How to Build a Sukkah

Every fall, the Jewish harvest festival, or Sukkot, is celebrated with parties, singing and prayer. One of the most unique things about Sukkot, which literally means "booths" in Hebrew, is the building of a Sukkah. A Sukkah is a temporary booth that is built just for the Sukkot holiday. Inside, meals are supposed to be eaten and prayers said. There are very specific rules about how and where to built a Sukkah, in accordance with Jewish law and tradition. Once you know the guidelines, you can build one for your next Sukkot celebration!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Determine where you can (and can't) build your Sukkah. Jewish law is very clear about where exactly you are supposed to build your Sukkah. The most important guideline is that it must be outside. Not only must it be outside, but the entire Sukkah must be underneath the sky and nothing else. That means wires, balconies or roofing cannot cover the Sukkah at all. If it is impossible to build your Sukkah without a part of it underneath some kind of obstruction, then that part of the Sukkah that is underneath the obstruction is considered unkosher. You may not eat, sleep or dwell in that part of the Sukkah, as it is not actually considered, a part of the Sukkah.

2. Build and fortify your Sukkah's walls. The Sukkah's walls can be made from any material that is sturdy and can stand up to the external forces of nature. In the past, Sukkot were made using things like bamboo for support and large foliage, like banana leaves, for coverage. There is no Jewish law, however, forbidding specific types of materials for the walls themselves, but it is always preferable to use organic materials for the support beams. It is popular now to use wooden planks and tarp material for the walls. Fill terra cotta planters with cement or plaster of Paris and let the beams dry in these planters. They will be heavy enough to hold the weight of the tarp. For further securing, tie the tarp tightly to the beams and secure the planters with sandbags.

3. Construct the s'chach according to Jewish law. The s'chach, or roof, of your Sukkah is a different story. There are very specific laws about what the s'chach can and cannot be made from. The most important thing to remember is that the s'chach must be made from vegetation. It cannot be made from any manmade product. The preferable material to be used in making a s'chach is branches that have been cut from a tree. The main point of the Sukkah is that it is a dwelling that is not a house. Therefore, it should not resemble a house. The roof must have slots wide enough in it so that anyone sitting anywhere inside the Sukkah can see the stars in the sky.

4. Make sure the Sukkah is the right size. While there are no limits to how big a Sukkah can be, it must meet minimum height requirements. The walls must all be at least one meter high.

5. Decorate the inside. Once the frame is up, then comes the really fun part of decorating the inside of your Sukkah and making it your own. It is tradition to celebrate the harvest by hanging fresh produce inside the Sukkah. It is also tradition to add artwork to the Sukkah that any children in the family have made. The most important thing about the Sukkah is that it truly reflects the family that builds it. It is a labor of love and togetherness for a family to build, and it should be a symbol of both the harvest and togetherness.