All About Sukkahs and Sukkot!
7 years ago Archive 0
Shana Tova to all! We have just celebrated both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and are almost done with Sukkot! It’s the season of endless holidays, and each one comes with its own customs, and rules. Here’s the who, what, where, when, and how on sukkahs!
Who: So, what’s the point of hanging out in a hut for 7 days? Sure, it’s a ton of fun but the real reason is to remember the journey our ancestors partook in thousands of years ago. For forty years, the Jewish people roamed the Sinai Desert, and despite its harsh climate, the Israelites were always protected. Hashem surrounded and hovered over them with, “clouds of glory” to shield them from the desert’s dangers. Ever since, we build a sukkah as a reminder of this Hashem’s great kindness, and to reaffirm a trust in him.
What: A sukkah is your temporary home during the entirety of sukkot! A hut built to provide shade, in which you eat all your meals (and sometimes even sleep in)!
Where: A sukkah must dwell outside, underneath the open sky. There cannot be anything between your sukkah and the sky, thus hindering your view of the stars at night. Therefore make sure there are no trees, canopies, roofs, or overhangs above your sukkah.
When: We celebrate Sukkot for 7 days beginning on the 15th of Tishrei, shortly after Yom Kippur.
How: There are a lot of specifications you must adhere to when building your sukkah. As previously discussed, there cannot be any obstructions between your sukkah and the open sky. The walls can be made of any material, but the roof must be covered with sechach (raw unfinished vegetable matter). Bamboo, evergreen branches, corn stalks etc. are all common roof coverings. The sechach must be detached from its source of growth, and you can only use vegetable matter, which has not been used for another purpose. A sukkah must have at least two walls, and part of a third wall but it is preferable to have four full walls. They must be 32 inches high, but the entire structure cannot be taller than 30 feet. In addition, it cannot be smaller than 22.4 by 22.4 inches, but in terms of width there is not limit in size.
Hope you’ve been having a happy sukkot, and happy building!
