Everything about Sukkah totally explained
The
sukkah is a temporary dwelling that
Jews use during the holiday of
Sukkot.
Structure
According to
Halakha, a
sukkah is a structure consisting of a roof made of
organic material which has been disconnected from the ground (the
s'chach). A
sukkah must have at least 2-1/2 walls. It should be at least three feet tall, and be positioned so that all or part of its roof is open to the sky (only the part which is under the sky is
kosher.) 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
sukkahs have recently become available for those who have little space, or for those who are travelling (in order to have a place to eat one's meals).
In practice, the walls of a
sukkah can be built from anything ranging from wood to canvas to
aluminium, and the roof material can range from pine branches to
palm fronds to
bamboo. The walls may also be part of a house or fence. The specific details of what constitutes a wall, how short/tall a wall can be, whether there can be spaces between the walls and the roof, and the exact material required for the
s'chach can be found in various exegetical texts.
S'chach
S'chach is the Hebrew name for the material used as a roof for a sukkah.
S'chach has to have grown from the ground, but must be currently disconnected from it.
Palm leaves,
bamboo sticks and
pine branches and even wood as well as many other types of
organic material could all be used for
s'chach unless they were processed for a different use.
The
s'chach must be placed such that there's more shade than sun but must provide sufficient gaps between pieces of
s'chach that rain can come through.
Decorations
Many people hang decorations such as dried or plastic fruit, streamers, shiny ornaments, and pictures from the interior walls and ceiling beams of a
sukkah. Families may 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 isn't to decorate the sukkah, as the sukkah itself is considered to be an object of beauty.
What is done in the Sukkah?
The basic requirements of
halakha are that eating of meals and sleeping should be conducted in the
sukkah. However, one isn't expected to remain in the
sukkah if he'd be very uncomfortable there. For this reason, Jews living at northern latitudes will generally not sleep in the
sukkah due to the cold temperatures of autumn nights. Some Jews in these locales will spend some time in the
sukkah eating and relaxing but go indoors to sleep.
In Israel and other temperate climates (such as
Florida,
Australia, and
Southern California), observant Jews will often conduct all their eating, studying, and sleeping activities in the
sukkah. Many Jews won't eat anything except water or fruit outside the
sukkah. In Israel, it's common practice for hotels, restaurants, snack shops, and outdoor tourist attractions (such as zoos) to provide an
sukkah for their guests to eat in.
Lubavitcher and
Belzer Hasidim differ from other Orthodox Jews in that they don't sleep in the
sukkah due to its intrinsic holiness.
Though one need not eat or sleep in the
sukkah if it's raining, Lubavitcher Hasidim will still eat there.
Symbolism
Although the festival of Sukkot is a joyous occasion, and is referred to in Hebrew as
Yom Simchateinu (the day of our rejoicing) or
Z'man Simchateinu, (the season of our rejoicing), the
sukkah itself symbolises the frailty and transience of life. It also reminds its dwellers that true security comes from faith in God, rather than from money or possessions.
Ushpizzin
During the holiday, Jews invite seven spiritual "guests" (known as
ushpizzin in
Aramaic) to be with them in the
sukkah. These
ushpizzin are the seven "shepherds" of Israel. They are:
According to tradition, each night a different guest enters the
sukkah first and the other six follow. The custom of inviting guests to the
sukkah also includes living guests; many people invite family, friends, neighbours, or people who are alone to join them for a snack or a meal. Anyone, including
gentiles, are more than welcome inside a Sukkah.
Each of these ushpizin have a unique lesson to teach us that parallels the spiritual focus of the day they visit.
According to Chabad tradition there's another set of ushpizin that come along with those listed above. There is a unique connection between the two ushpizin that visit each night, particularly as explained in the works of Rabbi
Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
Avraham Avinu - Rabbi Yisroel Bal Shem Tov
Yitzchak Avinu - Rabbi DovBer, Magid of Mezritch
Yaakov Avinu - Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi)
Moshe Rabbeinu - Mitteler Rebbe (Rabbi DovBer)
Aharon HaKohen - Tzemach Tzedek (Rabbi Menachem Mendel)
Yosef Hatzadik - Rebbe Maharash (Rabbi Shmuel)
Dovid HaMelech - Rebbe Rashab (Sholom DovBer)
In recent times, there are also some Jews who also add seven spiritual women, or ushpizot, to join in the sukkah. These are the Biblical Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Hulda, Abigail, and Esther.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sukkah'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://sukkah.totallyexplained.com">Sukkah Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
