)
There is a biblical mitzva to include the poor and lonely in one's holiday joy and invite them for a meal. As we read, “You shall rejoice in your festival, with your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow in your communities” (Deuteronomy 16:14). It is a mitzva to invite these guests into the sukka.
Kabbalists add that it is also appropriate to invite supernal guests. These supernal guests (referred to as ushpizin, Aramaic for guests) are the souls of seven righteous people: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. On Sukkot, their lights all shine, but on each day, the light of one of them is strongest (and we invite that soul in particular). However, if the poor and lonely are not invited to a sukka, the souls of these righteous people will not grace it with their presence.
Giving charity to the poor before the holiday also fulfills the mitzva, because this allows them to enjoy the holiday too. Nevertheless, hosting them in the sukka is a bigger mitzva.
Nowadays, it is particularly important to make a point of hosting. While there are few people today who are actually starving, there are many people who are sad and lonely. It is a great mitzva to invite them so they too can participate in the joy of the holiday.
