Reb Jeff
  • Blog
  • About
  • Favorites
  • Resources
    • Counting of the Omer
  • Wedding Officiation
  • Contact Me
  • Temple Sinai

Vayera: Hospitality

10/30/2015

 
PictureRembrandt turned Abraham into a Dutch gentleman welcoming three men into his home. We, too, can imagine Abraham's hospitality in our own day.
This is the sermon I delivered tonight at Temple Sinai in Cranston, Rhode Island.

We have designated this Shabbat as an evening for greeting new members of Temple Sinai. Tonight, even more than on most nights, we want to show that we are a congregation that extends the same warm hospitality to the newcomer that we use to greet an old friend. Tonight, we want to say as a community that we are so grateful for the participation and fellowship of all who walk into our doors.

There is actually a strong connection between the idea of hospitality and this week’s Torah portion. Believe me, I didn’t plan it that way, but I sure am going to take advantage of it in my talk tonight.

In this week’s Torah portion (Vayera) we have two extraordinary stories of hospitality. The first is a story about Abraham, who saw three strange men walk past his tent on a hot day. Abraham was so consumed by the desire and need to show hospitality that he ran out to urge the men into his home. He showed an enthusiasm for hospitality that would have been surprising even in his day.

The Torah tells us that Abraham said to the men, “My lords, if it please you, do not go on past your servant. Let water be brought; bathe your feet and recline under the tree. Let me fetch some bread that you may refresh yourselves.”

Needless to to say, this is not the way we imagine that strangers would be treated today. Can you imagine three strange men walking through the streets of Cranston and being invited into people’s homes to share a meal and to lie down on the sofa? Maybe chips and a beer to watch the Patriots game? Abraham represents the epitome and the ideal model for hospitality.

The men did come into Abraham’s tent. They ate, they drank, and they reclined. Because this is a biblical story, the three men turned out to be three angels and they gave Abraham important news about his future and God’s plans for him. Moral of the story: It pays to be a good host and to treat everyone, especially a stranger, as an honored guest.

The second story about hospitality in this week’s Torah portion does not have an ending that is nearly as happy as the first. Two of the same three men/angels who visited Abraham went next to visit Abraham’s nephew Lot, who lived in the city of S’dom. The story begins in a way that is similar to the first story:

“The two angels arrived in S’dom in the evening, as Lot was sitting at the city gates. When Lot saw them, he rose to greet them and, bowing low with his face to the ground, he said, ‘Please, my lords, come to your servant’s house. Spend the night and bathe your feet.’”

The Torah seems to go out of its way to show that Abraham and Lot treated their guests in similar fashion. But in the second story, things took an ugly turn.

The Torah tells us that the angel/men “had not yet lain down, when the townspeople, the men of S’dom, young and old – all the people, down to the last man – gathered around the house. They shouted to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.’”

I probably don’t need to tell you that the folks of Sodom we’re not asking for a formal introduction. They wanted to “know” Lot’s guests in the biblical sense – that is, they wanted to rape them.

Lot refused to turn over his guests, and things just got worse. Lot offered to give the townspeople his two virgin daughters instead of the guests, but the people refused. The people of S’dom were furious with Lot, an outsider who had only recently moved to their city. They said about him, “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and he already acts like he’s the king!” They shouted at Lot, “We will be worse with you than with your guests.”

The two angels protected Lot by striking the people with blindness. (It’s good to be a divine being). The angels, Lot, and his family made their escape from the city.

What is the difference in these two stories about hospitality? Both Abraham and Lot treated their guests with a high standard of hospitality. In one instance, everything went well. In the other instance, everything went horribly wrong. What made the difference?

In the commentaries of the rabbis, much is made of the fact that Abraham offered food and Lot did not, but that is a distinction in their personalities. It did not seem to affect the endings of the stories. The more obvious difference between the stories is their different settings. Abraham lived in a tent in the desert. He didn’t have to worry about anyone ruining his plans for his guests. Lot lived in an evil city, where his inhospitable neighbors would have made things miserable for his guests no matter how gracious a host he may have been.

It is the settings of the stories that determine their outcomes. If you live in the place where people are treated like dirt, it is virtually impossible to create warmth and welcome. Hospitality is not created by individuals. It is created by communities.

There is a lot of talk in the Reform Movement these days about creating congregations that exhibit “audacious hospitality.” The Union for Reform Judaism now even has a “Vice President of Audacious Hospitality.” The job description for this audaciously named position includes a mandate to foster welcoming atmospheres in Reform congregations that will warmly embrace those who have felt rejected by synagogues in the past.

This is, I think, a very worthy goal and it is exactly the kind of change that the Jewish world needs today. We need to become more welcoming to the stranger at our door. However – and I believe that the person who holds this position would agree – we will never create hospitality in the Jewish community just by appointing leaders to create that atmosphere. As this week’s Torah portion teaches us, the setting determines the outcome. You can’t have audacious hospitality in your synagogue if the synagogue is not filled with audaciously hospitable people.

