We welcome you, RebeccaThe second Jewish matriarch, Isaac's wife, and mother to Jacob and Esau. Rebecca is an active parent, talking to God when she is pregnant and learning the fate of her children, then ultimately manipulating Isaac and the children to ensure Jacob's ascendancy. Her Hebrew name is Rivka., who heard God’s voice. From you we learn tenacity and faith, as you pursue God’s will against the odds.
We welcome you, RachelLavan's younger daughter and Jacob's beloved wife second wife (after he is initially tricked into marrying her older sister, Leah). Rachel grieves throughout her life that she is barren while Leah is so fertile. Ultimately, Rachel gives birth to Joseph and dies in childbirth with Benjamin. Rachel is remembered as compassionate (she is said to still weep for her children), and infertile women often invoke Rachel as a kind of intercessor and visit her tomb on the road to Bethlehem., beloved of IsraelLit. ''the one who struggles with God.'' Israel means many things. It is first used with reference to Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel (Genesis 32:29), the one who struggles with God. Jacob's children, the Jewish people, become B'nai Israel, the children of Israel. The name also refers to the land of Israel and the State of Israel.. When we turn to you in sorrow, you gently dry our tears.
We welcome you, LeahThe third of the Jewish matriarchs, Lead is the eldest of Lavan's daughters and one of the wives of Jacob. She is the daughter whom Lavan tricks Jacob into marrying instead of his younger daughter Rachel, whom Jacob has requested to marry. Leah is mother to six of the the twelve tribes and to one daughter, Dinah., womb of our people. In you we are nurtured and sustained.
We welcome you, MiriamMiriam is the sister of Moses and Aaron. As Moses' and Aaron's sister she, according to midrash, prophesies Moses' role and helps secure it by watching over the young baby, seeing to it that Pharaoh's daughter takes him and that the baby is returned to his mother for nursing. During the Israelites' trek through the desert, a magical well given on her behalf travels with the Israelites, providing water, healing, and sustenance., desert prophetess. From you we learn to offer leadership with joy.
We welcome you, HannahHannah is the mother of the prophet Samuel, who, through her prayers, is rewarded a child. She herself is also considered a prophet. Hannah's intense devotional style of prayer becomes the model, in rabbinic Judaism, for prayer in general., Poet of prayer. You teach us that great sacrifice can yield great reward.
We welcome you, EstherHeroine of the Purim story and Megillat (the scroll of) Esther. She is married to the king by her cousin Mordecai and ultimately saves her people from execution., radiant queen. You inspire us to remain true to the Jewish people even in galutLit. Exile Since the destruction of the Temple, Jews have been in a state of galut, exiled from their land. This has been understood as a spiritual as well as physical state. Traditionally, Jews have longed for the coming of the messiah to end the long exile. Others feel that it has ended with the advent of the State of Israel, while still others see the State of Israel as a step on the way to redemption. (the Diaspora).
We now invite Jewish women from our personal or historical past.
[Note to leader: Acknowledge that many of these women may be on the name-panels. They may be women from our history whose lives hold meaning for our own lives. It may also be appropriate to include women who could not be here tonight, whose presence you may wish to welcome. Ask the group to mention their personal ushpizinLit. Guests (Aramaic) Biblical "guests" invited into the sukkah on each of the seven nights of the holiday. While the traditional ushpizin were all male, a new custom has been created, inviting female guests (ushpizot) as well. The seven ushpizin are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. The seven female ushpizot are Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Abigail, and Esther.. If the group is too large to do this as one group, it can be done around the tables or in smaller groups.]
[Note to leader: Please invite women to call out names of historical figures who have meaning for them. If these names are on the panels of your sukkahLit. hut or booth A temporary hut constructed outdoors for use during Sukkot, the autumn harvest festival. Many Jews observe the mitzvah of living in the Sukkah for the week of Sukkot, including taking their meals and sleeping in the Sukkah., draw attention to them. Some examples might include: ImaLit. Mother (Hebrew) Shalom (Palestine 50 C.E.), Miriam Benayahu (Medieval Yemen), Dulcie of Worms (Germany, 11th c.), Dona Gracia Nasi (Spain, 15th c.), Gluckel of Hamlen (Germany, 17th c.), Rachel Luzzato Morpurgo (Italy, 19th c.), Emma Lazarus (U.S.A., 19th c.), Henrietta Szold (U.S.A., 20th c), Hannah Szenesh(Hungary and Palestine, 20th c.). If any of these women are going to be mentioned or recognized, you might want to have a very brief biography of each, in case women don’t know who they are.]
Tivu tivu ushpizin ila’in
Tivu tivu ushpizin ka’dishin
Tivu tivu ushpizin dim’hemnuta
Tivu b’tzila de-shechina
Be seated, be seated, exalted guests. Be seated, be seated, holy guests. Be seated be seated, guests of faithfulness, be seated in the shade of the ShekhinahThe feminine name of God, expounded upon in the rabbinic era and then by the Kabbalists in extensive literature on the feminine attributes of the divine..
