One of the experiences that we have had while living
in Toronto has been the fact that frequently my children tend to be the “United
States Expert” among their friends. Whenever something odd happens in the
United States, my kids will generally have to answer for it. If the President does something, or Congress
does something or if the Federal Reserve does something, or if Mylie Cyrus does
something; my children will be asked to offer their opinion. Sometimes this
happens in formal settings such as a classroom with a teacher present and
sometimes it happens informally while they are playing or talking with friends.
Recently my children have had to take a crash course on Legislative Procedure
and Congressional Party Politics as they have had to explain the United States
government shutdown and the impending Debt Ceiling Crisis that could invariably
affect the world economy. This can be pretty complex and heady stuff for a
fourth grader, a sixth grader and an eighth grader. I have tried to present a non partisan
explanation that is simple enough for my kids to understand and to repeat in a
classroom or to their friends without making the United States look ridiculous
to Canadians. This by the way is no easy task. During the course of my
explanation our sixth grader offered a terrific solution to what appears to be
an insurmountable problem in Washington D.C. She very calmly identified the
problem. From her perspective, it appears that one side can’t find someone on
the other side to talk to, someone who is willing to listen and figure out a
compromise. She suggested that the President invites some of the leaders of the
other side to have an informal casual dinner where they try to solve the
problems instead of blaming each other for why they arrived at the problem. Hachnasat Orchim is a fundamental and
one of the most essential values of Jewish Life. We learn from the Talmud in
Tractate Shabbat: “To extend hospitality is loftier than to greet the Divine
Presence!”
This
week’s Parsha is Vayeira. The narrative and adventures of Avraham the Patriarch
continue. While healing from his ritual circumcision, he fulfills the mitzvah
of Hachnasat Orchim, hospitality. He negotiates with God and reduces the number
of righteous people that must be found in S’dom and Amorrah in order to prevent
its destruction. The narrative of Avraham is interrupted as we read the
narrative of Lot, the two Angels (the same two
that had visited Avraham at the beginning of the parsha), the destruction of
the city, and the impure relationship that results when the survivors think
that world has been destroyed. The narrative returns to Avraham as its focus
and he and his wife Sarah give birth to a son (Yitzchak), the banishment of
Hagar and Ishmael (Avraham’s first born son and his concubine) and the final
test of his belief, the Akeidat Yitzchak
– the Offering of Isaac.
Avraham’s formidable spiritual character is evident
at the very beginning of the Parsha. At the ripe old age of 99, Avraham just circumcised
himself at the ripe old age of 99. The Parsha begins with Avraham’s
recuperation from surgery. “V’hu Yoshev
Petach Ha’Ohel K’Chom HaYom.- He sat
in the tent door in the heat of the day” (18:1). Rashi, the medieval
northern French commentator, explains why a 99 year old man would be sitting at
the opening of his tent (petach ha’ohel)
while still recovering from surgery. Lirot Im
Yesh Oveir v’Shav v’Yachnisem b’Veito- Avraham sat in his tent’s opening to see if there were passersby, whom he
could take into his home. Other medieval
commentators make it abundantly clear that Avraham was as hospitable as
possible. For fear that Avraham could be criticized for not inviting his three
guests to stay and spend the evening; we are told that this visit took place at
mid day. The only appropriate display of hospitality during the middle of the
day was to wash the dust of his guests and prepare a feast. So Avraham did. Yet
he did so without any sense of ego. Instead he performed this act of kindness
in the most selfless manner. Avraham’s name is not mentioned until the 6th
verse of the Parshah (Gen18:6). The first five verses only refer to Avraham in
a pronoun form.
What do we learn that Avraham fulfills this mitzvah
in a nameless fashion? We learn that the highest level of hospitality requires
us to forsake our own ego. Extending hospitality is not for our benefit. Hospitality
is a selfless act; not a selfish one. Ironically, engaging in this selfless act
leads to our enrichment. We are better off having done it. Hachnasat Orchim
allows us to express our humanity, and our sense of concern the other, the
guest, the newcomer. Hachnasat Orchim, in a sense, is the foundation for a warm
caring community. Also for Hachnasat Orchim to truly be expressed it can only
be done selflessly without concern for a "thank you’s", or any
possible reward. By expecting nothing in return for fulfillment of a Mitzvah,
we learn that we are engaged in the mitzvah for the sake of the mitzvah and to
take a closer step towards God.
Peace,
Rav
Yitz
No comments:
Post a Comment