A/N: The 2004 Israeli movie "Ushpizin" takes place in Jerusalem during the Sukkot holiday - but it can have appeal to someone not Jewish as it deals with love, family, faith and trials.
Welcome or Not
In the quiet of the evening, Hasidic Rabbi Moshe Bellanga studied his texts in a lit corner of his apartment which lay nestled near Shmuel HaNavi in Jerusalem. Sukkot was approaching soon and this year was shaping up to be much different than the previous holiday. Thanks to a small allowance, he was able to have food on the table and he still had the sukkah that Ben Baruch had given him last year.
Most joyous of all was he and his wife Malli had been blessed with a son after five years of childless marriage - right now both slept while he prepared for tomorrow's teachings with the young of the Breslau Chasidim, or community of the Hasidic followers of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. The couple had prayed and the Almighty had provided. Even their two guests from last year, although prison escapees at the time, had reformed themselves since. All was perfect.
Almost perfect.
Moshe looked closely at the page he had been reading; one corner of it had been chewed. He carefully went through the pages quickly - no text was missing, but it was stressing to have the words themselves threatened. He picked up the book and kissed it, thankful it was still intact. Then, thinking about how it could have happened, he stood up and walked over to the shelf where he stored the tome. Little shreds of paper could be seen in the empty spot where the book had been. Moshe held his breath, remained absolutely still and listened very carefully.
He could hear a faint noise like scratching. Or chewing.
He burst into action, noisily rattling the various books there and making the shelf wobble slightly. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he shouted in the direction of the noise. "Is there not enough in the world to chew on that you have to come into my house and wreck it? If you hunger for the word of G-d Almighty, learn to read! Or have the decency to consult a learned man!" He stopped moving things around and started panting, getting his anger under control.
The door to the bedroom opened and both Malli's head and the sound of a baby crying emerged. "What is it, a burglar?" she asked worriedly, prepared to retreat back into the room and defend their son with whatever was at hand.
"I am sorry beloved wife," Moshe apologized. "It was an intruder - a four-legged one."
"Unless it was a lion, please take care of it while I try to get Natan back to sleep," Malli declared as she disappeared back into the room and shut the door.
"See what you have made me do?" Moshe whispered to the bookcase as he pointed his finger but neither books nor mouse replied. He continued to listen for a few minutes, but didn't hear any other suspicious sounds. He returned to his texts; there was much to review if he was to properly teach to young ears and hearts the ordeal of Moses and the peoples' travels through the desert after leaving Egypt.
The next day Malli made no comment on the previous evening's disturbance. Instead, she addressed the holiday preparations. "Moshe - please tell me you aren't going to pay 1000 shekels for a citron this year," she asked with pleading eyes. "We can't afford it."
"We couldn't afford it last year, either. Maybe that's why it ended up in the salad instead of as one of the four elements." He stared at his wife and tried to keep a straight face but failed and broke into a wide grin. His wife's face changed to a broad smile as well. At the time, finding out their prohibitively expensive element - dubbed "The Diamond" by the merchants - had been unknowingly turned into a salad topping by their guests was heart-breaking. But things had worked out, and if indeed the fruit had portended the arrival of their son then there was nothing to do but laugh about it now. The Almighty worked in His own way.
"Do you have everything needed?" she asked.
"I will get the sukkah back from Ben Baruch; he had a dry place to store the sections over the year and keep it out of the weather. I've already paid for three elements, and Rebbe told me of a place I can get the palm branches for free near the synagogue. I am going to set it up two days early to make sure everything is in place."
"Eliyahu and Yossef aren't coming again, are they?" she asked. They may have changed their ways greatly since appearing unannounced the previous year but she still wasn't quite comfortable with them yet; deep down she knew that she and her husband were baalei teshuva and that the other two could be returnees to Judaism as well, but...well...she wasn't married to THEM.
"No. They will bless someone else this year," Moshe said with a wink. "And that, in turn, will be our blessing."
"Wonderful. Now what about that intruder you were fighting last night?"
