Hospitality: 10 Surprising Facts About the Mitzvah Greater Than Receiving the Divine Presence

1. It is stated in the Talmud: "Hospitality to guests is greater than receiving the Divine Presence." (Shabbat 127b).

2. "Rabbi Yochanan said: Hospitality to guests is as great as rising early to attend the study hall, and Rav Dimi of Nehardea said: It is even greater than rising early to attend the study hall." (ibid).

3. In Tractate Chagigah (27b), it is said that the table around which a person hosts guests is equivalent to the altar in the Temple, and the food with which one feeds guests is equivalent to the offerings that were brought upon the altar.

4. It is told about Rabbi Eliezer, the father of the Baal Shem Tov, that he went to great lengths to fulfill the mitzvah of hospitality, even hiring a messenger at the edge of the village to invite poor travelers to his home. He would feed them, give them drink, and provide them with lodging generously.
In heaven, there was great joy from Rabbi Eliezer's good deeds, until Satan came and complained, saying that to know if his deeds were truly for heaven's sake, he should be tested. It was decided to test him, but out of mercy due to the mitzvah, they determined that not Satan but Elijah the Prophet would test him.
One Shabbat afternoon, a Jewish traveler arrived at Rabbi Eliezer's house with a backpack on his shoulder and a walking stick in his hand—a complete Shabbat violator. To make it clear that he hadn't forgotten it was Shabbat, the poor man greeted Rabbi Eliezer with a festive "Shabbat Shalom."
Rabbi Eliezer did not want to embarrass the poor man, so he overlooked the Shabbat violation and invited him for a meal, offering him the best of everything. Even the next day, when they parted, he did not rebuke him but bid him farewell with great affection. He even added that whenever the man passed through the area, he could come and stay at his home.
At that moment, Elijah the Prophet revealed himself to Rabbi Eliezer and informed him that because of his love for fellow Jews and the mitzvah of hospitality, he would be blessed with a son in his old age who would illuminate the eyes of Israel—none other than Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov.

5. The "Chofetz Chaim" in his book "Ahavat Chesed" details the obligation of the mitzvah of hospitality: "As soon as a guest arrives, place food and drink before him, for he may be hungry and thirsty but too embarrassed to ask. Do everything promptly, so the guest will understand that he is loved and welcome."

6. The primary mitzvah of hospitality is to welcome a poor person who has nowhere to eat or sleep. In our time, the most severe poverty is emotional and spiritual poverty. The mitzvah of hospitality is increasingly taking on more spiritual aspects of emotional support and comfort. There are people who have lost direction in life, who have despaired of themselves and their future. Good, supportive, warm hospitality can restore their belief that their lives have value, that people appreciate them, enjoy their company, and want to help them. From this, they will draw new strength to continue living. Fortunate is the person who knows how to see which of their friends needs encouragement.
Similarly, many young people come to Israel from abroad to study, and the feeling of homesickness weighs on them. One who hosts them in their home fulfills the mitzvah in all its glory. This is especially true for those who decided to make aliyah despite their parents' objections, as they need even more of the love and family warmth that hospitality can provide.

7. A person who wants to fulfill the mitzvah of hospitality with excellence should design their home in a way that allows them to host guests with maximum comfort.

8. The mitzvah of hospitality concludes with escorting the guest, and our Sages of blessed memory greatly praised the mitzvah of escorting, saying that the reward for escorting has no measure. They also said, "Whoever escorts his friend even four cubits in the city will not come to harm." (Sotah 46b).

9. In Tractate Chagigah, the Sages said: "When the Temple stood, the altar atoned for a person; now, his table (on which he hosts poor guests) atones for him." Similarly, in the middle of the passage about festival offerings in Leviticus (chapter 23), the commandments of pe'ah (leaving the corners of the field) and leket (gleanings) for the poor are mentioned. The Sages explained in Torat Kohanim that the Torah wanted to teach us that "whoever gives gleanings, forgotten sheaves, and corners to the poor as is proper, it is considered as if he built the Temple and offered his sacrifices within it."

10. The Shunammite woman who hosted Elisha is called a "great woman" in the Prophets. The Zohar explains why she earned this title: "And furthermore, it can be explained, 'and there was a great woman,' that she was greater than all other women in the world, for other women of the world, when they see a guest in the house, are distressed by him and pressure him, and all the more so to spend money on him, but she rejoiced in guests and spent money on them. Especially when she saw Elisha, she rejoiced in him greatly, and therefore all the praise is for the woman, for the hospitality of the house belongs to the woman, and because of this (it is written) 'and there was a great woman,' for she was greater than other women..."