Lighting a Sukkah
Tim Meushaw
Hash: SHA1
This is just a little early this year, but it's getting to be that time
of year again. And given my horrendously awful experience last year of
building my first sukkah and having it fail so I wound up having the
Lamest Sukkah Ever (tm), I wanted to start early this year. I've got
most of a frame glued together using PVC; tomorrow night I hope to get
the thing erected and see if it holds up in a stiff breeze (maybe
Hurricane Frances will swing up the east coast and help me test). If it
does, it'll be a far cry better than last year's sukkah that couldn't
support its own weight even without the schach....
Anyway, a question I had is, how do most people light the interior? I
thought about using a couple of strands of christmas lights woven
throughout the bamboo matting I'm using for schach, but I don't know if
that'll provide enough light to see other people by, much less read by
(i.e. learning, bentching, saying kiddush). On the other hand, if it
gives off enough light, I'd love to use them, as they'd look like stars
up above. My father-in-law has some kind of light that's got a metal
half-dome around a bare light bulb, but it's not the most attractive
thing in the world, plus the only ones I saw like it at Home Depot today
weren't rated for outdoor use, and I don't want my sukkah catching fire
in the first rainstorm.
So, does anyone have any suggestions? It's a 12x10 sized hut, if that
makes a difference. I can hang stuff from the top with strategly placed
bamboo poles, if it helps also (it's good knowing a neighbor who has a
huge crop of bamboo growing in their yard). I'm just wondering what
other people tend to use. I find a lot of lights, but not many suited
for outdoors.
Thanks a lot,
Tim
- --
Timothy A. Meushaw
meu...@pobox.com
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cindys
"Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
news:slrncjd5la....@athens.meushaw.com...
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
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>
> Anyway, a question I had is, how do most people light the interior?
---------------
With a spotlight with a very long cord that is plugged into the nearest
outlet (we don't have a conveniently located outdoor outlet, so we have to
plug it in to the outlet on the porch) The spotlight itself is clipped to
the edge of the roof (the eave?) on the top of the porch and shines down on
the sukkah. I have seen some people clip a spotlight to the edge of the
sukkah. Or if that's too bright...don't you have a Kosherlamp? (Another
possibility which I have never tried but maybe someone else has, are those
battery operated lighted discs that people use to stick in dark spaces (like
closets).
Best regards,
---Cindy S.
ToooooMuchCoffeeMan
Tim Meushaw <meu...@pobox.com> wrote:
> Anyway, a question I had is, how do most people light the interior? I
> thought about using a couple of strands of christmas lights woven
> throughout the bamboo matting I'm using for schach, but I don't know if
> that'll provide enough light to see other people by, much less read by
> (i.e. learning, bentching, saying kiddush). On the other hand, if it
> gives off enough light, I'd love to use them, as they'd look like stars
> up above. My father-in-law has some kind of light that's got a metal
> half-dome around a bare light bulb, but it's not the most attractive
> thing in the world, plus the only ones I saw like it at Home Depot today
> weren't rated for outdoor use, and I don't want my sukkah catching fire
> in the first rainstorm.
>
Christmas lights are exactly what we use. Three or four strings in a
confined area like a sukkah give off more light than you'd think, more
than enough to read by. But do get ones rated for outdoors.
bac...@vms.huji.ac.il
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> This is just a little early this year, but it's getting to be that time
> of year again. And given my horrendously awful experience last year of
> building my first sukkah and having it fail so I wound up having the
> Lamest Sukkah Ever (tm), I wanted to start early this year. I've got
Practice, practice, practice :-)
> most of a frame glued together using PVC; tomorrow night I hope to get
> the thing erected and see if it holds up in a stiff breeze (maybe
> Hurricane Frances will swing up the east coast and help me test). If it
> does, it'll be a far cry better than last year's sukkah that couldn't
> support its own weight even without the schach....
>
Have you thought of purchasing one of those prefabricated aluminium pole
sukkas? With 2 people, it takes under 12 minutes to set up and another
3 minutes to roll out the SCHACH and to place the board that holds the
light bulb connected to along extension cord.
> Anyway, a question I had is, how do most people light the interior? I
See above.
Good luck.
Josh
Tim Meushaw
> In article <slrncjd5la....@athens.meushaw.com>, Tim Meushaw <meu...@pobox.com> writes:
>> This is just a little early this year, but it's getting to be that time
>> of year again. And given my horrendously awful experience last year of
>> building my first sukkah and having it fail so I wound up having the
>> Lamest Sukkah Ever (tm), I wanted to start early this year. I've got
>
> Practice, practice, practice :-)
That's what I figured. That's the penalty for building my sukkah at
Carnegie Hall.
>> most of a frame glued together using PVC; tomorrow night I hope to get
>> the thing erected and see if it holds up in a stiff breeze (maybe
>> Hurricane Frances will swing up the east coast and help me test). If it
>> does, it'll be a far cry better than last year's sukkah that couldn't
>> support its own weight even without the schach....
>
> Have you thought of purchasing one of those prefabricated aluminium pole
> sukkas? With 2 people, it takes under 12 minutes to set up and another
> 3 minutes to roll out the SCHACH and to place the board that holds the
> light bulb connected to along extension cord.
Thought about it, yes. Ruled it out as we didn't want to spend the $690
(as quoted on http://www.sukkah.com/pricing.html ) to get one of the
same size I'm building from PVC for under $50 (not counting the schach).
On the other hand, the reason I'm starting so early this year is so
we'll have time to buy one of those should this one fall over, burn
down, THEN sink into the swamp.
> Good luck.
Thanks! We'll need it. The pipes that are being glued together, I've
now let sit overnight. Hopefully tonight we'll see if the two of us can
put the rest together, minus the light.
