Exploring the Ushpizin

The tradition of inviting the Ushpizin is not stated in the TaNaKH, Mishnah, or Talmud. We find the source for the Ushpizin in the Zohar.

The Zohar first appeared in Spain, then the Kingdom of León, in the 13th century. It was published by a Jewish writer named Moses de León (c. 1240–1305). De León ascribed the work to Shimon bar Yochai ("the Rashbi"), a tanna active after the Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) and the destruction of the Second Temple during the protracted period known as the Jewish–Roman wars. According to Jewish legend, Shimon hid in a cave for thirteen years studying the Torah and was inspired by the Prophet Elijah to write the Zohar. This accords with the traditional claim by adherents that Kabbalah is the concealed part of the Oral Torah. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zohar#Origin_and_history)

The Aramaic text of the "invocation" of the Ushpizin is based on this invitation extended by Rav Hamnuna Saba, and can be found in the liturgy for Sukkot.

Here is a fun modern version of the invocation, for both Ushpizin and Ushpizot, by Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael (1993), with so many cute rhyming verses for so many wonderful guests!

https://www.ritualwell.org/ritual/tivu-song-welcome-2

And here is a beautiful composition and presentation by Shani Ben Or & Boaz Dorot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QaODwLCYvU&list=PLvsHoHtms9q-ZvjqGOsp80EK3qQjwJhBW&index=5

So, why do we invite the Ushpizin to our Sukkot? What are the Jewish values behind this custom? We will explore the following ideas:

1. Hachnassat Orchim: Hospitality

2. Gmilut Chassadim: Caring for the Poor

3. Zchut Avot: Merit of the Ancestors

4. V'Halachta Bidrachav: Walking in God's Ways

5. Simcha Shel Mitzvah: Joy in the Commandments

1. Hachnassat Orchim: Hopitality

Avraham is the guest to our Sukkah who is most associated with hospitality. In an interesting connection, in the apocrypha (ancient books written in biblical style that were not included in the canonization of the TaNakh), there is a story about Avraham and Sukkot in the Book of Jubilees. This is quite remarkable, since in TaNaKH the holiday of Sukkot has not yet been established at the time of Avraham, of course! The Book of Jubilees is also a fascinating book, because it tells the stories from creation through Exodus, as told to Moses by an angel.

Some have observed that all the Avot were "wanderers" who required hospitality in some way:

• Avraham left his father’s home for the land God promised to show him;
• Isaac went to Grar during a famine;
• Jacob fled from Esav to the home of Lavan;
• Yoseph was sold to merchants and taken to Egypt;
• Moses fled to Midian after killing an Egyptian;
• Moses and Aaron wandered the Sinai for forty years;
• David hid from Saul in the wilderness.

Hospitality is one of the most important mitzvot.

2. Gmilut Chassadim: Caring for the Poor

It turns out, that the "food" for the Ushpizin is actually to be given to the poor!

Another holiday that features hospitality to the poor is Passover. This is one of many interesting connections between these two week-long harvest holidays.

Just as we have the Ushpizin on Sukkot, we have Elijah the Prophet (and some add Miriam) on Passover.

We open the door for Elijah in a gesture of hospitality, but ironically, we do so to curse our enemies! It is an interesting contrast that in the story of Sukkot there really are no enemies, and we celebrate our unity with the other nations of the world and speak of a "Sukkat Shalom" - "A Sukkah of Peace."

3. Zechut Avot: Merit of the Ancestors

The idea of Zechut Avot - "The merit of our ancestors" - has been invoked recently in the calendar, on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, when we ask God to forgive us and we add the passages of "Zichronot" to our prayers. But what is this concept, really? In what ways are our attitudes towards our ancestors similar and different from those in other cultures where the spirits of the dead are called upon in various kinds of ancestor worship? You may remember this scene from the animated movie "Mulan," where the Fa family ancestors awaken, for example.

Religions and cultures around the world and throughout human history have had traditions of ancestor worship. Ancestor worship is any religious practice that’s based on a belief that deceased family members continue to exist in some capacity. In addition to Mulan, we can also think of the animated movie "Coco" where Miguel went on a whole journey to meet his ancestors on Dia de los Muertos. Below, you can see the "ofrenda" family altar, where pictures of the ancestors are surrounded by candles, flowers, food, sweets, etc.

In many spiritual traditions around the world (Chinese, Haitian, Brazilian, Native-American, Hindu...) you will notice a common trend: The Feeding of Ancestors and Spirits. Two more interesting examples:

China: The 15th day of the 7th moon in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day or Hungry Ghost Festival. A large feast is held for the ghosts on the fourteenth day of the seventh month, when people bring samples of food and place them on an offering table to please the ghosts and ward off bad luck.

Scotland: Most people know of Samhain as the pagan version of Halloween. The Celtic holiday of Samhain was originally a festival marking the end of fall and the beginning of winter. It was believed to be the time when the border between the living world and spiritual world dissolved, and it marked the time to celebrate ancestors, harvest, and the changing of the seasons. To honor the ancestors, celebrants offer food and drink to the ancestors and offer departed family members a seat at the feast.

Is our tradition of Ushpizin related to such customs? There are certainly many similarities. We may usually think of Purim as the "Jewish Halloween" but perhaps Sukkot is also a candidate.

4. V'Halachta Bidrachav: Walking in God's Ways

Another important aspect of the tradition is that each Ushpizin guest represents a different characteristic of God (a sefirah):

• First day: Abraham – Chesed (חסד, "loving-kindness")

• Second day: Isaac – Gevurah (גבורה, "strength")

• Third day: Jacob – Tiferet (תפארת, "splendor')

• Fourth day: Moses – Netzach (נצח, "eternity")

• Fifth day: Aaron – Hod (הוד, "glory")

• Sixth day: Joseph – Yesod (יסוד, "foundation")

• Seventh day: David – Malchut (מלכות, "sovereignty")

Our dead ancestors teach us about how to live in THIS world. Despite the fact that we have been thinking about life and death during this intense time of the holidays, we do not focus our energy on connecting to the after-life, per se. We focus our attention on living the best life we can here in this world, following the qualities and attributes of God.

5. Simcha Shel Mitzvah: Joy in the Commandments

The infamous town of Auschwitz was known as Oświęcim in Polish. In an ironic twist that we can only appreciate in hindsight, the Jews called the town Oshpitzin, making a connection to the Jewish idea of Ushpizin. According to one source: “This village was famous for its hospitality. Every Avrum, Yitz and Yankev seemed to know that if you were detained at the border while passports or merchandise awaited approval, you could find a good shul, a good bed, and a good meal here, as if you were as special as the ushpizin’s Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” (from https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/before-auschwitz-was-auschwitz/)

The town’s yizkor book tells of a legend once popular in this extinct town. How long ago, before the war, the dead from the nearby fields would arise and daven in a favorite Oshpitzin shul. One Simchas Torah, after midnight, the shul filled with light, the doors were flung open, and invisible voices were heard singing and dancing. The living — those who dared to enter — and the dead were called up by name to the Torah reading. (https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/oswiecim1/oswiecim.html)

Apparently, the greatest desire of our Jewish ghosts is to come back to celebrate mitzvot and holidays with us, the living.