Sukkah

The temporary dwelling that is itself a mitzvah — a roof of stars under which the Jew dwells for seven days.

By The EditorsDeeper

Jewish Living · 3 minute read

Photograph

Summary. The sukkah is the temporary booth dwelt in during the seven days of Sukkot, commemorating the Israelites’ wandering in the wilderness (Vayikra 23:42–43). The sukkah must have at least three walls (or two and part), a roof of organic material (s’chach — typically bamboo, palm fronds, or evergreen branches) that provides more shade than light but through which stars may be seen, and dimensions sufficient to allow a person and a meal-table inside. Building and dwelling in the sukkah are themselves mitzvot. Pre-made sukkah kits are widely available; many families build their own.

The Walls

At least two complete walls plus a third partial wall (a tefach, a handbreadth). The walls may be of any material; canvas is most popular for pre-made kits, but wood, fabric, plastic panels, fiberglass, or even existing structures (a fence or wall of a house) may serve. The minimum height is 10 tefachim (roughly 32 inches) and the maximum 20 amot (roughly 32 feet).

The Roof — S’chach

The defining feature. The s’chach must be of organic material (grown from the ground) that has been detached from the ground and is not itself susceptible to ritual impurity (no fabric, no metal, no manufactured items). Common s’chach materials include bamboo mats, palm fronds (lulav-style), pine or evergreen branches, or commercial s’chach panels. The s’chach must cover at least 50% of the roof area, must provide more shade than light, and ideally allows the stars to be visible. The sukkah must be open to the sky — not under a tree or a balcony.

Dwelling

The mitzvah is to dwell in the sukkah for the seven days of Sukkot — meals, study, sleep, leisure. Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day, is a separate festival: in the diaspora meals are still eaten in the sukkah, but the blessing leishev basukkah is not said, and in Israel the sukkah is not used that day. The Talmud (Sukkah 28b) frames it as “you shall make the sukkah your principal dwelling and your house your incidental dwelling.” Practical observance varies by climate and circumstance. In Israel and warm-climate American communities, most observant Jews sleep in the sukkah; in colder climates, the Mishnah Berurah (640:21) allows that the “discomfort exemption” may apply. All meals at which bread is eaten should be eaten in the sukkah.

The Blessings

On entering the sukkah for a meal during the holiday: leishev basukkah (“to dwell in the sukkah”). On the first night, also shehecheyanu. The Ushpizin (Aramaic for “guests”) — Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef, and David — are traditionally invited into the sukkah, one for each day; many add the imahot (Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Devorah, Ruth) as a contemporary practice.

Buying or Building

Pre-made sukkah kits (Leiter, Sukkah Project, Sukkah Hut, others) are available for $300–$2000. Custom builders work in larger Jewish communities. Many families build their own from lumber and tarps. The sukkah does not have to be elaborate or expensive — only kosher.

Where Denominations Diverge

Universal across all denominations. The Reform movement’s engagement with sukkah has grown substantially in recent decades; many Reform congregations now build a community sukkah. Conservative and Orthodox observance is largely identical. Sephardic and Ashkenazi customs vary in minor details (the precise s’chach standards vary by community; the distinctively Sephardic ushpizin customs are a different order among the same seven guests and a decorated chair set with holy books). Adding the imahot is a separate and more recent expansion of the list.