Commentary for Sukkah 3:20

"But Rabbi Yehuda would deem [it] fit" - In the Gemara, this difference of opinion is explained.

Or it is less than ten [tefahim] tall - The reason is explained in the Gemara.

Three sides - The Gemara will also explain this.

An alley ("mavoi") which is closed on three sides and its head is open to the public domain and courtyards are open to it and they lead to and from the public domain -- see, it is private domain for the people who live around those courtyards. The Sages close it [to prevent] exit from its [private] domain to the [public] domain without an eruv, for each courtyard is its own domain and the alley is the domain of all of them. So the Sages obligate [the residents of the adjoining courtyards] to form a fictitious partnership -- each [resident of] the adjoining courtyards partners [to buy] bread or wine and they place [the bread or wine] in the "shittuf" [the area created through the fictitious partnership] as one. And because it doesn't have a fourth partition and it [appears] very similar to the public domain -- [the Sages] obligated [the residents of the adjacent courtyards to place] an indication at the top of the opening [of the alley] into the public domain or to erect a stake [near the entrance] or [to hang] a beam from one wall to the other. If the beam is higher than twenty armslengths, they should lower it.

Mishnah: A Sukkah which is taller than etc. The explanation is that the 'schach' itself is referred to as 'sukkah' in most places, but sometimes 'sukkah' refers to the 'schach' and the walls. And it established in the first perek of Eruvin that it taught about the space within the sukkah [and also] the space of a mavoi (entrance to a courtyard), this is coming to say that a sukkah is only invalid if the space within the sukkah is larger than 20 amot, and this is why it [the Mishnah] uses the language of "taller than 20", and we established over there [], that these 20 amot are amot comprised of 6 tefachim according to everyone, as was elucidated later on. And thus, you ... in every place. And the Gemara will explain the reason why this is invalid.

And Rabbi Yehuda renders it valid: The Gemara will explain the reason.

He does not need to - The reason is explained there [in Tractate Eruvin].

And its height can't be lower than ten tefachim: Explained, that 'schach' is not considered 'schach' unless there is space of ten tefachim below it, as it is stated in the gemara [later on].

And if it does not have three walls: In the Gemara, this is explained.

And if its [proportion of] sun is greater than its [proportion of] shade: Explained, that it is not considered 'schach' even according to Rabbi Yehuda, as everyone was only arguing on the first clause [in the Mishnah] alone. And then you will say; but was it not that Rabbi Yehuda does not need shade for 'schach', as he renders a sukkah taller than 20 amot kosher, because [in that case] there is no shade from the 'schach', rather only schach from walls, as is written in the Gemara. There is to say [i.e. answer], that Rabbi Yehuda doesn't need the 'schach' to actually produce shade, nonetheless he needs the 'schach' to have the ability to produce shade, because without this, it can't be called 'schach' at all, since everyone holds that 'schach' needs to produce shade. And this is right.

Sukkah with many statements - ...and the methods of repairing each are different, so it was necessary to change the wording for each method of repair. For example, if it is too tall, lower it, or if it is not tall enough, raise it, or if it does not have three walls, build one, or if its sunlight is greater than its shade, add sekhakh. Thus it was concise and taught "invalid," since we are able to encompass everything with "invalid," as we hold (Pesakhim 3b), "A person shall teach his student in a concise way."

Mavoi, without many statements - ...in the same Mishnah.

And a sukkah will be for shade - [from which we can draw the] logical conclusion that the covering is only made for shade.

Ashteroth Karnayim - Two large mountains and a valley between them. Because of the height of the mountains, the sun does not shine into the valley.

[If] you remove the walls, there is no shade of the sukkah - If sun comes from below, it is found that [the sukkah] is invalid.

Higher than twenty [amot] - One needs to make their foundations and their partitions permanent so [the building] does not fall.