Page 246 - Chayei Adam LAYOUT sivan 5782

Chayei Adam - K’lal 146 - Laws of the Succah

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be used for s'chach, even l’chatchila. Similarly, one should not use something
which dries up within seven days as s'chach lest he end up with less than the
minimum for a [kosher] succah. 66

]14[ We have already written that a succah is called a succah because of the
s'chach which is made for shade. Since the posuk says “make the festival of Succos
for yourself”, Chazal understand that one must make it and it cannot be
something which was already made for another purpose other than shade, and
now he decides he wants it to be for shade. Therefore, one who places wood or
straw on top of walls in order to dry them out and not for the sake of shade at all,
and then changes his mind that they should be used for a succah, [this structure]
is invalid by Torah law, because it wasn’t initially made for shade. Because of this
concern, Chazal forbade covering one’s succah with things that are normal for
people to put up to dry out, such as bundles of reeds or straw, and even if he
does so for [the express purpose of] shade, [it is nevertheless forbidden] by
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rabbinic decree. However, they only forbade using them in ways which people
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generally put up to dry which is not less than a bundle of twenty-five reeds. It is

םדו רשב

65. This is clear from the fact that the considered to be air (and not posul s’chach).
Shulchan Aruch later on invalidates a succah if The Ran writes that this is true of kosher
one spreads out a sheet to catch shedding s’chach as well and that a material likely to dry
leaves, implying that it is only because of the up by the end of yom tov is considered non-
sheet that the succah is not valid. Clearly then, existent. This however might only be true of
טנ
this halacha refers only to s'chach which s’chach which will dry up completely; if
constantly sheds. (Bach, Magen Avraham) however, the result will be a succah which has

66. See below siman 19 that while invalid more sun the shade, it will only become posul
ס
s’chach will only invalidate a succah if it spans where the s’chach dries up (Pri Megadim).
4 tefachim, air (i.e. an area left uncovered)
invalidates the succah if there are 3 uncovered 67. The mishna (Succah 12a) forbids using
tefachim. The gemara (Succah 13b) says that tied bundles as s’chach. The gemara there
although one may certainly not use lettuce for explains that it was common for people to
s'chach since it is a food, since it will place bundles on an elevated structure to dry
completely dry up by the end of Succos, it is out and keep there for storage throughout the

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