Eruvin 82

ותנן נמי גבי סוכה כי האי גוונא קטן שאין צריך לאמו חייב בסוכה

And we also learned a similar halakha in a mishna with regard to a sukka: A child who does not need his mother is obligated in the mitzvah of sukkah by rabbinical law, so that he will be trained in the observance of mitzvot.

והוינן בה ואיזהו קטן שאין צריך לאמו אמרי דבי רבי ינאי כל שנפנה ואין אמו מקנחתו

And we discussed this mishna and raised a question: But who is the child who does not need his mother? The Sages of the school of Rabbi Yannai said: This is referring to any child who defecates and his mother does not wipe him. A child who can clean himself is considered sufficiently mature for the purposes of the halakha of sukka.

רבי שמעון בן לקיש אמר כל שניעור ואינו קורא אמא אמא סלקא דעתך גדולים נמי קרו אלא אימא כל שניעור  משנתו ואינו קורא אימא אימא

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Any child who wakens from sleep and does not call: Mother, is obligated in the mitzva of sukka. The Gemara expresses surprise at this statement: Can it enter your mind that every child who cries: Mother is considered to be one who needs his mother? Much older children also call out to their mothers for assistance when they awaken. Rather, say that the halakha includes any child who wakens from sleep and does not persistently call: Mother, Mother. A minor who arises only when his mother comes is classified as one who needs his mother.

וכמה כבר ארבע כבר חמש

The Gemara continues. The Sages who discussed the mishna asked: And at what age is a child no longer considered to be in need of his mother? Such a child is one about four years old or about five years old, as some children become independent of their mothers earlier than others. This poses a difficulty to the opinion of Rav Asi, who maintains that even a six-year-old child is considered to be in need of his mother, and may go out by means of his mother’s eiruv.

Mishna Succah 28a

קטן שאינו צריך לאמו חייב בסוכה מעשה וילדה כלתו של שמאי הזקן ופיחת את המעזיבה וסיכך על גבי המטה בשביל קטן:

A minor who does not need his mother any longer is obligated in the mitzva. There was an incident where the daughter-in-law of Shammai the Elder gave birth just before Sukkot, and Shammai removed the coat of plaster from the roof, leaving the beams, and roofed with the beams over the bed for the newborn minor.

Shammai the Elder considered it important for an infant to be in the Succah, even though the infant obviously is not capable of spiritual intention.

The Rashash, quoting the Penei Yehoshua asks the obvious question:

במשנה מעשה וילדה כו' וסיכך כו' בשביל קטן. הפ"י תמה איך שייך חינוך בקטן ב"י ונעלם מכ"ת דברי מהרש"ל ביבמות (ט"ו) שפי' שהיה לה קטן אחר שהיה צריך לאמו ולא זז ממנה ובשבילו סכך וש"י וכ"מ לשון הר"ן וא"ש  דל"ת וילדה בן

How is it relevant for an infant to fulfill the mitzvah of chinuch?  Rashash offers a clever answer.  The mom had two children; one old enough for chinuch but mom could not leave another child who was an infant.  Therefore, they made a hole in the roof for the older child, so he can keep the mitzvah of chinuch while mom still stayed with the infant.  Rashash provides an excellent proof from the text of the Mishna.  Why does the Mishna need to add the point that “the daughter-in-law of Shammai the Elder gave birth just before Sukkos”, this implies a new situation on top of an old one, i.e. another child.

However, if the answer is true it also must imply at least according to Shammai the Elder, there can be a situation where a child is INTELLECTUALLY ready for the mitzvah of chinuch but still developmentally cannot part with his mother.  Otherwise why couldn’t the older boy just join his father. This is an important idea to keep in mind - sometimes the child and be intellectually ready for a mitzvah, but not developmentally ready. Sometimes parents want to take a bright child and Skip him or her a grade. Sometimes the child might be intellectually ready but not necessarily emotionally ready. It happens to be, in this case, Shammai the Elder was able to find the compromise because he was able to make a hole in the roof to allow the child to still stay with his mother. But the concept must not be made light of.   Do not rush a child despite their intellectual abilities if they are not emotionally prepared. Similarly, Meleches Shlomo ibid offers an important idea about the concept of Chinuch:

קטן שאין צריך לאמו חייב אביו או רבו להושיבו בסוכה. ואיתא ריש פ"ק דערכין. וכתב הר"ן ז"ל מדרבנן הוא דכה"ג שנפנה ואין אמו מקנחתו לדבי ר' ינאי או לר"ש בן לקיש שניעור משנתו ואינו קורא אימא אימא הגיע לחנוך קרינן ביה לענין סוכה וכל קטן שהגיע לחנוך חייב מדרבנן ואין החנוך שוה בכל מקום אלא כל חד וחד לפי עניינו דהכא תלינן באין צריך לאמו וגבי ראיה ביכול לעלות וכו' וגבי לולב ביודע לנענע וגבי ציצית ביודע להתעטף וגבי תורה ביודע לדבר כדאיתא בס"פ לולב הגזול ומשמע דאין צריך לאמו היינו מבן שש ולמעלה מדאמרינן בעירובין דקטן הצריך לאמו יוצא בעירוב אמו ופירשו התם עד בן שש שנים עכ"ל ז"ל:

The age of chinuch not only depends on the intelligence/maturity of the child but also depends on the particular mitzvah. Thus, Succah depends on the ability to manage in the Succah separate form mother, while aliya le-regel on yom tov depends on the ability of the child to travel, lulav on the ability to properly manage shaking the four species,Study of Torah when he begins to speak etc.

For Video version of this click here:

Do Not Make a Child Grow Up too Fast Psychology of the Daf Eruvin 82 Rabbi Simcha Feuerman LCSWR DHL

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria

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Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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