''S'chach'' ( ) is the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

name for the material used as a roof for a ''

sukkah A or succah (; ; plural, ' or ' or ', often translated as "booth") is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated with autumnal, harvest or Judaic ...

'', used on the

Jewish holiday Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' (, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed by Jews throughout the Hebrew calendar.This article focuses on practices of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. ...

of Sukkot. It translates to "thatch" or "roof".

Jewish laws on ''s'chach''

The ''

halacha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mi ...

'' (Jewish laws) regarding Sukkot and the ''sukkah'' are found in Tractate Sukkah, part of

Seder Moed Moed (, "Festivals") is the second Order of the Mishnah, the first written recording of the Oral Torah of the Jewish people (also the Tosefta and Talmud). Of the six orders of the Mishna, Moed is the third shortest. The order of Moed consists ...

(“the Order of Festivals”), in the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

Materials

The ''s'chach'' must be made from plants, i.e., materials grown from the ground, such as

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...

leaves,

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

sticks and

pine tree A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as c ...

branches. While vines could be used to construct the ''s'chach'', it must be disconnected from the ground, So, a garden trellis with living vines (i.e., vines still rooted into the ground) could not be part of a valid ''s'chach''. Some types of wooden slats and other types of

organic material Organic matter, organic material or natural organic matter is the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have come fro ...

can be used for ''s'chach'', unless they were processed for a different use, such as a bundle of hay. Materials that can become ritually impure, such as eating utensils, cannot be used for the ''s'chach''.

Structure

The ''s'chach'' must rest on top of the ''sukkah'' without being tied down to the structure itself. Similarly, while one can re-use a ''sukkah'', the ''s'chach'' must be replaced each year. This does not mean one must build it from scratch but, at a minimum, the ''s'chach'' must be lifted off of the ''sukkah'' and then put back in place. The ''s'chach'' must be placed after the ''sukkah'''s walls are completed.

Additional specifications

Other rules regarding the ''s'chach'' include the following. * As a minimum, the ''s'chach'' must be dense enough that it provides more shade than sunlight in the ''sukkah,'' but at night it should not prevent one from seeing the stars. ** If sunlight entering the ''sukkah'' through the ''s'chach'' is more than seven square '' tefachim'' (hand-breadths, approximately 56 cm² or 22 in²) at noontime, the ''sukkah'' is invalid. ** If rain cannot enter the ''sukkah'', it is invalid. * Wooden boards that are more than four ''tefachim'' (approximately 8 cm or 3.2 in) wide cannot be used. * One cannot use branches that are likely to break apart and disturb those in the ''sukkah''. * The materials of the ''s'chach'' must not be malodorous or infested with bugs, lest they drive out of the ''sukkah.''

References

Hebrew words and phrases Trees in religion Sukkot {{Hebrew-lang-stub Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law

Jewish laws on ''s'chach''

Materials

Structure

Additional specifications

See also

References