| Dear Congregants,
This week’s Parsha, Va-yera, is so full of events and familiar stories it was hard to find one thing to talk about: Abraham welcoming guests, Sarah finding out she is going to have a baby, the destruction of Sadom and Gamorah, the tension between Hagar and Sarah, and the binding of Isaac. That’s a lot for one Parsha.
The theme that I found most compelling and relevant to the world we live in today is the Jewish value of Hachnasat Orchim, the welcoming of guests. In the beginning of our Torah portion Abraham is sitting in his tent and resting after having just circumcised himself. He notices three men and runs towards them and invites them into his tent for food and drink.
This shows just how much of a balabusta (Yiddish word to describe the ideal housemaker) Abraham was, even while dealing with his own physical pain he welcomes in the three men (who were actually angels) and has them rest and dine with him. It is unclear whether or not Abraham knew these men were angels, but regardless he welcomed them into his home and gave them food and drink.
How can we be more like Abraham, who took the time to welcome these three visitors when he had a lot going on in his own life? How can we help those people who have found themselves struggling and simply trying to survive. It would seem crazy today with all the terrible things you see on TV or read in the news to invite a stranger into your house and give them something to eat or help them get back on their feet.
Yet, that is what this world needs most. We need people to show love and kindness to random strangers. Often the world is seen as divisive, categorizing people into groups or races or classes. The truth is that we are all human and need the same things, love, food, water, shelter, to feel cared for and accepted.
As we go into this Shabbat I ask you to try and reach out to those people you come into contact with that are less fortunate and help them in any way can. Offer a smile to someone you see- you never know what someone else is going through and how much of a difference you can make in a strangers life.
Shabbat Shalom,
Cantor Kowitz
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Affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism