These rulings about one’s intention when building the Sukkah and who may build it are based on the Mishna Berura reflecting Ashkenazi practice.
Made For Shade Not the Mitzvah
- Made for shade: A structure is valid as a Sukkah even if it wasn’t made for the purpose of the Mitzvah of Sukkah, so long as the Schach was put there to provide shade.
- Therefore guard huts etc made with the necessary dimensions for a Sukkah and whose Schach was put on to provide shade is kosher.
- Renewing: Nontheless, it is a mitzvah to do something to ‘renew’ the Schach for the purposes of the Mitzvah, such as to pick up and replace (or put for the first time) 1 by 1 tefach of Schach for the purpose of the mitzvah, or pick up and replace Schach across the entire length of the Sukkah, even if it is less than 1 tefach in width (or across the entire width even if less than 1 tefach in length) to (SA 635, 636:1, MB 4-6)
- Sukkah Yeshana – built more than 30 days before: If the structure was built more than 30 days before Sukkos, by default we presume that it wasn’t made for the purpose of Sukkos such that one should ideally ‘renew’ something as above. However, if it was made with the intention that it was for Sukkos, this is unnecessary (SA 636:1).
- Sukkah kept from year to year: A sukkah which was built for the previous Sukkos and remained standing isn’t considered to have been made for the ‘purpose’ of the next Sukkos such that one should ideally renew something as above (MB 626:7)
Made as Living Space
- If a structure with Schach as a roof was made to be part of one’s regular living accommodation (rather than just to provide shade), it is invalid as a Sukkah and one must entirely lift and replace the Schach for the purpose of the Mitzvah of Sukkah in order to make it valid.
- Indoor Sukkah: A common application of this is if one has an ‘indoor sukkah’ and uses the room as part of one’s home the rest of the year – if one had left the Schach in place from last Sukkos, it is insufficient to merely open the roof again – one must lift and replace all the Schach (SA 636:2, MB 8-9)
Who Can Build a Sukkah
- A Sukkah is kosher even if it was built by those who aren’t obligated in the mitzvah. Therefore, if a Sukkah was built by a woman, non-Jew or child it is kosher.
- Renewing: However, one should ‘renew’ something as above (MB 636:4).
- Placing Schach: Furthermore, some poskim are of the view that ideally it is preferable for a male Jewish adult to place the Schach, given only they have a Torah obligation to sit in the Sukkah; however even according to this view a woman or child may build the walls (SA 635, Bikurei Yaakov 635:2, Dirshu 4, PT 1)
