"My Husband Told the Rabbi: 'I'm Sure Elijah the Prophet Was at My House Last Night'"

It's hard to talk with Hana ("No, please don't write my full name, really, what does it matter?") without trembling from excitement. Goosebumps cover your body when she describes her daily routine of hosting guests 24/7. And she never feels it's something special. "I have a big house, thank Hashem, in central Jerusalem, so why shouldn't people stay here?" she asks simply.

She began opening her home about twenty years ago, triggered by a trip with her husband and children abroad due to some necessity. "We arrived in Belgium on the 8th of Nissan and found the apartment we got was full of chametz. Before we could think of what to do and how to clean, a woman from the local Jewish community knocked on the door. Later, I learned she was one of the wealthiest women in the community, yet she cleaned our home like a servant until everything sparkled. In the midst of all this, I got calls from various locals, insisting on hosting us for the Shabbat preceding Passover, which we were, a family of five kids!

"I can't put into words what I received from the community in Belgium," she says emotionally. "Such kindness and hospitality! I remember just before we left on our return journey to Israel, one woman from the community called to check how we were doing and whether we were organizing okay. I told her everything was already set, I just needed to buy tights for my daughter, and that was all. The call ended, and within twenty minutes, her son knocked on our door with a trash bag full of tights for my daughter (each pair valued at 80 shekels) and another big bag of sweets for the kids. Yes, the Belgian women had more money than the average women in Israel, but I’m sure it wasn't just about the money but about caring for others. There’s an enormous awareness of the mitzvah of hospitality there."

Kindness Around the Clock

Hana returned to Israel, and from the moment she landed, she informed her husband, "I don't care about anything else; I also want to merit the mitzvah of hospitality."

"Thank Hashem, shortly afterward, we moved to a more spacious apartment than where we lived until then, and it opened up the possibility to do kindness with our home. That's how it all began."

But where do you find all the guests who come to you?

"Truthfully, I don’t know how to explain" (she laughs shyly), "In the early stages, I tried to inform people through the newspaper and published an ad saying we were a family interested in hosting. I don't want to speak ill of anyone, but unfortunately, different types of people came because of that ad, and I feared some might harm my children. While I greatly wish to host guests, the education of my children is more important than anything. I eventually concluded that it's better for our home to only host women or married couples since my husband isn't home for most of the day. Additionally, I try to understand a bit about the people who come to ensure nothing bad happens in my home."

(Illustration photo: Shutterstock)

When we ask her "How often do you host?" Hana simply replies, "It's not a matter of frequency; guests are with me 24/7. For example, currently, a forty-year-old woman from abroad is staying at my house while she looks for her match in Israel and has no money to rent an apartment. There's also a family from Gush Etzion who had to evacuate their home and have nowhere to stay. I'm also hosting a homeless woman and another lady from the south who regularly comes twice a week because she works in Jerusalem. Of course, the guests change from time to time. Fortunately, thank Hashem, I don’t recall a day in recent years without guests in our home."

And honestly, doesn’t it infringe on your privacy?

"The truth is it certainly does. I have more than ten children at home, and often they have to sleep on mattresses or blankets. They love guests very much, but perhaps sometimes they'd prefer to go without. Maybe you really shouldn't learn from me because I've taken hospitality to an extreme level. That's also why I didn't want to be identified by my full name for the article because I don’t want to be a model to follow.

"I just can't say no to people. For example, there was a rainy night when the whole family was asleep, and only I was awake in the wee hours. My nephew called about two yeshiva boys from Mir who were personally stuck without a place to sleep. My husband was already sleeping, and I didn’t want to disturb him, so I invited them over and put them in my bed... there wasn't any other spare bed in the house. My husband woke up shocked in the morning, but there was no other place; I didn’t want to leave them without a roof.

"In general, my husband always buys delicious rolls and fine chocolates for Shabbat, and he always jokes that if he doesn’t make sure to hide them, I’ll give them to the guests... because I so love to honor them. Every Yom Kippur eve, I apologize to my husband for everything I took during the previous year, but I don’t finish until he promises to forgive me for everything I'll take this year..."

(Illustration photo: Shutterstock)

And as if that isn’t enough, another activity Hana insists on is babysitting sick children in the morning. "I volunteer to watch sick children whose mothers must go to work and can’t stay home with them. Of course, I don’t bring in those with severe or contagious illnesses, but if a child has a mild fever, there’s no reason his mom should miss work; I’m usually home, so why not?"

The Benefit is All Mine

Hana tries to inspire: "The mitzvah of hospitality is such a great mitzvah. Yes, when you’re asked to lend your apartment for Shabbat, you often feel you want to say no. Because getting the house ready isn’t always convenient, and maybe they’ll open the closet and see the house isn’t organized... but that myth needs to be broken because if people knew the blessing the mitzvah of hospitality brings into the home, they'd ensure it much more.

"There are so many couples waiting for children, living in three or four-bedroom apartments. If they could just dedicate one room to hosting, I am sure it would bring merit. I follow such cases closely, and I have proof of 13 couples who opened their homes and were blessed.

"It also says that those accustomed to having guests at home will merit wise students. We learn this from the verse 'How can a young man cleanse his way?' Personally, I can testify that I have experienced great divine assistance with my children, and I attribute it to hospitality. It’s so simple: If you help a fellow Jew who’s cold at night by giving them a place to sleep, then Hashem will be at your side. It’s measure for measure."

(Illustration photo: Shutterstock)

Finally, she can’t resist sharing the astounding story she experienced firsthand: "On one of the intermediate days of Passover, a man who looked strange knocked on our door and asked for a place to sleep. The house was full of guests, and not a single tile was free, but my compassion got the better of me. He seemed in his sixties and complained about leg pain, wanting to go to the clinic, but it was closed until tomorrow. The whole story seemed far-fetched to me, but something in my heart wouldn’t let me leave him outside. I brought him in, and all night he kept coughing and making strange noises... my husband and older children whispered, 'What did you do? Why did you bring him in?' And I already felt uneasy, so I replied jokingly, 'Maybe he’s Elijah the Prophet?'"

"The next day," Hana continues with a tremor in her voice, "I took my kids to enjoy Gan Sacker. My three-year-old son was riding his tricycle, and before we noticed, he dashed into the street. Those who know the area understand how busy and dangerous the road is. A car passed and hit the tricycle, but instead of crushing it, it caught onto its rear, and so the car continued moving, with my boy on the tricycle seemingly leading it, as if he was riding an enormous car behind him...

"I felt faint," she recounts, "I didn’t know what to do, people chased after the car, but the driver didn’t understand what they wanted. Then he later said that he just hadn’t seen the boy because he was so low. Fortunately, a righteous Jew on the scene jumped into the road, risking his life, and stopped the car with his body. Only then did the driver get out and realize what happened. But the great miracle was that the child was unharmed, not even a scratch."

Hana notes that directly from Gan Sacker, her husband went to his rabbi, a well-known yeshiva head, and said in a trembling voice, "I think Elijah the Prophet slept in my house last night." The rabbi heard the story and replied, "Elijah the Prophet was not there, but there's no doubt that the merit of the kindness saved the child’s life."

Do you also feel the urge to participate in the important mitzvah of hospitality? A new endeavor has recently started to connect families willing to host with guests who need a place. To contact the initiative: 0533144251 May you merit doing many mitzvot.