Dwell in the sukka for seven days, day and night, the same way that you dwell in your house all year long. The following activities are meant to take place in the sukka : eating, drinking, sleeping, loitering,and speaking with friends.In general, your house becomes secondary while your sukka is your primary living quarters.Therefore, set up nice furniture and dishes, comfortable spreads,and a lamp. Glasses and pitchers should be available for drinking.(ShA 1 – MB2)
In general, do not keep pots and pans in the sukka that you would not keep in your primary living quarters in the house.It is best to dish out food from the cooking pot into bowls and plates and then to bring those into the sukka. Even bowls and plates should be taken out of the sukka when you are finished using them.This is unlike glasses which remain in the sukka for more drinking all the time.(ShA 1 – MB 3, 4,5 – BeH “avol”)
The kedusha of the sukka is very great. When talking with your friends it is fitting to minimize mundane speech. Be especially careful not to speak forbidden speech such as lashon hora and slander. Increase in words of holiness and Torah. (MB 2)
An open flame in a small sukka is a fire hazard. Keep the lamp away from the sukka even if it is a beautiful golden lamp.Let it shine in from the window. (ShA1 – MB 8 – ShaH 20)
Do not do any disgraceful activities in the sukka. For example, do not wash dirty dishes (washing glasses is no problem). Do not urinate in the sukka. Tashmish hamitta is a mitzvah, not a disgraceful activity. (Rama 1 – MB 9 – BeH “v’al”)
Do not sleep outside of the sukka even for a short nap. Someone who accidentally fell asleep outside the sukka must go to the sukka immediately if he wakes up in the middle. (ShA 2 – MB11)
You are allowed to snack even on bread outside the sukka. Do not eat more than a k’baytza even in a snacking way. (ShA 2 – BeH “k’baytza”)
Drinking water, wine, and eating fruit, meat, fish and cheese is all permitted outside of the sukka.Whoever is strict, not to drink even water outside of the sukka, is praiseworthy.(ShA 2 – MB 13)
Some poskim hold that a drinking party (not just coffee) requires a sukka.The Rama holds that it is not required. It is fitting to fulfill all opinions in the following manner. Have the drinking party in a sukka – to fulfill the first opinion. Do not say a beracha Layshayv Basukka – that is the opinion of the Rama. (L’chatchila, have the party only in the middle of a seuda of bread or mezonos that requires a beracha anyhow.) (MB 13 – ShaH 33)
Drinks in the middle of a seuda require a sukka as they are part of the meal.(ShaH 29)
What kind of meal foods require a sukka? There are three categories:
Meat, fish, or cheese is a chumra. You should be machmir not to eat a meal of these out of the sukka.
Noodles, porridge and the like, cooked from the five species of grain. These require a sukka for more than a k’baytza. Layshayv Basukka will only be said if you kovaya on it. This is defined as eating it with a group or eating an important amount which is normally eaten at a seuda.
