How To Build My Sukkah
What's a sukkah, you ask? It's a temporary dwelling that Orthodox Jews build and use for a week each year, in accordance with Leviticus 23:42, as part of the holiday of thanksgiving known as "Sukkot". It's one of the lesser-known Jewish traditions but it's one that my family and I enjoy practicing each year.
Most people nowadays buy ready made sukkot or at least easy-to-build ones like those pictured here: http://sukkot.com/gallery.htm but my friend and I really thought the Hometalk community would have some fun with this question. There are a few basic requirements for a sukkah but there's a lot of room for creativity and we'd love to hear some of your ideas.
The basic criteria are:
- At least three walls
- A roof made of vegetative material which covers the area but isn't completely solid
- Big enough to sit and eat a meal in.
Given those criteria - what would you build with??
As you can see from the pictures, a sukkah is usually decorated, at least inside, often in a harvest theme, to go along with the idea of the holiday - thanking God for the harvest of the year. So decoration ideas are welcome as well!
(This is really more of a theoretical question because I think I have my plan worked out - so I'm asking without a specific price limit - but price and convenience are always considerations.)
To illustrate what I mean, here are some pictures of Sukkahs I've found online. The one in the middle is quite similar to one that my family used for a number of years.
Most people nowadays buy ready made sukkot or at least easy-to-build ones like those pictured here: http://sukkot.com/gallery.htm but my friend and I really thought the Hometalk community would have some fun with this question. There are a few basic requirements for a sukkah but there's a lot of room for creativity and we'd love to hear some of your ideas.
The basic criteria are:
- At least three walls
- A roof made of vegetative material which covers the area but isn't completely solid
- Big enough to sit and eat a meal in.
Given those criteria - what would you build with??
As you can see from the pictures, a sukkah is usually decorated, at least inside, often in a harvest theme, to go along with the idea of the holiday - thanking God for the harvest of the year. So decoration ideas are welcome as well!
(This is really more of a theoretical question because I think I have my plan worked out - so I'm asking without a specific price limit - but price and convenience are always considerations.)
To illustrate what I mean, here are some pictures of Sukkahs I've found online. The one in the middle is quite similar to one that my family used for a number of years.
The inside of a decorated sukkah
The outside of a sukkah
A sukkah with branches and leaves built into the walls
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You know, no matter what religion you believe in, the old traditions are WONDERFUL! I wonder how many people pause a moment to wonder why they have been set down in almost every religion? I like to think that was a way to bring the family/friends/neighbors together for a fun time...a time to look inside for the greater good of more than ourselves by offering our ideas...like for this structure! After all, life was a lot of hard work, less material things, more toward just survival. These events offered moments to "play" (without the aid of an Ipad!) I love your Sukkah and I had to suggest that this would be the PERFECT time to use PALLETS! Just add some good bracing, fill in with some branches, they are great for building a table and stools/benches etc.
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Not just Orthodox Jews.
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