Sukkos - 5780 Ushpizin

Sukkos - 5780 Ushpizin

Rabbi Hal Miller

There is a widespread, although not universal, custom for every succah owner to

"invite" a set of holy guests into his succah each evening during the holiday. Who are

these guests and why are they invited? All being long-since passed away, they have

no mailing addresses or telephone numbers, and they cannot eat, so it would seem

they could be just as well treated by being invited anywhere, any time.

The source is in Emor 103b of the Zohar. Rav Hamnuna Sava, when he entered his

succah would say something like the beginning of the text we have today, followed by

an acknowledgement that God provides for His people. The Zohar then says that the

food that would have been served to these guests is to be served instead to poor in

the community.

Sfas Emes gives the reasoning as follows. When we invite such exalted guests into

our home, it is also an invitation to God into our home. When we invite a poor person

as a guest, God Himself accepts our invitation. But we could do this at any point in the

year, and should. What is special about the Ushpizin invitation on Succos?

A simple answer might be that this holiday is known as zman simchaseinu, the time

of our joy. Certainly, it is more joyous for all Jews when all are celebrating together.

But we could make similar arguments for zman matan toroteinu, the time of the giving

of our Torah (Shavuos), and zman cheiruseinu, the time of our freedom (Pesach), so

why here?

We could say that the rest of the year, we could invite poor guests without concern

about the location, but on Succos all of us are commanded to be in a specific place,

thus we are getting double credit--not only are we rewarded for feeding them, we are

also enabling them to do another mitzva as well, sitting in a succah.

We could say that since the Ushpizin were all constantly on the move, that they would

possibly feel more at home in a temporary dwelling than in a permanent fixture. But if

what is really happening is that we are inviting God into our lives, this would not be of

any importance.

In the end, the custom is a reminder to us that all of our bounty comes from God, and

it is He Who may direct where and when it will go.