The Honor of Hospitality

It was Friday afternoon in a small Jewish town. As Shabbat preparations filled the streets, a wagon arrived delivering supplies for the town’s Hachnasat Orchim—and from it stepped a weary traveler. Dusty and humble, he looked like someone who hadn’t known comfort in a long time.

As the sun set, he quietly entered the synagogue and began reading the weekly Torah portion aloud—twice in Hebrew, once in Aramaic—his voice gentle and melodious.

After prayers, an elderly man approached him kindly:

“Do you have a place to eat?”

The traveler shook his head.

“We don’t have much,” said the elder, “but we’re happy to share.”

They walked to his simple home. The man’s wife, known for her kindness, welcomed the guest with water and lit candles. She served the food she had prepared—but it was modest and barely enough for themselves.

The guest, still hungry, asked softly:

“May I have a bit more?”

The husband hesitated—there was nothing left for the next meal. But the wife quickly brought another portion and whispered,

“This guest… he speaks Torah like a true scholar.”

That night she couldn’t sleep. How would they manage the rest of Shabbat?

In the morning, the guest again read beautifully from the Torah. The rabbi, impressed, invited him to speak—and his short teaching left the whole synagogue in awe. Word spread: this was no ordinary traveler.

After services, people gathered around him, eager to listen, to host him. The couple watched, amazed. Their guest had become the center of the community.

The wife looked out the window and saw her husband walking beside the guest, now honored and surrounded by townspeople. She smiled:

“We gave what little we had—and we were the ones blessed.”

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Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra, was a 12th-century Spanish Torah scholar and poet, known for his wisdom, humility, and timeless commentary.