Daf Yomi - Sukkah 24 - Huff n' Puff and Blow those Walls Down

The Gemara states that the walls of a Sukkah have to be able to withstand a usual wind. The Rambam in his commentary to the Mishnayos writes that the walls of the Sukkah must be strong enough that the wind will not blow them down. It would seem from the words of the Rambam that it is sufficient if the walls do not fall down, even if they sway in the wind. From Rabbi Yosef Kapach’s edition of the Rambam, however, it appears that the Rambam maintains that the walls cannot sway at all. The Ritva writes explicitly that the walls cannot sway. Sefer Emek Bracha understands the Rambam in Mishneh Torah to be in accordance with the opinion of the Ritva. There is a Halacha LeMoshe MiSinai that states that the walls must be sturdy enough that they do not sway in the wind. This would also be the explanation of the Magen Avraham’s ruling that if the Sukkah was enclosed and the walls were such that if the Sukkah was located outside, the walls would fall, the Sukkah is invalid. The reason for this is because there is a Halacha LeMoshe MiSinai that states that the walls must be strong and if the walls are not sturdy enough, the Sukkah is deemed to be lacking walls and the Sukkah is thus invalid. Based on this reasoning, we can resolve a question that is posed by some of the Acharonim. The Acharonim wonder what the Halacha would be if a Sukkah has sturdy walls but it cannot withstand an unusual wind. When an unusual wind blows and the walls sway in the wind, is the Sukkah still deemed to be valid while the walls are blowing? We can suggest that the Sukkah would be valid because the requirement of a Sukkah wall is that the wall can withstand a usual wind and a Sukkah with sturdy walls can certainly withstand a usual wind. Although the Sukkah sways in the wind, we are not concerned and the Sukkah is deemed to be valid.