Wenn man seine Succah in Form eines Kegels macht [damit sie kein Dach hat] oder wenn man sie an einer Wand trägt [die Schilfoberseiten zur Wand neigt, neigen sich die Schilfrohre nach unten zum Boden ], R. Eliezer regiert es pasul, weil es kein Dach hat. [Es ist nicht klar, was Dach und was Wand ist. Denn ein schräges Zelt heißt nicht Zelt, sondern nur eines, das ein Dach von (mindestens) einer Handbreite hat.] Und die Weisen regieren es kasher. [Die Halacha entspricht R. Eliezer.] Eine große Schilfmatte zum Liegen erwirbt Tumah und darf nicht für Schach verwendet werden. Für schach kann es für schach verwendet werden und es erwirbt keine Tumah. [In Bezug auf eine kleine Matte gibt es keine Meinungsverschiedenheiten, alle sind sich einig, dass sie zum Liegen und nicht für schach (Dacheindeckung) gemacht ist. Wo unterscheiden sie sich? In Bezug auf eine große Matte. Die erste Tanna besagt, dass eine große für Schach und eine kleine für Liegen gemacht ist. Und seine Worte sind so zu verstehen: Eine große Matte ist für schach gemacht, aber wenn er ausdrücklich angibt, dass er sie zum Liegen macht, erwirbt sie tumah und darf nicht als schach verwendet werden. "Für schach kann es für schach verwendet werden": Dies ist wie folgt zu verstehen: Und eine kleine Matte wird zum Liegen gemacht; aber wenn er ausdrücklich angibt, dass er es für schach macht, kann es als schach verwendet werden.] R. Eliezer sagt: Sowohl kleine als auch große werden [ab initio] zum Liegen gemacht. [Daher] erwirbt es [sogar ein großes] tumah und darf nicht als schach verwendet werden. [Aber wenn er ausdrücklich erklärt, dass es] für schach verwendet werden soll, kann es als schach verwendet werden und es erwirbt keine tumah. [Die Halacha stimmt mit R. Eliezer überein.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
כמין צריף – which has no roof and the heads/tops of the walls touch each other from above [like the upside down letter “V”] and become distanced from each other from below.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
Introduction
This mishnah contains two debates between Rabbi Eliezer and the other sages. The first concerns one who makes his sukkah by leaning one wall against the other. The second concerns the validity of reed mats as skhakh.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
או שסמכה – or inclined the heads of the poles/reeds on the wall and they continue downwards slanting towards the ground.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
One who makes his sukkah like a cone-shaped hut or leans it against a wall: Rabbi Eliezer invalidates it since it has no roof, But the sages declare it valid. In this case a person made a sukkah in a cone-shape, somewhat like a teepee. It seems that the upper sections of the walls must have been made of valid skhakh. Alternatively, he leaned a wall made of skhakh against another wall not made of skhakh, somewhat like a lean-to. Rabbi Eliezer rules that this is invalid since a sukkah needs to have a roof. The sages rule that it is valid. In the Talmud, they claim that the positions should be reversed, Rabbi Eliezer ruling that it is inivalid and the sages that it is invalid. The halakhah is that these types of sukkot are invalid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
מפני שאין לה גג – and it is not recognized what is a roof and what is a wall, and a slanting tent is not called a tent, unless it has a roof of a handbreadth, and the Halakha is according to Rabbi Eliezer [who declares it invalid].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
A large reed mat: if made for lying upon it is susceptible to [ritual] uncleanliness and is invalid as skhakh. If made for a skhakh, it may be used for skhakh and is not susceptible to uncleanliness. This section requires a few words of introduction concerning the susceptibility of objects to impurity. Objects are susceptible to impurities if they are “vessels”. This halakhic category includes most objects that have been fashioned to be of use for people, but not things that are used for building. For instance a cup is susceptible to impurity but a brick is not. In the case under discussion here, a reed mat made to be sat upon is susceptible to impurities whereas a reed mat made to be used as skhakh is not. According to the sages, all small mats may have been made to be sat upon and hence they are all susceptible to impurity. We learned above in mishnah four that anything that is receptive to impurity cannot be used as skhakh. Hence, small reed mats cannot be used for skhakh. A large reed mat may have been made either to sit upon or to use as skhakh. Hence, its susceptibility to impurity and its validity as skhakh depend upon the intent in which it was made. If it was made to be used for sitting it cannot be used as skhakh, but if it was made to be used as skhakh then it is valid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
מחצלת של קנים וכו' – a small mat, everyone does not argue that if it is merely for lying, they do not cover it with festive covering. But they argue regarding a large one. The first Tanna/teacher thinks that a mere large mat is made for covering and a mere small mat is made for lying. And this is how it should be understood: A large mat is made for covering, and if he expressed that he made it for lying, it [is liable] to receive ritual defilement and we don’t make the festive covering of the Sukkah with it, but for the festive covering, we cover the Sukkah with it. This is how it should be understood – that the mere small mat is used for lying, but if he expressed that it is for the Sukkah covering, he covers the Sukkah with it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
Rabbi Eliezer says, whether small or large: if it was made for reclining upon, it is susceptible to uncleanliness and is invalid as skhakh; if made for a covering, it is valid as a skhakh and is not susceptible to uncleanliness. Rabbi Eliezer says that the size of the skhakh does not matter. All that matters is whether the mat was made for sitting or for skhakh. As long as it was made for skhakh it can be used as such, no matter its size.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
רבי אליעזר אומר אחת גדולה ואחת קטנה – undefined for lying, but if he made it for lying, as he stated, that is to say, they were made at their outset as undefined for lying, therefore, even the large one receives ritual defilement and we don’t cover [the Sukkah] with it. But if he expressed that it is for the festive covering [of the Sukkah], we do cover [the Sukkah] with it. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Eliezer.
