Q&A: The Scope of the Exemption of Discomfort from the Sukkah Nowadays
The Scope of the Exemption of Discomfort from the Sukkah Nowadays
Question
Hello Rabbi, and happy festival,
Nowadays, when the gap between living conditions in the sukkah and in a permanent home has become greater—because conditions in a permanent home have become more comfortable than in the past, such as air conditioning, sound insulation, protection from mosquitoes, etc.—would it be correct to say that the law of one who is uncomfortable applies across the board to everyone? I also noticed that quite a few religious people do not sleep in the sukkah despite the obligation to do so. Perhaps that is also an indication that there is fairly significant discomfort involved in sleeping in the sukkah?
Best regards,
Answer
I definitely think that the law of discomfort is broader today. Its basis is the comparison between the sukkah and the home, “you shall dwell as you normally live,” as you wrote.
But the fact that many people do not sleep in the sukkah stems, in my opinion, mainly from the words of the Rema, who permits this because of the cold or fear of theft (in the name of the Mordechai). Religious inertia continues this leniency in a sweeping way, without connection to the question of the circumstances that justify it, which in my opinion has no real basis from a halakhic standpoint. In practice, de facto (even if not consciously), they are really combining this with the change in the law of discomfort. But if there is no significant discomfort involved, and it is just pampering, one should sleep in the sukkah. This is truly part of the core Torah law, and they even decreed against casual sleep outside the sukkah lest one come to sleep there regularly.
See a balanced overview here:
https://daf-yomi.com/DYItemDetails.aspx?itemId=26253