Sukkah 3b 24 Teves, 5780. Jan 20, 2020

Topics discussed. 

1- Our Gemara enumerates various places where the Torah uses the term בית and the minimum measurement is 4 x 4 Amos. 

‘A house in which there is not an area of four cubits by four cubits (about 6’ x 6’) is not considered a house. Consequently, it is exempt from the mitzvah of placing a mezuzah on its doorpost’. 

And that is the Halocho. Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De’ah 286:13. See here. 

2- We spoke about the opinion of the Rambam that the 4 x 4 Amos need not be square; meaning, that as long as it has 16 Amos squared it is considered a בית.  So a rectangular room or closet would be חייב במזוזה. 

However, some argue and say that it needs to be a minimum of 4 x 4 – length and width. See the ש”ך  there (23) that one should affix the mezuzah in a room that is not 4 x 4 square without a ברכה.

3- We mentioned the interesting dialogue between the בנין ציון and the מהר”מ שיק. See here. 

 יעקב אטלינגר- ערוך לנר 

The Binyan Tzion, AKA as the ערוך לנר lived in Altoona. See here a letter he wrote in German that was auctioned off. 

The case in question is where to affix a mezuzah on the entrance of a small foyer that leads to a large room. Right side or left side. 

What we discussed was the Binyan Tzion’s idea of affixing two mezuzas! One on each side of the door to alleviate the doubt as to which side to put it upon. 

The מהר”מ שיק countered that there is an issue of בל תוסיף. One may not do a mitzvah twice. 

The classic case of בל תוסיף is if one has a coat with five corners, we need to tie ציצית to four corners only. If one adds ציצית to the fifth corner that is בל תוסיף

On the other hand, we do put on two pairs of Tefillin? Why is that not בל תוסיף?

The answer is that only one pair is right. Rashi or Rabeinu Tam. 

• At least according to נגלה דתורה. We spoke many years ago about the amazing story in the סדר הדורות concerning this famous מחלוקת. 

So the second pair is – nothing. So there is no בל תוסיף.

The case of the 5 cornered coat, the four corners are kosher ציצית, so adding a fifth is בל תוסיף. 

Our case, of a doubt on which side of the door to place the mezuzah, if we put up 2 mezuzas, is that like the 5th corner of a בגד,  or is that like Rashi and Rabeinu Tam? 

To be continued.