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I've seen canvas sukkot that have kiddush printed on the walls. Can you use the text to say kiddush?

Generally we can't benefit from the sukkah walls. For decorations, you can make a stipulation that they should be permitted (and this would probably take effect implicitly for a decoration with the text of kiddush, since that's the whole point of hanging it up), but this doesn't work for the walls (Rama 638:1).

And, while you might have argued that reading off of it is not using it, the Gemara (Shabbos 22b) directly compares Chanuka candles to the sukkah, and the main forbidden benefit from the Chanuka candles is to use their light.

Obviously the manufacturers believe it's allowed, but why?

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    the light is probably prohibited at the time of the mitsva. The comparison between the light of the ner and the view of the text of kiddush is not really clear for me
    – kouty
    Dec 6, 2016 at 15:24
  • What about using the shade of the wall? Or using it to block the wind?
    – Double AA ♦
    Dec 6, 2016 at 15:29
  • @DoubleAA Good point, that might be part of the definition of a sukkah (Yeshaya 4:6). Otherwise the whole mitzva doesn't make sense.
    – Heshy
    Dec 6, 2016 at 15:38
  • Are all the walls considered forbidden for benefit? I believe that once you have 3 walls you have a succah.
    – DanF
    Dec 6, 2016 at 16:10
  • @DanF The Shulchan Aruch there addresses that, he's not totally clear but the Beiur Halacha says that all 4 are forbidden unless you took a break between putting up the first 3 and the last one. Although in the next note he says that a tnai can make the fourth one permitted, so maybe there's an implicit tnai like I was arguing for the kiddush decoration. That could work. Although I have seen times where there wasn't quite enough schach and people moved it away from one of the walls, according to this it would have to be the kiddush wall.
    – Heshy
    Dec 6, 2016 at 16:23

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See Mishnah Brurah s.k. 4 that only uses that nullify its kedushah are prohibited.

(In addition, I think that the rule of mitzvos lav lehanos nitnu - pleasure of a mitzvah is not considered pleasure - might be relevant here, especially as there is no physical pleasure from fulfilling the mitzvah of kiddush.)

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    But most opinions forbid using Chanuka candles for Mitzva purposes (OC 673:1)
    – Double AA ♦
    Dec 6, 2016 at 15:24
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    @DoubleAA I think the Rishonim say that it's because it's considered disrespectful to the mitzvah of the candles to use them for a different mitzvah, NOT because its halachically considered benefit
    – Jay
    Dec 6, 2016 at 15:57
  • @Jay Isn't it then also disrespectful to the mitzvah of sukkah to use it for a different mitzvah? I'm not seeing the distinction.
    – Heshy
    Dec 7, 2016 at 15:50
  • @Heshy I think the distinction would be that saying kiddush etc. is exactly what the sukkah is supposed to be used for - it is in fact a kiyum of the mitzvah of Succah, not a bizayon at all. Chanukah candles, however, are supposed to be used only to publicize the miracle, so using their light for some other purpose can be viewed as bizayon. In other words I don't think kiddush is viewed as a different, unrelated mitzvah regarding this issue.
    – Jay
    Dec 7, 2016 at 17:44
  • @Jay Ah, I see where you're going. But that wouldn't necessarily be true for (1) ויכלו on Shabbos (2) the נ"ה part of יקנה"ז and (3) kiddush on Shemini Atzeret if you use the text on the sukkah and just substitute יום השמיני חג העצרת. Also, would you argue similarly that you can read Haneirot Halalu and Maoz Tzur using the Chanuka candles, since that is a fulfillment of להודות ולהלל?
    – Heshy
    Dec 8, 2016 at 15:27

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