Standing Together at Sinai: Exploring Themes of Inclusion and Exclusion CBI Shavuot 5776

(1) And the LORD appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; (2) and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth, (3) and said: ‘My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. (4) Let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and recline yourselves under the tree. (5) And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and stay ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on; forasmuch as ye are come to your servant.’ And they said: ‘So do, as thou hast said.’ (6) And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said: ‘Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.’ (7) And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hastened to dress it. (8) And he took curd, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: Welcoming guests is greater than receiving the presence of God, as it says: My Lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, pass not away, please, from your servant. Rav Yehudah son of Shila said in the name of Rabbi Assi who said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: There are six things of which a person eats the fruits in this world, and the principal remains for the world to come, and they are: Welcoming guests, visiting the sick, being focused in prayer, rising early to go to the house of study, raising children to study Torah, judging one's companion favorably...

(1) It is a positive commandment to visit the sick, comfort the mourning, to remove the dead, to bring in the bride, to escort guests, and to occupy oneself with all the needs of burial; carrying [the coffin] on one’s shoulder, to walk in front of him, to eulogize, to dig, and to bury. As well to make the bride and groom happy, and to take care of all their needs. And these are ‘Gemillut Chasadim’ that are done with one’s body, that have no measurement. Although all these are rabbinic laws they are included under "Love Your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18), meaning that all things that you would like others to do for you, you should do for your brother.

(2) The reward for accompanying [the guest on her journey] is greater than all others and it is a statute that Abraham our ancestor established and the way of the pious which he followed, feeding the travelers, and giving them drink and accompanying them. Hospitality to guests is a greater than receiving the divine presence (Face of the Shekhinah), as it is written, "He saw and behold there were three men (Genesis 18:3)." Accompanying guests is greater than showing them hospitality. The sages say, " All who do not accompany guests, it is as if they have shed blood.

(3) We force communities to provide accompaniment in the way we force them to provide charity. The courts would appoint agents to accompany a person traveling from place to place, and if they were lazy in this matter, it was as if they spilled blood. And even the one who accompanies his fellow just four cubits has great reward. And what is the proper distance of accompaniment that a person is duty bound to travel?

When master to the student, till the end of town; a person and his friend, till the end of the Sabbath boundary (2000 cubits beyond the city limits); the student to the master, a mile; and if the master was his primary mentor, then 3 miles.

(15) Shammai says, "Make your Torah fixed, say little and do much, and receive every person with a pleasant face."

Plimo used to say every day, “An arrow in Satan's eyes!” One day, it was the eve of the Day of Atonement, and the Satan disguised himself as a poor man and went and called out at his door, and so bread was taken out to him. The poor man pleaded with Plimo, “On such a day when everyone is inside, shall I be outside?” Thereupon he was taken into the house and bread was offered him. “On a day like this,” he urged, “when everyone sits at the table, shall I sit alone!” He was led to the table and sat down. As he sat, it was evident that his body was covered with oozing sores. As well, he was behaving repulsively at the dinner table and Plimo rebuked him saying, “Sit properly!” Said the poor man, “Give me a glass [of liquor],” and one was given him. He coughed and spat his phlegm into it. They scolded him, [whereupon] he fainted and died. Later, Plimo’s household heard people crying out, “Plimo has killed a man, Plimo has killed a man!” Fleeing, Plimo hid in an outhouse. The Satan followed him there and Plimo fell before him. Seeing how Plimo was suffering, the Satan disclosed his identity and said to him, “Why have you always spoken this way [saying, ‘an arrow in Satan’s eyes!’]?” Then how am I to speak? “You should say, ‘Let the Merciful One rebuke Satan.’”

The Rabbis taught: There once was a man whose wife died and left him with an infant to suckle and he could not afford to pay a wet nurse. A miracle occurred and he grew breasts like a woman’s two breasts and he nursed his child. R. Yosef said: Come and see just how great this man is that such a miracle was performed for him! Abaye said: On the contrary. How bad is this man that the orders of nature were changed for him.

8) If one sees an Ethiopian (one with dark skin), a gichor (one with very red skin), an albino, a bent-over person (person with a large belly, whose height appears bent over because of his portliness), a very small person, a drakona (a person who is full of warts), a person who has all his hairs stuck to each other, an elephant or a monkey, he should say "You are Blessed, Lord our God, Master of the universe, Who makes diversity within Creation."

The person who sees someone without the use of their legs, an amputee, a blind person, someone afflicted with boils or a glistening person, a person mottled with tiny spots; if they were born this way one should make the blessing,"Who makes diversity within Creation" If they underwent a change and became like this after they were born, one should make the blessing "God is a true judge."

(20) And a stranger you should not wrong, neither shall you oppress him; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

(33) And if a stranger travels with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.

Just as someone can oppress another through business dealings, so too one can oppress another with words. [For example] One should not show interest in purchasing something if he does not intend to purchase it, and if someone is a ba'al teshuvah (repentant), do not say to him, "remember how you used to act?!" And if someone is a child of a convert, don't say to him, "remember your parents' past!" As the Torah writes, "Don't wrong or oppress the convert."

Our rabbis taught Someone who wrongs a convert [verbally] transgresses three prohibitions and someone who oppresses him transgresses two. What is different about someone who wrongs a convert which three prohibitions are written... "and you shall not wrong a convert;" "and if a convert lives with you in your land, you shall not wrong him;" "and a man shall not wrong his fellow," and a convert is included under "his fellow"? Also regarding someone who oppresses [a convert], three are written "nor shall you oppress him," "and you shall not oppress a convert;" and: "you shall not be to him as a creditor," and a convert is included rather, both this and that with three prohibitions.