Sukkot 5768/2007
Our ancestors, Abraham and Sarah, set a high standard for hospitality when they welcomed three strangers into their tent with honor, bathed their dusty feet, cooked a young calf for their dining pleasure, and prepared fresh, tasty pancakes for the side dish of the sumptuous repast. (Genesis 18: 1- 15) All this took place before any of the three had uttered a word! In the twelfth century, the renowned Maimonides underscored the importance of hospitality by declaring that anyone who sits to eat comfortably at home with his family but does not share with the poor is performing a mitzvah not for joy but for the stomach!
Sukkot, this joyous week of celebration in fragile outdoor shelters, gives us a chance to participate fully in the mitzvah of hospitality - for strangers and friends, for family and community. We open our sukkot to others to share in its shade, its beauty and the delicious foods served there (everything tastes delicious in a Sukkah!)
In the 16th century, the Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) living in Safed in Northern Israel added their own unique dimension to the mitzvah of hospitality by inviting ushpizin, spiritual guests, to sit with them in their sukkot. They wrote: When a man sits in the shadow of the Sukkah, the Shekhinah (God’s presence) spreads Her wings on him from above and Abraham and five other righteous ones of God (and David with them) make their abode with him… Man should rejoice each day of the festival with these guests.” From this teaching, the custom arose to invite through prayer, in order, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David, one for each day of the festival.
The Kabbalists gave us a way to create enduring bonds between the generations - from ours to ancient times and back again. The chain of connection and tradition acts as a counterpoint to the fragility and impermanence of the sukkah. Though we as Jews have traveled and lived in many places, though our ancient homeland was not ours for two millennia, we are rooted still, anchored always in our traditions, our learning, our Torah and its teachings.
In modern times we have begun to invite our matriarchs as well as patriarchs, linking ourselves to all instead of just half of our ancestors. We can also create our own list of spiritual guests to invite. Think of the teachers, mentors, ancestors of your own you would like to include in your sukkah (or at your table during Sukkot). Perhaps it will be grandparents or great-grandparents you never knew but whose stories have been passed on to you. Perhaps an author whose work changed your perspective on life. Perhaps a childhood friend long gone from your life. Bring their names to life, bring their deeds to life, bring their inspiration to your table and let them nourish you as you spread a repast for grateful guest.
Moadim L’simcha - may this festival of Sukkot bring you great joy!
Rabbi Judy Shanks
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