S'chach
Encyclopedia
S'chach is the hebrew name for the material used as a roof for a sukkah
. S'chach has to derive from things that have "grown from the ground", such as Palm
leaves, bamboo
sticks and pine tree branches. Some types of wooden slats and other types of organic material can be used for S'chach, unless they were processed for a different use. The s'chach must have been disconnected from the ground so, for example, placing a sukkah under the boughs of a tree would render it not valid. As a minimum, the s'chach must be thick enough that it provides more shade than light in the sukkah. As a maximum, there is a concept of being able to see the stars through the s'chach, but the absolute maximum is that rain should be able to penetrate into the sukkah.
If the sukkah is kept year round, you must replace the s'chach no more than 30 days before Sukkos. It is not necessary to completely remover the s'chach; it would be sufficient to lift each piece of s'chach up one foot or more into the air, and then put it back down.
Sukkah
A sukkah 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 themes...
. S'chach has to derive from things that have "grown from the ground", such as Palm
Palm
Palm may refer to :* Palm, the central region of the front of the hand, see Hand#Human anatomy or metacarpus.-People:* August Palm , Swedish socialist activist* Conny Palm, , Swedish electrical engineer and statistician...
leaves, bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
sticks and pine tree branches. Some types of wooden slats and other types of organic material can be used for S'chach, unless they were processed for a different use. The s'chach must have been disconnected from the ground so, for example, placing a sukkah under the boughs of a tree would render it not valid. As a minimum, the s'chach must be thick enough that it provides more shade than light in the sukkah. As a maximum, there is a concept of being able to see the stars through the s'chach, but the absolute maximum is that rain should be able to penetrate into the sukkah.
If the sukkah is kept year round, you must replace the s'chach no more than 30 days before Sukkos. It is not necessary to completely remover the s'chach; it would be sufficient to lift each piece of s'chach up one foot or more into the air, and then put it back down.