Welcoming Guests

The Alshich gives pointers regarding the proper behavior if one is a guest in someone’s home. He must be considerate of his host.

Specifically, one should initially decline an invitation for four reasons. He must realize that he might be an imposition on his host. He should not want to trouble his host. He should not want to cause too great of an expense. And he should consider that his host may not have the time to give his guest so much attention.

This might also explain why הכנסת אורחים, welcoming guests, is such a big Mitzva. The host has to really extend himself. The Rabbis said that welcoming guests is greater than receiving the Divine Presence. Avraham Avinu excused himself from a conversation with G-d, in order to welcome guests.

I often felt that one gets a certain vibe upon entering another person’s home. You can feel the holiness of a home just by being there. Or, it is possible to feel that you are in an unhappy home filled with strife.

If one is really good at welcoming guests (because they never want to leave!) it is most likely going to be that kind of home with the warm feeling.

I often said that the sign that one has fulfilled the Mitzva of הכנסת אורחים to the fullest, is when the guest feels so comfortable in that home, that he can open the fridge and help himself to food. He knows that this is what his host would like him to do.

The Torah by way of its stories, teaches valuable lessons. Performing the Mitzva of הכנסת אורחים the proper way, is one of them.