Building the Sukkah: Difference between revisions

# If one builds a kosher sukkah, but the walls falls, whether they fall before Sukkot or during Sukkot, the Sukkah is still kosher when you put the walls back up, and this is not a violation of taaseh vilo min Haasuy.<ref> Chazon Ovadia Sukkot pg. 40, Kaf Hachaim 635:18; Pekudat Elazer 630, Mikraei Kodesh Sukkot 1:11; Shevet Halevi 7:56 and 8:146 </ref> However, some Poskim rule that if this occurred before Sukkot one is required to replace the Sechach.<ref>Rav Poalim 1:34; 3:40</ref>

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# The minimum number of walls necessary for a [[Sukkah]] is 3 of length 7 [[Tefachim]]. <ref> The Mishna Sukkah 2a states that a sukkah requires only three walls. The Gemara (Sukkah 6b) quotes a Tosefta (Sukkah 1:9) which records a dispute about how many walls are needed for a sukkah. The Rabbis hold that a sukkah requires two full walls and a third wall of at least a tefach, while Rabbi Shimon holds that a sukkah requires three full walls and a fourth wall of at least a tefach. The Shulchan Aruch 630:2 rules in accordance with the Rabbis. The Chaye Adam (146:3) writes that it is preferable to construct a sukkah of four complete walls, however, he agrees that this is not required.</ref> It's possible to build the third wall without having to complete it but see footnote for details. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 630:2 according to the explanation of the Mishna Brurah 630:6 the third wall doesn't have to be a full wall of 7 [[Tefachim]] but must still look like a wall and so it's permissible to build two walls next to each other (say one is from southwest to southeast and the other is southeast to northeast) and then a third wall (from northeast to northwest) constructed with a wall which is more than one [[Tefach]] thick within 3 [[Tefachim]] to one of the two other walls (within 3 [[Tefachim]] of the northeast corner) and also a pole at the end of 7 [[Tefachim]] (7 [[Tefachim]] from the northeast corner) and a pole on top of the more than one [[tefach]] wall and the pole at the end of 7 [[Tefachim]]. See picture. [[Image:Minimum_sukkah.png | 100px | right]]</ref>

# If the third wall is a complete wall of 7 tefachim the sukkah is valid even if it far from the other walls.<ref> Chut Shani (Sukkah p. 225), cf. Rama 630:3 </ref>

# Sephardim hold that one may create the walls of the sukkah by placing several poles within three tefachim of each other. This is true whether the poles are placed horizontally or vertically. <ref> Kaf Hachaim 630:18 writes that one may create a sukkah with three walls by placing poles within 3 tefachim of each other, either horizontally or vertically. Chazon Ovadia pp. 5-6 agrees and thus allows building a sukkah on a porch enclosed on three sides by bars with less than three tefachim space between them.  </ref> Ashkenazim allow this only if one either one makes 4 walls with lavud or has cloth walls in addition to the 3 lavud walls.<ref>Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach in Halichot Shlomo (7:2, p. 98). However, Tosfot (Sukkah 16b s.v. bifachot) holds that one cannot create a wall completely based on lavud, meaning, one cannot make entire walls of either vertical or horizontal beams within three tefachim of each other. Magen Avraham 630:1 writes that Tosfot would validate a sukkah with walls made of only vertical or horizontal beams if the sukkah has four walls. Mishna Brurah 630:7 rules like this Magen Avraham, but in Shaar Hatziyun 630:49 he allows the use of vertical or horizontal beams to construct a three-walled sukkah when clothes are used to form the walls. In this case, even if one is strict to not use cloth, one can be lenient because the lavud walls would serve as backup if the cloth did untie. Chazon Ish 75:12 is strict even if one builds four walls with these beams, against the Magen Avraham. </ref>

==Building a Sukkah in the street==

# If there's no room on private property to build a [[Sukkah]] and the city leaders (mayor) give permission, it's permissible to build it in the public street however one should make sure that the [[Sukkah]] doesn't to block walkers (traffic). <ref> Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach in Halichot Shlomo (7:11, pg 109) </ref>