Torah Portion - November 13, 2008
Parashat Vayera 11/14/08
Last week we welcomed new members into our Beth Or family. Twice – at services Friday night and for our annual Spaghetti Dinner Saturday night. (I’m still trying to decide which I liked better – the spaghetti and food offerings were really quite good!)
Most important was that we made the effort to offer new members two ways to connect with us, not just one (more about “multiple points of entry in another column). Of course this is consistent with our parasha – our Torah portion – this week. “Vayera” (“God appeared”) as it is called focuses on a wonderful story packed full of messages and meaning. The key word for the name of the parasha is always in the first sentence of the Torah portion.
The portion begins as Abraham is sitting in the door of his tent in the heat of the day. Why? He is healing from his circumcision. God pays the recovering Abraham a visit – showing us how we should imitate God by visiting the sick. (This is the proof text for bikkur holim – visiting the sick.) and during this visit, Abraham sees 3 “men” (either men or angels) walking past. Abraham runs to greet them, the rabbis suppose, like putting God “on hold” for call waiting. And Abraham becomes the head of the kitchen and chief welcomer fetching food for them himself and asking Sarah to prepare something for them to eat.
Later in the portion God confronts Sodom and Gomorrah and destroys those cities because of their lack of hospitality – how they mistreated the same strangers who visited Abraham and Sarah first.
Welcoming strangers – hachnasat orchim – being hospitable is central to Jewish life. It’s a mitzvah – an important one. So I invite you to join me (I’ve done it already and will am continuing to do so with all our members) and pick up the phone, call a new member. Invite them to Shabbat dinner prior to services or for coffee after or another time. Take time to get to know someone new and truly welcome them into our special Beth Or family!
Shabbat Shalom!
Mark