Welcoming the Stranger

During our morning services, we recite a prayer that we call “Elu Devarim.” It describes the “words,” or as we translate it, the mitzvot that bring honour to our lives. The fourth of these mitzvot is “V’hachnasat orchim’”, to welcome the stranger.

In Torah, we read stories of our patriarchs and matriarchs and how they fulfilled the mitzvah. In the book of Genesis (Beresheet, Parashat Vayeira), we read that Abraham is sitting at the entrance of a tent at the hottest time of the day when he sees three strangers. He runs to meet them and bows down to them and has water brought to wash their feet, and food to feed them; he welcomes them openly and warmly and completely. (Vayeira18:1-5). The strangers reward him with the news that a year from that point, his own Sarah will conceive their son Isaac, fulfilling God’s prophecy from Genesis 17:15-16: “I will bless her, and too, I will give you a son through her, and she shall become nations: and rulers of people shall come from her”.

Further along into Genesis, we read of Abraham’s servant Eliezar, who is tasked with finding a wife for Isaac. Eliezar knows of the hospitality of Abraham, prays for a sign to find the right woman. Eliezar prays, in Parashat Chayei Sarah, that “The girl to whom I say, ‘Tip your pitcher and let me drink’, and who replies, ‘Drink and let me water your camels too’, let her be the one You have designated to Your servant Isaac.” Eliezar finds the perfect partner for Isaac. He finds Rebecca. She not only at the well quickly lowers her pitcher to let Eliezar drink, but also quickly empties her pitcher into the trough and runs to the well to draw water, drawing water for all his camels. Like her father-in-law Abraham, Rebecca is the epitome of hospitality, fulfilling the mitzvah welcoming the stranger.

Join us on Friday evening, November 21 at 8 PM, when Solel welcomes all those who are strangers to our community and to our synagogue, visitors who may never have seen or understood what happens in the synagogue or may never even have met someone Jewish. As they have, from their various places of worship, welcomed us on numerous occasions, (and I just recently spoke at two local Ahmadiyya Mosques to some 400 women), let us welcome our neighbours. They need to meet us. They need to see us. They need to hear our beautiful prayers and to be enriched by the deep meaning of our Rabbi’s words. They need to see that we are proud Canadians and proud Jews, and no matter what turmoil exists in the rest of the world, we must try to maintain peace and understanding and respect (Shalom Bayit) in our Canadian home. Please be there to welcome our guests. Bring your friends and your neighbours and let us mirror Abraham and Rebecca and fulfil the mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim. I look forward to seeing many of you on the evening of November 21, and a special plea- if you are a great baker or if you like buying beautiful, baked goods or lovely, fresh fruit or are great at putting together cheese and cracker platters, let us know. We want to feed our guests more than water, and I promise, they won’t bring in any camels. Looking forward to seeing you on the November 21, if not sooner!

Filed under: Educator's Message

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