Tim
Tim Meushaw
> "Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
> news:slrncjd5la....@athens.meushaw.com...
> ---------------
> With a spotlight with a very long cord that is plugged into the nearest
> outlet (we don't have a conveniently located outdoor outlet, so we have to
> plug it in to the outlet on the porch) The spotlight itself is clipped to
> the edge of the roof (the eave?) on the top of the porch and shines down on
> the sukkah. I have seen some people clip a spotlight to the edge of the
> sukkah.
I thought about a spotlight, but I was also worried about it being too
bright. Not so much for reading and seeing each other in the sukkah,
but for looking up at it and seeing a spotlight aimed at you.
> Or if that's too bright...don't you have a Kosherlamp?
We do, but I doubt it's rated for outdoor use, plus we'd need a few to
get the lighting level I'm hoping to achieve.
> (Another
> possibility which I have never tried but maybe someone else has, are those
> battery operated lighted discs that people use to stick in dark spaces (like
> closets).
That could work if they're bright enough. What I'd worry about is
leaving them on for 72 hours and having to go through 42 sets of
batteries during that time. Since we can't change batteries on Yom Tov,
that'd be... problematic. ;-)
Thanks for the suggestions,
Tim
cindys
> On 2004-09-02, cindys <cst...@rochester.rr.com> wrote:
> > "Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
> > news:slrncjd5la....@athens.meushaw.com...
> >> Anyway, a question I had is, how do most people light the interior?
> > ---------------
> > With a spotlight with a very long cord that is plugged into the nearest
> > outlet (we don't have a conveniently located outdoor outlet, so we have
to
> > plug it in to the outlet on the porch) The spotlight itself is clipped
to
> > the edge of the roof (the eave?) on the top of the porch and shines down
on
> > the sukkah. I have seen some people clip a spotlight to the edge of the
> > sukkah.
>
> I thought about a spotlight, but I was also worried about it being too
> bright. Not so much for reading and seeing each other in the sukkah,
> but for looking up at it and seeing a spotlight aimed at you.
It's not too bright for us, but everyone is different. But if you are
worried about it, the aim is adjustable. Don't aim it directly into the
sukkah. Aim it off at a slight angle.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.
Tim Meushaw
Yeah, outdoor ones would be important. Thanks for letting me know they
work. I was thinking of getting about 100' of lights and spacing them
about a foot apart in rows through the top. Maybe I'll try 50' first
and see if that's enough. :-) I just hope I remember to avoid the "one
light goes out, they ALL go out!" varieties....
Thanks,
Tim
Tim Meushaw
> "Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
>> I thought about a spotlight, but I was also worried about it being too
>> bright. Not so much for reading and seeing each other in the sukkah,
>> but for looking up at it and seeing a spotlight aimed at you.
> ----------
> It's not too bright for us, but everyone is different. But if you are
> worried about it, the aim is adjustable. Don't aim it directly into the
> sukkah. Aim it off at a slight angle.
Okay, I might give it a try if the Christmas lights idea doesn't pan
out. That's why I'm doing this now and not the 14th of Tishrei. ;-)
Thanks,
bac...@vms.huji.ac.il
Xmas lights? In that case you'll be expecting:
"Ah Meiseh"
'Twas the night before Chanuka, Boychiks and Meidels,
Not a sound could be heard, not even the dreidels.
The menorah was set by the chimney alight,
In the kitchen the Zeyde was *chapping* a bite.
Salami, pastrami, a gleizelleh tei,
And zoyera pickles with bagels--oy vey!
Gesundt und geshmack the kinderlach felt,
While dreaming of tayglach and Chanuka gelt.
The alarm clock was sitting a klappn an' tick'n,
and Bubbie was carrying a shtikele chicken.
A tummel arose like a thousand *braches*,
Someone had fallen and broken his tuches.
I put on my slippers eins, zvei, drei,
While Bubbie was enjoying her herring and rye,
I grabbed for my bathrobe and buttoned my gatkes,
And Bubbie was just devouring the latkes.
To the window I ran and to my surprise
A little red yamulke greeted my eyes.
When he got to the door and saw the menorah
"Yiddishe Kinder," he said "KEY'NEHORA."
"I thought I was in a strange hoys"
As long as I'm here I'll leave a few toys.
Come into the kitchen I'll get you a dish,
A guppel, a leffel, a shtikele fish.
With a few smacks of delight he started his fressen,
Chopped liver and kneidlach and kreplach gegessen.
Along with his meals he had a few schnapps.
When it came to eating, this boy was tops.
He asked for some knishes with pepper and salt,
But they were so hot he yelled "Oy gevalt."
He buttoned his hoysen and ran from the tish,
"Your koyshereh meals are simply delish."
As he went through the door, he said "see you later,
I"ll be back next Peysach in time for the Seder."
More rapid than eagles his prancers they came,
And he whistled and shouted and called them by name.
"Now Izzie! Now Morris! Now Louie! and Sammy!
On Irving! and Maxie! and Hymie! and Manny!
He gave a geshray as he drove out of sight,
"A Good Yontiff to All and to All a Good Night."
EPPIS I think you have the wrong holiday :-)
Josh
Tim Meushaw
>> Yeah, outdoor ones would be important. Thanks for letting me know they
>> work. I was thinking of getting about 100' of lights and spacing them
>> about a foot apart in rows through the top. Maybe I'll try 50' first
>> and see if that's enough. :-) I just hope I remember to avoid the "one
>> light goes out, they ALL go out!" varieties....
>
>
> Xmas lights? In that case you'll be expecting:
>
> "Ah Meiseh"
>
> 'Twas the night before Chanuka, Boychiks and Meidels,
> Not a sound could be heard, not even the dreidels.
