communication error

[cellio]

Argh. That was close.

Our garage came with an ameteurish "wood-burning stove" that we have never used. It was, essentially, a 55-gallon drum with a chimney and a barrel of wood scraps. The previous owner of the house used the garage as a workshop. We use it to store cars.

A couple months ago our garderner asked if we would be willing to sell it to him and we told him to just take it (so long as he didn't leave a hole in the wall). We also told him he could have the wood pile. When Dani and I talked it was about taking the barrel and the box of wood scraps, but apparently, either Dani said or the gardener mis-heard "clear out everything". The stove etc disappeared during Pennsic, I think, and I didn't pay much attention.

This morning something in the back of my head told me to make sure all the parts of my sukkah are in good shape. (Sukkot begins a week from Friday night.)

You see where this is going, right?

Fortunately, the gardener still has the expensive roof part, which -- as a roll of laced-together bamboo really ought to have set off the "this might be important" alarm, but didn't -- and he will return it tomorrow. The other important piece is gone, though, so I will have to fabricate a new corner post. Fortunately, it isn't expensive in dollars, just time. (Three corners are anchored to existing architecture; the fourth is a free-standing post with braces and stuff.) Just what I needed, a project to be done in the next week.... I'm pretty inept at carpentry, too. Someone competent could probably make this part in 10 minutes; when I did it before I think it took a couple hours.

Comments

[fiannaharpar.livejournal.com]

dammit, dammit, dammit.
If it wasn't so inconvienient, it would be nearly funny.

[cellio]

Be careful. She who laughs might get asked to pound nails. :-)

[dagonell.livejournal.com]

If it wasn't for the distance and the fact I have a full plate right now, I'd offer to help. God knows I owe you enough favors. Although I'm not exactly sure what I could help with. I admit my ignorance of Jewish culture. Is this something you're supposed to make by yourself? Do you need wood? (I have half a garage full, I could send some down with somebody going to Coronation) Do you need blueprints? Assembly advice?

[cellio]

Nah, it's certainly not worth a trip down from where you are (and Sukkot starts before Coronation). I'll just go to Home Depot for the lumber and put this together some night this week.

What I'm making is, essentially, a free-standing post. The bottom will be parked on the patio, and the top will be lashed to two beams (90 degrees to each other and to the post). (It has to be able to stand under its own power, though.) The other three corners are already provided for and don't need to stand up on their own on the patio; it's just this one.

Setup/construction isn't limited to Jews; in fact, last year ralphmelton came over and showed me how to improve on square knots for lashing it together. (Rope construction isn't necessary, by the way; a lot of people use screws and produce something with a much tidier appearance. I wanted the minimal-tools low-maintenance version.)

Sukkah...

[goljerp]

I admit my ignorance of Jewish culture. Is this something you're supposed to make by yourself?

It's supposed to be a temporary structure, but (as far as I know), there's no requirement that it be created by a Jew. There are interesting aspects to one, though -- for example, a certain amount (I'm not sure at the moment how much) can't be permenant. (Although you can have some permenant parts.) And the roof has to be open to the sky -- imagine loose thatching which you can see through. I've seen 'em with canvas walls (imagine a tent with loose bamboo sheets as a roof); a friend of mine (Reb. Al) has the nicest Sukkah I've seen in Spanish Harlem, complete with a window. I'm going to help him with construction sometime this week, actually...

The Rabbis discussed the minimum sizes of these structures quite a bit, which leads to some interesting geometry discussions (if you must have a minimum square table of x units long, then what's the minimum round Sukkah that would be OK?) There are even some math errors, I seem to recall... I'm pretty sure that they approximate pi as 3, for one thing...

[magid.livejournal.com]

At least you discovered it now, not, say, next Thursday...

[cellio]

That would have been tempting fate. :-) Specifically, waiting until the last night to set up a sukkah is just asking for a non-stop deluge....

[magid.livejournal.com]

Last year, that was pretty much what I did. The (3rd generation) sukkah went up in a couple of afternoon hours counting down to the Shabbat before the holiday.

I think there is some minhag that you finish Yom Kippur, and move into the next mitzvah by starting the sukkah... I could do this more readily if there weren't that pesky work thing eating most of my days...

[cellio]

I've heard the same thing -- that when Yom Kippur ends, that night, you are supposed to start building the sukkah. (I assume this is usually symbolic, as it's dark and late by the time you've broken the fast. I take the pieces out of the garage. :-) ) And, apparently, you're not supposed to build it before Yom Kippur, because you are supposed to be focusing on the high holy days then. (There's a story about a rabbi who sees one of his students picking out an etrog [something used for Sukkot] a couple days after Rosh Hashana. He says to the student "Atonement you've achieved already?".)

[cellio]

Clarification: I know that you know what an etrog is; I throw in these little asides/definitions/etc for the benefit of others who may be reading this. Sorry I didn't make that clearer.

[dvarin.livejournal.com]

I don't know, it was obvious to me why that was there, but then again, I'm in the stated target of the "needs explanations" audience. :)
Anyway, they are appreciated--please continue to add them.

[lefkowitzga.livejournal.com]

I know some people who set up the Sukkah on or the day after Yom Kippur. That somehow doesn't seem quite right.

You know, if you talk to Johan, you could probably go up to Cooper's and take a few kitchen pieces out of the house, and then you would be all set with little construction required. :)