Today is Sukkot. Moshe and Mali are in the sukka with Yosef and Eliyahu, their ushpizin (=guests in the sukka).

Ushpizin

Moshe and Mali Bellanga are an impoverished, childless, Hasidic baal teshuva (“returnees to Judaism”) couple in an kharedi community in Jerusalem. After Moshe is passed over for a stipend he expected, they cannot pay their bills, much less prepare for the upcoming holiday of Sukkot. Moshe admires a particularly beautiful etrog, one of the four species required for the holiday observance. They console themselves by recalling a saying of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov that difficult times are a test of faith. After some anguished prayer, they receive an unexpected monetary gift on the eve of the holiday and Moshe buys the etrog for 1000 shekels, a large sum of money that is much more than he can afford. The couple is visited by a pair of escaped convicts, one of whom knew Moshe in his earlier, non-religious life. The convicts become their guests (ushpizin) in the sukkah, creating many conflicts and straining Moshe and Mali’s relationship.