> "Now Izzie! Now Morris! Now Louie! and Sammy!
> On Irving! and Maxie! and Hymie! and Manny!
> He gave a geshray as he drove out of sight,
> "A Good Yontiff to All and to All a Good Night."
>
> EPPIS I think you have the wrong holiday :-)
Josh, I'm speechless. That, truly, was one of the more disturbing
things you've posted. :-)
(Actually, I was thinking more about a parody called "The Twelve Pains
of Christmas", but it's an mp3 song file that I'm not giving a url to in
public; write me privately if anyone wants to hear; well, that and the
song is completely off-topic here, little details like that).
Chano
Hang on, aren't confusing the 12 pains song with the thread about hanging up
the lights in the Sukka??? ;-)
Chano
Tim Meushaw
That's the new song I'm gonna have to start writing. That, lifting a
10'x12x PVC frame a foot and a half over your head, dragging the schach,
getting it up on a 10x12 frame a foot and a half over your head,
scratching up the car's interior transporting the materials home, having
the tarp fall on you while trying to hang it, having the entire thing
fall over in a mild wind....
Man I wish I was handy with building. :-\
robDotCalm
propane powered units. These are available in most outdoor shops or
Wal-Mart's, etc. In any event, our succah is too far out in the yard to have
convenient access to electricity. The use of electricity from the house
seems like an intrusion into what a succah is supposed to be. For sleeping
in the succah, we spread a nylon tarp on the ground below are foam mats and
sleeping bags.
rob.calm
"Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
news:slrncjd5la....@athens.meushaw.com...
bryan
>So, does anyone have any suggestions? It's a 12x10 sized hut, if that
>makes a difference. I can hang stuff from the top with strategly placed
>bamboo poles, if it helps also (it's good knowing a neighbor who has a
>huge crop of bamboo growing in their yard). I'm just wondering what
>other people tend to use. I find a lot of lights, but not many suited
>for outdoors.
>
>Thanks a lot,
>Tim
What about those low voltage lights used to light up walkways in the
yard? I have not tried this myself yet but I am thinking about doing
so this year.
They are lighter than what I currently use (a couple trouble lights
with very thick insulation for outdoor use) but should do the job and
they look much nicer. The transformer is pretty heavy but that doesn't
even need to be in the sukkah.
The ones I am planning to use look like small spotlights and attach
to the power cord using some clamps that look like the old 'vampire
taps' that were used for old Ethernet connections.
The lights are 12 volt bulbs so there is no danger of electrocution or
fire. They usually come as a package of 4-6 lights with a transformer
and 60-80 feet of low voltage cable. The lights are called Malibu
lights. I don't know if that is a brand name or a descriptive name.
bryan
Yisroel Markov
<cst...@rochester.rr.com> said:
>
>"Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
>news:slrncjd5la....@athens.meushaw.com...
>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>> Hash: SHA1
>>
>>snippage to the chase
>
>>
>> Anyway, a question I had is, how do most people light the interior?
>---------------
>With a spotlight with a very long cord that is plugged into the nearest
>outlet (we don't have a conveniently located outdoor outlet, so we have to
>plug it in to the outlet on the porch) The spotlight itself is clipped to
>the edge of the roof (the eave?) on the top of the porch and shines down on
>the sukkah. I have seen some people clip a spotlight to the edge of the
Our succa is on the porch (I have removed part of its roof). The
lighting is the porch light (60W bulb) and a spotlight on a cord (40W
bulb). I've also lined the back of the cage with alimunim foil - for
better reflection and to reduce the reddish glow from the plastic. The
spotlight is plugged into an outside outlet via a timer.
The long cord and the hook at the top of the bulb housing allows one
to thread it through the s'hakh supports and position it just about
anywhere one wants.
>sukkah. Or if that's too bright...don't you have a Kosherlamp? (Another
>possibility which I have never tried but maybe someone else has, are those
>battery operated lighted discs that people use to stick in dark spaces (like
>closets).
Those things don't last more than about 12 hours.
Yisroel "Godwrestler Warriorson" Markov - Boston, MA Member
www.reason.com -- for unbiased analysis of the world DNRC
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Judge, and be prepared to be judged" -- Ayn Rand
Eliyahu Rooff
>
> That's the new song I'm gonna have to start writing. That,
lifting a
> 10'x12x PVC frame a foot and a half over your head, dragging the
schach,
> getting it up on a 10x12 frame a foot and a half over your head,
> scratching up the car's interior transporting the materials home,
having
> the tarp fall on you while trying to hang it, having the entire
thing
> fall over in a mild wind....
>
> Man I wish I was handy with building. :-\
>
you'll have learned to pour concrete, build sheds, remove tall
trees, replace shingles, hang wallpaper, rewire the entire
electrical system, upholster furniture, paint the house, lay
flooring and carpet, move major appliances, and hang sheetrock, all
by yourself without any assistance. I have an acquaintence who
claims he has a cousin whose wife has helped with some such tasks,
but my own experience suggests this may be a UL. The good part is
that by the time you're done, you'll own at least one of everything
that Craftsman, DeWalt, Makita and Stanley make, along with enough
assorted hardware to open a store of your own. (My own theory is
that the primary reason that men do all these home repair jobs is
because it gives us an excuse to buy more tools...)
Eliyahu
David Esan
rather industrial. I tried a spotlight, but it was too harsh. I
started using Christmas lights for decoration, and discovered that in
the enclosed space they really do provide a lot of light. If you've
just about got your sukkah up, why not experiment a bit.
