Sukkot Ushpizin, (Exalted Guests) and The Seven Female Counterparts

Today as I sit in contemplation of Yom Kippur and rituals associated with approaching friends and family with apologies that might need to be made, I think there is one area that I may need to improve in my life and one large apology that needs to be made. Although I am sure there are other areas that will recieve some attention in the coming year, the one area that seems especially important to me  is to become better versed in Women's Jewish Studies: I am raising a Daughter after all. So these apologies are to the Jewish Women in our history (herstory to those who are reading and would be offended by the masculine reference) who I have up until now neglected studying. Their contributions to the continuation of our people are important and should not be forgotten.

In my wonderful Torah Study group, we study from the contemporary Women's Torah Commentary published by the Union for Reform Judaism ( www.wrj.orgWRJTorahCommentary/default.aspx ) . The accompanying study guide is available at www.wrj.orgWRJTorahCommentary/StudyGuideProgram.aspx . For more than three years now every week on Thursdays I meet with a great group of mostly women and we read parshot (portions of Torah) and discuss the themes, read modern gleanings and poetry associated with the topics and learn from highly respected Women Scholars, some of whom are Rabbis, about the female interpretations of the events in our Torah.

It isn't often that we actually discuss contemporary Womens' Rituals associated with upcoming holidays though. We have discussed and some of my friends have participated in Womens' Sedars for Pesach, but in regards to Sukkot, no one Womens ritual has emerged to date. I was facinated to read recently at www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot#Laws_and_customs that some Jews recite the ushpizin prayer welcoming the seven "exhalted guests " into the Sukkah.  They represent the seven shepherds of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David. According to tradition, each night a different guest is welcomed to join the family and teachings for that day surround a spiritual message or focus for their day. There has emerged recently a ritual whereby seven female counterparts to these shepherds are invited either in addition to or in place of the original seven. They are (in no particular order): Sarah, Rececca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Deborah, Esther, Ruth and Tamar, although others depending on the reference are also included or omitted.

So this year, I am going to start a tradition with my DD associated with Sukkot. For each of these amazing and important women, I am going to learn one or two facts about them to teach to my 6 year old. We are going to write down their names in Hebrew on construction paper strips to use to fashion into links and build a chain with them that we will use to decorate our Lanai (our permanent Sukkah). We are going to add a few other important names to those links: her Moms, her Grandmothers, Aunts, Teachers and some Family friends. Each of us should serve as a link to her heritage, her origins, her Jewish her-story, so that one day this ritual of re-calling exhalted guests won't be so novel and our contributions will be given a strong voice.
My vow is for my DD to not need to make the same apology that today I make in earnest.

To see how it goes for us this year look for my photoblog attached to my website at www.growingupjewish.weebly.com ....