The 7 Holy Guests on The Holiday of Sukkot

We just told Hashem how much we want to change, how much we want to be better. Now is the time to bring that down into action.

If you’re married and have a sukkah, decorate the sukkah with all your heart. Make the most amazing food for your family. Serve it to your husband with such joy and a smile on your face. Be a true Eshet Chayil! Be the best wife you can be. Be the best mother you can be. Do this all with the greatest joy and happiness. You are the woman of the home. You are creating the energy in your home. Create the best energy for your family to enjoy this beautiful holiday. You’ll have the privilege of helping them be happy.

Sukkah

The Zohar says that just as Noach’s Teivah protected everyone from the destruction of the world, that is how the sukkah protects us. The world around you may be destruction, but you are entering the Teivah of Noach, and this is your protection, no matter what is going on around you.

Sit in the sukkah and enjoy your time with Hashem!

The Rebbetzin explains a beautiful idea. Our whole life is us trying to rid ourselves of the negativity within us. Life is a journey in which you are walking, going, and trying to throw out the garbage and negativity within us. This holiday is the holiday that gives us the strength to keep going until 120. To let go of all negativity and grab the enormous light this holiday brings with it. With this light, we'll have the strength to go through this year with joy!

Be happy!! How? So many things happen around me. How can I be commanded to be happy???

Let us explain.

The Ushpizin are called holy. Ushpizin means guests. They knew in this world how to be guests. Each one was a true Eved Hashem. This means they knew their sole purpose is to do the will of Hashem. "I am just a guest. I’m not in charge of anything. Wherever Hashem puts me, I’m happy." That is their strength and their Tzidkut. You want to become holy? It’s only if you can become a guest in this world and understand that Hashem is in charge of you. The roof is not what is protecting you, and the tree is not giving you shade. It is Hashem who is protecting me and giving me shade.

The 7 Ushpizin are as follows:

Avraham – Chessed – may we merit great blessings
Yitzchak – Gevurah – may we merit lots of laughter and happiness
Yaakov – Tiferet – may we merit great light
Moshe – Netzach, ro’eh ne’eman – may we merit great salvations
Aharon – Hod – may we merit to have a lot of gratitude
Yosef – Yesod
David – Malchut – Keter

Soon, we will elaborate on each of these special guests in greater detail.

Baba Sali & the Ushpizin

Baba Sali would invite every night someone with the name of that night’s Ushpizin. How sweet is this? He was very makpid to invite guests on Sukkot in general, and would always try to have someone that same night that has the same name as the Ushpiz of the night.

When you go into the sukkah, you must believe that you are receiving a huge light of emunah. You are connected to Hashem, and through the Ushpizin, who had such emunah, we get to take some of that light.

Preparing for the Special Guests

We prepare two special chairs in our sukkah, one for Eliyahu HaNavi, and one of the Ushpizin.

It is very important that we invite the Ushpizin into our sukkah verbally. Otherwise, they won't actually come! So be sure before you enter your sukkah, to invite your holy guest of the night in so his great light can dwell with you and your loved ones!

Light a candle in the house for the Ushpizin of the night.

Every night of Sukkot, it is very important that we put in special effort to make the poor happy. Why? Because the Ushpizin are eating the food that you gave with your tzedakah! That’s why it’s good to give money to the poor. It is very important to לדאוג לעניים. Hashem loves this Mitzvah and a way to show Hashem that we love him is by caring for his less fortunate children.

ושמחת בחג — not just you. Worry about other people’s simcha as well.

The Ushpizin bless us to have an ayin tovah, which gives us abundant blessings in our life. All the Ushpizin had an ayin tovah, which gave them and Am Yisrael so many blessings.

So remember to take your time with these special mitzvot, invite the ushpizin in, feel them coming in, and then sit and enjoy their great light.

The Ushpizin and what they give us

Avraham Avinu — If you feel a desire to give, to host, etc., you should know that Avraham is in your sukkah and you have received his great light!

Yitzchak Avinu — Gevurah, yirat Shamayim, strength to overcome something that was so hard for you to get over. Yitzchak gives you this strength. If you feel this sudden strength, know that you've attached yourself to the great light of Yitzchak Avinu.

Yaakov Avinu — Emet. He had 12 children. He was an amazing father, and he put effort into his children to raise them to Torah and mitzvot. Feel that energy. Children are the main priority. Yaakov Avinu was a perfect balance, which is why he's related to Tiferet. Attach yourself to his greatness.

Moshe Rabbenu — Strength of Torah. The Torah holds Am Yisrael together. Hashem protects the world through the learning of the Torah — learning it, living it, and honoring those who learn. Connect to Torah learning on the fourth night through the great light of Moshe Rabbenu.

Aharon — Hoda’ah. Gratitude. Thank You, Hashem, for everything!

Yosef HaTzaddik — Ahavat Hashem, Yesod. His secret was that because he was so connected and loved Hashem so much, he was able to be protected from sin. He didn’t fall into sin even when temptation was all around him! When I feel connected to Hashem, I know that is Yosef’s light, and I am able to overcome all challenges!

David HaMelech — Malchut. David Hamelech's great power was through kingship, prayer, and a deep connection to the creator of the world through his beautiful Tehillim

These divine guests give us so much strength to overcome our challenges, start the new year in a beautiful way, and ensure that we will be better this year, B"H.

Sweet Segulot for Sukkot

Put Olive oil in your Sukkah for Hanukkah. This olive oil absorbs the immense holiness of the Sukkah and comes with you to the special holiday of Hanukkah to illuminate your Menorah.

Wine bottles — brit, new house, Rosh Hashanah, wedding, etc. Designate wine bottles for happy occasions that you are awaiting, and you will merit to open them very soon at these happy occasions!

When you walk into the sukkah, especially on the first night, kiss the defanim and say:

סכותא לראשי ביום נשק

This protects us from all harm throughout the year. The sukkah comes with us and protects us.

The sukkah is a segulah for lengthening of days.

The sukkah מכפר and protects us from any bad decrees.

Ask for shefa shel parnassah from the Ushpizin. They know we need it in order to fulfill all these mitzvot with a quiet mind to the best of our ability, and ask for a blessing in our parnassah!

The sukkah is called Tzel of Emunah — ask Hashem to have a lot of emunah B"H.

Segulah for refuah — be in the sukkah as much as possible.

The sukkah gives a person tremendous wisdom. The Sfat Emet says that we get a special light from Gan Eden. It is like sitting in Gan Eden! It is so tremendously holy. Absorb all that holiness and take it with you for the coming year.

A person who is spiritual will feel that it is extremely good energy vibrating in the sukkah!

If there is any negative decrees, the sukkah saves the person from that negativity.

The first 24 hours of Sukkot are extremely holy — think good thoughts only. After lighting candles, for those 24 hours think only good thoughts. It is an extremely important time: you are only saying good things, you are happy, you are not angry, you take out of your mouth only good words, you are in good energy, connecting to Avraham Avinu, and this will bless your entire year!

May we merit genuinely feeling the Ushpizin, receiving all their blessings, and having a beautiful holiday.

Pray for zerizut, a good schedule and routine, happiness, and all your hearts desires! Happiness is the most important thing ever. The most beautiful decoration in the sukkah is your smile!

If you do not have a sukkah, find a time to go to a local sukkah and pray to Hashem, do these segulot, make some blessings, and B"H may all of these special moments and mitzvot help build a beautiful year ahead for you!

Chag Sameach!!