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TAKING DOWN A SUKKAH DURING SUKKOT
I will be going away for the last days of Sukkot, and I do not need my Sukkah anymore. Can I take it down on Hol Hamo’ed before I leave?
The Gemara (Sukkah 9a) derives from the verse (VaYikra 23:34) “The Hag of Sukkot shall be seven days for Hashem” that just as a Korban Hagiga (alluded to by the word “Hag” which is seemingly superfluous) is sanctified to Hashem, so too a Sukkah becomes sanctified to Hashem.
Maran in Shulhan Aruch (OH 638:1) writes that the s’chach and walls of a Sukkah may not be used for any other purpose during Sukkot. For example, one may not pull a splinter from the wood of the Sukkah to use as a toothpick. Even if the Sukkah fell down, one may not benefit from the wood until after Sukkot. It is not clear from Shulhan Aruch whether one may take down a Sukkah if no one will benefit from it.
Sefer Ikare HaDat (OH 2:68) discusses this question and concludes that taking down a Sukkah constitutes a “bizui mitzvah” (belittling of the mitzvah) and therefore it may only be taken down if there is a special necessity.
The Sho’el U’Meshiv (4:3:28) also seems to imply that this is not permitted. He writes that one may not even take s’chach off of one Sukkah to place on another. However, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l (Minhat Shlomo II:54) and Shut L’Horot Nattan (7:47) both point out that there is a clear implication from Shulhan Aruch (666:1) that one may take down a Sukkah, once it is no longer needed. The Shulhan Aruch states that in Israel, on Hosha’ana Rabba, once the Sukkah is no longer needed, one may remove a large section of the s’chach in order to permit sitting in the Sukkah on Shemini Atzeret and not be concerned about Bal Tosif (the prohibition not to add on the Mitzvot). Of course, one may not benefit from the s’chach until after Sukkot. (Note: dismantling a Sukkah on Hol HaMo’ed involves Melacha. This would be permitted only for the sake of Yom Tov [if the labor is non-skilled], or to avoid a loss.)
TAKING DOWN SUKKAH DECORATIONS
I am visiting my parents for the first days of Sukkot and my in-laws for the last days. We hung up in my parents’ Sukkah decorations that my children made in school. Can we take them down and bring them with us and hang them in my in-law’s Sukkah?
Not only does a Sukkah have special holiness, but the decorations are infused with holiness as well. One may not remove Sukkah decorations from a Sukkah for no reason, unless they were hung before Sukkot on condition that they should not become holy (there is a specific wording that one must say to prevent them from becoming holy). However, if one is concerned that they will be ruined or stolen, they may be removed (Piske Teshuvot 638:7 – citing Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l). Similarly, the Tzitz Eliezer (13:67) writes that if the intent is to hang them in another Sukkah, this too is permitted. He explains that this is not considered “bizui mitzvah” (belittling of the mitzvah), since the decoration is being transferred to another Sukkah. Rav Moshe Sternbuch points out that one may not decrease the level of sanctity of the decorations. If the decorations were hanging from the s’chach, they should be hung again on the s’chach, which has a higher level of holiness than the walls (Mo’adim U’Zmanim 6:68).