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FURTHER IYUN – ESSAYS FROM THE MANHIGUT TORANIT PARTICIPANTS

The nature of the obligation to sleep in the sukkah

The Source “How so (does a person render his Sukkah his
permanent residence)? If he has nice dishes he places
The source for the entire mitzvah of the mukkah is
learned from the passuk (Vayikra 23:42): them in the Sukkah, nice beddings he places them in
the Sukkah, he eats, drinks and relaxes in the Sukkah”.
ּוב ׁ ְ שֵי ל ֵ א ָ רׂ ְ שִי ְּ ב ח ָ רְז ֶ א ָ ה ל ָּ כ םי ִ מָי ת ַ ע ְ ב ׁ ִ ש ּוב ׁ ְ ש ֵּ ת ת ּ ֹכ ֻּ ס ַּ ב We immediately notice that the Gemara does not
ת ּ ֹכ ֻּ ס ַּ ב mention explicitly the obligation to sleep in the
How should we translate this passuk? The literal Sukkah. This is even puzzling since in another sugya
translation is “You shall sit in the sukkah for seven the Gemara states that not only is there an obligation
days, all citizens in Israel shall sit in the Succot”. to sleep in the Sukkah, but the obligation to eat is less
However, is this the real motivation of the Torah, severe than that of sleeping:
that we should literally sit in the sukkah for seven “The Sages taught: you may eat a temporary meal
complete days? Obviously, the Torah’s intention is outside the Sukkah, but you may not sleep even
not that the Sukkah should become some sort of a temporary (brief) sleep (i.e a nap) outside the
prison . So perhaps the translation of “ובשת” is not Sukkah. What is the difference between them? Rav
1
literal but figurative – to live, as we find in many Ashi said: a nap is forbidden lest he falls into a deep
places in the Tanach . Accordingly, the Pasuk should sleep… Rava said: there is no such a thing as a nap”
2
be translated thus: “You shall live in the Sukkot seven (Gemara ibid 26a).
days…”, or more precisely the way Chazal define it:
Rashi (ibid sv. “Rava said”) explains that halachically
“All seven days of Sukkot, a person renders his there is no difference between a long deep sleep and
Sukkah as his permanent residence and his house the a short nap, since there are times that a short nap is
temporary one.” (Misnah Sukkah 2:9) enough in order to rejuvenate a person, and therefore
The Gemara (Sukkah 28b) brings down the source: even a nap is considered a substantial sleep and is
“From where do we learn this? The Sages taught: forbidden outside the Sukkah. This opinion is also
“you shall live” (in the Sukkot) the same way that you brought down in the Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 639:2).
live (dwell) in your homes (all year long)”. So, if we must sleep in the Sukkah, why is it not
Living the same way that we dwell in our homes mentioned in the Gemara above?
includes placing in the Sukkah one’s important
furniture, dishes and linens, as well as using it for
our basic daily activities, such as eating and drinking The Definition
(Gemara ibid). However, what about sleeping? Is There are two possible ways to solve the question.
that part of “living” in the Sukkah just like eating or One option is to explain that the Gemara just brought
not? The Gemara (ibid) states as follows: down some examples of “living” in the Sukkah, (but
it wasn’t an all-inclusive list) and sleeping as well, is
1 See MB Dirshu 639 note 3, in the name of the Chazon Ish.
2 For instance, Bereshit 4:16, 13:18, 20:1, and many more. However, the Yerushalmi (Sukkah 2:10) brings the example of Devarim 11:31 “and you
shall possess it and dwell in it”, regarding Eretz Yisrael. Perhaps the Yerushalmi holds that true dwelling is only Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael.

128 · Hilchot Sukkah Tzurba M’Rabanan