Hi again! I've been doing some research about sukkah building and one of the laws that was interesting to me was that a sukkah has to be less than 20 cubits tall – that's about 30 feet. The reason for this is because a sukkah is supposed to be a temporary home. Once you get taller than 30 feet, it starts feeling like a real house, or at least not so temporary. So to get an idea of exactly how tall 30 feet is and how temporary or permanent it feels, I came up with the following demonstration...

What you need:


1. Rubber Helium Balloon 2. String 3. Ruler or Tape Measure

Note: For safety reasons, do not use Mylar balloons (the shiny, metallic looking ones with words and pictures and stuff on them). Adult supervision is strongly advised.

Step 1: Measure 30 feet of your string and have an adult help you cut it off.

Step 2: Tie one end of the string to your helium balloon (helium balloons are the ones that float).

Step 3: Go to an open space. MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO POWER OR TELEPHONE LINES AROUND. Hold the other end of the string and slowly let the balloon float up until your string is completely stretched out.

Step 4: Look up! Your balloon is now 20 cubits high. How does it feel?

Questions to think about:

Spending the week of Sukkot in a temporary hut can help us think differently about what things in our lives need to be permanent and what things are more temporary.

What are some of the things you have in your house that you think are things you'll always need? What are some of the things you have that you think you don't always need?