[Avodah] When no sukkah is available

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

I have always been intrigued by the manner in which Chazal describe the person who is very careful about Sukkah.

They could have said that "Anyone who goes out of his way, and even brings water to the Sukkah to drink it, haray zeh meshubach." In fact, I believe this would have been the simplest explanation of the story in Mishna Sukkah 2:5, where some Achilas Arai was brought to the Tannaim, and they went out of their way to eat it in the sukkah. 

But that is *not* the message that Chazal teach us from that story. They went further, and said, "Anyone who avoids drinking outside of the Sukkah, even water, haray zeh meshubach." (Mechaber O"C 639:2)

Suppose a person is in a place where no sukkah is available or convenient, and he must choose between drinking water outside the sukkah, or not drinking the water at all. It is unquestionably muttar to drink the water outside the sukkah, but Chazal teach that the person who forgoes the water is meshubach.

To me, this is a reasonable conclusion, but I've never heard or seen it put in such stark terms. If I am mistaken, then why did Chazal praise the one "who avoids drinking outside the Sukkah", rather than the one who brings his water *to* the Sukkah? Could I be reading too much into the phrasing?

Akiva Miller


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