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Regarding #1:
If it is likely to melt, I assume it would be a problem using this to begin with, as the walls are not steady.
Not sure what you mean here. If the walls don't sway in the wind, then they are halachically steady. (And see #3)
Regarding #2:
What if there is a high likelihood of heavy snow on a nearly daily basis. Enough snow to cover the ...
11
As the Mishnah Berurah there explains, it’s because of תשבו כעין תדורו - one lives in the sukkah as he would in his house.
You would leave your house if it was causing you significant discomfort, so you may leave the sukkah under the same circumstances.
10
Even if there's a decoration that completely covers the schach, if it's placed there merely for decoration, than it isn't a problem, provided that the decorations are within 4 tefachim of the schach (Gemara Sukka 10a, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 627:4)
However, this is assuming that they have been placed there for the purpose of decorations, otherwise, even a small ...
10
It's apparently an oral tradition relating to one of the students of the Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov. The more complete story is recounted here in Hebrew. It begins like this:
הגאון רבי ישראל משקלוב מספר, על תלמיד מתלמידי הגר"א, שבא לקבל פני רבו בחול המועד סוכות, וביקש מרבו כי יעמידו במבחן על כל מסכתא דסוכה על פה. היה זה אחר שקודם החג עורר הגאון ...
9
The Bavli (Sukkah 8b) explicitly permits a gentile's hut if it was made for shade, and that is the accepted Halakha (OC 635).
This is consistent with Beit Hillel's opinion (ibid. 9a) that a Sukkah does not need to be made specifically for the holiday of Sukkot. Some note though that the Yerushalmi there says that Beit Hillel agrees that you need to make a ...
8
In Maseches Sukkah 4b (copied below), Rava rejects Abaye's proposal for a platform without walls because there is a requirement that they be "ניכר". Therefore there may be a basis for transparent walls being invalid.
היתה גבוהה מעשרים אמה ובנה בה עמוד שהוא גבוה עשרה טפחים ויש בו הכשר סוכה סבר אביי
למימר גוד אסיק מחיצתא א"ל רבא בעינן מחיצות הניכרות ...
8
The Shulchan Aruch in סימן תרלב - דברים הפוסלים בסכך says:
א סְכָךְ פָּסוּל, פּוֹסֵל בָּאֶמְצַע בְּד' טְפָחִים; אֲבָל פָּחוֹת מִד', כְּשֵׁרָה, וּמֻתָּר לִישַׁן תַּחְתָּיו מִן הַצַּד אֵינוֹ פּוֹסֵל אֶלָּא בְּד' אַמּוֹת, אֲבָל פָּחוֹת מִד' אַמּוֹת, כְּשֵׁרָה דְּאָמְרִינָן דֹּפֶן עֲקֻמָּה, דְּהַיְנוּ לוֹמַר שֶׁאָנוּ רוֹאִים כְּאִלּוּ הַכֹּתֶל נֶעֱקָם ...
8
This is a Machloket in the Talmud (Sukkah 27b, see OC 637) and the Halacha follows the Sages that one can start building a Sukkah on Chol HaMoed. Even R Eliezer who argued there agreed that if one's Sukkah fell down on Chol HaMoed that one can rebuild it.
8
I would like to potentially challenge the premise of the question. You assume that the threshold of "someone who is in pain" only applies to the mitzvah of succah. However, R. Joseph Messas has a responsum where he seems to apply this rule beyond the mitzvah of succah. The question he was asked involved a certain case where two couples needed to get married ...
8
The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 135:2 writes that it is permissible.
אבל תשמיש המיטה מותר בסוכה, שהרי עיקר מצוותה איש ואשתו. (...)
But marital relations are permitted in the sukkah, for the underlying principle of the mitzvah is for husband and wife to be together.
8
This is simply understood as a dispute in girsaos. In terms of historically who said what, how could we know?
In terms of halacha, the Aruch LaNer ad. loc., and in his Bikkurei Yaakov 625:2, says that the definitive version is the one found in Sifra and Mechilta. This is how the Tur Orach Chaim § 625 could rule that the booths were the clouds of glory, being ...
7
Nitei Gavriel Sukkah 37:6:10 says that some have a Minhag to place a special chair for the Ushpizin. He mentions it the name of the Chida - Avodas Hakodesh 289 - He also mentions it in the name of the Kaf HaChaim 639:8. Kaf HaChaim 639:8 mentions it from the Zohar Parshas Lech Lecha 93:1. Sefer Be'er Miriam says he saw the Chida do so.
7
According to this Star-K article written by Rabbi Moshe Heineman, paper cannot be used for Schach:
Stems that are used for schach must be in their original state and cannot be subject to further processing. For example, wood is kosher while paper is not. Flax stems are kosher but flax rope is not. Cotton wool, which has been combed out and no longer ...
7
"And it is permitted to drink water and wine and eat fruit [even if he established himself on them- REMA's own opinion] outside of the Sukkah. And he who is stringent upon himself, and will not drink even water outside of the Sukkah, he is praised."
Shulchan Aruch with Rema; 639:2
"Water and wine and to eat fruit - The reason is that eating even a lot of ...
6
I have never actually used it as my sukka is built on cement, but you can get Campsite flooring (For example, maybe in a different color or a different option).
