Kosher Schach: What It Is And Why You Need It

When it comes to  building your Sukkah  , the roof, or Schach , is where things get serious. You can't just toss any old material up there and call it a day. Traditionally, Schach was composed of loose vegetation, cut off from the ground, and the Talmud proposes a scriptural source for this.

Deuteronomy 16:14 reads “You shall make for yourself the festival of Sukkot  for seven days, with your gathering from your threshing floor and from your wine vat.” Sukkot is a festival of harvest, so it makes sense that your Sukkah should be roofed with natural materials harvested from the ground. And according to this verse, the Sukkah roof must therefore also be from materials similar to whatever you’ll pick up from your threshing floor.

Think straw, leaves, and branches – not your leftover construction scraps. So, if you were planning on slapping some metal poles, leather hides, or plastic sheets on top, it's time to think again.

Now that we’ve covered the basics of the source for needing kosher Schach, now we’ll deepdive into the full list of requirements for kosher Schach. Your Schach material:

• Must grow from the ground

2. Must be detached from the ground

3. Must NOT be susceptible to tum’ah (ritual impurity): In plain English, it should be unprocessed and not turned into a tool.

4. Must NOT have anything to do with idolatry: Choosing Schach means avoiding anything that once had a stint as an idol or had anything to do with idolatrous practices in its past life.

5. Must NOT have a pervasive foul smell: Kosher Schach has to remain fresh throughout the entire holiday. Branches with leaves that will dry out during Sukkot, or vines that will shrivel, are disqualified and are not Kosher even while the leaves are still fresh.

6. Must be dense enough to shade the Sukkah: The Schach should provide more shade than sun but be just airy enough to let a little rain through – finding that sweet spot is key. More on what to do if there’s too much rain on Sukkot in our handy Guide to Rainy Sukkahs.

But, before you go grabbing the first branch you see that meets these requirements, not all vegetation is created equal in the world of Sukkah roofing. Let’s go through some classic options:

1. Western cedar: A fan favorite in temperate zones – those needles stay where they belong (on their branches!).

2. Pine needles: Easy to locate, but they’ll turn your dinner into a crunchy mess. 

3. Palm branches: These work wonders in Mediterranean climates

4. Bamboo: The Swiss Army knife of Schach – versatile and reliable.

The bottom line? There are plenty of  Kosher Schach  materials to choose from, but just be cautious with anything that tends to dry up and shed. Remember, if your Schach can't last the week, it’s like it never even showed up, and can’t be used for Kosher Schach.

Thinking of cutting corners with thick planks or turning your old bamboo mat into Schach? Think again. If it's thick enough to resemble the roof of your house, meaning anything wider than four tefachim (12.6 inches or 32 centimeters), it's a no-go. And that bamboo mat? If it was made for lounging, it’s off-limits, because halachah (Jewish law) makes a distinction between the natural state of an object and its state as a utensil for human use (remember rule #3 from the Secret to Kosher Schach?).

So what about a bamboo mat made specifically for shading your Sukkah? Now, that’s as Kosher as it gets. The key is that your Schach mat must remain in its raw, unprocessed natural state – so save the DIY furniture projects for another time. Now you understand why mats made for covering your Sukkah come with a seal of rabbinical supervision – a.k.a. a “hechsher.”

That’s why our bamboo Schach mats come certified Kosher l’Mehadrin by the Eida Chareidis, ready to roll out on your roof from a storage bag for an  effortless Schach setup.  All Schach. No hassle.

…and in case you’re wondering what ‘Kosher l’Mehadrin Schach’ is, check out our handy guide to  What Makes Schach Kosher l’Mehadrin .   

Alright, so you’ve got your cedar branches, bamboo mats, or insert-other-Schach-material here – now how do you  keep them from crashing down  mid-festival? Wooden slats or long branches make great supports. Nailing down the frame is fine, but the Schach itself? Not so much. 

Tying it down with rope might sound like a good idea, but unless that rope is still in its “just-grew-in-the-ground” aka. unprocessed state, it’s not fit for use (Our Sages were worried that once such things would be used to hold down the Schach , people might start using them for the actual Schach itself ). So, stick to natural, unaltered materials for tying it down, and you'll be in the clear.

More on how to properly install Schach in our Essential Guide to Conquering the Canopy.

Building a Sukkah is all about keeping it real – literally. The roof needs to come from the earth and remain in its unprocessed state. So, if you're tempted to get creative with construction materials, just remember: If it's not something you could gather from your backyard (or a very generous neighbor’s tree), it's probably not going to cut it as Schach. Happy building!