Ushpizin: Jacob’s Hidden Connection to the Sukkah | Around The Jewish Year - Illustrated by AI

Night has fallen on the sukkah, soft lights are shining, a holiday atmosphere is all around, and through the gaps in the wooden walls and thatched roof, it feels as if the door to another world has opened for a moment. This is the moment when the guest of the third day arrives, our ancestor Jacob, whose life was an endless journey. If Abraham taught us kindness and Isaac strength and fear of God, then our ancestor Jacob teaches us a particularly profound lesson. How to live a life of truth —being true before God, before people, and before yourself. It is no coincidence that our sages say, " Give truth to Jacob." This quality is what made him such a special personality. But Jacob's journey to greatness was not easy at all. Even before birth, we are told that a struggle began between the two brothers, Jacob and Esau, in the womb of his mother Rebekah. Rebecca felt that this pregnancy was not ordinary. Whenever he passed by a study center , Jacob would scramble to get out. And whenever he passed by a place of idolatry , Esau was drawn to that place and wanted to come out. When Rebekah asked the Lord for an answer, she was told, " Two nations are in your womb, and two separate peoples will be separated from within you. " It was then that it became clear that the two brothers' paths were completely different. At birth, Esau came out first and Jacob held on to his heel. From this he was named Jacob. Our sages explain that this was not just an incident , as if Jacob was still indicating that he would not give up his true place , but would struggle throughout his life to bring the world to its destination. Jacob grew up to be a wonderful and simple man who lived in tents. But do n't get me wrong, ' simple' does n't mean he was weak or less intelligent. Our sages explained that Jacob was complete in his path , a man whose entire life was connected to Torah and truth. He has studied Torah for many years sitting in the study center of Shem and Ever. While Esau was busy with hunting and worldly life , Jacob was developing his inner world. One of the most important moments in his life was when he left Beersheba for Haran. He left his parents' house and started walking alone , without any money or family. Right on that road, in the loneliest place on earth, he stopped to sleep. And then one of the most famous events in the Torah occurs. Jacob sees a dream. He saw a ladder placed on the ground and its top extending to the sky. God's angels are ascending and descending over it , and God stands over him, promising him that this land will belong to his descendants, that God will protect him wherever he goes and bring him back in peace. When Jacob woke up, he said a sentence that still resonates in our minds today. Surely God is in this place and I did n't know it. Our sages explain that this is the great message of Jacob. You wo n't find God just in a house of worship or a library, but on the road, in difficult moments, and in the most unexpected places. This is one reason why Yaqub is so well-suited for the Sukkot festival. After all, the sukkah or tabernacle is a place that looks very ordinary. It has no solid walls, no concrete roof, yet it is there that we find God's presence. James teaches us that holiness does not depend on a magnificent place, but rather on the heart of the person. But his journey had only just begun. After arriving in Haran, he met Rachel by the well. The Torah tells us that after seeing him, he single-handedly rolled the heavy stone away from the well's mouth. Then, he worked for Laban for 7 years to marry Rachel. The Torah describes it in beautiful words, saying that this time seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. But then came the exam. Laban tricked him and gave him Leah in marriage instead of Rachel. Jacob could have been angry, disappointed, or given up , but he did not break down. He continued to build the house of Israel with faith, patience, and trust in God. Our sages say that each year he spent in Laban's house was full of trials. Laban repeatedly changed his wages, trying to cheat him in various ways, but Jacob remained steadfast in his righteous path. He did not follow Laban's path, but remained Jacob. How much strength does it take to stay upright in a world that tries to bend you? Many years later, Jacob returned to the land of Israel , but another test came before he met Esau. At night, when he is alone, an angel wrestles with him until dawn. Our sages teach that this was the guardian angel of Es. This struggle is not just the story of one man. It symbolizes all the struggles of the nation of Israel throughout the generations. A struggle between truth and falsehood, between purity and materialism, between faith and despair. At the end of the struggle, the angel gave Jacob a new name. And not just Jacob , but Israel. Because you have struggled with God and man and have overcome. From that moment on, Jacob became the father of the nation known as the Jews. The Zohar teaches that Jacob represents the qualities of Tiphereth. This is the quality that connects the kindness of Abraham with the strength of Isaac. Sometimes you have to know how to give , sometimes you have to set limits , and Jacob teaches us the right balance between them. This is why our sages call him the chosen one among the fathers. Not because he was greater than Abraham or Isaac, but because he was able to combine all the qualities , we also seek that balance on the holiday of Sukkot. To rejoice , but not to forget holiness. To eat and drink, but to remember that everything comes from God. To sit in the sukkot with family, but to keep the door open for others as well. When Jacob enters Sukkot as the third guest , he reminds us that faith should be with us in every situation, even when life seems like an incomprehensible dream, even when we are struggling. Jacob teaches that every struggle can be turned into a blessing if we hold on to God. And when we invite our father Jacob to Succoth , we seek to inherit his quality of truth, his faith, and his ability to see God's hand in every stage of life. Because ultimately, Sukkot is not just a place to sit, it is a house of faith, a house of truth. And on the third day of Sukkot, the one who teaches us to connect heaven and earth is our third guest, our father Jacob.