So much for avoiding the event, thought Moshe. "It was a mouse. I think I scared him away."
"Was he big? It sounded like you were fighting a monster!"
"I...don't know. I never did actually see him - I only heard him and saw that he was chewing on some of my texts. I am sorry I woke you and Natan up."
"He fell asleep quickly again. Me, I think I lost a year of my life from the fright. For only a mouse! Next time menace him quietly, please."
-0-0-0-
Moshe built his sukkah the following day in the common area that was central to the apartment buildings in which they lived. Several other neighbors were in the process of erecting their shelters as well, the earliest starters getting the spots that were closest to their own regular dwellings. With the extra time, he was able to add a few touches that it had lacked the previous year - including a few things for their new child. He searched his apartment shelves for any additional sign of chewing but found none, nor did he hear anything further. The only reminder was the chewed corner of his one text and the occasional kidding from Malli about her husband the great hunter.
"But I am no hunter - we are forbidden to kill. We are meant to seek joy in The Almighty's creations, not in their destruction. I merely encouraged him to move away," he told her as she surveyed his work in the sukkah.
"Maybe it is best. If he is an escaped pet then I would feel bad afterward if you killed him."
"Do you need anything else for tomorrow's meal?" he asked. Tomorrow was the Fifteenth of Tishrei and the first day of Sukkot – all food eaten that day had to be prepared beforehand.
"The food will be ready before today is done…great hunter," she said with a wink before leaving for the apartment again.
Moshe laughed; he looked around one last time and had an idea. He hastened back to his wife and suggested an addition to the holiday dwelling. "I think, my wife, that there should be some special decoration for Natan."
"Don't you think he is a little young to appreciate decoration?"
"It is not for me to say, but I am thinking it is for the celebration of him joining us this year. If The Almighty wills, he will bring joy for many more years to come. Surely we have something that will show that?" he asked.
Malli thought for some time. "There is something…it is a small thing…a painting that I still have of children playing. I bought it many years ago and haven't had it out in years."
"I remember it. I thought it might be gone."
"No – just stored away. Would that be an appropriate thing?"
"Children are a blessing – and our people brought children with them out of Egypt. It is a small thing and not boastful. I do not see any reason why it would be wrong. Go get it, and find a good place for it in the sukkah."
Malli laughed. "I know exactly where it is," she said as she hurried off. She returned shortly with the small painting and disappeared out the door to take it downstairs to place it in the sukkah. Moshe went to wash his hands, but before he could he heard a scream from outside that he recognized as belonging to his wife.
He raced outside but could not see Malli from the landing. He dashed down the stairs and to the sukkah where he found her standing at the door, breathing heavily. "What happened?" he asked, looking around for someone running away.
"He's inside!" she managed to get out.
Moshe entered the sukkah, ready to confront any threat to his wife and not sure exactly how he would do such a thing. His eyes darted about the room but found no one. "I don't see him; he must have escaped when your back was turned."
"He's still in there, I just know it!"
"Where?"
"Probably behind the table."
Moshe looked again – there was no way a person could hide behind such a small table. "No one could hide that well," he told his wife.
"Not a man – a mouse!" she said, using two fingers like incisors in the air.
"So – we run him out of our house and now he invades our sukkah! Be gone, creature!" Moshe yelled as he stomped about the room, banging whatever he could. After a minute or two he paused, put a finger to his lips to signal Malli, and listened. All that could be heard were sounds of normal activity of the neighbors. "Let that be a lesson to you!" he yelled at the mouse he imagined was now running away. "Go visit somebody else – preferably a goy." He turned to his wife and declared "NOW we can be ready for Sukkot."
-0-0-0-
The following day was a beautiful day for the beginning of the holiday. The weather was mild, and they chose to sleep that night in the sukkah after the waving of the elements, prayers and eating of their meal. Understandably, Natan fell asleep while Moshe was reading scripture out loud and Malli tucked him into a small crib they had managed to squeeze into the small shelter.