Pas haboh b’kisnin.This certainly requires a sukka for more than a k’baytza. Regarding the beracha, the minhag haolam is to say Layshayv also on this amount. However, some poskim hold that during Chol Hamoed you need to eat a shiur k’vius seuda in order to say a bracha.(Not so on Shabbos and Yom Tov when you are eating pas haboh b’kisnin immediately after Kiddush in place of a seuda.) In order to escape the possible beracha l’vattala you should see to it to linger in the sukka for a little bit and to have in mind at the beracha to go on the food and this lingering as well.(ShA 2 – MB 15,16)
Those who are particular in mitzvos sleep in the sukka. However, there is a minhag to be lenient on this for the following reasons:
Cold climates. If you do not have warm enough bedding to eliminate this discomfort, do not sleep in the sukka. (See BeH 640 “mipnay haruach”)
Upset, not being able to sleep with his wife. According to this, if it is not upsetting (e.g. it is not his time to fulfill onah) he should not exempt himself from sleeping in the sukka. (Rama 2 – MB 17,18)
It is good to build a private sukka so his wife can be with him as she is around the year.If this isn’t possible, a man should not miss the time of onah (mikvah night) with his wife indoors. After being with his wife he is not obligated to return to his sukka, rather he may sleep indoors until daybreak. (Rama 2 – MB 18)
On the first night of Sukkos there is a special obligation to eat at least a kezayis of bread in the sukka after saying Layshayv. This is derived from the mitzva of eating matza on Pesach.Therefore reserve your appetite by not eating from the ninth hour on erev Sukkos (details above in Siman 471).Also, be sure to wait until tsais hakochavim and consume the bread within kday achillas pras before chatzos. (ShA 3- MB 22,27)
If you have more bread, it is proper to fulfill the opinion that requires more than a kebaytza for this mitzvah. Also, if you missed chatzos you must still eat at least a kezayis. If you will be eating more than a kebaytza you must say a Layshayv, fulfilling this second opinion. (MB 22,26)
The Gr”a holds that there is a mitzvah to eat matza all seven days of Pesach. It could be the same applies here, to eat bread all seven days of Sukkos with a beracha Layshayv Basukka. (MB 24)
Learning Torah should be inside the sukka if conditions are right for an atmosphere of menucha. Nowadays most of the family is not in the sukka except during meal times so there are no distractions. However, the cold can be disturbing and it might be a bother to bring all of the sefarim that you need. If you have a shelf for books in the sukka, it won’t be a bother. (ShA 4 – MB 29)
All year around you leave your house to daaven in shul but you say Havdalla at home. So too on Sukkos, leave your sukka to go daaven in shul but say Havdalla in the sukka. (MB 30)
You are allowed to go inside the house to escape discomfort.For example, it is hot in the sukka or there are mosquitoes. Even if you aren’t uncomfortable but the food is being ruined by rain, cold or wind blowing bits of wood – you are allowed to go into the house. (ShA 5 – MB 31,32)
If you can still find a dry corner in the sukka, you mustn’t exit yet. You can even say a Layshayv there. (MB 33)
Some poskim (Rama) hold that exemptions due to rain and discomfort do not apply to the firstnight of Sukkos.Therefore, if it is raining, wait an hour or two (don’t wait until chatzos – it will ruin everyone’s simchas Yom Tov) – if the rain stops, enter the sukka, say Kiddush with a Layshayv, and eat – you have fulfilled the mitzva according to all opinions. If the rain continues, make Kiddush in the sukka (omit Layshayv) having the sukka in mind during Shehecheyanu and eat a kezayis of bread in the rain.The rest of the meal is eaten in the house. If the rain stops before you go to sleep, even if you benched already, you need to eat (now say a Layshayv) more than a kebaytza in the sukka in order to fulfill the majority opinion that you did not fulfill it by eating in the rain. It seems from the Gr”a that you must stay awake the whole night waiting for the rain to stop, unless you’re uncomfortably sleepy. (Rama 5 – MB 35,36 – ShaH 70)
On the secondnight of Yom Tov when Shehecheyanu on the sukka is not an issue (because last night’s Shehecheyanu on the sukka was valid for all eight days), make Kiddush right away indoors. Say Shehecheyanu for the Yom Tov and eat the seuda. Near the end of the seuda, eat a kezayis of bread in the rainy sukka : Do not say Hamotzi – you did not yet bench. Do not say Layshayv – most poskim hold there is no mitzvah to eat in a rainy sukka. Do not say Shehecheyanu – you said it on the sukka last night. If, later on, the rain stops, you are required to enter the sukka, say Layshayv, and eat bread – more than a kebaytza.(MB36)
If you want to be machmir, it is good to wait a little bit for the rain to stop also on the second night. (MB 36)
If you have poor guests on a rainy firstnight of Sukkos, it is an avayra to wait for the rain to stop. Go right away to the above procedure of making Kiddush in the rain etc. Even if only you are very hungry or tired, you do not have to wait.(ShaH 67)
The time for any first Yom Tov meal is l’chatchila until chatzos of the night. (ShaH 66)
If it started raining in the middle of your seuda and you went inside, you do not need to return to the sukka when it suddenly stops raining. You can finish the meal inside. However, if it stops raining (and dripping – MB 640:23) before you sit down to eat inside, return to the sukka. (ShA 6 – MB 38)
If it started raining while you were sleeping at night and you went inside, you don’t have to bother returning to the sukka for the duration of the night. You can sleep indoors until dawn even if the rain has stopped earlier. However, if it stops raining (and dripping 640:23) before you take off your clothes and lay back down to sleep, return to the sukka – perhaps unless you already shlepped all the bedding indoors. (ShA 7 – MB 40 – ShaH 76)
What if your sukka is equipped with a shlock, must you open the shlock when it suddenly stops raining? It depends:
If it opens with ropes and pulley – yes you must open the shlock even though you already sat back down to eat or laid back down to sleep.
