Chapter 24
Laws Relating to the Erection of Protective Shelters and of Partitions on Shabbath and Yom Tov
PROTECTIVE SHELTERS GENERAL, PRINCIPLES
1.a. The Torah prohibits the erection of a permanent, protective shelter on Shabbath or Yom Tov.
1.b. The prohibition includes the erection of any permanent roof or covering
1) intended to provide shelter, for example against the sun or the rain, or
2) designed to furnish a usable space underneath.
1.c. It should be noted that a protective shelter intended to last for as little as a few days is regarded as permanent.
1.d. The prohibition is applicable even where there are no walls, as where a mat or blanket is spread over some poles to give shelter.
1.e. The Torah also forbids the addition on Shabbath or Yom Tov of a permanent extension to an already existing permanent, protective shelter.
2.a. The Rabbis prohibited the erection of a temporary, protective shelter also, for fear that one might come to erect a permanent one.
2.b. One is, however, allowed to add a temporary extension to an existing protective shelter, even to a permanent one, as will be explained below.
