Halloween & Hospitality

“Avraham ran to the mal’achim to be machnis orchim (invite guests)!” 

This is the chorus for a Jewish children’s song by “613 Torah Avenue” that I remember from my youth and was wafting through the halls as it was played for the Ramaz Early Childhood Center Shabbat party.  (If you want to enjoy it for yourself, click here.)  It describes Avraham’s hospitality, which appears in this week’s Torah reading and sets an example for all of us.

Avraham went out of his way to welcome guests. Do we?

The Machlis family does.  Their Jerusalem home is famous for Friday night dinners with more than 100 guests.  Same thing for Shabbat lunch.  Their hachnasat orchim is exceptional.  (Henny Machlis recently passed away at the age of 58.  See here for more about the family’s unbelievable chesed.  Here's another great article about the benefits and joys of hospitality.)

I shared the Machlis hospitality with my Ramaz students today.  We discussed inviting guests and making people feel welcome.  I think it is a sign of the times (or of living in Manhattan) that some of the students asked if it is safe to invite strangers home.  (I told them to always make sure to check with an adult.) 

I must admit to being a little envious of the Machlis family.  It would be incredible to create an open Shabbat environment for all.  We have congregational and Beginners Shabbat dinners, but how can we take this to the next level?  How can we internalize the lesson of Avraham and seek out ways to invite all of our brothers and sisters home?  

There is no easy answer, but it begins with developing a hospitable mindset and appreciating the need to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable.  And, believe it or not, I think Halloween may have something to teach us.

Now, while I love candy as much as the next guy, I do not think Jews have any business celebrating Halloween.  My colleague, Rabbi Eric Grossman sent out a most appropriate message about the subject as did my good friend, Rabbi Adam Starr.  I get it.  Halloween is fun.  We need to do a better job making Judaism fun, but we save our dressing up for Purim. 

However, this idea of being open to all sorts of people stopping by for a treat – including weird looking characters – has a nice ring to it.

In some Jewish neighborhoods, people turn out the lights so as not to be disturbed by trick-or-treaters. Here’s a story I heard from my brother about an “Ultra-Orthodox” rabbi who had another approach:

Mr. Yakov Paneth reports that when he brought his future wife to meet Rabbi Avraham Pam, the famed head of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, it happened to be Halloween night.  While Rav Pam refused to take any phone calls during the meeting because he felt it was rude, he did answer the door for the trick-or-treaters who kept ringing the doorbell and dropped a piece of chocolate into each basket with a smile on his face.

On this Shabbat of Avraham’s hospitality, let’s give some thought to how we can be more radically hospitable and make others feel as welcome and comfortable as we do.

How’s that for a nice treat?