Those out on a religious mission are exempt from [the mitzvah of living in] the sukkah, however it is said: "It is no praise for a man to leave his house during the festival." There is a story of Rabbi Ilai, that he went to visit Rabbi Elieser in Lud. He said to him, What does this mean, Ilai? Are you not one of those who rest on the festival? Is it not said, It is no praise for man to leave his house during the festival since it is said, And thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy house? The sick and their attendants are exempt from observance of the festival ; and not only one who is dangerously ill, but even one who has a headache or a pain in his eyes. Rabbi Simeon ben Gamaliel said: Once I was in Csesarea with pain in my eyes, and R. Jose allowed me and my attendant to sleep outside the sukkah. Rabbi said, "Once I and Rabbi Elieser ben Rabbi Zadok were visiting Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri at Beth-Shearim, and we were eating figs and grapes outside the sukkah, and Rabbi was saying, 'Every sukkah which is not four cubits square is not valid.'" But the sages say, "If it contains space for the head, and the greater part of the body only, it is valid." There is a story of the men of Jerusalem that they were lowering their beds through windows which were ten handbreadths high, and were sleeping under them. A lath roof prolonged beyond the walls of a sukkah is to be judged like a sukkah. The watchmen of the city who watch by day are exempt from the law of the sukkah by day, but under obligation by night; those who watch by day and by night are exempted both by day and by night. Travellers are under obligation by night, but exempted by day. Keepers of gardens and parks are exempted both by day and by night. Said Rabbi Eliezer ben Rabbi Zadok: When I was studying Torah with Rabbi Yohanan the Horohite, I observed him eating his bread dry, for those were years of scarcity. I went and told my father, who said to me: Take him some olives. So I took some to him. He took them and looked at them; but when he saw that they were moist he said to me, I do not eat moist olives. So I went and told my father, who said to me, go and tell him that the olive (bottle) is perforated according to the laws of the school of Hillel, but the lees have stopped it up, to show that one may eat profane things from no impure motive. So though he was a disciple of the school of Shammai he was guided by the opinions of the school of Hillel. Should one eat in the sukkah and rain falls, and one leaves it, even if the rain ceases, we do not oblige him to return and finish his meal. Should one be sleeping in the sukkah and rain falls, and one leaves it, even if the rain ceases we do not oblige him to return until he wake up again. On account of four things are the luminaries eclipsed: on account of writing forgeries, on account of breeding small cattle, on account of bearing false witness, and on account of cutting down good trees. On account of four things the property of householders in Israel is confiscated by the government: on account of delaying a satisfied bond of indebtedness, on account of lending on interest, on account of promising and not performing, on account of offering to remit a debt and not doing so. When the luminaries are eclipsed it is a bad omen to the whole world. What is this to be compared to? To a king who made a feast and notified the wayfarers; he was angry with them, and bade the steward remove the lamp from before them, so that they were all sitting in darkness. Rabbi Meir says: When the luminaries are eclipsed it is an ill omen to the enemies of Israel. What is this to be compared to? To a teacher who went to a secondary school, and said, "Bring me a strap." Who is more afraid? The child who is accustomed to being beaten. When the sun is eclipsed it is a bad omen to the nations of the world; when the moon is eclipsed it is a bad omen to the nations of the world, but a good omen to Israel; for the Gentiles reckon time from the sun, but Israel reckons time from the moon; when it is eclipsed in the east, it is a bad omen to the dwellers in the east; when in the west, it is a bad omen to the dwellers in the west; when in the center, it is a bad omen to the whole world. When the sun and the moon are turned as it were to blood, punishment by the sword comes on the world, punishment by pestilence and by famine. When they are eclipsed at the time of their rising punishment tarries in coming; when at the time of their setting punishment hastens to come; but there are those who say just the reverse of this. There is no nation punished whose gods are not punished with it, as it is said, "And against all the gods of Egypt, etc." When Israel is busied in the study of Torah it is not troubled by these things, for it is said, "Thus said God, Learn not the way of the nations, etc." [Jerimiah 10] A palm-branch which is dried up, or whose top is broken, is not valid. A willow of a naturally watered field, or a mountain willow, is valid. If this is so, why is it said, "Willows of the brook?" [Leviticus 23] To exclude the tsaphtsaph. What is the tsaphtsaph? It has leaves serrated like a saw, and such a willow is not valid; its stem is white and its leaf rounded. A myrtle and a willow which have been lopped, and palms coming out between them, are valid. The size of a myrtle and a willow must be three handbreadths, that of a palm-branch four. Rabbi Tarphon says: In a cubit there are five handbreadths. As for these four kinds of plants, just as nothing must be taken away from them so must nothing be added to them. If one does not have a citron, he must not take in his hand a quince, or any other fruit. Withered fruits are valid, but dried ones are not valid. Rabbi Yehudah, however, says that even dried-up ones are valid. And again he says: There is a story of the men of Carbin that they used to transmit their lulavs in the time of persecution. They said to him, The time of persecution is no proof. A lulav, whether bound or not bound is valid. Rabbi Yehudah says, "One bound is valid, but one not bound is not valid." One must not tie it together on the day of the festival; but one can draw out a twig from it, and bind it. "They do not bind the lulav but with its own kind" - the words of Rabbi Yehudah. Rabbi Meir says, "It may be tied even with a cord." He also says, "There is a story of the men of Jerusalem, that they were binding their lulavs with gold bands." They said to him, "Do you seek a proof from this?" The fact is, they were binding them with their own kind beneath the gold bands! Rabbi Eleazar ben Rabbi Zadok said: Thus were the men of Jerusalem accustomed to do: each went to the synagogue with his lulav in his hand; when he stood up to interpret or when he passed before the ark, the lulav was in his hand; when he stood up to read the Law or to lift up his hands he laid the lulav on the ground;⁠a when he went forth from the synagogue he held the lulav in his hand; with it in his hand he went forth to comfort mourners; with it in his hand he went to visit the sick; when he went to the college he then gave it to his servant, who carried it back again to his house. On the first day of the festival no man fulfills his duty with his neighbor's lulav, except if he has given it to him as a real gift. There is a story of Rabban Gamaliel and the elders who were going on board a ship and had no lulav with them. Rabban Gamaliel bought a lulav for a gold denarius, and when he had fulfilled his duty with it, he gave it as a real gift to his fellows, and when they had in turn passed it on and fulfilled their duty they returned it to him. Rabbi Yose said, "On the first day of the festival, after one has fulfilled his duty with the lulav, he is forbidden to remove it."