Our congregation here at Temple Sinai tonight includes people who have joined us in the last year. We have set aside the Oneg this evening to meet our new members. If you are a new member of Temple Sinai, I hope you will meet some of our long-standing members. If you are a long-standing member, I hope you’ll have a chance tonight to meet some of our new members. I also hope that you’ll have conversations tonight – whether you are new or old to our congregation – about what draws you to this community. I hope you’ll hear other people talk about why they are members of this congregation.

I think you will hear stories about people who connected with the warm and sincere friendliness of this place. I think you’ll hear that – for many of our members – it is the most important reason why they came here, and why they stay here.

Hospitality is not something that is dictated from above. It cannot be created with a memo. It is about people and the way that people treat other people. It is about what we hold in our hearts.

Over the last year since I became a new member of Temple Sinai, I have found that the warm heart and caring practices of this congregation are the things I love most about it. You can’t teach that. It is an intrinsic part of what makes this congregation a genuine community.

When you walk into the doors of Temple Sinai, remember that the hospitality we show to everyone – newcomers and old-timers – is the result of the heart that each of us brings into this place. We don’t need an Abraham to stand at the door and usher people in to create a place of community. Much more than leaders, we need good townsfolk. We need to be a place where the stranger is treated as a treasure, and where no one can be a newcomer for very long. That is what I love about Temple Sinai, and it is what I hope will always be.

Shabbat shalom.

Rita Bina link
11/2/2015 05:09:45 pm

Rabbi,
I read the story about the three angels that came to visit Abraham, and Lot how they friendly they were to the men. I grew up in South Providence where everyone knew your name, how many children, the job that your Father had. Even where you did your grocery shopping. If someone was too sick to go shopping their was always
someone to do the shopping for the person. If they needed to go to the Doctor it was the same way. It was called a Jewish Ghetto!!
A beautiful Jewish Ghetto. We never closed our door. I also remember plenty of food, and parties. Today I close the door. I know one or two people that live on my street. When we see each other we say hi. I miss the old days. Excuse me for any errors my doctor told this past Friday that I have ET Essential Tremors. My hand shakes, I am left handed so it is more difficult for me. I also have a cat that likes to sit on the keyboard when I type. so she makes it difficult to type. She keeps licking the plastic on the screen.


Comments are closed.

    Welcome

    This blog is about living a joyful Jewish life and bringing joy to synagogues and the Jewish community. Join the conversation by commenting on posts and sharing your experiences. For more on the topic, read the First Post.
    "Like" Reb Jeff on FB

    RSS Feed

    Enter your email address to subscribe to Reb Jeff posts by email

    Follow Reb Jeff's Tweets

    Recent Posts

    Purim & COVID-19
    ​The Honor of Heaven
    Chasing Our Own Tails
    Drilling Under Your Seat
    Change the World
    Self-Righteousness
    Where We Came From
    What We Must Believe
    ​Is Passover 7 or 8 Days?Origin Story
    Va'eira: Leadership​

    Jeff's Favorites

    • First Post
    • Searching for How the Bible Defines Marriage 
    • The Difference between God and Religion
    • In the Beginning of What?
    • Rape, Abortion and Judaism
    • Ten Thoughts about Being a Rabbi
    • Temple Dues and Don'ts
    • A Pesach Lesson from Yoga
    • The Purpose of the Torah

    Torah Portions

    Genesis
    Bereshit
    Noach
    Lech Lecha
    Vayera
    Chayei Sarah
    Toledot
    Vayetze
    Vayishlach
    Vayeshev
    Miketz
    Vayigash
    Vayechi

    Exodus
    Shemot
    Va'eira
    Bo
    Beshalach
    Yitro
    Mishpatim
    Terumah
    Tetzaveh
    Ki Tisa
    Vayakhel
    Pekudei

    Leviticus
    Vayikra
    Tzav
    Shemini
    Tazria
    Metzora
    Acharei Mot
    Kedoshim
    Emor
    Behar
    Bechukotai

    Numbers
    Bamidbar
    Naso
    Beha'alotecha
    Shelach
    Korach
    Chukat
    Balak
    Pinchas
    Matot
    Masei

    Deuteronomy
    Devarim
    Va'etchanan
    Ekev
    Re'eh
    Shoftim
    Ki Tetze
    Ki Tavo
    Nitzavim
    Vayelech
    Ha'azinu
    Vezot Haberachah

    Holidays
    Shabbat
    Rosh Chodesh
    Pesach/Passover
    Omer Period
    Yom HaShoah
    Yom HaZikaron
    Yom Ha'atzma'ut
    Pesach Sheini
    Lag B'Omer
    Yom Yerushalayim
    Shavuot
    Fast of Tammuz
    Tisha B'Av
    Tu B'Av
    Rosh Hashanah
    Days of Awe
    Yom Kippur
    Sukkot
    Hoshanah Rabbah
    Shmini Atzeret/
    Simchat Torah
    Chanukah
    Tu BiShvat
    Adar (Joy Increases!)
    Purim

    Archives

    November 2022
    September 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    Loading
    Jewish Bloggers
    Powered By Ringsurf
    Picture