The Dilemma of Bugs in the Sechach – Does This Disqualify the Succah? Does Spreading Out a Sheet Under the Sechach to Catch the Falling Bugs Help?

The Dilemma of Bugs in the Sechach – Does This Disqualify the Succah? Does Spreading Out a Sheet Under the Sechach to Catch the Falling Bugs Help?

In recent years it has become very common to use sechach mats made of bamboo, reeds etc. The problem is, since these materials grow from the ground they attract bugs, and often these mats are full of them. If one uses these mats for his sechach, it is very likely that bugs will fall into the food being eaten in the succah below, is this a problem? There are two main halachic issues with such sechach: 1) One who eats in such a succah is likely to end up eating bugs, as they may fall into his food without him knowing, 2) The infested sechach may have lots of bugs and flies falling from it and this may be very annoying and cause one to leave his succah. We find that there is a gezeirah [enactment] against eating in a succah which has lots of leaves falling into it, perhaps the same thing would apply to such sechach?

Wearing a Wide Hat

The Pri Megodim (Orach Chaim, M.Z. 315:11) writes that some have the minhag to wear a wide hat in the succah, so that if any bugs fall from the sechach they won't fall into the food. The Pri Megodim discusses if perhaps this is a problem of ohel [making a tent] on Shabbos, as the hat is at least a tefach wide.

Insects in Sechach

Sechach is often infested with insects and should be checked before being laid to ensure insects do not fall into the food.

Common infestations include spiders, small book mites measuring just one millimeter long and grayish-cream in color, and black insects half a centimeter long that burrow into the reeds.

Both fresh sechach such as palm and other tree branches, as well as dry sechach such as "Keines," can be infested.

How to check: Hold the sechach above a large white sheet of paper or tablecloth, bang it down and examine the surface for small insects.

If an infestation is found, spray the sechach with insect spray and cover it with plastic. A few hours later shake it or brush it off (a vacuum cleaner may be helpful). If black insects are found inside the reeds it is best not to use the sechach.

Sechach storage recommendations: Spray the sechach with a long-term insect repellent such as K900 or Antican, use moth balls liberally and use a hermetically sealed container such as plastic. (The original containers are not hermetically sealed.) The sechach should be thoroughly dry and stored in a dry location. (Rav Moshe Vaye)

No Hanging Flowers from the Sechach

The Bikkuray Yaakov (Tosefes Bikkurim, siman 627) writes against hanging flowers from the sechach and he says that certainly one shouldn't have them on the table. He writes that bugs and small flies fall off the flowers into the food and it is impossible to see them as they hide inside the flowers. He writes: If one does this, he turns the mitzvah of succah into an aveirah, as when he eats in the succah he swallows bugs, therefore, one should be careful not to hang flowers and blossoms from the sechach above where he eats, even if they are hung within four amos of the sechach.

R' Ezra Atiyah (Shu”t Yaskil Avdi 6:20) writes: “Although the Shulchan Aruch (629:18) writes not to use “pelponim” [thin beams of wood], it is still preferable to use them rather than other types of tree branches, since they are safe from worms and there is no concern that worms will fall in the food, unlike other forms of sechach where there is a concern of worms and bugs. Since this can lead to many lavin [negative prohibitions], it is better to use beams of wood which is only a problem on a rabbinic level due to gezeiros tikrah (an enactment against using beams of wood for sechach, as it makes the succah look to much like a house), then to use sechach which could lead to an issur de’O'raisa of eating worms, and there is no bigger shaʼas hadechak [pressing need] than this, and they may even be used lechatchilah.

Is Such a Succah Kosher

The Hisorarus Teshuvah (3:417) is in doubt if one fulfils the mitzvah of succah if he uses sechach which may cause bugs to fall into the food. Such a succah is unfit for eating in, and it is clear in the Rema (640:4) that a succah that is not suitable for eating, drinking, and sleeping, is not kosher even for the activities that can be done there, i.e. if one is uncomfortable to sleep there, then even if he is happy to eat there, he doesn't fulfill a mitzvah when eating there.

They bring from R' Nissim Karelitz (Nesivos Halachah, gilyon 25), that a succah that has bugs falling from the sechach is not considered a succah unfit for eating in, since one can simply cover the food.

The Hisorarus Teshuvah also discusses if one's succah has flies falling out of the sechach into the food, if one is able to eat inside the house. He writes that it would seem that one may, based on the Shulchan Aruch (639:5, and Magen Avraham, s.k. 15) who say that if it is too cold one may eat inside. He writes, if being cold is a heter, then certainly bugs falling into the food which makes the food forbidden to be eaten, should be a heter.

Is It Okay to Spread a Nylon Cover Under the Sechach to Catch the Falling Bugs?

It is clear from the Mishnah in Succah (10a): פירס עליה סדין מפני החמה, או תחתיה מפני הנשר, או שפירס על גבי הקינוף פסולה “that spreading a sheet over the sechach to protect from the sun, under it to protect from falling leaves, or over the frame of a four-poster bed makes the succah pasul.”

The Gemara explains: לא שנו אלא מפני הנשר, אבל לנאותה בשרה – “It is only a problem if it is done to catch the leaves, however, if it is done to beautify the succah then it is okay." Rashi explains: If it is done to catch the leaves then it becomes part of the sechach, and such a material is disqualified for sechach (as it is mekabel tumah) therefore, it disqualifies the succah. If, however, it is done for beauty, it isn't considered sechach, therefore, the succah remains kosher. The Mishnah Berurah (629:52,53) rules accordingly.

Based on the above, it is possible that if it the sheet is spread under the sechach to catch bugs and stop them falling into food, since one isn't doing it for protection, but is rather doing it to stop bugs falling into food, it wouldn't be considered sechach, and it would be nullified to the preexisting sechach.

R' Mordechai Gross writes that he asked this to R' Elyashiv (Gilyon Tel Talpiyos, gilyon 60, siman 4, cited in Nesivos Halachah, gilyon 26). R' Elyashiv answered that it is permissible to spread a nylon sheet under the sechach to catch bugs, based on the din that if something is done for beauty it is nullified to the preexisting sechach, and this din applies, even if one's intention is not for beauty of the succah, but for some ulterior motive.

A similar questioned is discussed by R' Shlomah Zalman (Halichos Shlomah, Perek 8, sif 18, Devar Halachah 25). R' Shlomah Zalman was asked if one may spread a sheet under the sechach to stop any light escaping from the succah, at a time when the government demanded a blackout. He writes: On the one hand we only allow spreading a sheet if it is done to beautify the succah, however, if it is done to protect from falling leaves or the sun it is pasul. The question is, if this case of covering the sechach to stop light escaping (such as during the black out in the war in 5734) is considered the same as falling leaves or if it is perhaps more similar to the case of noi, covering the succah for beauty, ביון שעב"פ אינו כדי להגן אלא למטרה אחרת - since it is not intended to protect but for another purpose.

On the other hand, R' Moshe Sternbuch (Teshuvos V’Hanagos 5:2112) argues on the above. He writes: Since people don't spread out sheets under sechach for beauty nowadays, it is clear that it is being done for some ulterior motive and is therefore not nullified to the sechach, therefore, it creates a chatzizah [interruption] between the one sitting under it and the sechach.

He adds: The Mekor Chaim (659) writes: If one spreads out a sheet for beauty and to protect from the sun or rain it disqualifies the succah. We see that even if the sheet is being spread for beauty, but at the same time is also being spread for protection it is a problem, therefore, certainly in our case, where it is not being spread for beauty at all, and is just being spread to protect from falling bugs it would be a problem.