But if you need to climb on top of the sukka – then in the middle of the meal – yes; in the middle of laying down – no. (MB 41 – ShaH 78)
When we say you may sleep indoors until dawn, you need not ask someone to wake you. When you wake up naturally, go to the sukka.( Rama 7 – MB 43)
Although it is praiseworthy to be machmir to do everything in the sukka (like drinking water )- if you are mitztaer, it is wrong to stay in the sukka. It could be a type of chillul Yom Tov (even during Chol Hamoed), you will not get rewarded, and it’s nothing but idiocy. (Rama 7 – BeH “v’chul”)
Sitting in the sukka while it is raining is a lack of derech eretz – a Layshayv at this time would be a beracha l’vatalla. Nonetheless, if you are pottur merely because of tircha, you will receive a lot of reward for overcoming it and going to the sukka.(MB 45 – BeH “hedyotos”).
Sleeping, lounging, learning Torah, and daavening in the sukka are all included in the mitzvah like you live in your house. Even sitting and standing around is a mitzvah. Nevertheless, the minhag world-over is to follow the opinion of those poskim to say a beracha Layshayv only at the time of eating.When you recite the beracha it exempts all of the other activities you do before and after the eating. (ShA 8 – MB 46 – ShaH 92))
You should not dwell in a sukka without a beracha. Therefore immediately upon coming in from shul, eat something that requires a Layshayv. Do not repeat the beracha when the meal is served later. (MB 46)
The Chayay Odom writes that the above applies only when you plan upon eating during the present sukka dwelling session. However, if you come in from shul and you will not be eating before needing to go out again, you need to say a Layshayv according to all opinions. Similarly, if you were to visit your friend’s sukka in the middle of your meal, you need to say a Layshayv in his sukka – even if you don’t eat there. The Shaar Hatziun states that since there are different opinions about it, it’s not worth it to leave your sukka for another one in the middle of a meal. (MB 48 – ShaH 93,94)
How long does your beracha Leyshayv Basukka last? If you leave intending to return immediately to the sukka the beracha is still valid. (For example to go to the bathroom or to bring something to the sukka.) A person who sits all day in his sukka, sleeps there at night, and daavens there – he does not leave to do anything without coming back immediately – that person’s first beracha does not expire for the entire seven days. (MB 46,47 – ShaH 88)
If you leave in the middle of a meal to daaven Mincha or Maariv, as long as your intention is to continue eating, your beracha is still valid when you return. (ShaH 91)
When you exit your sukka a “yetzia gemura” – that’s when your beracha Layshayv Basukka gets canceled. For example going to take care of business or going to shul in between meals. (MB 46,47)
If ever you happen to be in a sukka not intending for the mitzva, do not say a beracha. For example going to your friends sukka to collect a debt. (ShaH 93)
If you forgot to say a Layshayv before eating, you can say it when you remember even if you have already benched. Still, if you have not yet benched, say a Layshayv and eat a little bit more. (MB 48)
You said Kiddush Sukkos night, you ate, and then you realized that the shlock was down – open the shlock, say a Layshayv, and eat (at least) another kezayis of bread. (MB 48)
