Eating in the Sukkah: Analyzing the Dispute Between R. Eliezer and Hakhamim (Sukkah 2:6)

The Mishnah (Sukkah 2:6) records a dispute between R. Eliezer and the Hakhamim as to whether there is a minimum amount of meals that must be eaten in the Sukkah during the week of Sukkot; both positions are difficult on a number of counts and the expected resolution - in favor of Hakhamim's "no set amount" ruling seems inevitable; yet both their final ruling as well as the eventual history of the practice in Eretz Yisrael is not nearly as clear as it seems.

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