Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests is considered to be one of the cornerstones of Jewish values and Jewish life. It may perhaps be one of the lesser known Mitzvot and it is a Rabbinical Mitzvah based on the Mitzvah of loving one fellow as oneself, but it is viewed as one of the ultimate ways in emulating G-d, as we too become givers as we invite the other into one's personal space and enable them to feel at home and taken care of.
Throughout Jewish history, this Mitzvah has had a huge place in our tradition, and communities would setup guesthouses for the travelers, and on Friday evening at the end of the services, the community members would make sure that everyone in the synagogue had a home to go to, to have the Shabbat dinner with.
Having guests is not just a benefit for the visitor, it also enables the host to be a giver, to show their family the power of giving, and in many ways it will enhance your own Shabbat Dinner or other experience when you include someone else.
Abraham the first Jew, was known to sit at the entrance to his tent, seeking out the thirsty and weary traveler, so that he could take care of them, and provide them with a meal and place to rest. In this week's portion, we read how even as he was recovering from his circumcision, he was desperate to find some guests that he could continue to assist and invite into his home. He even pauses a conversation with G-d, when he sees three weary travelers looking for some help, which is seen as a profound message of what bringing G-d into your life is expressed mostly through.
All too often in the world, we create barriers between people, and people often mix with those that are most like them, or who think or agree with them, or of the same social or economic status. Yet the Mitzvah of Hachnosat Orchim, instructs us, to go beyond our own comfort zone and include others and make them feel welcome in a way that few things can do.
Shabbat Dinners are a great time to do this Mitzvah, and invite a friend, a community member, or someone you know, to be included in a family table, or in your warm table. Thanksgiving is coming up, and many out there want to be included or don't have where to go, and it is also a great time to perhaps invite someone who might not have elsewhere to go.
In Jewish tradition, hosting the guests doesn't end when the meal or hosting is over, one is actually encouraged to walk them to the door and to escort them out, not to make sure that they leave, but to make them feel human and respected all the way.
No matter when or what, hosting guests and allowing others to connect with you and feel at home with another human being, is something that touches lives in ways we can't imagine.
In a world and society that is so connected but disconnected and that needs so much healing, Abraham's model of inviting the stranger and then looking after them and going the extra mile, is something that we can all model and try and emulate in one way or another.
Indeed as the Talmud says, hosting guests is one of the ultimate ways of emulating G-d.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Yisroel