Question:
is there a minimum absolute size for schach/sechach? That is, if a Succah starts at 7×7 tefachim but has walls that bend after they are 10 tefachim high, how much can they bend and how small can the resulting area of schach be?
THANK YOU AND CHAG SAMEACH
Answer:
The walls that “bend” are considered walls, and not schach. Therefore you will need 7×7 tefachim after them in order for the succah to be kosher. The walls can bend up to a distance of 4 amos, which would be 1.44 meters or 4 ft. 8.7 inches, (according to R’ C. Noeh). See comments.
Sources:
Succah 4a, O:CH 632-1
First, thank you for your response. I wasn’t clear. Say walls are 7×7 up to (no then) 10 tefachim. Then they bend inward. I know they can’t meet because then their would be no roof. And I think I know that Schach needn’t rest on the succah. But if I want Schacht to be no wider then the bent wall portion which is less than 7×7 after (taller than) the first ten tefachim, may I?
In other words is it kosher to have scach that is no wider then the bent wall portion?
If the base is 7×7 and ten tefachim high? And if so is there a minimum size to this scach?
I don’t see this precise question addressed anywhere…
Thank you.
Thank you for the clarification. This is an very differant question.
Your question is discussed in the Shulchan Aruch 631-10. The Rema says that if the walls are not made from something that can be used as scach, then the sukkah is not good, since you don’t have 7×7 of scach. Therefore if your walls are made of wood that is wider than 4 tefachim, which can’t be used for scach, then the sukkah would be posul, but if the “walls” are made of thin slats, palm leaves, or something else that can be used as scach, then the succah would be kosher.
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