There is netting with bulbs at the intersections that people use to
cover bushes and small trees. Two or three under the schach (and they
are designed to be linked together) provide a lot of light. I've also
had colored strands for beauty. The only one I won't buy again are
the blinking lights. One of my kids put it on high just before
yomtov, and I had to endure that for 2 days until I could shut it off.
The nice part is that I go and buy all of next year's supplies the day
after Christmas, when they are marked way down. Its kind of weird to
walk into the local big block hardware store, look at Christmas
lights, and recognize the other 5 shoppers doing the same thing.
bac...@vms.huji.ac.il
That reminds me of the wedding of the daughter of the Belzer Rebbe with
the son of the Rebbe from Jingle where they played: JINGLE BELLS JINGLE
BELLS JINGLE ALL THE WAY :-)
Josh
bac...@vms.huji.ac.il
> On 2004-09-02, bac...@vms.huji.ac.il <bac...@vms.huji.ac.il> wrote:
>> In article <slrncjd5la....@athens.meushaw.com>, Tim Meushaw <meu...@pobox.com> writes:
>>> This is just a little early this year, but it's getting to be that time
>>> of year again. And given my horrendously awful experience last year of
>>> building my first sukkah and having it fail so I wound up having the
>>> Lamest Sukkah Ever (tm), I wanted to start early this year. I've got
>>
>> Practice, practice, practice :-)
>
> That's what I figured. That's the penalty for building my sukkah at
> Carnegie Hall.
ROTFL ! [Reminds me of the annual comedians conference]
>
>>> most of a frame glued together using PVC; tomorrow night I hope to get
>>> the thing erected and see if it holds up in a stiff breeze (maybe
>>> Hurricane Frances will swing up the east coast and help me test). If it
>>> does, it'll be a far cry better than last year's sukkah that couldn't
>>> support its own weight even without the schach....
>>
>> Have you thought of purchasing one of those prefabricated aluminium pole
>> sukkas? With 2 people, it takes under 12 minutes to set up and another
>> 3 minutes to roll out the SCHACH and to place the board that holds the
>> light bulb connected to along extension cord.
>
> Thought about it, yes. Ruled it out as we didn't want to spend the $690
> (as quoted on http://www.sukkah.com/pricing.html ) to get one of the
> same size I'm building from PVC for under $50 (not counting the schach).
>
Accessing //froogle.google.com using the keywords "sukkah" then
"aluminium sukkah" [sukkas BTW displayed 1 cheap one too] lead me
to //www.siegersukkah.com which has prices starting at $295.
> On the other hand, the reason I'm starting so early this year is so
> we'll have time to buy one of those should this one fall over, burn
> down, THEN sink into the swamp.
In the immortal words of benjamin Franklin, "If at first you don't
succeed, try try again" :-)
Josh
bac...@vms.huji.ac.il
> On 2004-09-02, cindys <cst...@rochester.rr.com> wrote:
>> "Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
>> news:slrncjd5la....@athens.meushaw.com...
>>> Anyway, a question I had is, how do most people light the interior?
>> ---------------
>> With a spotlight with a very long cord that is plugged into the nearest
>> outlet (we don't have a conveniently located outdoor outlet, so we have to
>> plug it in to the outlet on the porch) The spotlight itself is clipped to
>> the edge of the roof (the eave?) on the top of the porch and shines down on
>> the sukkah. I have seen some people clip a spotlight to the edge of the
>> sukkah.
>
> I thought about a spotlight, but I was also worried about it being too
> bright. Not so much for reading and seeing each other in the sukkah,
> but for looking up at it and seeing a spotlight aimed at you.
You could always look up at the spotlight and either think you're at
KGB headquarters (and "TZITTER") or on opening night on Broadway
where you do a Howard Keel version of SOME ENCHANTED EVENING.
>
>> Or if that's too bright...don't you have a Kosherlamp?
>
> We do, but I doubt it's rated for outdoor use, plus we'd need a few to
> get the lighting level I'm hoping to achieve.
>
>> (Another
>> possibility which I have never tried but maybe someone else has, are those
>> battery operated lighted discs that people use to stick in dark spaces (like
>> closets).
>
> That could work if they're bright enough. What I'd worry about is
> leaving them on for 72 hours and having to go through 42 sets of
> batteries during that time. Since we can't change batteries on Yom Tov,
> that'd be... problematic. ;-)
>
> Thanks for the suggestions,
> Tim
>
Josh
Sheldon Ackerman
>
> So, does anyone have any suggestions? It's a 12x10 sized hut, if that
> makes a difference. I can hang stuff from the top with strategly placed
> bamboo poles, if it helps also (it's good knowing a neighbor who has a
> huge crop of bamboo growing in their yard). I'm just wondering what
> other people tend to use. I find a lot of lights, but not many suited
> for outdoors.
>
--
(Drop the first S for Emailing)
(s)acke...@dorsai.org
Art Werschulz
We use a standard outdoor automobile work-under-the-hood light, with a
yellow 60-watt bulb. We thread the cord through the tiny gap between
the canvas walls and the upper pipe holding same, and then thread it
through the slats that support the s'cach.
--
Art Werschulz (a...@comcast.net)
207 Stoughton Ave Cranford NJ 07016
(908) 272-1146
Art Werschulz
We also use Christmas-like lights, as well as a string-of-chili-pepper-lights.
All this we obtained in Boro Park Ir HaKoidesh, at the late lamented G & Sons,
which is now a National Liquidators store.
Ken Bloom
> We use a Coleman Camp Light. You can get these in battery, gasoline, or
> propane powered units.
If you use a gasoline or propane powered lamp, you may have some
interesting she'elot concerning the rabinic prohibition of reading by an
oil lamp. See 39 Melochos p 1256 where he says that "the Halachic status
of Kerosene lamps is the subject of disagreement among Poskim. One who
requires their use must consult with a Rav". Electricity won't have these
problems.
