Shabbat Shalom Oct. 22-23 2010

Vayera - Cantor Herschel Fox

Chapter XVIII
1. And the Lord appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2. and he lifted up his eyes and looked , and, lo three men stood over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth, 3. And said; “My lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away. I pray thee, from thy servant. 4. Let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and recline yourselves under the tree. 5. And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and stay ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on; forasmuch as ye are come to your servant.’ And they said; ‘So do, as thou hast said.’ 6. Abraham hastened unto the tent unto Sarah, and said; ‘Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.’ 7. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hastened to dress it. 8. And he took curd, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he . . .

I am honored to offer a few words about this week’s Sidrah “Vayera.” Eight verses express one of the greatest traits or characteristics of our people – Abraham, our patriarch personified the wonderful mitzvah of “Hachnasat Orchim” – “Being kind to guests,” welcoming the stranger, being kind to a visitor, making someone welcome.

May I speak from personal experience? In 1949, when I was four years old, my parents and I came to Canada, thanks to my father’s cousin who probably saved our lives. My parents were Holocaust survivors. We came to Winnipeg – a cold city with warm Jews. Between 1946 and 1951, many survivors were welcomed to Winnipeg by a warm Jewish community.

This community gave the survivor families help with accommodations, language classes, funding, jobs, medical help, and many other forms of assistance. When kids went to Jewish schools and parents asked “How much does it cost?” the answer was “Whatever you can afford, if you can afford anything.”

When my mother went to the Yiddish school in our neighborhood, the executive director, Mr. Cohen, began to cry when he realized what my parents went through in Europe. He knew we were penniless, but didn’t want to embarrass us, so he asked if we could pay $2 a month, and that’s what we paid for seven years. He cared about us. He was a real “Machnis Orach” — he welcomed the guest, he welcomed the stranger.

May I offer one more example of “Hachnasat Orchim?” Thirty years ago, when I began my new job at Valley Beth Shalom, numerous people welcomed my wife and me to their homes, opened their hearts to us, and truly made us comfortable. Within weeks we felt this was our community and our home.

No wonder that every morning when we pray “Eilu D’varim,” we mention that there are mitzvot of which you cannot do too much. “Hachnasat Orchim” is one of the mitzvot mentioned. Helping the stranger, welcoming the guest, assisting someone in trouble — each one is a great mitzvah. What a wonderful trait to encourage in our children and in ourselves.