Building the Sukkah: Difference between revisions

==Materials for walls of Sukkah==

# Many authorities hold that plastic curtains (tarp, canvas) are unfit for walls of a Sukkah, while others permit. [This is not because of an issue with the material itself but because of an issue with it blowing in the wind.] <Ref> Rav Ovadiah Yosef in Chazon Ovadyah (pg 1-5), Yabia Omer OC 9:59, and Yechave Daat 3:46, Rav Menashe Klein Mishnah Halachot 512, rav chaim zonnenfeld in salmat chaim 254 and Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach in Halichot Shlomo (Sukkah 7:1 pg 97) hold that plastic curtains that sway in the wind even slightly are unfit for walls of a Sukkah. However, Rav Moshe Feinstein in Sh”t Iggerot Moshe 5:40 permits if the curtains are thick and there are poles. [http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/764662/Rabbi_Hershel_Schachter/%D7%A2%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%99_%D7%99%D7%95%D7%94%D7%9B'%D7%A4_%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%AA Rav Hershel Schachter] (min 72-80) explains that even though the Chazon Ish (hilchot eruvin 13:6) was lenient most poskim are strict. Rav Schachter leaves an absolute guideline unclear but in a situation of extreme need one could rely on the Chazon Ish. </ref>

==S'chach of Sukkah==

# Bamboo mats made for S'chach which are 3x2 meters according to most poskim are fit for S'chach. <ref>Chazon Ovadyah (Sukkot pg 25-6). Halichot Shlomo (pg 128) and [http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/764662/Rabbi_Hershel_Schachter/%D7%A2%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%99_%D7%99%D7%95%D7%94%D7%9B'%D7%A4_%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%AA Rav Hershel Schachter] (min 78-79:30) are also lenient unlike Rav Elyashiv (quoted by Sh"t Shevet HaLevi 6:74) who is strict. </ref>

# The S'chach should be made so that there is a majority of shade and minority of sunlight that's let through the S'chach. If there's an equal amount of shade and sun in the actual S'chach it's unfit but if there's an equal amount of shade to light that shines on the floor of the Sukkah it's fit. <ref>S"A 631:1 and 4 </ref>

# It's preferable not to put the S'chach directly on top of walls which are made out of material that's unfit for S'chach. <ref> Mishna Brurah 630:59, Chazon Ovadyah (Sukkot pg 44) </ref>According to most leading authorities, however, it's permissible to place S'chach on top of a material that's fit for S'chach which is in turn held up by something that's unfit for S'chach. Therefore, if one has a metal frame one should place wooden planks on the frame and then S'chach on top of it. <ref>Mishna Brurah 629:26, BeYitzchak Yikra (Rav Nevensal) on that Mishna Brurah quoting Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Yabia Omer 10:46 and Chazon Ovadyah (Sukkot pg 44) are lenient unlike the Chazon Ish 143:2-3. [http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/764662/Rabbi_Hershel_Schachter/%D7%A2%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%99_%D7%99%D7%95%D7%94%D7%9B'%D7%A4_%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%AA Rav Hershel Schachter] (62:30-66:15) also seems to be lenient (listen for exact language). see Chelkat Yaakov 3:127, Minchat Shlomo 2:55 and Moadim u'zmanim 1:82. </ref> Bidieved, if the schach was placed directly on metal, it is kosher. <ref> Mishnah Berurah 629:22 and 630:58 </ref>  

# One must ensure that one's Sukkah is under the open sky and not beneath a tree, roof of a house, or a porch. (For details about after the fact see the footnote.) <ref> Rama 626:1 writes that in all cases one should avoid building one's sukkah under a tree or roof. Mishna Brurah 626:1 and Aruch HaShulchan 626:1 explain that it's best to build the Sukkah under the open sky. So rules Chazon Ovadyah (Sukkot pg 11) and Yalkut Yosef Moadim page 125. However, after the fact, Aruch HaShulchan 626:1 writes if it's built under a roofed area it's unfit, but if it's built under a tree there is a discussion about when it is fit. S"A 626:1 (according to Biur Halacha s.v. VeYesh, Mishna Berurah 626:10 and 11) rules that a sukkah under branches of a tree is fit only if it fits three requirements (See S"A with Mishna Berurah 626:10 and 11). (1) Among the branches of the tree there is majority of sun and minority shade (2) the there is less than four tefachim of tree branches over the schach, and (3) there is a majority of shade from the kosher schach and a minority of shade even without the tree branches (and even so the sachach under the tree branches itself is unfit but the rest of the sukkah is fit). </ref>

# If one built a sukkah under a tree or a house which would render it unfit, and then removed the branches or the roof to make it kosher, this isn't a problem of taaseh vilo min ha'asuy as the problem was never in the schach itself. <ref> Chazon Ovadia page 33. </ref>  

# One shouldn't use schach with a foul odor or whose leaves are falling off because there is a worry that the person may come to leave his sukkah because of the smell or the leaves falling on him. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 629:14 </ref>

# If the schach of the sukkah was placed on a slant, the sukkah is still kosher. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 631:10 </ref>

# If a strong wind blew the schach higher than 3 tefachim above the sukkah and then fell back down, even though since it happened automatically it wasn't put down for the sake of shade, the sukkah is kosher since it was originally placed in a kosher manner. <ref> Sh"t Shevet Halevi 10:100 </ref>

==When should one build the Sukkah?==

==Decorations of the Sukkah==

# It is a mitzvah to decorate and beautify the sukkah. <ref>Gemara [[Shabbat]] 133b, Chazon Ovadyah (Sukkot pg 74). Mishna Brurah 638:11 writes that it's a mitzvah to decorate the sukkah with important fruit and clothes, however, one should not hang nice fruit if one has children and one knows that the children will rip them down and eat them. </ref>

# If the decorations fell on Chol HaMoed one may move them and put them back up, however, one may not benefit from it (if it's food one may not eat it) unless one stipulated as above. <ref>Mishna Brurah 638:13-4, Chazon Ovadyah (Sukkot pg 83)</ref>

# One should make sure to keep the decorations hanging from the S'chach within 4 [[Tefachim]] of the S'chach. <ref>Rama 627:4 </ref>

# If one needs to remove a decoration because of fear of rain or thieves preferably one should stipulate (as above), however, if one forgot then one may remove them one Chol HaMoed. <ref>Mishna Brurah 638:24, Chazon Ovadyah (Sukkot pg 92), Shalmei Moed (pg 107) </ref>

==Miscellaneous==

==Covering the Sukkah in case of rain==