| פרק ב - משנה ד | |
| העושה סכתו בין האילנות | One who builds his succah between two trees |
| והאילנות דפנות לה | and the trees are its walls |
| כשרה | it is valid. |
| שלוחי מצוה | Those engaged in the fulfillment of a mitzvah |
| פטורין מן הסכה | are relieved of [their duty to do the mitzvah of] succah; |
| חולין ומשמשיהן | the sick and their attendants |
| פטורין מן הסכה | are relieved of [their duty to do the mitzvah of] succah; |
| אוכלין ושותין עראי | we eat and drink casually [i.e. in amounts too small and not intended to constitute a meal] |
| חוץ לסכה | outside of the succah. |
| פרק ב - משנה ה | |
| מעשה | There was a story |
| והביאו לו לרבן יוחנן בן זכאי | where they brought to Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai |
| לטעום את התבשיל | to taste some cooked food |
| ולרבן גמליאל | and to Rabban Gamliel |
| שתי כותבות ודלי של מים | two dates and a bucket of water |
| ואמרו העלום לסכה | and they said "bring them up to the succah"; |
| וכשנתנו לו לרבי צדוק | but when they gave to Rebbi Tsadok |
| אכל פחות מכביצה | less than an egg's volume of food |
| נטלו במפה | he took it in a napkin |
| ואכלו חוץ לסכה | and ate it outside of the succah |
| ולא ברך אחריו | and did not recite a bracha afterwards |
NOTES
משנה ד
העושה סכתו בין האילנות - There are different opinions as to how this differs from the cases of the previous mishna. It appears that רע"ב, the מלאכת שלמה as well as רש"י on the גמרא in מסכת סכה believe then when the previous mishna said that a wall was "באילן", what is meant is that the wall in question, as well as the corresponding floor of the succah, was man-made but supported by the succah, while the instant case the walls themselves are formed by the trees. תוספות and רש"י in מסכת שבת say that both mishnas are talking about walls formed by trees, but that in the previous mishna the s'chach rested in the walls, while here a framework separate from the tree-walls supports the s'chach.
שלוחי מצוה - This is based on the rule that העוסק במצוה פטור מן המצוה, and applies not just at the time that the person is actually engaged in the mitzvah, but also, for example, during the time that one is traveling in order to fulfill the mitzvah.
חולין - This does not require an extreme illness; the mitzvah of succah merely does not require one to be uncomfortable doing it - similarly, one is allowed to leave the succah due to an unpleasant odor.
משנה ה
ואמרו העלום לסכה - Although these were two cases of אכילת עראי, and so מן הדין they were not required to go into the succah, the mishna is teaching us that it is praisworthy to avoid even אכילת עראי outside of the succah.
אכל פחות מכביצה - This measurement is not relevant to הלכות סכה, as even more than that amount could be considered אכילת עראי. Rather it is mentioned here for reasons explained below.
נטלו המפה - According to some, this was done out of cleanliness, and if he had been obligated to wash מן הדין, the use of a barrier between the hands and the food would not have relieved him of that obligation except בשאת הדחק, while others say that Rebbi Tsadok was a cohen, and as a frequent consumer of טרומה, which required נטילת ידים, he would always wash his hands before handling any food. As the food in this case was less than an egg in volume, such a barrier would be acceptable.
ולא ברך אחריו - Rebbi Tsadok held like Rebbi Yehuda, that the minimum amount for a ברכה אחרונה is כביצה; we hold like Rebbi Meir that it is כזית.
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