Corded electric lamps are a good idea because then you can put them on
timers, as you used to do with the lamp in your bedroom before you bought
a KosherLamp.
> These are available in most outdoor shops or
> Wal-Mart's, etc. In any event, our succah is too far out in the yard to have
> convenient access to electricity. The use of electricity from the house
> seems like an intrusion into what a succah is supposed to be. For sleeping
> in the succah, we spread a nylon tarp on the ground below are foam mats and
> sleeping bags.
> rob.calm
> "Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
> news:slrncjd5la....@athens.meushaw.com...
>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>> Hash: SHA1
>>
>> This is just a little early this year, but it's getting to be that time
>> of year again. And given my horrendously awful experience last year of
>> building my first sukkah and having it fail so I wound up having the
>> Lamest Sukkah Ever (tm), I wanted to start early this year. I've got
>> most of a frame glued together using PVC; tomorrow night I hope to get
>> the thing erected and see if it holds up in a stiff breeze (maybe
>> Hurricane Frances will swing up the east coast and help me test). If it
>> does, it'll be a far cry better than last year's sukkah that couldn't
>> support its own weight even without the schach....
I know one family in Sacramento that built an arbor (without any vines on
it) on a platform that stands year-round in the middle of their back yard.
It's constructed to be permenant, and very durable. When sukkot comes
around they affix walls and add schach, and that becomes their sukkah. (A
very good idea in a place where the wind can get up to 50 mph) It can help
if you use plastic lattices as the walls, because then the wind can pass
through. (Of course, you may not want it passing through because it blows
away your food and books - then you should use something solid, and make
sure your frame is correspondingly stronger.)
The best sukkah I've celebrated in was one that was set up before chag for
a chol hamoed bar mitzvah reception. It was at Touro University's campus
in Vallejo, CA, outside their student lounge, which is in a previous life
was a military officer's club (it feels like a 1930's swing club there).
The location is 15 minutes to 1/2 hour from many other Jews, but we had a
small sukkot program there last year, and so when it came time to sleep we
carried several couches out of the officer's club into the sukkah, and
kept them there for the whole Chag. Our sukkah practically had a dining
room and a separate living room.
That is the way sukkot should be celebrated.
>> Anyway, a question I had is, how do most people light the interior? I
>> thought about using a couple of strands of christmas lights woven
>> throughout the bamboo matting I'm using for schach, but I don't know if
>> that'll provide enough light to see other people by, much less read by
>> (i.e. learning, bentching, saying kiddush). On the other hand, if it
>> gives off enough light, I'd love to use them, as they'd look like stars
>> up above. My father-in-law has some kind of light that's got a metal
>> half-dome around a bare light bulb, but it's not the most attractive
>> thing in the world, plus the only ones I saw like it at Home Depot today
>> weren't rated for outdoor use, and I don't want my sukkah catching fire
>> in the first rainstorm.
My 2 cents says that you should go to a hardware store and get those
yellow contractor lights that are an incandescent bulb inside a plastic
cage, with hook on one side and a handle on the other side. Those should
shed a lot of light.
>> So, does anyone have any suggestions? It's a 12x10 sized hut, if that
>> makes a difference. I can hang stuff from the top with strategly placed
>> bamboo poles, if it helps also (it's good knowing a neighbor who has a
>> huge crop of bamboo growing in their yard). I'm just wondering what
>> other people tend to use. I find a lot of lights, but not many suited
>> for outdoors.
--Ken Bloom
Offtopic thought: Imagine an Israeli who speaks only Hebrew to her
children in an American grocery store. The children start misbehaving. In
this situation, she should not tell her children "Di Di Di Di Di".
(Di = enough)
--
I usually have a GPG digital signature included as an attachment.
See http://www.gnupg.org/ for info about these digital signatures.
My key was last signed 08/18/2004. If you use GPG *please* see me about
signing the key. ***** My computer can't give you viruses by email. ***
Leslie Felner
lamps (available at the home depot) and strands of white Christmas lights.
Our neighbors have really thought outside the box and attached a fluorescent
light fixture (again go to the hardware store) to a 2x4 that will fit across
the frame of your succah. Then you run the cord (attached to an outdoor
rated extension cord) to your outlet. We made sure to add an outside outlet
when we upgraded our electrical. The schach roofing then goes over all of
the 2.x4s that will support it. We have a 10x12 canvas succah (with a metal
pipe frame) and this works well. This size succah is big enough to house a
table which seats 8 plus a small table just for candlelighting and a server
(I bought a bbq buddy at Wal-Mart 3 years ago) which houses paper goods,
challah board, salt/pepper, benchers you get the idea. When we have company
out goes the server. Outside of our succah I have a planting cart which
doubles as a washing station, prep center etc. Don't forget to hang
decorations, new years cards, and place potted plants outside the entrance.
I especially love to eat breakfast in the early morning with my girls. And
then in the afternoon, we read/practice chumash together in it. Have fun!
Leslie
animzmirot
"ToooooMuchCoffeeMan" <tooooomu...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:tooooomuchcoffee-E6...@news.newsguy.com...
We do, too. I have 5 strings of the tiny white lights, and one strand, very
long, of the icicle lights which hang down. Plenty of light for reading and
seeing your food, but still leaves the sense that you are outside in the
dark. Since our sukkah decor is very 'festive', and done entirely in fall
colors, the lights add a really nice glow to the fake silk fall leaves we
use all through the schach.
