This chapter dealt primarily with analyzing the mitzva to reside in the sukka and with other halakhot that emerge from that analysis. The obligation to reside in the sukka is derived from the verse “In sukkot shall you reside seven days.” That verse is also the basis for the principle: Reside as you dwell. During the Festival, one must reside in his sukka in the same manner in which he resides in his house during the rest of the year. This principle leads to some strictures and some leniencies. On the one hand, one’s permanent abode during the festival of Sukkot must be in the sukka, and therefore, one is obligated to eat, drink, and sleep in the sukka. However, one is not obligated to reside in the sukka under circumstances in which he would not typically remain in his permanent residence. Therefore, one who is ill or for whom residing in the sukka causes discomfort is exempt from the mitzva. Similarly, one is not obligated to remain in the sukka in the rain. Travelers are also exempt, as are those whose business dealings compel them to be on the road. Fundamentally, one is obligated to eat in the sukka only food upon which one bases a meal. There is no obligation to eat a particular number of meals in the sukka; one need eat only if he chooses to do so, as he would at home. There is no obligation to reside in one sukka all seven days of the Festival. It is even permitted for one to build a sukka that, due to rabbinic decrees, he will be unable to use on Shabbat and on the first Festival day, provided that the structure of the sukka is sufficiently sturdy to last all seven days. Since the obligation is merely that the sukka be fit for residence, it is fit whether it is stationary or movable, on land or at sea. The shade of the sukka must be from its roofing; it is prohibited to place any permanent barrier between one sitting in the sukka and the sky other than the roofing. Therefore, placing a cover over the sukka or any type of sheet or netting over a bed inside the sukka prevents fulfillment of the mitzva. However, a temporary barrier and sukka decorations do not constitute an obstruction and do not prevent the mitzva’s fulfillment. The obligation to reside in the sukka is a positive, time-bound mitzva. Therefore, based on established halakhic principles, women and Canaanite slaves are exempt from the mitzva. Minors, who are exempt from all mitzvot, are obviously exempt from this mitzva as well. However, there is an obligation by rabbinic law to train a child in performance of mitzvot, and the Sages determined the age at which the child should be trained to reside in the sukka. As is the case with regard to other mitzvot, one who is engaged in the performance of another mitzva is exempt from residing in the sukka. These and related halakhot and their various details were the main focus of this chapter.

However, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruits of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of a beautiful tree, branches of a date palm, and boughs of a dense-leaved tree, and willows of the brook. (Leviticus 23:39–40)

The Torah verses that command the children of Israel to take the four species on the festival of Sukkot raise various questions. The names provided in the Torah are not clearly defined, distinctive names of the species; rather, they are allusions and descriptions. The first question therefore concerns identifying these species. After that initial determination, it is necessary to determine the numerous details with regard to fulfillment of the mitzva. The number and measure of each of the species must be ascertained. Can the mitzva be fulfilled with any one of the species of tree mentioned in the verse, or are there restrictions with regard to the specific tree or part of the tree required? Questions arise with regard to a plethora of minute details. Among them: In what condition must these species be? What precise form must they take? Are there other restrictions with regard to their nature? Can trees that are prohibited for one reason or another be used in fulfilling the mitzva? Similarly, various questions are raised with regard to the purchase and taking of these species, ranging from the question of their ownership to issues related to taking the species during the Sabbatical Year and thereafter. The mitzvot of taking the species are also unclear. How is this taking performed? Are all the species taken together? Must they be attached or bound together? What is the nature and manner of the act of taking them? Must one merely hold them, or is there an additional requirement? There is an additional series of questions: Where is the taking of the species performed? Is it an obligation incumbent on each individual everywhere; or is it tied to the sacrificial service in the Temple? Is one obligated to take the species just one day or for all seven days? How many times a day? These questions, raised specifically with regard to each of the species and with regard to all the species together, along with practical questions that emerge from them, will be addressed in this chapter.