Desperate Sukkah Builders

The following story was retold several times by the Shiniva Rebbe (1811-1899), the son of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz.

In a village there once lived a poor man who was quite unlettered, but G-d-fearing. The eve of the festival arrived, and he still had no branches with which to cover his sukkah, nor could he afford to buy any. So he went out with his wife all the way to the forest that they may cut branches themselves. The shadows were lengthening, and they were afraid that if they would continue pulling down branches with their hands they would soon be desecrating the festival which would begin at sunset. They therefore decided in their simplicity that the best thing to do would be to bite off twigs and leaves from the trees with their teeth. And this they did, despite the scratches and weals that they suffered on their lips and faces.

Echoes of their self-sacrifice pealed throughout the heavens. Indeed, the Heavenly Court decided that the patriarch Avraham, the first of the Ushpizin [heavenly guests], would call on this poor man in his humble sukkah, and would be seen by him.

That same evening, the poor man looked up and saw a stranger standing in his sukkah. Assuming that this was some unfortunate pauper in search of a place to eat, he said; "I am sorry sir, but I myself am a very poor man, and there isn't a mouthful of food here to eat. But I've got an idea. Why don't you go over the road to that house over there? He's a rich man, and I'm sure you'll be serves a square meal in honor of Yom-Tov."

"But I didn't come to eat of your bread," said the stranger, "nor to take anything from you. I am your forefather Avraham. I have come to visit you in your sukkah and to be seen by you here, in recompense for the self-sacrifice and suffering with which you fulfilled the mitzvah of the sukkah."

With that, the stranger vanished.