If a roof fell in [in the middle] and he put schach there (in the open space), [so that the walls are at a distance from the schach, it is kasher.] If there are four cubits from the wall to the schach, it is pasul. [If, less than that, it is kasher. For it is a halachah to Moshe upon Sinai that we say "a bent-over wall" (is kasher) up to four cubits. We perceive the roof of the house as an extension of the wall, reaching until the schach (and he may not sleep under it.) The same applies to a courtyard with an exedra, [where he put schach in the "atmosphere" of the courtyard, distant from the walls of the exedra. (An exedra is a place surrounded by three walls)]. A large succah, ringed (on top) by something which may not be used as schach — If there is below it, (i.e., from where it begins, until the wall) four cubits, it is pasul. [Any succah where, if the pasul schach were removed, there would remain seven by seven handbreadths of kosher schach, is called "a large succah." ("ringed by something which cannot be used as schach":) only at the side (of the roof), where the succah is rendered pasul only if there are four cubits of pasul schach by reason of (the perception of) "a bent-over wall"; but in the middle of the succah, it renders it pasul (even) with (only) four handbreadths. And space without schach at all, whether in the middle or on the side, renders the succah pasul with three handbreadths (of such space).]
Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
בית שפחת – its roof is in the middle, and the walls are distant from the festive covering of the Sukkah, it is valid.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
Introduction
In yesterday’s mishnah we learned that if there is a three handbreadth horizontal gap between the skhakh and the walls the sukkah is invalid. Today we learn that this is only true if there is a gap. If there is material in this gap separating the wall from the skhakh and the material is not valid for skhakh, then the sukkah is invalid only if the invalid skhakh is greater than four cubits.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
אם יש מן הכותל לסכך שכר ארבע אמות פסולה – less than this is valid, and it is a traditional interpretation of a written law (dating from Moses as delivered from Sinai) that a curved wall (Talmud Sukkah 4a) [is valid] up to four cubits, and we see the roof of the house as if the top of the wall is crooked/curved and comes up to the valid festive covering of the Sukkah, but he should not sleep underneath it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
If [the roof of] a house is opened, and he placed skhakh over it, if there is a distance of four cubits from the wall to the covering, it is invalid. In this case a person opened a hole in the roof of his house and covered the hole with valid skhakh. This is a valid sukkah as long as the hole is less than four cubits from the walls. This space between the walls and skhakh is not open, but rather has a regular roof (plaster and wood). The roof is considered as if it is part of the walls, at least for a distance of four cubits. As an aside, I have heard of people who actually do this. They have a retractable roof, less than four cubits from the walls and they open it up on Sukkot and have a sukkah in their house!
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
וכן בחצר שהיא מוקפת אכסדרה – and he made the festive covering over the air-pace of the courtyard, far from the walls of the peristyle/covered place in front of the house, and the peristyle is a place surrounded by three divisions.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
Similarly in the case of a courtyard which is surrounded by columns. The mishnah notes another possible circumstance in which this halakhah is applicable. A courtyard is surrounded by a section of columns and covered with a roof. In such a case, the open space is slightly removed from the walls. If he covers the open space with valid skhakh and the walls are no more than four cubits from the skhakh, then the sukkah is valid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
סוכה גדולה – all where if he would take the festive covering of the Sukkah, it would be invalid, for there would remain seven handbreadths by seven handbreadths of festive covering, it would be valid. This is a large Sukkah.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
A large sukkah which was surrounded with material which is invalid for skhakh, if there is a space of four cubits beneath it, it is invalid. This final case is pretty much the same halakhic situation as that in the first two. Again, a person has a sukkah in which there is some distance from the skhakh in the middle to the walls on the side. If he fills in this gap with material that is invalid for a sukkah (perhaps he does not have enough kosher material which he can use) than the sukkah is valid. Obviously, in all three cases in the mishnah, when he goes to sit or dwell in the sukkah, he must sit underneath valid skhakh.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
שהקיפוה בדבר שאין מסככין בו – and especially from the side we say that invalid S’khakh does not invalidate other than four cubits, for we require that the wall is curved, but in the middle of the Sukkah, it invalidates if it is four cubits, but the empty space where there is no festive covering at all whether in the middle or from the side, invalidates at three handbreadths.
