Ushpizin, The

Translated into English, the word loses some of its mystery and otherworldliness. Yet these “guests” are indeed quite mysterious (at least until we learn more about them) and otherworldly (at least until we make them part of ours) . . .

Who are the ushpizin (the saintly guests who visit the Sukkah), what is the connection to Sukkot, and what is the deeper meaning behind this mystical tradition?

On Sukkot we are visited in the sukkah by the seven ushpizin, “guests”; why do they come and what does it mean?

The Kabbalists of the Zohar took great pleasure in receiving Sukkah guests.

According to Kabbalistic tradition, we are visited in the sukkah by seven supernal ushpizin ("guests") -- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David. On each of the seven days of the festival, another of the seven ushpizin (in the above order) ...

Rabbi Pinchas raised his eyes. There stood the first of the Ushpizin--the honored guest for the first night of the festival--outside the door of his sukkah...

1. Wake Up and Celebrate! —​Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov On Sukkot, the Baal Shem Tov would exclaim, “Where is the celebration? Every Sukkot, in the Temple, they would celebrate for seven days, non-stop. Rabban Gamliel would juggle torches, and their eyes ...

Join us as we explore a sampling of the Sukkot customs, ranging from ubiquitous to virtually unknown.

After you build the Holy Temple, take it home with you, allow the holiness to be part of your daily life.

This series explains the meaning of the mystical guests who visit the Sukkah each day of Sukkot. In addition to the classic ushpizin, there’s a tradition of Chassidic ushpizin. Rabbi Raskin endeavors to correlate the two sets of revered visitors.