Who Do We Invite to the Succah and Why?

Andy & Friends Succah

Since Succot is a time for us to celebrate the blessings in our lives, it is only fitting that we are instructed to share our bounty with others. As it is written in the book of Deuteronomy (16:14):
“And you shall rejoice on your Festival (Succot)—you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities.”

Succot is a time for communal celebration, an occasion to rejoice with family, friends, and even acquaintances for an entire week. For seven days, we eat, drink, and relax in our succot (plural for succah), some people even sleep in their succot during the holiday.

One beautiful mystical tradition on Succot is to invite both earthly and otherworldly guests into our festival booths. In the Zohar, the great work of medieval Jewish mysticism, we learn that on each night of the seven-day holiday, the kabbalists (Jewish mystics) would stand at the threshold of their succot and invite seven great spirits from the Jewish past to join them for the sacred meal.

On the first night, Abraham is said to lead this holy assembly, and on each successive night they are led by Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. These figures represent different virtues: love, rigor, harmony, endurance, connectivity, humility, and royalty. Each night, these special guests bless us with these qualities.

andy_childhood_friends

pictured clockwise from upper right: Andy’s mother, Myra Outwater, Andy’s brother Laurence, Andy and childhood friends Mike and Doug

In the last few decades, many people have revived this Jewish mystical tradition known as Ushpizin (meaning “Guests” in Aramaic), adding the foremothers and other great biblical women—Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Deborah and Ruth—to the list of special guests, as well as other outstanding historical and literary figures whose influence and blessing they seek on Succot.

The Zohar is careful to point out that if one should only invite these supernal guests, and not earthly guests in need of a succot meal, the great spirits will immediately take leave; for the holiday cannot be celebrated mystically without demonstrating earthly hospitality.

So this year, invite as many family members, friends, and acquaintances to your succah as possible. And as you gather with these guests, envision who else might join you for a holiday meal!

Related Posts

Bar/Bat Mitzvah Parties — Remembering What Matters... How can you plan a fun AND meaningful bar/bat mitzvah celebration? Far too many people plan “over-the-top” bar and bat mitzvah parties. For a hilario...
Caroline’s Bat Mitzvah Speech My Torah portion is taken from the book of Leviticus, beginning with chapter 23, verse 1. In my portion, God is telling Moses what to tell the rest of...
Lucy’s Bat Mitzvah Speech My Torah portion is Genesis chapter 12 through genesis chapter 17. I am specifically reading genesis chapter 17 verses 1 through 10.  But, in order to...
What is the True Meaning of a “Bar” or... Like other religions and cultures throughout the world, Judaism has developed a variety of rituals to mark important life cycle moments. One of the mo...
100 Years Ago Judith Kaplan Stood Boldly on the Bi... Did you know the first Bat Mitzvah took place 100 years ago? The following article provides a concise introduction to the evolution of the bat mitzva...