Ushpizin Film Analysis

Ushpizin is a movie about a married couple, Mali and Moshe, who are struggling financially. Moshe is a rabbi, but after missing several meetings, he was not given the stipend he was expecting, and it seemed as though all hope was lost. The Jewish holiday Sukkot was quickly approaching, and the couple had no money to pay their rent, much less buy anything to prepare for Sukkot. Moshe and Mali prayed for God 's help, and miraculously, their luck turned around. A man anonymously gives them $1000, and a friend gives Moshe a sukkah, a temporary dwelling used during Sukkot to commemorate the 40 years the Jews spent wandering the desert in the Bible. Moshe is able to pay the rent and buy the four species needed to properly celebrate the holiday.

The title of the film, Ushpizin, foreshadows the unexpected visitors. Ushpizin means guests, specifically guests that stay in the sukkah during Sukkot. Eliyahu was an old friend Moshe knew before he became religious, so he and Mali accepted them into the sukkah with open arms. The convicts were quick to stir up trouble, taking advantage of Moshe 's hospitality. Eliyahu constantly picked at Moshe 's decision to turn over a new leaf. He brought up Moshe 's bad temper and pressured him to drink more than he wanted to. The next day, after overhearing Eliyahu and Yoseff insulting him and his wife, Moshe politely asks them to leave, telling them he needs to go visit his

There is nothing wrong with being hospitable. There is nothing wrong with taking in people, even when you don 't know what their intentions are. Trying to share your beliefs with people, people who used to be just as "lost" as you used to be, is one of the most honorable things a person could do. However, there are limits to how far someone should take it. By letting Eliyahu and Yoseff stay in his house, even after his wife left, even after he discovered they had escaped from prison, endangered everyone who lived near him. It is never said what they did to get arrested, but from the stories Eliyahu was mocking Moshe with, it is clear that he could be very violent. While it 's obvious Moshe does not think they would harm him nor anyone else, the potential threat is there. What if they had gotten violent? Moshe lives in an extremely religious neighborhood, with people who probably would not be able to defend themselves from drunk, violent