(39) Mark, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the yield of your land, you shall observe the festival of the LORD [to last] seven days: a complete rest on the first day, and a complete rest on the eighth day. (40) On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. (41) You shall observe it as a festival of the LORD for seven days in the year; you shall observe it in the seventh month as a law for all time, throughout the ages. (42) You shall live in sukkot seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in sukkot.
(3) If a man constructs his sukkah on the top of a wagon, or on a vessel, it is valid, and he may ascend thereto on the festival. If he has constructed the succah on the top of a tree, or on the back of a camel, it is valid; but he must not ascend thereto on the festival. [If] two [side walls of the succah are formed] by a tree, and one by human hands, or two [are formed] by human hands, and one by a tree, the succah is valid, but he must not ascend thereto on the festival. If three [side walls] are formed by human hands, and the fourth by a tree, the succah is valid, and he may ascend thereto on the festival. This is the rule, Whenever the succah can stand by itself, even should the tree [which partly supports it] be removed, the succah is valid, and it is lawful to ascend thereto on the festival.
It is almost absurd to think one can build a succah on the back of an animal, such as a camel. However, a traveling merchant may wonder if this is viable as he cannot stop necessarily to pitch a succah. From this text, we learn the following rules about the requirements of a succah:
1) A succah can be a valid one, though you cannot enter it.
2) A succah must have three sides and be able to stand by itself in order to be valid AND to be able to enter it.
Talmud Sukkah 23a
If he used an animal as a wall of the Sukkah, R. Meir declares it invalid and R. Judah valid, for R. Meir was wont to say, Whatever contains the breath of life can be made neither a wall for a Sukkah, nor a side-post for an alley nor boards around wells, nor a covering stone for a grave. In the name of R. Jose the Galilean they said, Nor may a bill of divorcement be written upon it. What is the reason of R. Meir? — Abaye replied, Lest it die. R. Zera replied, Lest it escape. Concerning an elephant securely bound, all agree [that the Sukkah is valid], since even though it die, there is still ten [handbreadths height] in its carcass.
Regarding what then do they dispute? Regarding an elephant which is not bound. According to him who says, Lest it die, we do not fear; according to him who says, We fear lest it escape, we do fear. But according to him who says, Lest it die, let us fear also lest it escape? — Rather say, Regarding an elephant which is not bound, all agree [that the Sukkah is invalid];
Regarding what do they dispute? Regarding an [ordinary] animal which is bound: According to him who says, Lest it die, we fear [for that] according to him who says, Lest it escape, we have no fear.
But according to him who says, Lest it escape, let us fear lest it die? — Death is not a frequent occurrence. But is there not an open space between the animal’s legs? [It refers to] where he filled it in with branches of palms and bay-trees. But might it not lie down? — [It refers to] where it was tied with cords from above. And according to him who says, Lest it die, is it not tied with cords from above? — It may occur that it is made to stand within three [handbreadths] of the covering but when it dies, it shrinks, and this might not enter his mind…
R. Meir: No living creature can be made into a wall for the sukkah.
- Why?
- Lest it die.
- Bound Elephant?
- No problem
- Bound Animal?
- Problem
- Unbound Elephant?
- No problem
- Bound Elephant?
- Lest it escape.
- Bound Elephant?
- No problem
- Bound Animal?
- No Problem
- Unbound Elephant?
- Problem = Invalid
- Bound Elephant?
- Lest it die.
Halachapedia.com:
R’ Moshe Heinemann permits [building a sukkah on one's car.]:
First, he moved the car from the driveway to right up against a curb, then opened the doors on one side of the car all the way. (Minivan's sliding doors will not allow for the 60-second sukkah.) The open doors sticking out are an integral part of the structure.
The car doors form two of the walls. But a kosher sukkah needs at least three walls that begin no more than 10.5 inches from the ground, and since the Volvo door bottoms are a little higher than that, Miller used the curb to close the gap between door bottom and ground.
He also could have wedged in pillows or some other material that would not blow away in a normal wind. (Had the doors been lower to the ground, he would not have needed the curb or pillows.)
The car itself constitutes a thick third wall, as long as the doors on the opposite side from the sukkah remain closed.
A kosher sukkah needs a roof made entirely of natural materials, in their natural state but severed from their source. It must provide more shade than sun, while still allowing a view of the stars at night, and it must be at least 40 inches off the ground directly beneath it.
To build the roof, Miller first laid two of the wood strips along the tops of the doors. (It's considered preferable not to have the wood roof sitting directly on metal.) The top of the Volvo doors was high enough to satisfy Jewish law, but those who want to make a sukkah with a little more headroom could use thicker pieces of wood for the roof base, like two-by-fours, or a lower chair.
Finally, Miller placed the other strips across the first two pieces of lath. (Cut bamboo or evergreens could also be used as portable schach, but can ooze sap or shed needles inside the car while being transported.)
Miller then put a folding chair in the space right outside the car between the front and rear door and sat down in a finished sukkah.
A little later, he reconfigured the lath, running the two base strips between the two doors and the other ones parallel to the door tops. Either way of constructing the roof is acceptable.
There's not much room in the sukkah — probably not enough for a chair and a table. A sukkah's dining table must be within the sukkah itself, so the car seat cannot be used as an eating surface, Miller said.
If there are multiple people who want to eat in the car sukkah, they will need to take turns. It is possible to build twin sukkot, but it is a much more complicated process, because there would then have to be a proper wall erected along the car interior's length.
Although the car sukkah seems pretty simple to make, Miller recommended building a practice sukkah in front of one's rabbi to ensure that everything is done correctly.
Looking with satisfaction at the completed construction, Miller noted that traveling with a car sukkah is a real pleasure. You don't have to research the places where you'll be to make sure there's a communal sukkah in which to eat.
"This can really free Jews so that they can travel more easily during Chol Hamoed Sukkot," he said.