Many of these camp mats dry quickly, allow water to drain properly, can be staked down, and shouldn't kill your grass (hopefully).
Edit: Here is a link where you can actually buy the stuff.
Edit 2:...
6
FOUR tips [OK, 5]:
I used pressure-treated 4x4xs in the corners -- eliminates "rhombus" concern.
I used 5/16"ths instead of 1/4" bolts -- increases durability of threads over years of successful re-assembly.
USE FLAT WASHERS :-) -- allows you to apply force to secure it together with less impact on wood.
Using 2x6s instead of 2x4s to connect top of frame --...
6
To answer the first question: yes. Because of 'sfeika deyoma', one should sit in the sukkah even on Shemini Atzeres just as one would on the other days of Sukkos. The Gemara Sukkah 47a (as we have it) concludes this way, and says that we should sit in the Sukkah, but not make a bracha. (The reasons for this, as I understand it, is either because it might be ...
6
There is a ma'ala in sitting outside, even if the succah is covered. This is in accordance with the shita of the Rabbeinu Tam on maseches succah 10a SV 'piress'. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 629:19) only brings this down as a yesh omrim, but the MB says to be machmir to sit in the succah (without a brocha), b'shaas ha'd'chak, in other words, if you live in the UK ...
6
I've generally found concrete to be a little nicer than grass or loose stones, but with most models the difference is negligible. Build it where you want.
Avoid wind tunnels. Our sukkah was blown down one year because we built it in a wind tunnel.
Watch out for the sun. It is so annoying to have the sun in your eyes while eating breakfast/lunch. If ...
6
In my experience, the following are factors to consider:
1) Flat, solid surface - build the sukkah on as even of a surface as possible. Grass is the worst, for setting a table and chairs down and hoping they won't wobble. Dirt is slightly better.
2) Close to your house - build the sukkah close to your house, preferably near the closest entrance to your ...
6
The way I understood the Tur is that its not about the weather. The weather in Tishrai and Nissan are around the same. The issue is the BUILDING of the Sukka. People generally do not buy patio furniture to sit outside in the fall. You generally build your outdoor huts in the spring because the spring is the start of good weather. The fall is the end of it ...
6
I doubt that it's possible to recreate a kit-like metal sukka frame without spending hundreds of dollars, at least not without creative sourcing of the materials (e.g. finding them in a junk yard, or something).
A few years ago, I bought raw materials to extend an existing round-aluminum-tube-based kit I had (not like the newfangled kits with rectangle-...
6
The Rama (OC 635) rules that at least 1 Tefach (height) of the walls must precede the Sekhakh. Otherwise it would invalid because of "Taaseh veLo Min heAsui" (having the item come into being, not being made directly) like the case of digging in a haystack (Sukkah 16a).
6
I think you are misunderstanding the line of דאורייתא תני פסולה מבוי דרבנן תני תקנתא.
Here is the passage in context:
Succah 2a
תנן התם מבוי שהוא גבוה מעשרים אמה ימעט רבי יהודה אומר אינו צריך מאי
שנא גבי סוכה דתני פסולה ומאי שנא גבי מבוי דתני תקנתא סוכה דאורייתא תני
פסולה מבוי דרבנן תני תקנתא ואיבעית אימא בדאורייתא נמי תני תקנתא מיהו
סוכה (דנפישי ...
6
This issue is addressed by R. Yechiel Michel Epstein. He begins by saying that the exemption of mitztaer (one who is suffering discomfort) only applies to a discomfort that happens to occur after the succah was built. But it is forbidden to build your succah in the first place in a situation that you know will cause discomfort (e.g. wind, odor, insects). He ...
5
Shulcan Aruch HaRav 638:12
All the above [leniencies] apply [only] to the decoration of the sukkah, but not to the branches used for the actual s'chach. A stipulation to make use of them is never effective, even if the sukkah collapses during the eight days of the festival, for the prohibition against [using] this is of Scriptural origin, as stated above.
[...
5
Shulchan Aruch Harav Siman 639:
(See especially the last sentence of 9, and note that 10 doesn't really apply today since we no longer celebrate this way. But I included it since it's instructive.)
9) At present, people at large have adopted the practice of following
a lenient approach when it comes to sleeping [in the sukkah). Only
those who are ...
5
Lechatchila, one should light Shabbat and Yom Tov candles where one is going to eat (Shulchan Aruch 273:7 and Mishna Berura there), which in this case is the Sukkah. However, the Talmud (Sukkah 29a) explicitly forbids keeping lit candles in a small Sukkah and this is codified in Shulchan Aruch (OC 639:1). The Mishna Berura there (sk 8) is clear that this ...
5
Rabbi Yoshia (Sukkah 7b) claims that walls must also provide shade and therefore may not be constructed from transparent material.
But I think you can decorate the walls enough to guarantee enough shade for comfort or lay plastic sheets like tarp. Since I am a female, I am not a posek, but just suggesting my idea to help solve the problem of a sukkah with ...
5
Igros Moshe OC 3:93 writes that a traveler for pleasure is not exempt from sukkah.
Kovetz Halachos 16:26 writes that one is technically exempt even for pleasure, but he ends off saying that nowadays one can find a sukkah almost everywhere and one would be obligated to sit and sleep in the sukkah.
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