סדר אושפיזין / אושפיזתא | Seder Ushpizin and Ushpizata: Inviting the Avot and Imahot into your Sukkah by Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid·org)

The essential idea of the liturgy of Ushpizin is to invoke the energies of the seven lower Sefirot in the proper order, so that Shefa, blessing and sustenance, can be drawn down into the world. This is the essence of Kabbalistic liturgy, and a liturgy of the imahot would only make sense if it were to follow that pattern. That means we have the playfully serious task of finding a stable order for the imahot where no clear order exists. . . .

Categories: Art & Craft, Sukkot

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Ancestors, archetypes, Avot and Imahot, ecoḥasid, in the merit of our ancestors, North America, Prayers inside sukkot, קבלה ḳabbalah, ספירות sefirot, spirits, אושפיזתא Ushpizata, אושפיזין ushpizin

Contributor(s): David Seidenberg, Neohasid·org and Noam Sienna

מִי שֶׁשָּׁכְנָה… הִיא תִּשְׁכֹּן עִמָּנוּ | Mē She’shakhna… Hē Tishkon Imanu – a plea for the Divine Presence to dwell with us in the name of biblical women by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

There is a famous Seliḥot prayer where each of its lines has this structure: “May He who answered ___________, may he answer us.” The blank refers to assorted Biblical figures who faced great challenges, ranging from Avraham the Patriarch to Ezra the Scribe. The traditional list is also VERY male-focused, with the standard text only listing Esther from all the great Biblical women. This is a shame, and many have tried to remedy this. I have found myself under the opinion that all these remedies have a fault – they attempt to combine the original text with the new text. This means either the original text is shortened, or the full text is far too long. As well, the structure is very male-oriented as well, appealing to God’s male side and only using grammatically male language. . . .

Categories: Sukkot

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Biblical Women, Divine Presence, אמהות Imahot, in the merit of our ancestors, מי שענה Mi She’anah, North America, סליחות səliḥot, שכינה Shekhinah, תשרי זמן Tishrei Zman, אושפיזתא Ushpizata

Contributor(s): Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

סֶדֶר אוּשְׁפִּיזִין וְאוּשְׁפִּיזַן לְחַג הַסּוּכוֹת | Service of Welcoming Ushpizin and Ushpizan to the Sukkah on the Festival of Sukkoth, by Hayyim Obadyah

The ceremony of welcoming ushpizin originated in the Jewish mystical tradition of Qabbala, for which the ushipizin represented the divine emanations called “sefiroth”, in the context of the sukka as a representation of Ultimate Redemption. Because of this mystical association, the ceremony was rejected by some communities (such as Spanish and Portuguese Jews) and individuals (such as diehard rationalists). Without applying mystical implications, however, we can see this ritual as a symbol of how we bring into our lives diverse aspects of Jewish history and tradition as we navigate our spiritual journeys. . . .

Categories: Sukkot

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., אושפיזתא Ushpizata, אושפיזין ushpizin

Contributor(s): Ḥayyim Obadyah

Sukkot

אל רם חסין יה | El Ram Ḥasin Yah, a piyyut for Sukkot by Shlomo haPaytan (egal adaptation by Noam Sienna, 2012)

סדר אושפיזין / אושפיזתא | Seder Ushpizin and Ushpizata: Inviting the Avot and Imahot into your Sukkah by Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid·org)

מִי שֶׁשָּׁכְנָה… הִיא תִּשְׁכֹּן עִמָּנוּ | Mē She’shakhna… Hē Tishkon Imanu – a plea for the Divine Presence to dwell with us in the name of biblical women by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

סֶדֶר אוּשְׁפִּיזִין וְאוּשְׁפִּיזַן לְחַג הַסּוּכוֹת | Service of Welcoming Ushpizin and Ushpizan to the Sukkah on the Festival of Sukkoth, by Hayyim Obadyah