This week we will read the Torah portion of Vayera, which means He appeared.
It refers to the fact that Abraham, our forefather, had recently undergone a Brit Mila, a circumcision, and while he was recovering, Gd appeared to him.
Yet, immediately after this interaction with the Divine, Abraham lifts his eyes and sees three people approaching and in what would seem to be an inexplicably misguided set of priorities, Abraham turns his attention from Gd and rushes to attend to the needs of these dusty, tired and hungry travelers.
From this behavior our Sages learn the dictum
“ the deed of hospitality is greater than the welcoming of the Divine Presence. “
“Practical good deeds take precedence over any abstract spiritual enjoyment.” Nechama Leibowitz
If we look at the verses that follow, we are regaled with details of the hospitality that ensued, and all the narrative is accompanied by one verb - haste.
Abraham rushes to take care of his guests, leaving us, his future descendants, with a clear mission statement regarding the importance of hospitality.
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Horowitz accents four practical lessons we can glean from the Torah portion.
- Abraham waits outside his home, he proactively searches for ways to help others, he does not wait for someone to knock on the door.
- Abraham was a wealthy man, with a staff at his disposal. But when it came to taking care of the guests, the narrative clearly writes that he and Sarah took care of the visitors themselves.
- Abraham did not interrogate his guests. He did not feel that since he had cared for them, they “owed” him with the answers to intrusive questions. He maintained their dignity in the face of their vulnerability.
- These special guests will end their stay by telling their hosts that they will be miraculously blessed with a child.
This, says Rabbi Horowitz, is the most profound message of hospitality, or hachnassat orchim in Hebrew.
In the case of any kindness that we do, we end up receiving far more than we give.
A few days ago, JWCATLANTA’s Trip 16 had the privilege of seeing the mitzva of hospitality come alive.
We were invited to the home of Pamela Claman after the conclusion of Shabbat.
A little background.
The Clamans are supporters of Momentum and regularly open their home to the trip participants.
This means approximately 200 people are invited into their home for a meal and words of inspiration about Israel and especially the soldiers who protect the country.
This trip, there were over 600 women on the ground, and even Pamela couldn’t fit us all into her home.
But she was very distraught that she couldn’t host us, so she invited us, off the script, after Shabbat was over.
We had just come from an elaborate meal and insisted no food was needed, but she quickly produced an entire feast before our eyes.
She then spent an hour sharing her story and words of inspiration with us all.
After we left her beautiful home, the comments centered not on the lovely surroundings or the beautiful view from the rooftop, but rather on the gracious hospitality so generously and lovingly provided.
We are the descendants of Abraham and Sarah and the lessons they lived are ours for the taking.
How powerful to see one of their daughters living their heritage to the fullest.
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!