ChicagoRabbinicalCouncil2701WestHowardStreetChicago,Illinois60645

7734653900www.crcweb.orgRabbiSholemFishbane,KashrusAdministrator
September22,2014/" "(version7)
Recommendation
This year, the Home Depot store located at 6211 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60659 is selling
bambooreedfencingwiththeHamptonBaybrandname.AsperguidelinesprovidedbyRavSchwartz
andRavFuerstinpreviousyears,weareabletorecommendtwovarietiessoldthere:
(1) A 6 foot X 16 foot variety, with UPC code 48037 06164, and
markedashavingaNaturalFinish.Thisvarietyisalsoavailable
onlineathttp://kshr.us/1qnpQaE
(2) A 4 foot X 8 foot variety, with UPC code 48037 77301, with a
PeeledandPolishedFinish.Thisvarietyisalsoavailableonline
athttp://kshr.us/1qnppwW.
A third variety, which measures 6 feet X 16
feet,withtheBackyardXScapesbrandname,
UPCcode7174600530,andmarkedasbeing
Natural Peeled Reed Fencing, is available
onlineonlyathttp://kshr.us/1u66WLDandis
alsorecommended.

Thesethreevarietiesmaybeusedasschachonlyif:
The reeds are placed perpendicular to the schach supportbeams rather than parallel to the
beams,asshowninthepicturesbelow.
Apieceofwoodorsomeotherpieceofkosherschachshouldbeplacedontopofthefencing,so
thatthefencingissecureenoughtonotblowoffduringSuccos.[Thisextrapieceofwoodshould
notbenailedorotherwisefastenedtotheschach,anditshouldbeplacedperpendiculartothe
reeds.]Thisconditionappliestoalllightweightschachincludingmats,andisbasedonShulchan
Aruch628:2.
Aswithallschach,theschachportionsofthematmustbethickenoughthattheyprovidemore
shadedareathanopenspace,asperShulchanAruch631:1.Itmaybenecessarytoplaceadouble
layerofmatsinordertoaccomplishthis.

OthersimilaritemshavenotbeeninvestigatedandshouldonlybeusedafterconsultingwithonesRabbi.
PlacementPictures

Good
Reedsperpendicular
tosupportbeams
Schach
supportbeams
Woodon
topofreeds
Reed
Direction
Reedsparallel
tosupportbeams
Schach
supportbeams

NoGood
Reed
Direction
ChicagoRabbinicalCouncil2701WestHowardStreetChicago,Illinois60645
7734653900www.crcweb.orgRabbiSholemFishbane,KashrusAdministrator
Explanation

Thefencingismadeoflong,thin,reedswhichareheldtogetherwithplasticcoatedmetalwiring.There
areprominentIsraeliPoskimwhoholdthatsince(a)metalwiringisnotacceptableforuseasschachand
(b)thewiringbindsthefencingtogether,thefencingmaynotlchatchilahbeusedforschach.Thisconcern
isknownas.
1

However,RavFuerstreportsthatRavMosheFeinsteinztlwasoftheopinionthatifthereedsareplaced
perpendiculartotheschachsupportbeams,thereedsaresupportedbythebeams,andthemetalwiring
merelyattachesthereedstooneanotherbutisnotservingasa.RavSchwartzfoundthisargument
to be convincing. Accordingly, the fencing may be used as schach if it is placed on the succah in the
prescribedmanner.
2

It is noteworthy that as the fragile, individual reeds break, those reeds are only supported by the metal
wiringandnolongerqualifyfortheaforementionedleniency.Insamplesthatwechecked,710%ofthe
reedsinnewpackagesoffencingwereincompletetotheextentthattheywereonlysupportedbythemetal
wiring.Thisconcerncanpotentiallybealleviatedbystrategicallyplacingadditionalsupportbeamsunder
thefencing.