Marjorie
robDotCalm
interesting she'elot concerning the rabinic prohibition of reading by an
oil lamp. See 39 Melochos p 1256 where he says that "the Halachic status
of Kerosene lamps is the subject of disagreement among Poskim. One who
requires their use must consult with a Rav". Electricity won't have these
Does that imply that a battery power lamp is OK? Is the prohibition of
reading by an oil lamp something general or something unique to Succos?
rob.calm
Ken Bloom
Reading by an oil lamp is rabbinically prohibited on Shabbat, out of
fear that you will tip the lamp to make it brighter, which would be the
melacha of mavier. This does not apply to battery powered lamps or corded
lamps because they don't get brighter when you tip them. I'm not sure
whether it applies to Yom Tov. It may not, but you would still have the
issue on Shabbat Chol HaMoed.
Tim Meushaw
Hash: SHA1
On 2004-09-02, bac...@vms.huji.ac.il <bac...@vms.huji.ac.il> wrote:
>> Thought about it, yes. Ruled it out as we didn't want to spend the $690
>> (as quoted on http://www.sukkah.com/pricing.html ) to get one of the
>> same size I'm building from PVC for under $50 (not counting the schach).
>
> Accessing //froogle.google.com using the keywords "sukkah" then
> "aluminium sukkah" [sukkas BTW displayed 1 cheap one too] lead me
> to //www.siegersukkah.com which has prices starting at $295.
I'll keep them in mind, thanks!
>> On the other hand, the reason I'm starting so early this year is so
>> we'll have time to buy one of those should this one fall over, burn
>> down, THEN sink into the swamp.
>
> In the immortal words of benjamin Franklin, "If at first you don't
> succeed, try try again" :-)
Yeah. Today's news is that with my wife's help last night, we got the
frame standing. I worry because I don't have all of the PVC joints
cemented, because otherwise how could you store it? I'm trying to think
of ways to secure pipes into connectors without using PVC cement.
Anyway, it's standing now, without tarp for walls or a roof; I'll keep
it that way for a few days to see if it collapses, and go from there.
Thanks for all of the suggestions, everyone! I'll post pictures of the
finished product as we get closer to Sukkot. :-)
Shabbat shalom,
Tim
- --
Timothy A. Meushaw
meu...@pobox.com
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Sheldon Ackerman
news:pan.2004.09.03....@ucdavis.edu:
> Reading by an oil lamp is rabbinically prohibited on Shabbat, out of
> fear that you will tip the lamp to make it brighter, which would be the
> melacha of mavier. This does not apply to battery powered lamps or corded
> lamps because they don't get brighter when you tip them. I'm not sure
> whether it applies to Yom Tov. It may not, but you would still have the
> issue on Shabbat Chol HaMoed.
>
OK...here's a good question :-)
Why are we permitted to read using a lamp that has a dimmer switch, or are
we???
Eliyahu Rooff
Since you aren't using the pipes for water and don't need an
airtight connection, drill a small hole through the assembled joint
from one side to the other and use thin bolts and nuts to hold them
together.
Eliyahu
bac...@vms.huji.ac.il
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> On 2004-09-02, bac...@vms.huji.ac.il <bac...@vms.huji.ac.il> wrote:
>>> Thought about it, yes. Ruled it out as we didn't want to spend the $690
>>> (as quoted on http://www.sukkah.com/pricing.html ) to get one of the
>>> same size I'm building from PVC for under $50 (not counting the schach).
>>
>> Accessing //froogle.google.com using the keywords "sukkah" then
>> "aluminium sukkah" [sukkas BTW displayed 1 cheap one too] lead me
>> to //www.siegersukkah.com which has prices starting at $295.
>
> I'll keep them in mind, thanks!
>
>>> On the other hand, the reason I'm starting so early this year is so
>>> we'll have time to buy one of those should this one fall over, burn
>>> down, THEN sink into the swamp.
>>
>> In the immortal words of benjamin Franklin, "If at first you don't
>> succeed, try try again" :-)
>
> Yeah. Today's news is that with my wife's help last night, we got the
> frame standing. I worry because I don't have all of the PVC joints
> cemented, because otherwise how could you store it? I'm trying to think
> of ways to secure pipes into connectors without using PVC cement.
> Anyway, it's standing now, without tarp for walls or a roof; I'll keep
> it that way for a few days to see if it collapses, and go from there.
>
> Thanks for all of the suggestions, everyone! I'll post pictures of the
> finished product as we get closer to Sukkot. :-)
Someone wants to build his dream house so he asks the rabbi for advice.
The rabbi shows him a gemara with explicit instructions how to build
a villa. The guy takes a year off from his business and spends 12 hours
a day, 6 days a week building his dream house. It's the last day of
construction, he places the last brick and the whole house collapses.
The guy's flabbergasted; after all, it's a BEFAYRISHE gemara ! He
complains to the rabbi who says, "Tosfot asks the same question !!"
[in Yiddish: "toysfus freigt der zelbe kasheh]
Josh
mos...@mm.huji.ac.il
> Tim Meushaw <meu...@pobox.com> writes:
Groan, groan and double groan. Groan squared and cubed. More groan
being emitted after that post than in the last half-century. You need
three diphthongs of "oa" for the amount of groaning needed!
Moshe Schorr
It is a tremendous Mitzvah to always be happy! - Reb Nachman of Breslov
mos...@mm.huji.ac.il
> "ToooooMuchCoffeeMan" <tooooomu...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>
>> confined area like a sukkah give off more light than you'd think, more
>> than enough to read by. But do get ones rated for outdoors.
>
> We do, too. I have 5 strings of the tiny white lights, and one strand, very
> long, of the icicle lights which hang down. Plenty of light for reading and
> seeing your food, but still leaves the sense that you are outside in the
> dark. Since our sukkah decor is very 'festive', and done entirely in fall
> colors, the lights add a really nice glow to the fake silk fall leaves we
> use all through the schach.
