parashah Vayera - the welcoming tree board

Abraham welcomes three strangers, running to them, feeding them, and acting as their servant. We remember and emulate Abraham for his acts of hospitality as much as for his faith, both of which have served as a legacy for Judaism.
The Lord appeared to him [Abraham] by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot. Looking up, he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them and bowing to the ground, he said, "My lords, if it please you do not go on past your servant. Let a little water be brought, bathe your feet and recline under the tree. And let me fetch you a morsel of bread that you may refresh yourselves; then, go on, seeing you have come your servant's way." Anywhere you go in the world, a Jewish heritage is a ticket for hospitality.

 

The trait of hospitality is what allows the angels to enter that tent to inform Sarah of the miraculous tidings that she will bear a son in spite of her advanced years. The sin of hostility to any form of hospitality is what dooms Sodom to destruction. The humane response of Lot to the angels begging hospitality in Sodom is what saves him and his daughters from their destruction in Sodom. 

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