Sukkah 21a — the Talmud in English

Because he

derives

by a gzera shava

“

tent”

tent”

from the Tabernacle—

It is written here,

concerning a tent in the ritual impurity of a corpse: “This is the law: When a person dies in an

tent, anyone who enters the tent and anything that is in the tent shall be impure for seven days”—

everyone who enters the tent and everything that is in the tent shall be impure for seven days”—

and it is written there,

concerning the goat-hair curtains that covered the Tabernacle:

“And he spread the

tent

over the Tabernacle”—

Just as there,

in the Tabernacle, there was a tent

made by human hands,

so it was,

also here,

in the ritual impurity of a corpse, a tent

made by human hands

is required.

And we explain:

But the Rabbis,

who disagree with Rabbi Judah, their reason is: Because “

tent” “

tent”

increases,

that is: many tents are written in the passage concerning a tent in the ritual impurity of a corpse, to include a tent made on its own.

And we raise an objection:

And

is it so that

Rabbi Judah holds that any tent not made by human hands is not a tent?!

And we juxtapose [a contradiction]:

We learned in a Mishna in tractate Parah: They would render impure the koen who burned the red cow, and immerse him immediately, and he would burn the cow before sunset; and the reason they did this was to refute the view of the Sadducees, who would say that he is fit specifically after sunset.

And since one immersed that day is fit for the red cow, the Sages made many stringencies concerning it so that people would not treat it lightly; and they decreed that every act of the red cow be performed with vessels of dung, vessels of stone, and earthen vessels, which do not receive ritual impurity; and the Sages required the koen who burned the red cow to be separated for seven days before its burning, and his fellow kohanim would not touch him, and they sprinkled upon him from the ashes of the red cow all seven days in order to purify him.

And they further instituted for this reason an additional stringency concerning the drawing of the water for the water of purification: They would guard those who drew the water with an additional guarding, even from the ritual impurity of the depths, that is: perhaps they would become impure from the ritual impurity of a grave that is in the ground, for the impurity breaks through and rises up to the firmament. And they would perform this guarding only with one who drew the water of purification, but not with the one who burned the cow, since it is impossible to guard him from a seminal emission, because the red cow may be burned only by an adult who has experienced a seminal emission, and they were not concerned about an emission that occurred without sensation; and since this is so, they did not guard him even from the ritual impurity of the depths, unlike the drawing of the water, for they would take children up to seven or eight years old, concerning whom there was no concern that perhaps they had experienced a seminal emission [Ritva; and see Tosafot].

There were courtyards in Jerusalem built upon the rock, and beneath them was an empty space because of the grave of the depths

[a doubtful grave] , and because of the empty space above the grave, the impurity does not break through and render impure the one sitting upon the rock.

And they would bring pregnant and postpartum women there

upon the rock,

and raise their sons there for the sake of the red cow.

And

when they needed to draw water from the Shiloah spring in order to sanctify the water of purification, they would

bring oxen, and upon them doors, and children sitting upon them

so that they would not become impure through the grave of the depths, for the doors interposed before the impurity,

and stone cups

that do not receive ritual impurity

in their hands,

for all the acts of the red cow were performed with stone vessels and the like, which do not receive ritual impurity—

The children reached

the

S

hiloah spring,

descended

the children

into the water and filled them

from the waters of the Shiloah, for the cups in their hands,

and the children ascended

and

sat for themselves

on the doors—

And they would proceed until they reached the Temple Mount; and when they reached the Temple Mount, they would descend and proceed on foot, for the Temple Mount and the courtyards had an empty space beneath them because of the grave of the depths, and at the entrance to the courtyard they would take the ashes and place them in the water in the cups [Meiri].

Rabbi Yosei says:

The children would not descend from the oxen, but

from his place he would lower

and fill, because of the grave of the depths;

whereas the Sages hold: “drawing” is required, and not that he lower [the vessel] with a rope.

And it was taught likewise: Rabbi Judah says: They would not bring doors, but oxen,

whose bellies were broad, and this was the tent that interposed against the impurity.

And this is difficult for Rabbi Judah, who holds that a tent not made by human hands is not a tent, from his own words in this beraita: But the oxen—for they are a tent not made by human hands—and it teaches: Rabbi Judah says: They would not bring doors, but oxen!?

When Rav Dimi came, Rabbi Elazar said:

Rabbi Judah stated his view only concerning a tent one handbreadth wide, but

Rabbi Judah concedes

that the bellies of the oxen constitute a tent that is wide

as much as the fistful

,

and this is the fist of Ben Avtichai, which is as large as the head of any person.

It was also taught likewise: And Rabbi Judah concedes concerning overhanging rocks [rocks that fall and break apart through the wind, with a large hole in the place from which they were uprooted]

and concerning clefts in the rocks

[splits in the rocks], that although it is not a tent made by human hands, it is a tent, since they are wide as much as a fistful.

And we are astonished:

But what of a door, which has several fistfuls

from the ground to the door [Rashi],

and it teaches: Rabbi Judah says: They would not bring doors, but oxen.

And it entered our minds that they would not bring doors because this is not the normal manner of a tent; if so, it is difficult: all the more so [they should not bring] oxen [Rashi]?!

The initial understanding was that they did not bring doors because this is not the usual manner of making a tent; if so, the difficulty regarding the oxen is even stronger [Rashi]!?

Abaye said:

This is what Rabbi Judah is saying:

It was not necessary to bring doors,

for the oxen themselves were sufficient; however, doors too would be acceptable.

Rava said:

Rabbi Judah is indeed saying this:

They would not bring doors at all,

but the reason is not as it entered our minds; rather,

because the child’s mind is self-assured toward it

[he feels secure] when sitting on a door and is not afraid of falling, there is concern

that perhaps he will put out his head or one of his limbs, and become impure ![](pamud.bmp "

Exact folio location")

through the grave of the depths—

and therefore they would bring oxen and not doors, because, since he is afraid of falling from them, he does not put his head beyond the width of the ox, and he does not become impure.