Sitting in the Sukkah

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Intent to sit in the Sukkah

  1. While sitting in the Sukkah, it’s preferable to have intent that one will fulfill the mitzvah of Sukkah and that the Sukkah is in commemoration for the clouds of glory. [1]

Eating in the Sukkah

  1. There’s a mitzvah to eat a Kezayit of bread in the Sukkah on the first night of Sukkot. [2]
  2. According to Sephardim, it’s forbidden to eat a fixed meal outside a Sukkah which is defined as a meal with a Kebaytzah of bread or mezonot. For everything else it’s only preferable to eat in the Sukkah. [3]

Bracha of Lesheve BeSukkah

  1. According to Spehardim, one only makes the Bracha of Lesheve BeSukkah only if one eats a KeBaytzah of bread (which is 45 grams but it’s preferable to have 60 grams) or having a Keviut Sueda (162 grams) of Mezonot. [4]
  2. It's proper to say the bracha of Leshev before making the HaMotzei. However, it's not an interruption if one does HaMotzei before Leshev. On Shabbat and Yom Tov, the Leshev is said in Kiddish before one drinks from the wine. [5]

Forgetting to say Yaale VeYavo

  1. If on the first night of Sukkot one had the required kezayit of bread and in benching one forgot to say Yaale VeYavo
  • if one remembers after saying Baruch Atta Hashem and didn’t conclude Boneh Yerusalayim, one should conclude with Lamdeni Chukecha, and go back to Yaale VeYavo.
  • if one remembers after the entire Bracha of Boneh Yerushalayim, one should insert the Bracha of Baruch Atta Hashem… Asher Nattan Moadim LeSimcha…Mikadesh Yisrael VeHaZmanim (as printed in the siddur).
  • if one remembers after saying Baruch Atta Hashem Eloken Melech HaOlam (of the Bracha of HaTov VeHaMeitiv), one should conclude with Asher Nattan Moadim Lisimcha… and then start the Bracha of HaTov VeHaMeitiv again.
  • if one didn’t remember until the middle of HaTov VeHaMeitiv or later, one must repeat benching. [6]
  1. If one forgot Yaale VeYavo in benching any other day or night of Sukkot
  • if one remembers after Boneh Yerusalayim one should say Baruch Atta Hashem…Asher Nattan Moadim LeSimcha…Mikadesh Yisrael VeHaZmanim.
  • if one didn’t remember until the middle of HaTov VeHaMeitiv or later, one doesn’t repeat benching. [7]

Eating or sleeping in the Sukkah before Sukkot

  1. It’s permissible to eat in the Sukkah before Sukkot (erev Sukkot) and it’s not an issue of Bal Tosif. [8]

References

  1. The Bach 625 writes that since the Torah specifies that we dwell in Sukkot so that we’ll remember the clouds of glory, one must have intent while sitting in the Sukkah that the Sukkah in commemoration for those clouds. Even though the Bikkurei Yacov 625:3 understands that without such intent one doesn’t fulfill the mitzvah of Sukkot, the Pri Megadim A”A 625 holds that this intent is only preferable and after the fact, one fulfilled the mitzvah nonetheless. So rules the Mishna Brurah 625:1 and Chazon Ovadyah (Sukkot pg 95) that the intent is only Lechatchila. Moadim UZmanim (vol 1 pg 169) writes that although the Kavanna doesn’t take away the mitzvah however, one still looses the separate mitzvah of having kavanah.
  2. S”A 639:3
  3. Chazon Ovadyah pg 132
  4. Chazon Ovadyah pg 132-4
  5. S"A and Rama 643:3, Yalkut Yosef Moadim pg 145, Chazon Ovadyah Sukkot pg 172
  6. Chazon Ovadyah (pg 101)
  7. Chazon Ovadyah (pg 101)
  8. Chazon Ovadyah pg 481 holds that’s there no issue of Bal Tosif before the mitzvah was done.