Question:
I am building a pergola ( a sort of chuppah with an open roof. Please see attached picture) that will remain standing the entire year. The beams for the roof will be 2×6″ wooden studs and they will be placed 3 ft apart. The studs will be placed end up, so the actual width is 1.5 inched.
The question is regarding the beam size and width
Is this size beam kosher to sit under?
Also I have seen even larger studs such as 2×12 . Is that kosher?
Finally, the spacing is 3 ft x 3 ft. Can I make it smaller e.g. 2×2 ft?
(Please note that this question is only regarding the roof beams. Proper walls will be fixed to the walls of the pergola to make it kosher, and kosher schach will be placed on top of the beams)
I have included a picture. Please note that the beans are standing with the small size up (this way | | not ===)
Thank you
Attached:
Answer:
Your succah is fine to sit in even if the beams will be 2X2 ft. Unless a beam is 4 tefachim (12-16 inches) wide it would be permitted to sit underneath it without a problem. If there are two beams that are closer than 3 tefachim to each other, then it is questionable if it is an issue. The reason is because the two beams that are close to each other are considered “filled”, and then there would be 3 tefachim of beam, which would be problematic to sit under. However as stated, in your case, since the beams are more than 3 tefachim from each other, it is not a problem.
Sources:
O:CH 632-1 M:B 627-17
