Sukkah 31 - Shabbat August 7, 29 Av

Pictures

A stolen sukkah – can it be used? Rabbi Eliezer forbids and the rabbis permit. Rav Nachman limits the case in which they disagree – only in a case where one kicked another out of his sukkah, but all would agree if one stole wood and used it to build a sukkah, it would be permitted to use the sukkah and one would only need to return the value of the stolen wood. In the vein, the gemara bring a story of an elderly woman who came to Rav Nachman complaining that the Exilarch and the rabbis were sitting in a sukkah made of stolen wood of hers. When he ignored her, she continued to scream and he turned to the rabbis and said that she has no claim and all she can demand is the value of the wood. A braita is quoted that said “dry is disqualified by the rabbis but Rabbi Yehuda permits.” What is the subject of the braita? Rava claims it is referring to a lulav, but an etrog needs to be beautiful, hadar. First the gemara questions by bringing seemingly contradictory sources: Does Rabbi Yehuda really not require that a lulav be beautiful? Then they question whether Rabbi Yehuda really requires that the etrog be beautiful. Eventually they reject Rava’s claim as it seems clear the Rabbi Yehuda does not require hadar, beauty for lulav or etrog. The gemara then questions that assumption from various sources that could indicate that Rabbi Yehuda requires beauty by etrog. What is a lulav of ashera and a city of Jews that worshipped idols disqualified?