Sounds lovely. Just be sure not to put too much fake leaves in the
schach.
Harry Weiss
> This is just a little early this year, but it's getting to be that time
> Thanks a lot,
> Tim
We just have an outdoor extension cord. on that we have attched lines
with lamps that clip on to the cross beams. We also have a floor lamp
and a fan in Sukkah. (We rarely have rain, and it usually still quite
hot).
> - --
> Timothy A. Meushaw
> meu...@pobox.com
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--
Harry J. Weiss
hjw...@panix.com
Micha Berger
I use a flourescent light, with a tarp cut down to size waterproofing
the top from rainfall.
On the no-work days, we also use olive oil lamps, as we do every Shabbos
and Yom Tov.
-mi
Eliyahu Rooff
"Micha Berger" <mi...@aishdas.org> wrote in message
news:2q1dj3F...@uni-berlin.de...
> Whew! I thought this thread was going to be some pyromanical
convention!
>
> I use a flourescent light, with a tarp cut down to size waterproofing
> the top from rainfall.
>
Eliyahu
Micha Berger
: I thought we were supposed to be able to see the stars through the roof?
First, I don't think that's law. Despite what morah taught in first grade.
Second, the tarp material is only used to waterproof the light fixture,
not to cover the whole sukkah. If it did, it would be invalid sekhakh,
not an overabundance of sekhakh.
-mi
Tim Meushaw
> "Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
> news:slrncjh6ii....@athens.meushaw.com...
>> Yeah. Today's news is that with my wife's help last night, we got the
>> frame standing. I worry because I don't have all of the PVC joints
>> cemented, because otherwise how could you store it? I'm trying to think
>> of ways to secure pipes into connectors without using PVC cement.
>
> Since you aren't using the pipes for water and don't need an
> airtight connection, drill a small hole through the assembled joint
> from one side to the other and use thin bolts and nuts to hold them
> together.
Thanks, I'll be trying that as soon as I have some free time again.
Okay, another question came up today as I was buying Christmas lights
(which I hope to try first, while it's still early, then get brighter
lights if they're not adequate). As I was in Walmart describing to my
wife my plan for why I wanted to get 3 boxes of lights, she said there
was a concern with standing/sitting/being under the lights instead of
being under the schach. She said when they were growing up, her father
always had them stand/sit off to the side a bit, not under the electric
light mounted to a 2x4 above. I called from Walmart and asked him,
and he didn't know the halacha about sitting under electrical wires
and little twinkly lights, and whether they're small enough to count as
being under the schach or not.
So... what's the halacha for this, please? :-) I could put the lights
off to the side and along the poles if it's an issue, but I'd still
prefer to have them all interspersed along the top, between the bamboo
support poles and the bamboo mats I use for the schach. That way,
they'd be all over giving their light instead of just on the sides.
I've tried looking, but haven't found any sources one way or the other.
Thanks!
Tim
Jonathan J. Baker
>"Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
>> Anyway, a question I had is, how do most people light the interior?
>---------------
>With a spotlight with a very long cord that is plugged into the nearest
>outlet (we don't have a conveniently located outdoor outlet, so we have to
>plug it in to the outlet on the porch) The spotlight itself is clipped to
>the edge of the roof (the eave?) on the top of the porch and shines down on
>the sukkah. I have seen some people clip a spotlight to the edge of the
I have a drop-light, you know, an orange worklight on a 50' cord. I plug
it into a wall socket with a timer, and hang the light on a string inside
the sukkah. If it rains, I'll go downstairs and turn the light over, to
avoid a short.
--
Jonathan Baker | Mishenichnas Elul marbim becheshbon hanefesh.
jjb...@panix.com | Don't know if it's classic like Av, Adar, but is true.
Web page <http://www.panix.com/~jjbaker>
Jonathan J. Baker
>In article <slrncjd5la....@athens.meushaw.com>, Tim Meushaw <meu...@pobox.com> writes:
>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>> Hash: SHA1
>>
>> This is just a little early this year, but it's getting to be that time
>> of year again. And given my horrendously awful experience last year of
>> building my first sukkah and having it fail so I wound up having the
>> Lamest Sukkah Ever (tm), I wanted to start early this year. I've got
>Practice, practice, practice :-)
>> most of a frame glued together using PVC; tomorrow night I hope to get
>> the thing erected and see if it holds up in a stiff breeze (maybe
>> Hurricane Frances will swing up the east coast and help me test). If it
>> does, it'll be a far cry better than last year's sukkah that couldn't
>> support its own weight even without the schach....
>Have you thought of purchasing one of those prefabricated aluminium pole
>sukkas? With 2 people, it takes under 12 minutes to set up and another
>3 minutes to roll out the SCHACH and to place the board that holds the
>light bulb connected to along extension cord.
Maybe it takes you so little time, it takes us close to an hour. Particularly
after the first year, when some of the little hooks have gotten a bit bent
and need extra banging to go together. We have an "Ease-Lock" model.
bac...@vms.huji.ac.il
> In <ch76ug$a3q$1...@falcon.steinthal.us> bac...@vms.huji.ac.il writes:
>
>>In article <slrncjd5la....@athens.meushaw.com>, Tim Meushaw <meu...@pobox.com> writes:
>>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>>> Hash: SHA1
>>>
>>> This is just a little early this year, but it's getting to be that time
>>> of year again. And given my horrendously awful experience last year of
>>> building my first sukkah and having it fail so I wound up having the
>>> Lamest Sukkah Ever (tm), I wanted to start early this year. I've got
>
>
>>Practice, practice, practice :-)
>
>
>
>
>>> most of a frame glued together using PVC; tomorrow night I hope to get
>>> the thing erected and see if it holds up in a stiff breeze (maybe
>>> Hurricane Frances will swing up the east coast and help me test). If it
>>> does, it'll be a far cry better than last year's sukkah that couldn't
>>> support its own weight even without the schach....