They paused after singing a song and sat in silence, enjoying the company of each other. It certainly had been an eventful year in their lives. Moshe was just about to say something when he heard a noise. He froze for a moment, recognizing the sound of the latest test of his patience. He tried to ask Malli a question to cover the sound, but it was too late – the look on her face told him she had heard it too and that he hadn't imagined it.
Without a word she stood up and wrapped Natan in a blanket before carrying him to the door. She paused and told Moshe "I will not allow our son to stay in a place that is overrun with vermin," before hurrying out and back to their apartment.
Moshe sighed and closed his eyes. Was it too much to ask for a peaceful holiday? He got up and followed his wife back to the apartment, where she was just finishing putting their son back to bed. She looked at him, not so much in anger but in resolve. "You must deal with this problem, Moshe. Get rid of the mouse."
"But how? Today is Shabbat – pest control is work," he explained.
"Then get a non-believer to take care of it."
"At this hour? It would be impossible to find one that would do it. Please, my wife – tomorrow is Chol HaMoed and I can ask Rabbi Bukai for guidance." As one of the lesser holy days of the holiday, some work was allowed to take place.
Malli calmed down somewhat at the suggestion. "I think…that is probably wise. But I will NOT share a sukkah with a wild beast."
"Tomorrow, then, a solution will be found." Moshe silently prayed for the same outcome, not so sure.
-0-0-0-
The next day Moshe traveled to the synagogue and spoke to Rabbi Bukai, explaining what had happened.
"You didn't try to kill him, did you?" Rabbi asked after hearing the matter.
"No."
"That is good to hear - you shouldn't have even attempted it. A mouse is a living creature of G-d; he has done you no harm."
"But what if he bites…" Moshe started to object.
"He is probably more afraid of you than you are of him. And this is not the dark times of the Great Death, nor are we in Europe. Besides, I believe you told me that you've had uninvited guests in your sukkah before."
"Yes, but they were friends…"
"And this mouse is your enemy?"
"He…ah…chewed on one of my texts."
"Mice chew. I think I am safe in saying he meant no disrespect."
"But he leaves those little...droppings."
"Then be sure to clean extra well. As long as he isn't dropping leaven behind him, there is no sacrilege. Besides, are not ushpizin a blessing during sukkot?"
"Well...yes, guests ARE a blessing..." Moshe concurred reluctantly. "Family, friends, even the spirits of our Fathers the seven Shepherds of Israel. But a mouse, Rabbi?"
"Then why do you worry about a creature of G-d staying with you during this time? He is on a journey through his life, much as we are on one of our own and our ancestors many generations ago. There are some who go so far as to sit Shiva for their pets." When Moshe started to object, Rabbi Bukai raised his hand. "I don't say that I have participated in such a thing – although it may not be necessary halachically, it might be appropriate emotionally for those who grieve deeply for an animal. My point is that we are all creations of G-d and as persons of faith we have certain responsibilities toward animals, either directly or by restraint. If the mouse attacks you or your family, then the matter is different. Be grateful that he is not in your apartment any longer and you may find that he leaves when the holiday is over. As Rebbe Nachman said, difficult times are a test of faith."
"Thank you Rabbi. I will try my best to be mindful of these things and try even harder to explain it to my wife."
Rabbi Bukai winked. "Good luck with THAT, Moshe. Peace be unto you and your family."
-0-0-0-
Decades later, Natan Bellanga was setting up HIS sukkah with the help of his young son. As he arranged items, he put down a small box on the floor and placed a few crumbs of unleavened bread inside.
"Why are you doing that, father?" Issac asked.
Natan laughed. "There is a story of why our family does this, and tomorrow I will tell it to you. It explains how the blessings of hosting an unwanted guest turned into you having a father and later me having a sister."
"Aunt Sarah? Can I hear the story now?"
"You could - but it's a special story that deserves a special time. Tomorrow, Issac."
The End
A/N: The original movie ended with the couple being blessed with the birth of a child, a son. I thought that there wasn't any reason why the son shouldn't have a sister, and when my wife complained about a mouse in our garage I put the two together. For the record, I have been part of a Sukkot celebration.