Modern Sukkah Dilemma: Relying on Weather Apps

Got a super accurate weather app on my phone can I use it to skip eating in the Sukkah if it's gonna rain anyway? Does that count as an exemption?

Thank you for your question.

The answer:

As long as it doesn't actually rain, one is obligated to eat in the Sukkah. However, if one sees rain clouds forming and it seems that rain is coming, one still needs to eat in the Sukkah but should not recite the blessing of "Leishev Ba'sukkah."

The Answer explained:

With today's modern technology, you are right, there are ways to predict the weather with very high accuracy. When it is almost certain that it will rain at the predicted time, we rely on these forecasts for many decisions, such as what clothes to wear or whether it's a good day to take off and go to the park.

However, when it comes to the Halacha of eating in the succah as long as it doesn’t actually rain one is obliged to eat in the Succah.

I would like to share with you the Halacha as to when and at what stage one is exempt from eating in the succah because of the rain.

The source of this Halacha is brought in Tractate Succah page 26a

תלמוד בבלי מסכת סוכה דף כו עמוד א

תנו רבנן: חולה שאמרו - לא חולה שיש בו סכנה, אלא אפילו חולה שאין בו סכנה, אפילו חש בעיניו, ואפילו חש בראשו.

A person who is exempt from the mitsvah of Sukkah includes not only someone whose illness is life threatening but also someone who experiences discomfort, such as in their eyes or head.

תוספות מסכת סוכה דף כו עמוד א

כל זה נפקא מתשבו כעין תדורו שכשם שאדם בביתו אינו נמנע מלצאת לדרך וכן מצטער דפטרו לעיל מן הסוכה היינו מתשבו כעין תדורו דאין אדם דר במקום שמצטער.

Tosfos explains that the reason someone who is not feeling well is exempt from being in the Sukkah is because one must behave in the Sukkah as one would in one's own house. This is derived from the verse describing the mitzvah of Sukkah, which says

ויקרא פרק כג, מב

בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים

“You shall dwell in the Sukkah for seven days”.

The rabbis learned from the word תשבו (dwell) that one should live and behave in the Sukkah as one would at home, since the Sukkah is now considered your home.

Following this rule, if a person doesn't feel well in the Sukkah and would feel better by going to his house, then that is what he should do. Just as one would leave a place in his house to find a more comfortable spot if feeling unwell, the same applies to the Sukkah.

Similarly, when it starts to rain, one would leave the room he is in if the rain disturbs him and move to another room. Therefore, one is not obligated to stay in the Sukkah when it is raining.

So, le’halacha, one is only exempt from eating in the succah when it is actually raining, since that is the point when being in the Sukkah becomes uncomfortable. However, if it is not yet raining, one is still obligated to eat in the Sukkah.

One may ask, at what point can I determine that there is enough rain to justify leaving the Sukkah?

Sleeping:
If one is sleeping, then even a small amount of rain is enough to exempt one from the Sukkah. If the rain stops but water continues to drip from the se’chach and disturbs him, he is allowed to leave the Sukkah and sleep at home.

Eating:
If one is eating a meal in the Sukkah and it starts to rain, he may leave the Sukkah if the amount of rain is such that he would normally leave his house or room because of it.

It is important to note that while we do not regard the weather app, if a person sees that clouds are actually forming and it appears to rain soon, le’halacha, he is still obligated to eat in the Sukkah. However, he should not recite the blessing of "Leishev Ba’sukkah." This is because there are opinions among the Rishonim, such as the Ritva in Tractate Sukkah page 29a and the Ran (ibid), who write that if one sees that the rain clouds are forming, he is not obligated to eat in the Sukkah. Therefore, due to these opinions, we do not recite the blessing.

Chag Sameach.

Talmud Bavli, Tractate Sukkah, Page 26a

Tosfos on Sukkah, page ibid

Leviticus 23:42

Rit'va Tractate Sukkah, page 29a

Ran Tractate Sukkah, ibid

Azamroh Lishmecho From Hagaon Harav Fried Shalita (issue 263)