The Zohar HaKadosh teaches that the poor have a direct place in welcoming the Ushpizin. Rav Hamnuna Saba would enter his sukkah, invite the exalted guests, set his table and welcome them with joy. The portion of those spiritual guests, the Zohar explains, is given through the enjoyment of the poor.
Who Are the Ushpizin?
The seven Ushpizin associated with the days of Sukkot are Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef and David. These figures stand at the center of the covenant and spiritual history of the Jewish people.
Their presence is especially associated with the sukkah, where a Jew leaves the permanence of the home and lives for seven days under Hashem’s protection. The sukkah recalls that security does not come from permanent walls alone. Sukkot therefore combines material provision with direct awareness that sustenance and protection come from Hashem.
Receiving the Ushpizin is not limited to words of welcome. The Zohar connects their presence to people who can actually eat from the table.
The Portion of the Ushpizin
A person may invite Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef and David into the sukkah, but if the poor are not given their portion, Avraham rises from the table and leaves, followed by the other Ushpizin.
The poor are not presented as an additional charitable cause attached to Sukkot. Their portion belongs within the reception of the Ushpizin themselves. The enjoyment given to the poor is identified with the portion of the exalted guests.
This gives the Sukkot meal a defined order. The spiritual welcome and the material meal are not separate. Honoring the Ushpizin includes making sure that people who lack enough for Yom Tov are able to eat and rejoice.
Why Avraham Leaves First
Avraham is singled out because hospitality marked his life. He sought guests and fed them generously. Inviting Avraham as the first Ushpiz while excluding people who lack food creates a direct contradiction.
For that reason, Avraham is the first to rise when the poor are denied their portion, and the other Ushpizin follow him. His departure connects the welcome offered to the Ushpizin with the hospitality Avraham practiced in his own life.
Sukkot, Sustenance and Gratitude
Sukkot is also Chag HaAsif, the festival of gathering the produce. The harvest has been brought home, making the festival a natural time to recognize what Hashem has provided.
Food, shelter and material provision are blessings, not independent possessions. Against that background, the Zohar places the poor inside the spiritual structure of the Sukkot celebration. One household may be fully supplied for Yom Tov while another lacks enough for the holiday meal; the latter cannot simply be ignored while the former welcomes the Ushpizin.
Sukkot therefore brings two realities together: gratitude for what has been gathered and responsibility toward those who do not have enough. The Zohar makes that responsibility concrete at the table itself.
Not What Is Left Over
The order is explicit. A person should not first eat until satisfied, drink his fill and then give the remainder to the poor. The first portion belongs to the guests.
The needs of the poor therefore belong within the preparation for Yom Tov, not after the household’s own Sukkot needs have been completely supplied. Their portion is considered before personal satisfaction has been completed.
The point comes earlier than the question of leftovers. The poor are considered when the Yom Tov meal is being provided for, not only after the household has finished providing for itself.
According to a Person’s Means
The same passage sets a clear limit. The Torah does not burden a person beyond what he can afford. Each person gives according to his ability.
Both principles stand together. The poor receive a real portion, but the amount is measured according to the giver’s means. The responsibility is genuine without becoming unlimited.
A person with limited means is not measured against someone with greater resources. The amount depends on ability, while the place of the poor within the Sukkot meal remains real.
When the Poor Rejoice
When a person gladdens and satisfies the poor, HaKadosh Baruch Hu rejoices with him and the Ushpizin respond with blessings.
Yitzchak speaks of strength and protection. Yaakov speaks of light breaking forth. The other righteous guests add further blessings. When the poor are excluded, the Ushpizin depart; when the poor are gladdened and satisfied, the Ushpizin remain and bless their host.
The positive side of the passage is as important as its warning. The same Zohar that describes the departure of the Ushpizin also describes blessing when the poor are included in the joy of Yom Tov.
When the Poor Are Not Sitting in the Sukkah
Not every poor person can be brought physically to another household’s sukkah. Assistance may instead be given before Yom Tov directly to poor people or through organizations that help them celebrate Sukkot in their own homes.
When that support enables them to eat their Yom Tov meals at their own tables, it is regarded as though they were guests in the giver’s sukkah.
This makes giving before Sukkot especially significant. Assistance reaches the household while there is still time to buy food and prepare for Yom Tov, providing the actual needs connected to the Zohar’s teaching.
The practical form may differ from personally seating a guest at the table, but the poor still receive food for Yom Tov. Support given through an organization therefore provides a direct way to supply that Yom Tov meal when personal hospitality is not possible.
Preparing the Ushpizin’s Portion Before Sukkot
The Sukkot table is prepared before Yom Tov, and the Zohar HaKadosh places the portion of the poor within that preparation.
Give according to one’s means. Do not leave the poor until after personal needs have been satisfied. When poor families cannot sit physically in the sukkah, assistance can still provide their Yom Tov food in their own homes.
The Ushpizin are invited with words. Their portion is given through the food and joy provided for the poor.