating the time required for one to become ritually impure when entering a house afflicted with leprosy, as we learned in a mishna: With regard to one who enters a house afflicted with leprosy of the house (see Leviticus, chapter 14), and his clothes are draped over his shoulders, and his sandals and his rings are in his hands, both he and they, the clothes, sandals, and rings, immediately become ritually impure.

“However, if he was dressed in his clothes, and his sandals were on his feet, and his rings were on his fingers, he immediately becomes ritually impure, but they, the clothes, sandals, and rings, remain pure until he stays in the house long enough to eat half a loaf of bread. This calculation is based on wheat bread, which takes less time to eat, and not on barley bread, and it relates to one who is reclining and eating it together with relish or a condiment, which hastens the eating. This is a Torah measurement connected specifically to wheat.”(Sefaria.org translation)

The time it takes to eat at half a loaf of bread has practical halakhic implications for us. If a sick person needs to eat on Yom Kippur but doesn’t want to violate the Torah prohibition of fasting, how much time does he have to wait in between eating an amounts smaller than a size of the date with its pit i.e. the amount of time of eating half a loaf of bread?

“There are various opinions regarding the number of minutes it takes to eat 3 or 4 Kebeitza’s of bread, and hence the practical time of Kdei Achilas Peras is under debate. The following are the various opinions in the Poskim: Some “Poskim[12] rule that Kdei Achilas Peras is 2 minutes. Other Poskim[13] rule that Kdei Achilas Peras is 3 minutes. Some Poskim[14] rule that Kdei Achilas Peras is 4 minutes. Some Poskim[15] rule that the Shiur of Kdei Achilas Peras is 6-8 minutes. Some Poskim[16] rule that the Shiur of Kdei Achilas Peras is 9 minutes.” (https://shulchanaruchharav.com/halacha/how-much-is-kdei-achilas-peras/) Many modern Orthodox rabbis except Rabbi Moses Feinstein’s measurement of 4 ½ to 5 minutes as the amount of time it takes to eat ½ loaf of wheat bread to answer my question above about on Yom Kippur.

The second example of a measurement transmitted to Moses from Mount Sinai is how many full walls a sukkah needs. “The Sages taught in the Tosefta: In order to construct a fit sukka, two of the walls must be walls in the standard sense, sealing the entire length and height of the sukka, and the third wall may be even one handbreadth long. Rabbi Shimon says: Three of the walls must be walls in the standard sense, and the fourth wall may be even one handbreadth long.” (Sefaria.org translation) I recommend that you follow the thread how each side comes to its conclusion in the Gemara. The Gemara provides four different ways the sages and Rabbi Shimon reach their conclusion with the last one revolving around the halakha being transmitted to Moses from upon Mount Sinai.

“One Sage, the Rabbis, holds: When the halakha transmitted to Moses comes to teach, it is to reduce to one handbreadth the dimension of one of the three walls derived from the verses. And one Sage, Rabbi Shimon, holds: When the halakha transmitted to Moses comes to teach, it is to add another wall to the three walls derived from the verses; however, the dimension of that fourth wall may be one handbreadth.” (Sefaia.org translation)

A kosher sukkah only needs two standard walls with a third wall being as small as a handbreadth. (Shulkhan Arukh, Orekh Hayim, 430:2)

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[12] Rav Y.Y. Kanievsky in Shiuran Shel Torah Shiureiy Hamitzvos 30

[13] Igros Moshe 4:41 in name of Marcheshes; Orchos Rabbeinu p. 70 that so was custom of Chazon Ish; Sefer Haminhagim ibid and footnotes 342-344 in tradition from the Tzemach Tzedek, in name of Rav Hillel Miparitch, that the minimum of Achilas Peras is 3 minutes and maximum 7 minutes. The Rebbe concludes there in the footnote that one is required to suspect for the above tradition.

[14] Shiurei Torah 3:15 [p. 303]; Aruch Hashulchan 202:8; Kaf Hachaim 210:5; Piskeiy Teshuvos 210:1 that so is the widespread custom

[15] Some Poskim rule that the Shiur of Kdei Achilas Peras is 6-7 minutes. [Tzemach Tzedek Shaar Hamiluim 1:8- fifth [English] p. 93 regarding Tishe Beav] Other Poskim rule that the Shiur of Kdei Achilas Peras for 4 Kebeitzim [i.e. Yom Kippur] is 8 minutes, while the Shiur for eating Mitzvos or after blessing is 6 minutes. [Gulot Ariel Chidushei Mishnayos Mikvaos 10:7 in name of Alter Rebbe “I received in the name of my great uncle, the Alter Rebbe, that the Shiur is eight minutes, as he measured the eating an egg by an average person and it took two minutes, and so is my custom to rule”]

[16] Chasam Sofer 6:16; Tzemach Tzedek Shaar Hamiluim 1:8-10, brought in Ketzos Hashulchan 36 footnote 5; M”B 618:21; Shiurei Torah 3:15 [p. 203]; Aruch Hashulchan 202:8; Kaf Hachaim 210:5; Piskeiy Teshuvos 210:1; Sefer Haminhagim ibid and footnotes 342-344; See Shiurei Torah 3:15; Piskeiy Teshuvos ibid