Welcoming Guests: Ushpizin / Ushpizot

Sukkot is associated with hospitality. We welcome guests into our sukkah; we appreciate the beauty of our friends’ sukkot and the meals they serve us there. We also invite ushpizin—imaginary honored guests, traditionally in the form of iconic male biblical characters. We suggest expanding your guest list to include women, portrayals of Jewish heroes, or people who have taught you lessons about hospitality.

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Bringing mindfulness to the act of welcoming guests through a chant and series of ritual intentions

Eight Ritual Steps of Hakhnasat Orkhim (Welcoming Guests)

Welcoming historical and mythical ancestors

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“I struggle this year to choose who to invite”

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“We don’t invite guests into the sukkah to be polite”

For a World of Radical Belonging: A Sukkah Blessing for the World Still Here and the World We are Building
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In this place, any one of us can be.

When You are the Ushpiza: Inviting Your Authentic Self Into The Sukkah

The Reconstructionist Network

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