Sefer Hamidos - Book of the Traits - Hospitality

 HH

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הַכְנָסַת אוֹרְחִים

HOSPITALITY

 

א.    מִי שֶׁאֵין מַכְנִיס אוֹרְחִים, בָּזֶה מַחֲזִיק יְדֵי מְרֵעִים, שֶׁלֹּא יַחְזְרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה.

1. One who does not take in guests, by this (he) strengthens the hand of evildoers, that they will not return in repentance.

 

ב.    עִיר  שֶׁאֵין  בָּהּ  הַכְנָסַת  אוֹרְחִים  בָּאִים  לִידֵי גִּלּוּי־עֲרָיוֹת, וְעַל־יְדֵי גִּלּוּי־עֲרָיוֹת בָּא עֲלֵיהֶם הֲרִיגָה.

2. A city that does not practice hospitality comes to sexual immorality, and through sexual immorality there comes upon them (mass) killing.

 

ג.     הַכְנָסַת אוֹרְחִים מְזַכָּה אֶת הָאִשָּׁה לְבָנִים.

3. Hospitality gives merit to a woman to have sons.

 

ד.    הַכְנָסַת אוֹרְחִים כְּהַכְנָסַת שַׁבָּת.

4. Receiving guests is comparable to receiving Shabbos.

 

ה.    הַמְאָרֵחַ  תַּלְמִיד־חָכָם  בְּתוֹךְ  בֵּיתוֹ  -  מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ הִקְרִיב תְּמִידִין.

5. One who hosts a Torah scholar in his home, the Scripture considers it as if he had offered the daily burnt offerings (see Likutay Moharan 28:3).

 

ו.      גְּדוֹלָה  הַכְנָסַת  אוֹרְחִים  מֵהַשְׁכָּמַת  בֵּית־הַמִּדְרָשׁ וְהַקְבָּלַת פְּנֵי שְׁכִינָה.

6. Receiving guests is greater than coming early to the house of (Torah) study and/or welcoming the countenance of the Divine Presence.

 

ז.      כֵּיוָן דְּלָא שְׁכִיחֵי רַבָּנָן גַּבַּיְהוּ כַּכּוּתִיִּים דָּמֵי.

7. Since the rabbis are not found regularly by them, they are comparable to Cuthites (-people who denied the validity of the Oral Torah which is entirely based on the rulings and exegesis of the true Sages).

 

חֵלֶק שֵׁנִי

SECOND PART:

 

א.    עַל־יְדֵי הַכְנָסַת־אוֹרְחִים אֵימָתוֹ מֻטֶּלֶת עַל הַבְּרִיּוֹת.

1. Through practicing hospitality, fear of G-d rests upon all beings[1].

 

ב.     סְגֻלָּה  לְהַחֲזִיר  לְאִשָּׁה  וֶסְתָּהּ  עַל־יְדֵי  הַכְנָסַת־ אוֹרְחִים.

2. A segulah (-propitious, charm) for returning a woman to her fertility cycle, is through hosting guests.

 

ג.     עַל־יְדֵי קְדֻשַּׁת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ הַהִתְנַשְּׂאוּת שֶׁל רָאשֵׁי־הַדּוֹר בְּתֹקֶף וָעֹז, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נֶחְשָׁב בְּעֵינֵי כֹּל הַמִּצְוָה שֶׁל הַכְנָסַת־אוֹרְחִים, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה הַלּוֹמְדִים זוֹכִים שֶׁהֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתָם.

3. Through the sanctification of G-d's name blessed He, the leadership of the heads of the generation gains power and might; and through this, the mitzvah (-commandment) of hospitality is important in the eyes of all, and through this the scholars merit that the halacha (-Jewish law) is like them.

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[1] There is an alternate interpretation and translation of this dictum, that through practicing hospitality the fear of the host is cast upon the people. There is in fact a Medrash Raba (Genesis 48:14) that shows from the verses of the Torah, that after Abraham served and attended the angels who came to visit him, his fear was cast upon them. In this dictum of Sefer Hamidos, Rabbainu does not state specifically who is feared, and he states that the fear is cast upon all beings – not just the guests. It is possible that even according the Medrash the fear was cast upon everyone, just that the case in point was the guests. Nevertheless the main translation presented renders the feared one as the Almighty whose fear is cast upon all the beings. This is similar to the entry of Eating 2:3 – through grace after the meal Hashem Yisburach is known in the world. The grace after meals is most probably refering to that of guests, as this is a construct already found in the Talmud. Thus it is almost identical to the dictum regarding general hospitality, so it is fair to purport that the dictum of general hospitality is also refering to Hashem Yisburach.

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