Building the Sukkah: Difference between revisions

===Arrangement of the walls===

#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>

#All materials are permissible to be for the walls of a [[Sukkah]] (see next halacha). Some say that that a pious person should preferably only  use materials that aren't Biblically unfit for [[S'chach]].<ref>The Mishna Sukkah 12a declares that all materials are valid for the walls. Shulchan Aruch 630:1 codifies this. Interestingly, the Bach OC 630:1 writes that a pious person should be strict for the Or Zarua (Hilchot Sukkah 2:289:2 quoted by Hagahot Ashri 1:24) who holds that one should not use materials that one may not use for schach for the walls of the sukkah, such as materials that are susceptible to impurity. The Biur Hagra 630:1 questions the Hagahot Ashri, since the Yerushalmi he quotes as a proof, in fact says exactly the opposite. Beiur Halacha s.v. Kol quotes two reasons that a pious person should be strict only to use materials that are not unfit biblically for [[S'chach]] based on the Bach siman 630, but quotes others who reject this stringency. See Chazon Ovadia [[Sukkot]] 1-2 for a list of poskim as well even though he allows the use of these materials. Chazon Ovadia pp. 1-2 as well as Aruch Hashulchan 630:1-2 both say that most achronim do not hold of this stringency and allow one to use materials that are mekabel tumah for the walls.  </ref> Nonetheless, one should avoid using any material that emits a foul odor.<ref>Rama 630:1</ref>

#Throughout the entire holiday, it is Biblically forbidden to derive benefit from any of the essential materials used in building the sukkah. Regarding these materials, a stipulation will not permit one to derive benefit from them.<ref>Mishna Brurah 638:1 explaining Shulchan Aruch there. See Tosfot (Sukkah 9a s.v. minayin). The Rama 638:1 notes that the essential materials of the sukkah can’t be used even if makes a stipulation that they should not be designated for a mitzvah.</ref>