Sukkah 22 – Little s'chach, much s'chach

A sukkah with a meager covering (s'chach), just enough to have more shade than the sun, is nevertheless kosher. Some say that by “meager,” we mean that the s'chach is on two levels, even beams lower and odd beams higher. This is valid because we apply the principle of “throw down” and regard the upper s'chach as being on the level with the lower one. This is similar to the “edge of the roof coming down,” only called a different name here.

On the other extreme, if a sukkah is covered with too much s'chach so that the stars cannot be seen through it at night, it is not ideal but is still valid. In fact, even if the s'chach keeps out the sun's rays in the daytime, it is also valid, albeit only according to Beit Hillel.

Art: Starry Night Over The Rhone By Vincent Van Gogh