>
>>Have you thought of purchasing one of those prefabricated aluminium pole
>>sukkas? With 2 people, it takes under 12 minutes to set up and another
>>3 minutes to roll out the SCHACH and to place the board that holds the
>>light bulb connected to along extension cord.
>
> Maybe it takes you so little time, it takes us close to an hour. Particularly
> after the first year, when some of the little hooks have gotten a bit bent
> and need extra banging to go together. We have an "Ease-Lock" model.
Probably "Ease-SHLOCK" :-)
As I said,"Practice, practice, practice!!" :-) Seriously, LABEL the parts.
The next year it will take your 2-man team precisely 12 minutes to set up
the sukkah and another 3 minutes to roll out the SCHACH and place the
board that holds the light bulb.
Call it Yankee ingenuity.
KVCT
Josh
Don Levey
> In <2syZc.4690$2s....@twister.nyroc.rr.com> "cindys" <cst...@rochester.rr.com> writes:
> >"Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
>
> >> Anyway, a question I had is, how do most people light the interior?
> >---------------
> >With a spotlight with a very long cord that is plugged into the nearest
> >outlet (we don't have a conveniently located outdoor outlet, so we have to
> >plug it in to the outlet on the porch) The spotlight itself is clipped to
> >the edge of the roof (the eave?) on the top of the porch and shines down on
> >the sukkah. I have seen some people clip a spotlight to the edge of the
>
> I have a drop-light, you know, an orange worklight on a 50' cord. I plug
> it into a wall socket with a timer, and hang the light on a string inside
> the sukkah. If it rains, I'll go downstairs and turn the light over, to
> avoid a short.
>
My wife just found a few strings of party lights in the shapes if
colourful fruits, veggies, and flowers. Those'll be in the sukkah
this year.
--
Don Levey $> cd /pub
Framingham, MA $> more beer
NOTE: email server uses spam filters.
Tim Meushaw
> Yeah. Today's news is that with my wife's help last night, we got the
> frame standing. I worry because I don't have all of the PVC joints
> cemented, because otherwise how could you store it? I'm trying to think
> of ways to secure pipes into connectors without using PVC cement.
> Anyway, it's standing now, without tarp for walls or a roof; I'll keep
> it that way for a few days to see if it collapses, and go from there.
I kept this around in my newsreader all this time, so I might as well
reply to it. On Sunday a few days ago I got the finished frame put
together and have it sitting on the deck. (I also helped people put
together two other succas that day; 3 in one day is tiring.) Tonight,
my wife and I put up tarp for the walls and the two bamboo mats for the
schach. Seems like it'll be stable enough barring hurricanes or small
children shaking the parts they shouldn't.
And as it turns out, lighting might not be an issue after all. We ran
out of tarp and so it has 3.25 walls instead of 3.5. But that extra bit
of missing wall allows the light attached to the house next to the porch
door to shine in, and it seems like it'll be adequate illumination.
I'll put up some christmas lights anyway for decoration, but won't have
to rely on them to read by.
> Thanks for all of the suggestions, everyone! I'll post pictures of the
> finished product as we get closer to Sukkot. :-)
If anyone wants these, send me an email. I haven't taken them yet, but
would do so after the christmas lights are up and before Sukkot. :-)
Thanks again for all of your suggestions,
Tim
Eliyahu Rooff
for.
Eliyahu
Tim Meushaw
> "Tim Meushaw" <meu...@pobox.com> wrote in message
> news:slrncl49e8....@athens.meushaw.com...
>> reply to it. On Sunday a few days ago I got the finished frame put
>> together and have it sitting on the deck. (I also helped people put
>> together two other succas that day; 3 in one day is tiring.) Tonight,
>> my wife and I put up tarp for the walls and the two bamboo mats for the
>> schach. Seems like it'll be stable enough barring hurricanes or small
>> children shaking the parts they shouldn't.
>>
>> And as it turns out, lighting might not be an issue after all. We ran
>> out of tarp and so it has 3.25 walls instead of 3.5. But that extra bit
>> of missing wall allows the light attached to the house next to the porch
>> door to shine in, and it seems like it'll be adequate illumination.
>> I'll put up some christmas lights anyway for decoration, but won't have
>> to rely on them to read by.
>>
>> > Thanks for all of the suggestions, everyone! I'll post pictures of the
>> > finished product as we get closer to Sukkot. :-)
>>
>> If anyone wants these, send me an email. I haven't taken them yet, but
>> would do so after the christmas lights are up and before Sukkot. :-)
>>
> Why don't you post them on the scjm group site? That's what I built it
> for.
Good idea, Eliyahu. I'll do so. I kept meaning to find the christmas
lights for decoration, and I never did. And now the last of Hurricane
Jeanne just passed overhead today. And as it did so, with its huge
amounts of rain and wind, the sukkah's non-glued joints gave way and the
entire thing is now in one big collapsed heap on the deck. :-( Looks
like I go in to work tomorrow as I do what I shoulda done before and
put bolts through those joints as I put the thing back up by myself...
maybe then I'll find the lights and can take a picture....
Bleh.
Tim Meushaw
Thanks to having a lot of help from my wife, we got the thing rebuilt
this morning, and it looks better than ever (sturdier, too). Per
Eliyahu's request, a picture was finally updated to the website.
Chag sameach all,