Sukkot - Rain

QUESTION: I have a sukkah on my porch with a glass door that faces my dining room. Right after I made Kiddush, it began to rain. If I eat my meal in the dining room, must I make Kiddush again?

ANSWER: The halacha is that Kiddush must be recited b’makom seuda (in the same place where one will be eating their meal) (Shulchan Aruch OC 273:1). If for example, one heard Kiddush in shul, but did not eat, or ate less than a kezayis of cake, they must recite Kiddush again when they get home. This is because one fulfills their obligation of Kiddush only if it is b’makom seuda. The question in this case is whether the dining room and the sukkah can be considered the same place. The Mishnah Berurah (273:5) writes that if one recites Kiddush in the sukkah and it begins raining they may eat the meal in the house, provided that they were able to see the place where they will be eating from the sukkah. Since in this case one can see the dining room through the glass door, there is no need to repeat Kiddush.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.