Q&A: A Sukkah Far from a Protected Space
A Sukkah Far from a Protected Space
Question
Suppose that according to Home Front Command instructions, in my area I need to reach a protected space within one minute when a siren sounds. This is a tense period and there are missiles. Now suppose that if I am in the house, I can make it in time, but if I am in the sukkah, I cannot make it in time. In such a case, would it be correct to exempt sleeping in the sukkah on the basis of “and you shall guard yourselves”? Or since the risk of being harmed is low, and entering a safe room or shelter is mostly a moral matter of the categorical imperative and the law of large numbers, perhaps that would not be enough to grant an exemption? (After all, even when a person walks around in the middle of the day, he is not always in a situation where he can reach a protected space, and yet leaving the house has not been prohibited; perhaps it is the same for the sukkah.)
Answer
If this is a problem affecting many people, then one certainly must act according to the instructions. If it applies only to a few individuals, then there is no danger, and the categorical imperative here also does not necessarily say one must obey. So strictly speaking, I would say there is no exemption. But there is also the law of the land, and one is obligated to obey the law. Therefore it still seems to me that one should not sleep in the sukkah in such a situation.
Discussion on Answer
There is no risk delta at all. As long as it complies with the law, there is no exemption from the sukkah.
Thank you, Rabbi. The law does not say that one must be in an area that has a protected space; if you are not, the instructions simply change to staying close to buildings or lying on the ground. When it comes to the public, there is indeed some limitation.
The question is whether the delta of added risk between a shelter and an open area or a regular building justifies sleeping outside the sukkah. (It is hard to rely on Home Front Command instructions as part of the equation, since they keep changing all the time as needed.)