Sukkah
A sukkah or succah (
Associated activities
The halakha requires eating and traditionally sleeping in the sukkah. However, Jews are not expected to remain in the sukkah if they would be very uncomfortable there.[3] For this reason, Jews living at northern latitudes will generally not sleep in the sukkah due to the low temperatures of autumn nights. Some Jews in these locales will spend some time in the sukkah eating and relaxing but go indoors to sleep.
When rain falls on the sukkah, one is not required to stay inside. The
In Israel and other temperate climates (such as Florida, Australia, Texas, and Southern California), observant Jews will often conduct all their eating, studying, and sleeping activities in the sukkah. Many Jews will not eat or drink anything outside the sukkah. Others will drink or eat fruit outside the sukkah.
In Israel, it is a common practice for hotels, restaurants, snack shops, and outdoor tourist attractions (such as zoos) to provide a Kosher sukkah for customers to dine in.
All
A popular social activity which involves people visiting each other's Sukkot has become known as "Sukkah hopping". Food is laid out so that participants will be able to recite the various required blessings.[7]
Structure
According to halakha, a sukkah is a structure consisting of a roof made of
In practice, the walls of a sukkah can be constructed from any material that will withstand a normally anticipated terrestrial wind. If the material is not rigid and therefore will sway in the wind, the sukkah is not kosher (Talmud, Sukkah 24b). Accordingly, there is a discussion among contemporary halakhic authorities whether canvas may be used for walls: Some, such as R. Ovadiah Yosef (Shu"t Yechaveh Da'at 3:46) hold that even the slightest degree of swaying in the wind will disqualify the sukkah walls, and thus canvas cannot realistically be employed. Others, such as the Chazon Ish, permit motion to and fro of less than three handbreadths, thereby facilitating the usage of canvas walls which are anchored at all sides. The specific details of what constitutes a wall, the minimum and maximum wall heights, whether there can be spaces between the walls and the roof, and the exact material required for the s'chach (roofing) can be found in various exegetical texts.
A sukkah can be built on the ground or on an open porch or balcony. Indeed, many observant Jews who design their home's porch or deck will do so in a fashion that aligns with their sukkah-building needs. Portable sukkot made of a collapsible metal frame and cloth walls have recently become available for those who have little space, or for those who are traveling (in order to have a place to eat one's meals).
Roof covering
The roof covering, known as
There must be enough s'chach that inside the sukkah there should be more shade than sun. However, there should ideally be sufficient gaps between the pieces of s'chach so that one can see the sun or stars.
Decorations
Many people hang decorations such as streamers, shiny ornaments, and pictures from the interior walls and ceiling beams of a sukkah. Fresh, dried or
Some families also line the interior walls with white sheeting, in order to recall the "Clouds of Glory" that surrounded the Jewish nation during their wanderings in the desert. The Chabad custom is not to decorate the sukkah, as the sukkah itself is considered to be an object of beauty.[9]
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19th century sukkah from Austria with a painting of Jerusalem - Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme
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Different types of kosher s'chach serve as roofs for sukkot: wovenpalmleaves (center)
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Safra Square Sukkah, Jerusalem, 2009
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1657 engraving
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1740 illumination.
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1699 engraving
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"Scheunenviertel", Berlin, 1933
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Sukkah at Congregation Emanu-El in Manhattan, New York City
Associated prayers
Blessing
According to Jewish law, one must recite the following blessing when using the sukkah. The blessing is normally recited after the blessing made on food, such as on bread or cake:
Hebrew | Transliteration | English |
---|---|---|
Barukh ata Adonai E-loheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu leishev ba'sukah. | Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to dwell in the sukkah. |
Ushpizin
During the holiday, some Jews recite the ushpizin prayer which symbolizes the welcoming of seven "exalted guests" into the sukkah. These ushpizin, or guests, represent the seven shepherds of Israel:
In Chabad tradition, an additional set of corresponding "chasidic" ushpizin enter the sukkah, beginning with the
Notable examples
Drive-through
In 2010, Bet Shira Congregation in Miami, Florida, erected a tent as a drive-through Sukkah, dubbed "McBet Shira Sukkah", in the parking lot of the synagogue.[11][12][13]
Sukkah City
Pedi-Sukkah
Pedi-Sukkahs see the normally stationary build of a Sukkah placed on the back of a mobile vehicle, usually a 3-wheeled bicycle.[15] The pedi-Sukkah was introduced by Levi Duchman in 2009[16] and has since spread to at least 15 states and 5 countries.[17]
Samaritan sukkahs
In Samaritanism, sukkahs are built indoors using fruit instead of wood. According to Samaritan historian Benyamim Tsedaka, Samaritans initially constructed sukkahs outside of their homes, as Jews do. However, during the Byzantine period, the Samaritans faced persecutions and began to construct them inside instead. This custom has remained ever since.[18]
See also
- Syndicat Northcrest v. Amselem, a Canadian legal case on the building of sukkot
References
- ^ "Live in sukkot for seven days, so your descendants will remember that I [the Lord] had the Israelites live in wilderness shelters when I brought them out of Egypt." Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:42-43
- ^ Gottlieb, David; Tatz, Akiva (15 October 2005). "Shelter of Faith". Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ Shulchan Aruch 640:4
- ^ Silverberg, Rav David. "Sukkot". Archived from the original on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ "The Sukkah and Sleeplessness". TheRebbe.org. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ Nitei Gavriel, Hilchos Rosh Hashanah Ch. 29 note 9 (5754 Edition)
- ^ "A Sukkah Meditation". AscentOfSafed.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ "KKL Preparing for Distribution of "Schach"". 24 September 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ "How to Build Your Sukkah: What Materials Do I Need?". Chabad.org. Archived from the original on 8 July 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ Cf. Mayonei HaYeshua.
- ^ "A Drive-Thru Sukkah? Yes, Indeed". Matzav.com. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ "Watercooler Stories". UPI. 5 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ "JUDAISM: Pinecrest temple has drive-through 'sukkah'". Miami Herald. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ Gruber, Samuel D. (23 June 2010). "A Sukkah Bound For New York". Forward. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ "Three wheels and three walls: New York's tricycle sukkahs". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
- ^ "Chabad ASU goes mobile with Sukkah on wheels". The Arizona State Press. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
- ^ "Three wheels and three walls: New York's tricycle sukkahs". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
- ^ Lieber, Dov; Luzi, Iacopo. "Inside the Samaritan high priest's fruity sukkah, literally". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
External links
- "Sukkah City"—slideshow by The New York Times
- "What on Earth Is a Sukkah?": Slideshow by NPR
- Laws of Sukkot
- sukkahsoftheworld.org: Pictures of sukkahs from Sharon to Shanghai
- Local Sukkah: Worldwide listing of sukkahs available for public use
- The Laws of the Succah by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed