One-Page Learn · The Halachos at a glance
שׁוֹפָר וְסֻכָּה וְלוּלָב
Shofar, Sukkah and Lulav 5
Sefer Zmanim · The s'chach - what may cover a sukkah, and the thresholds that make or break it
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Torah conditions for kosher s'chach
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Handbreadths - the widest board allowed
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Handbreadths of gap that breaks it
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Shade must exceed the sunlight
IWhat may cover it
- The three Torah conditions. S'chach must grow from the ground, be detached from the ground, and be a material not susceptible to ritual impurity - failing any one, the sukkah is invalid. (5:1-2)
- The two Rabbinic conditions. It should not have a foul odor and should not shed withering leaves - but if one used such material anyway, after the fact the sukkah is kosher. (5:1-2)
- What is ruled out. Metal, bone, and hide (they do not grow); a living vine still rooted (not detached); food and finished vessels, including a lie-down mat, since these can contract impurity. (5:2)
- Branches keep their status. Uncombed flax counts as wood and is fit; once crushed and combed its form has changed and it is not. Ropes of bast keep their form and may be used. (5:4)
RememberGood for nothing else - the raw, useless leftover is exactly what qualifies.
IIMade for shade, not found
- Boards over four handbreadths. A board wider than four handbreadths may not be used, lest one mistake it for a house ceiling; narrower boards are fine even when planed. (5:7-8)
- No bundles. Bundles of straw, wood, or reeds are barred, lest one pile them to dry and later sit under them; a bundle is twenty-five units or more, and untying them makes them fit. (5:12-13)
- Make it, do not find it. A sukkah must be made for the sake of shade - one that came about on its own, or a space hollowed out of a grain heap, is invalid. (5:9)
- Mats depend on intent. A small mat is presumed made to lie on and is unfit; a large one is presumed made for shade and is fit - unless it has a border, making it a receptacle. (5:5-6)
RememberIntention is the roof - the covering must be placed there on purpose, for shade.
IIIThe measures of light and gap
- Shade must beat sun. If the open gaps equal or exceed the covered part, more sun than shade falls on the ground and it is no sukkah; the ideal s'chach is thin enough to show the large stars, yet thick is kosher after the fact. (5:19, 5:21)
- Three handbreadths of open space. A continuous gap of three handbreadths, in the center or along a side, invalidates the sukkah until it is reduced below three. (5:19)
- Invalid s'chach in the middle. In a large sukkah, four handbreadths of non-kosher covering across the center divides and disqualifies it; less than that is absorbed. (5:14-15)
- The crooked wall. Non-kosher covering within four cubits of the wall is reckoned a bent extension of the wall itself - a law given to Moses at Sinai - and the sukkah stays kosher. (5:14)
RememberBetween too open and too sealed - enough to shade, thin enough to see the stars.