Safe Sukkot

We will build the sukkah far from electricity pylons, electrical enclosures and gas cylinders.

During the sukkah’s construction, we must keep hammers, nails, tacks, staples, wooden boards and dangerous building materials away from children.

If we connect the sukkah to an electricity source, we must take care to use standard, properly working electrical equipment only. Bare electrical wires and unsafe power outlets are a danger, to children and adults alike, so we must refrain from touching them or improvising power outlets for the sukkah.

It’s important to use properly working, standard electrical equipment only (sockets, lighting, accessories) suitable for outdoor installation (protected against water) and not bring into the sukkah heaters with a naked flame or unattended lit candles. Lamps and electrical appliances generate heat, so we must keep them away from any flammable material in the sukkah. In any case, it is recommended to keep a fire extinguisher near the sukkah.

Extension cable: using an extension cable is only permitted in the area of the house (or balcony) rather than outdoors, meaning that if your sukkah is outdoors, such as in the yard of the building, using an extension cable should be avoided. Throughout the use of an extension cable, we must make sure that it is not exposed to the sun, rain or any contact.

Opening of the sukkah: We must keep the sukkah’s opening clear in the case of having to exit it in a hurry in an emergency (for example if a fire breaks out).

We choose branches and leaves that are green and check that the branches are not dry, because they are more likely to catch fire quickly.
When laying the branches and hanging up decorations, we must explain to our children not to climb up trees, on the balcony safety rail or on an unstable ladder.

Hanging up decorations in the sukkah must be done only by adults and in any case we must avoid hanging up decorations on electrical wires and near electricity bulbs that light up the sukkah because they may start a fire. We must keep decorations away from power sockets and Sukkot candles.

Sukkot and Sabbath candles: we should light the candles as far away as possible from the sukkah walls and decorations and avoid leaving lit candles without adult supervision.

Children under the age of 5: we must make sure that they do not play with decorations because most of them have small parts or may disintegrate easily, posing a danger of asphyxia for them.

In the sukkah, just like everywhere else, we must follow precautions relating to leaving children unattended. Through to the age of 9, we must refrain from leaving children unattended and even after that we should let them be alone according to their capabilities and wises. It is worth reading more on the subject of leaving children home alone.