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Have you seen this phrase? Tuva ushpizata alyata | Tuva ushpizata kadishata
The Talmud encourages us to welcome guests into the sukkah and offers a sacred phrase for doing so in the masculine plural-tivu ushpizin eela-een, tivu ushpizin kadisheen--enter honored guests, enter holy guests!
Well, what if we are a group of women? What is the feminine plural? Even most rabbinical schools spend little to no time on feminine Aramaic grammar. It's time we join the gender-inclusion [r]evolution in Judaism. So for the feminine, I reached out out to learn this grammatical form for the Talmudic Aramaic that the verse is in, and Rabbi Caren Berger figured it out for us!
Tuva ushpizata alyata | Tuva ushpizata kadishata
Here are some ways to have women's gatherings in the sukkah, and if where you live that's not so feasible, build or imagine one indoors to hold the dream of someday having one out-of-doors, and explore traditional and create Sukkot customs:
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Welcoming the Ushpizata (Guestsc) There are traditional female Ushpizata, holy guests, though mostly Judaism has been male dominated and attended to welcoming the patriarchs: Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Joseph, Moshe, Aharon, v'David.--Babylonian Talmud Tractate Megillah 14a-b It is the 16th Century Italian sage Menahem Azariah of Fano who pointed out that there are seven female prophets named in the Talmud: SARAH (Genesis 16:21), MIRYAM (Exodus 2:1-9; 15:20-21), DEVORAH (Judges 4-5), HANNAH (I Samuel 25), AVIGAIL (I Samuel 25:20), HULDAH (II Kings 22:10-20), and ESTHER (Book of Esther). [Some include Zilpah and Bilhah, Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer offers the idea that Zilpah and Bilhah, the handmaids of Leah and Rachel, respectively, were actually younger daughters of Laban.] |
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To learn more about these women and welcome them into the sukkah, first, read about them at the citations above, and I recommend the works of Rabbi Jill Hammer. To deepen the learning, as you teach and chant Rabbi Geela Rayzel's Ushpizata chant, you can call out each of the prophetess’ names, and have different women stand, speak up and share something about each in turn. Consider putting out clothes for costuming, so those present can dress and speak in their characters, or be questioned about their character and answer form their studies and imagination. Another activity you can do after having those gathered look up the names with their verses above, is to discuss what the sages meant by a prophetess--is there any difference with a prophet? Should there be? And consider, wise and creative women were often persecuted in human history as witches. Do our sages praise or vilify and humiliate our prophetesses? What do your studies reveal? The Jewish festivals include Yizkor, so inviting your direct ancestors is good too, I always invite my Aunt Annie, she volunteered to test out the diaphram when it was being prepared to be commercially introduced in the states. Women's rights and safety were very important to her, she was honest and open. (I love and miss you Aunt Annie!) Another role model person who comes to mind is the astronaut Judith Resnick, of blessed memory. You can also discuss the special qualities of women you know or have studied or inspire you who are your "Ushpizata" role-model guests walking into the sukkah with you and with you spiritually on the journey of your life. In every generation new women inspire. Rabbi Lauren Grabelle-Herman put it together in a way that moves me forward here. Who are your "angels," the guiding souls who have mattered to you whom you wish to invite into your sukkah? Resources: Mashpi'ah Carol Rose: The Path of the Mothers, www.albionandalus.com Rabbi Jill Hammer: Sisters at Sinai: New Tales of Biblical Women and The Hebrew Priestess: Ancient and New Visions of Jewish Women's Spiritual Leadership Rabbi Lauren Grabelle-Herman: Bringing Our Timbrels: Singing as a Response to This Moment |
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