Guests for Doing Good.
One of my favorite Sukkot
customs is inviting the Ushpizin to
join us in the Sukkah. The Ushpizin are seven pairs of spiritual
ancestors – Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Miriam; Jacob and Deborah; Moses and
Hannah; Aaron and Abigail; Joseph and Huldah; and David and Esther – who we
invite, one pair each night, to join us in the Sukkah.
The custom originates in the
Zohar, one of the central works of Kabbalah; and while many Jews today are not
familiar with the reasons why we invite these spiritual guests, the Zohar
(Emor, 3:104a) explains the rationale:
Rabbi Eleazar said: “The Torah does not demand more from a
person than he can perform, as it says, Each
person shall give as he is able (Deut. 16:7).” A person should not say, “I will eat and
drink first, and what is left I shall give to the poor;” instead the first of
everything must be for the Ushpizin.
And if he makes the Ushpizin happy
and satisfies them, the Holy Blessed One rejoices with him and Abraham
proclaims about him, Then you shall
delight in the Lord, etc.
(Isaiah 58:14)... Happy is the portion of the person who attains all this!
Inviting the Ushpizin, for the Zohar, helps us
cultivate a sense of connection with others; rather than being concerned
primarily with my own satisfaction, I practice empathy and awareness of the
needs of others.
While for the Zohar this is
largely symbolic, Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz (Prague, 1565-1630) builds on the
Zohar’s teaching:
The general principle: A person should first verbally invite
the aforementioned tzaddikim, and afterward give their portion to the poor
people who sit around his table. And he
does not have [poor people] around his table, then he should send [food] to the
poor in their homes, for this portion belongs to them (Shnei Luhot HaBrit, Sukkah, Ner Mitzvah #8).
In other words, by inviting the Ushpizin we create an extra place set at
the table; having set aside a portion of food, we then donate the extra food to
feed the poor.
These days, we have other
avenues for supporting the poor: over the High Holy Days, we collected food for
the Ark; Rabbi Siegel encouraged us to donate the value of the food we would
have eaten on Yom Kippur to Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger; and the
Lakeview Pantry, a few doors down from Anshe Emet, is always in need of
donations. To make it easier for you, I have included links at the end of this
d’var Torah.
Wherever you’re eating this
holiday, I hope you will take the opportunity to reflect on the blessings you
enjoy, and to set aside a portion – food or money – to help those in need.
Mo’adim le-Simhah,
Rabbi Abe Friedman
The Ark: www.arkchicago.org
Lakeview Pantry: www.lakeviewpantry.org
Mazon: A Jewish Response to
Hunger: www.mazon.org
