As Nor’easter Threatens New York Sukkos, Rabbonim Issue Guidance

A powerful nor’easter developing along the East Coast is expected to bring strong winds, rain and coastal flooding to New York as Sukkos begins, with the heaviest impact from erev Yom Tov through the first days of Sukkos. With thousands of sukkos going up across the community, the storm has raised many practical questions, particularly about securing schach.

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for New York City beginning Friday afternoon and continuing through early Sunday, with winds of 20 to 25 mph and gusts potentially reaching 55 mph. Rain is expected to begin Friday evening and continue through the weekend, with current forecasts calling for around 1 to 2 inches of rain in the New York area.

Brooklyn is included in a Coastal Flood Watch from Friday afternoon through Shabbos morning, with high surf and a high risk of rip currents expected along the Brooklyn and Queens coastline.

In Crown Heights and other inland parts of Brooklyn, the main concerns are expected to be heavy rain and strong winds rather than major coastal flooding, with winds forecast to reach around 23 mph and gusts up to 44 mph on Shabbos, along with an 80 percent chance of rain.

The storm and heavy rain could affect sukkos and schach and make it difficult to spend extended periods in the sukkah. Travel could also be affected by wet roads, strong crosswinds and possible fallen branches.

For now, city officials say the storm is expected to pass offshore, keeping the heaviest rain east of the city, though they caution that the track could still shift. Residents are being urged to secure outdoor items before winds increase Friday, with conditions expected to begin improving Shabbos night into Sunday.

With many asking what can be done to prepare and secure their sukkos ahead of the storm, Rabbi Yosef Braun of the Crown Heights Beis Din released an audio message to the community addressing the question directly.

“The schach has to be able to withstand an ordinary wind during Sukkos. If it cannot withstand a normal wind, then the sukkah is not kosher, even if that wind never actually comes,” Rabbi Braun said. Because of this, he explained, anyone whose schach would not hold up to a normal wind needs to secure it before Yom Tov, regardless of the storm.

The best method, he said, is to weigh the schach down with wood beams or additional green schach, or to tie it with an unprocessed material such as raffia or jute, since schach may not be secured with something mekabel tumah.

“If you don’t have any of those, and the only thing you have is zip ties, use the zip ties,” he said. “Schach secured with zip ties is kosher, and that’s certainly better than having a sukkah that isn’t kosher.”

He noted that even schach that can withstand a normal wind, but not necessarily a storm of this scale, leaves the sukkah kosher as is. Still, he recommended securing it anyway so the sukkah remains intact once the storm passes.

Rabbi Braun also addressed what to do if the schach shifts. If it blows off to the point that the sukkah is no longer kosher, it must be fixed before use. On Shabbos or Yom Tov, it may not be fixed by a Yid, though a non-Jew may be asked to fix it if there is nowhere else to eat.

If the schach only shifted slightly and the sukkah remains kosher, it may be put back in place, though on Shabbos and Yom Tov schach is muktzah and may only be moved with the feet or elbows, not the hands.

Rabbi Braun also advised checking after the storm whether the schach shifted enough to create larger openings along the walls or in the middle of the sukkah, since depending on their size and location, such gaps could affect the sukkah’s kashrus.

A wall blowing down generally does not render the sukkah pasul as long as three kosher walls remain standing. He added that structural repairs to a wall, such as driving in a nail, screwing in a bracket, hammering wood, cutting material to size or tying a permanent knot, may not be done even by a non-Jew on Shabbos or Yom Tov, as these are melachos d’Oraisa.

“Take a few minutes before Yom Tov to check your sukkah, especially to make sure your schach is secured,” Rabbi Braun said. “It’s much better to take care of it now than to discover after the storm that you no longer have a kosher sukkah.”

With the storm expected to arrive as Yom Tov begins, residents are encouraged to check their sukkos and secure their schach before Friday.

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