Question: What are the ushpizin and why are there two different versions of their order on Sukkot?
Avrohom Zins
(Via E-mail)
Answer: The term ushpizin is Aramaic for guests. Who are these guests? As we say in this tefillah, “Ushpizin ila’in kadishin” [Aramaic] – “Orchim elyonim kedoshim” [Hebrew]. The exalted holy guests are our patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David.
The ushpizin is also a prayer which we recite upon entering our sukkah before we partake of our yom tov meals.
Rabbi Yosef Grossman (Otzar Erchei Hayahadus Os Samach) cites the Zohar as follows:
“When Jews leave their homes and enter the sukkah of the Holy One Blessed Is He, they merit to receive the Shechina – Hashem’s Divine Presence. Then, all seven ro’im ne’emanim – faithful shepherds – descend from their heavenly repose to enter the sukkah and they become guests. These are the seven ushpizin, the honored guests who descend to sit with us in the sukkah.
“On the first day of Sukkot, Abraham enters first, followed by the other six ushpizin. On the second day, Isaac enters first, followed by the other six. On the third day Jacob leads the honored guests into the sukkah. On the fourth day, Moses leads, Aaron on the fifth day, Joseph on the sixth day and finally, on the seventh day, King David leads the other honored guests.”
Thus, every day, when we enter our sukkah, and eat, sleep, or study there, we do so in the presence of all seven of these honored guests.
The custom is that when we enter the sukkah, we recite the ushpizin prayer to welcome them. It is actually an invitation. There is even a custom among the Sephardic communities to set a special chair in the sukkah and place upon it sefarim – holy books – and proclaim, “This is the chair of the ushpizin.”
There seem to be two varying customs regarding the order of their visits. Some have the order we listed above. Others place Joseph before Moses and Aaron, their reason being quite simple – they follow the generational/chronological order, with the exception of Moses and Aaron, where we find Moses always preceding Aaron, even though Aaron was his elder.
Today, prefabricated and decorated sukkahs are available, and many manufacturers silkscreen the prayer onto the walls of the sukkah. Amusingly, this author recalls sitting in a sukkah where the prayer was printed on the walls – not once, but twice. On one wall was the order with Moses and Aaron preceding Joseph, and on the other wall, the order had Joseph preceding Moses and Aaron.
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Sperling (Ta’amei HaMinhagim p.267) cites the Minchas Elazar (who writes in his Shaar Yisaschar – Ma’amar Tishrei – Yemei Hachag, third day of Sukkot) the following, which he heard from the gaon Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger, Dombrover Rebbe, in this regard:
The verse at the end of Parashat Ha’azinu (Deuteronomy 32:50) states, “U’mut bahar asher ata oleh shama ve’he’asef el amecha ka’asher met Aharon achicha behor hahar va’ye’asef el amav” – And [you, Moses] die on the mountain where you will ascend, and be gathered to your people as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.”
Rashi on this verse explains that when Moses saw the manner of Aaron’s death – mitat neshikah, G-d’s kiss of death – Moses desired that and said, “Praised is he who dies such a death.”
The Dombrover Rebbe asks about the seeming repetition in the Torah’s text, “… Die on the mountain and be gathered to your people. Indeed, we find the same repetition in Parashat Chukat (supra Numbers 24-29) as regards the death of Aaron. “… V’Aharon ye’asef u’met sham” – and Aaron shall be gathered in and die there.
The Dombrover Rebbe then clarifies that we learn from various verses that Aaron died on Rosh Chodesh Av – the first of the month of Av (see Rosh Hashana 3a) and according to our calendar, each year, that same day of the week (i.e., this year – Wednesday) corresponds to the fifth day of Sukkot – the day Aaron leads the ushpizin.
This is what Moses was desirous about such a death – that it is a good omen that the day of the week of his death will also be his day of the ushpizin on Chag Ha’asif – the Festival of the Gathering (of the Harvest), the joyous festival of Sukkot. Therefore, Hashem assured him that the day of the week of his passing (on the seventh of Adar, which this past year was on a Tuesday) will always fall on the day of his ushpizin, the fourth day of Sukkot.
Now we understand the double usage “u’mut bahar,” and die on the mountain [on that day], ve’he’asef el amecha,” and be gathered unto your people – that your ushpizin is on that day of the Festival of the Ingathering, just as occurred with Aaron.
Therefore, Rabbi Unger explains, our chassidic custom has a solid basis that Moses’ ushpizin day should be on the fourth day of Sukkot and Aaron’s on the fifth. (Thus he also solves any difficulty that Aaron the elder brother follows Moses.) He adds another intriguing fact: Lag B’Omer, which has the gematria (numerical value of letters added together) of 345 is the equivalent of “Moshe,” and is the date of the death of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai – whose soul’s source was Moses.
Therefore, the day of the week when Lag B’Omer falls is also the same day of the week as the fourth day of Sukkot, Moses’ ushpizin.
Another possible hint which we might offer for the nusach (order) of the chassidim is derived from the verse cited above, “…Ve’yasef el amav” – And you shall be gathered to your people. Ve’yasef we might conjecture as being an allusion to Joseph, following both Moses and Aaron. Rabbi Sperling cites the Kocho d’Rashbi where the source for the above order is the Zohar. However, he notes that the opposite order of the Ashkenazim, (here he actually means the non-chassidim) – with Joseph before Moses and Aaron – is also mentioned one time in the Zohar.
He cites his teacher HaRav Avraham Simcha Horowitz, the Barniv Rav, as well, who offers that both nusachot are alluded to in Parashat Vayechi (Genesis 48:3), “Vayomer Yaakov el Yosef ‘Kel Sha-dai nir’ah elai…’” – And Jacob said to Joseph, ‘Kel Sha-kai [G-d] had appeared to me…’” The words Kel Sha-kai equal 345 in gematria, the equivalent of “Moshe,” and the word ni’rah that follows equals 256 – and is comprised of the same letters in Hebrew as “Aharon,” but in a different order.
Thus, we see that after Jacob comes Joseph, then Moses, and then Aaron. The chassidim, however, would explain that the word “elai” – to me – which follows “nirah” alludes to Jacob’s wish that Moses and Aaron should follow him, and then Joseph.
May we all experience an uplifting Sukkot as we invite these exalted guests to enhance our joy of the Festival.
