A Yissachar / Zebulun Partnership in Loving Memory of Yishak ben Simcha A"H & Felicia bat Miriam A"H
Rabbi Gabriel Koskas

Torah Lecture

When even water isn’t allowed outside the sukkah

Lectured by Rabbi Gabriel Koskas

Published
October 21, 2024
Duration
1:56
Lecture code
RGK-1399

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There's a very typical case that could happen, and it happened to me on Yom Tov (Jewish holiday): you're eating in the sukkah (temporary booth), and we know the halacha (Jewish law). Not everything requires a sukkah. We learned yesterday that more than a kebeitzah (egg-sized measure) of bread requires a sukkah, and more than a kebeitzah of mezonot (foods made from grain) from the chameshet haminim (the five grains) requires a sukkah. Anything less than that does not require a sukkah, and other things don't require a sukkah. So, if you want to drink something, you don't have to go in the sukkah. If you want to eat a fruit, you don't have to go in the sukkah. It's good. People are machmir. They try to go to the sukkah. But there's one case where even drinking water is asur (forbidden) outside the sukkah. What is that? When you are in the middle of your meal.

This happened to me. I was in the middle of my meal on Yom Tov. I went to the kitchen to pick up something. I have the sukkah in my backyard. There was an almond. I took the almond. You don't need a sukkah for an almond. I put it in my mouth. I was like, “No. Bad boy. You can't do that.” Why? Because since you are in the middle of your meal, everything that is connected to the meal becomes like bread. It's the same halacha. You don't say halakha. You don't say... It's all connected to the meal. And therefore, if you're in the middle of the meal, you're not allowed to have anything outside the sukkah, even a cup of water.

Sometimes it's a reflex, and you don't remember. We have to be very careful with that because there are mamash (really) problems. Therefore, somebody who is in the middle of a meal cannot eat anything outside the sukkah. Everything that is connected to the meal has to be inside the sukkah. B'kavod (respectfully).