Emunah V'Pachad ---- Faith & Fear

(eh-moo-nah veh-pa-[Jewish CH]-odd) 

My project’s concept is called “Emunah v'Pachad”.

You have to have faith that the roof stays up...

And fear that it doesn’t fall down... 

And “Rosh Pasuach” to keep an open mind. Or, in this case, an opening in the roof to signify that idea, but that would have only worked if the roofing plan didn't change. Every part of the Sukkah was virtually thought up, researched, and drawn before construction began.

Before the summer began I was sitting in Yeshiva spending mornings in Mishnah Berurah looking up the Halachos for Kosher construction and measurements and the acceptable practices in which to do it. From what I learned, it’s apparent that many of the Sukkos that the majority of people use or buy became kosher after its commercialization. Don’t get me wrong! The sukkos are not posul, but how they reached the status of kosher is through the popularity.

Other days I spent in Masechta Sukkos, looking up the halachos of a round Sukkah. The Chachomim discussed the minimum amount of space that the interior should have, based on the understanding and close approximation to then recently discovered Pi (3.14159265359) which they rounded to 3. This gave a 3:1 ratio for the circumference of the sukkah to the radius.

The Chachomim said that the minimum size for a round sukkah should be able to sit 24 people, each with a 1 Amoh (1.5 square feet) space per seat. This means that the circumference should be approximately 36 feet (24x1.5). Therefore, and by doing some arithmetic, the radius of a minimum round sukkah should be 5.73 feet. Which then equals a 11.46 foot diameter. A square sukkah with the same circumference, or perimeter, of 36 feet would only have 9 feet per wall. Already it’s understandable that a circle has a larger Area than a square or rectangle Sukkah.

In terms of Calculus, the maximum and minimum area can be found using derivatives to solve for the relative maxima, if possible. But why bother with all that tedious work...

What interested me most in even thinking of trying to build a 'well-rounded' or an octagon sukkah was a small article I found that mentioned briefly the effect that a curve in a wall could do to/for airflow. After the old sukkah was knocked down during Hurricane Sandy (22-31 October 2012), which had high winds that reached 115mph, I was certain that reducing the risk of air force should be a priority.

With this in mind, the first post was placed on the Northern point to directly break/split the wind to go around the structure, rather than the older model that had the wind push straight into it. The following seven posts were put down in order by placing 2x6x8’ boards on the ground. After getting all of the posts up, it was vital to attach them from the top because there was a chance, and it happened, that one fell over. The top half was quickly done the following week.

Standing in the completed frame wasn't enough. We had to add doorways or else visitors and guests might trip over the lower frame. The doorways were added and the feeling of being able to walk in was inspiring. I ran around dancing for a while, running in and out of the doorways like a hyperactive child.

4 August 2013 - We brought ourselves to finally put the center support beam for the roof on. It was scary for the first hour- especially with the amount of hands we were working with and the extreme weight and length of the beam (23 feet). Also, the extra hands that were helping accidentally dropped it on a table that was relaxing below it...
Watching it sit snug in its spot 9.5' over our heads, on a beautiful day, really made me proud to be working on the project. Too bad we would have to share it once the holiday starts.

Over the course of the next week, we got the remaining 6 beams up and 16 cross beams at varying lengths that creates both a spider-web AND a sundial when the sun shines. It's marvelous! The wall panels and doors were put up to ensure that the project would have an interior echo system that would allow neighbors to hear what we were saying about them.

Luckily, the echo is lessened by the increase of items and people that absorb the sound waves. Sadly, I was looking forward to being the loudest family on the first night of Sukkos. Instead, we'll have to settle for being trend setters. Yes, we are the first ones to do an octagonal Sukkah in our village. This blog is proof of it. Why? Because it's written on the internet. The internet doesn't lie.

Come check out the Sukkah, dear reader. 
If you know where it is...

~ArchiTalmud