High Holidays · Sukkot and Simchat Torah
How is a sukkah built?
A sukkah is built with at least three walls and a roof of s'chach — cut plant material that casts more shade than sun yet still lets the stars be glimpsed through it.
Walls, roof, and a glimpse of sky
The heart of the sukkah is its roof. The סכך (s'chach, roof covering) must be cut plant material — branches, reeds, bamboo — that once grew from the ground and is now detached. It should give more shade than sun, yet remain open enough that one can glimpse the stars through it. Beneath that fragile canopy we need at least three walls, and the structure should stand at least about ten tefachim (handbreadths) high.
The fragility is the point: a home that reminds us Who truly shelters us.
The source in the tradition
The details are drawn from the Mishnah, tractate Sukkah, and codified in the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, from chapter 625 onward. There the measurements of the walls, the height, and above all the laws of the s'chach are laid out — for the roof, and not the walls, is what makes a sukkah a sukkah.
What to do
Raise the walls first, then lay the s'chach loosely on top, adding it last so the covering is placed for the sake of the mitzvah. Check that more of the roof is shade than open sky, and that a few stars can still be seen. Then dwell there: eat your meals inside for the seven days, and if you are able, sleep there too.
Source: Mishnah Sukkah; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 625 onward.
When you want to know exactly when the festival begins so the sukkah is ready in time, My Jewish Day (siddur, zmanim, the Hebrew calendar) marks the hour for your own city.
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