{"id":11023,"date":"2001-01-03T00:11:20","date_gmt":"2001-01-02T22:11:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=11023"},"modified":"2022-09-14T12:34:01","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T09:34:01","slug":"13-03-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/13-03-11\/","title":{"rendered":"11. Exemption from Sleeping \u2013 Married Men"},"content":{"rendered":"
Le-khat\u1e25ila<\/em>, a married man must build a sukka<\/em> where he and his wife can both sleep. Even though women are exempt from the mitzva of sukka<\/em>, a woman who sleeps in the sukka <\/em>fulfills a mitzva. Moreover, if the spouses sleep separately, it diminishes their festival joy. Thus, it is proper to build a sukka<\/em> in which both spouses can sleep (above, 2:14; Har\u1e25avot<\/em> 2:14:5).<\/p>\n If it is impossible to prepare a place for the wife to sleep in the sukka<\/em> \u2013 for instance, if the sukka<\/em> is too small, or there are other men who need to sleep there, and they cannot build another sukka <\/em>just for the couple \u2013 and the couple is mitzta\u2019er <\/em>when they sleep apart, some say the man may sleep in their bedroom at home. This is because the mitzva of sukka<\/em> is for a man to sleep in the sukka<\/em> in the way that he normally sleeps in his home, which is with his wife. If they cannot both sleep in the sukka<\/em>, he is exempt (Rema 639:2). Others say that the man is exempt only if the couple are truly mitzta\u2019er <\/em>when they cannot sleep in their bedroom (MA ad loc<\/em>. 8). Still others say that a married man has the same obligation to sleep in the sukka<\/em> as a single man, and even if he is mitzta\u2019er <\/em>from sleeping in the sukka<\/em>, apart from his wife, he is still obligated to sleep in the sukka<\/em>. Only on special nights (such as when he and his wife will fulfill the mitzva of having marital relations with the regularity to which they are accustomed) is he exempt from sleeping in the sukka<\/em> (Vilna Gaon; MB 639:18).<\/p>\n In practice, if one is truly mitzta\u2019er <\/em>when he sleeps apart from his wife he must invest effort and money into building a sukka<\/em> where they can be together. If it is very difficult for him to do so, he may, if he wants, rely on those who are lenient and sleep inside.[16]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n