IggerosMoshe
3
rulesthatvenetianblindsmadeofwoodslatsheldtogetherwithclothmaynotbeusedfor
schach because the cloth (which is a ) renders the entire blinds a and
therefore unacceptable for use as schach. Should the same not apply to the reed fencing which is held
togetherbymetalwireswhichare ?

RavFuerstansweredthattheprimaryuseofthisfencingiswhenitisattachedtothegroundwithmetal
stakes ( ) and is therefore disqualified from being a . In contrast,
Venetianblindsarenotconsidered becausetheyaremerelyslidintoaframeorhousing
butarenotactuallyattachedtothehouse/ground.
4
Accordingly,theconcernraisedbyIggerosMoshedoes
notapplytotheproductinquestion,anditmaybeusedasschach(assuming,ofcourse,itisputontothe
succahintheprescribedmanner).

Allschachmustprovidemoreshade(i.e.filledinarea)thansun(openarea)inordertobeacceptablefor
use.Whentherecommendedreedfencingwasplacedontopofasuccahitwasnotimmediatelyobvious
thatitqualifiedas anditwasdifficulttoaccuratelymeasureif,infact,itdid.However,
bymeasuringtheaveragereeddiameterandnotingapproximatelyhowmanyreedsthereareperlinear
foot,wewereabletodeterminethatonaveragethereabout5560%coverage/shadeandthatqualifiesas
.
5

Itisnoteworthythatonalchatchilahlevel,brokenreedsshouldnotbecountedintheafotrementioned
calculation (as noted above), such that in some circumstances especially as the fencing is handled
repeatedlythefencingmaynolongerqualifyas unlessadoublelayerisused.
6

1
SeeMishnahBerurah629:22.
2
Althoughsomereedswillbesuspendedabovethesupportbeams(heldintheairbythefencingsmetalwiring),RavFuerstdoesnotconsiderthis
tobeaconcernsincethosereedswouldnaturallyfallontothebeamsifnotforthewires,suchthattheyprovideshaderegardlessofthewires.
3
IggerosMosheOC1:177.
4
Thus,forexample,RavFuerstsaidthatitwouldnotbeconsideredonShabbostorehangthistypeofVenetianblindssincetheyarenotbeing
attachedtothegroundortothehouse.[SeeRema315:1,MishnahBerurah315:6,andChazonIshOC52:13regardingrehangingblindswhichare
attachedtothehouse.]
5
Althoughtheaveragereeddiameterforsomevarietieswasconsiderablythinnerin2014thanin2013(anaverageof0.350.4cmascomparedto
0.52cm),thereedswerealsoplacedclosertogethersuchthatthecoverageremainedapproximatelythesame(5461%in2014,ascomparedto59%
in2013).
6
Infact,somesectionsofbrandnewfencinghadenoughbrokenreedssuchthatthecoveragewasbelow50%unlessonecountedtheshadeprovided
bythosebrokenreeds.
ChicagoRabbinicalCouncil2701WestHowardStreetChicago,Illinois60645
7734653900www.crcweb.orgRabbiSholemFishbane,KashrusAdministrator
Pricing
Duringthe2013/5774Succosseason,wepricedafewlocalandinternetalternativesforschachandfound
that:(a)matsspecificallycertifiedforSuccahuse,cost7to11timesasmuchpersquarefootastheones
recommended in this document,
7
and (b) stores specifically catering to Succah needs were selling loose
bamboopolesforapproximately1335%cheaperpersquarefootthanHomeDepot.
8
[Pricecomparisons
donotincludeshippingcharges.Squarefootcoverageprovidedbythedifferentalternativesisestimated.]

7
MatFencingrecommendedinthisdocumentsellsfor$0.200.25persquarefoot,andcertifiedschachmatsweresellingfor$1.41$2.19persquare
foot.
8
HomeDepotwassellingbundlesofloosepolesfor$3.203.40persquarefoot,andstorescateringtoSuccahneedsweresellingbundlesfor$2.40
2.80persquarefoot.