Ben Kohane, a Hillel Academy alum who is currently studying in Israel, recently submitted this Dvar Torah to the Yeshiva University S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program e-newsletter. At the end of the year, this Dvar Torah will be published in a book entitled, 

Divrei Torah for the Shabbos Table. 

Congratulations to Ben, and all of our alumni in Israel, who demonstrate the exceptional education and values that 

Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh instills in its students. 

The sixth aliyah of Parshat Vayeira concludes with the following p'sukim (21:33-34):

"ויטע אשל בבאר שבע ויקרא בשם ה' א-ל עולם. ויגר אברהם בארץ פלשתים ימים רבים."

"And Avraham planted an "eshel" in Beer-Sheva and there he proclaimed the name of Hashem, G-d of the Universe. And Avraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many years."

It is often said that the Torah is neither a storybook nor a list of laws and commandments. Each and every passage is important and is meant to teach us something. What then, is the significance of Avraham's gardening habits, this small tangent placed between the high-profile stories of the expulsion of Yishmael and the Akeidah. Furthermore, the word "אשל" is a curious choice. Research of the word's etymology throughout Tanach identifies theאשל  as a tamarisk tree; why does the Torah distinguish this species and not any other?

The Gemara in Sotah 10a addresses this issue. The Sages are split in the exegesis of the word "".אשל One opinion holds that the word refers to a "פרדס," an orchard, full of fine fruits. Bereishit Rabbah clarifies these fruits to be dates, grapes, and pomegranates - three of the seven species of Eretz Yisrael. Rashi explains that the fruits would provide pleasure to passersby as well as Avraham's neighbors.

The other opinion understands the pasuk to mean that אשל refers to a "פונדק," an inn, which Avraham built to entertain dozens of guests at a time. Rashi further explains Avraham Avinu's tremendous deed and construction project. The wordאשל  is actually an acronym - א for "אכילה," eating, ש for "שתיה," drinking, and ל for "לויה," escorting. These three actions are what make up a truly hospitable experience. Whenever travelers would stop by the inn, Avraham would wine 'em and dine 'em, before escorting them on their way.

His deeds were not merely chessed for chessed's sake, but an authentic attempt at outreach.  The Gemara in Sotah continues on to explain the second half of the pasuk: "ויקרא שם בשם ה' א-ל עולם" - "And there he proclaimed the name of Hashem, G-d of the Universe." The Gemara instructs us to read "ויקרא" as "ויקריא" - meaning "Avraham caused him to call." What does this refer to? His guests, after being treated to a delicious meal, (perhaps capped off by a wondrous desert of grapes and pomegranates), stood to bless and thank Avraham for all his kindness. Avraham quickly interrupted and asked them rather to recognize the true source of the sustenance - Hashem, the G-d of the Universe.

This outreach is quite amazing. Single-handedly, Avraham spread the word of the true G-d in a world pervaded with polytheism and idol worship. He was not just planting the foundations of his inn - he was implanting in his guests the foundations of a true theology, helping others recognize the G-d he had come to know and trust. He did not just escort his guests on their physical journey - he pointed them in the correct spiritual direction, escorting them to a more fulfilling path in life.

The last pasuk in sefer Micha literally attaches the attribute of chessed to Avraham Avinu. In the Mishneh Torah, Rambam tells us that after recognizing Hashem, our forefather traveled from city to city throughout the ancient world, proclaiming G-d's name. It is no coincidence that Avraham is both the paradigm of chessed and the ultimate embodiment of outreach. Authentic kindness is incomplete when it takes account of physical needs while ignoring the emotional and spiritual aspects of the guest's life; outreach is selfish and doomed to fail when it does not incorporate genuine concern for the individual's physical necessities.

Avraham's tremendous endeavor was founded on the attribute of kindness. The beginning of the parshah also exhibits Avraham's passion for hospitality. The Torah tells us that Avraham was sitting "פתח האהל כחם היום" - "at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day." The Gemara in Bava Metzia explains that Hashem had made the sun shine intensely in order to prevent Avraham from being troubled with guests so soon after his painful milah. However, since Avraham still sat at his tent's entrance, eagerly searching for guests, Hashem brought the three angels to him in order to satisfy his intense desire to perform hachnasat orchim. As soon as Avraham saw the potential guests, "וירץ לקראתם" - "he ran to greet them." Avraham's fervor teaches us that we must not wait for mitzvot to come to us; we must go out to meet the mitzvot.

This message is echoed in the second pasuk quoted above. The Torah tells us that Avraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines "ימים רבים" - "many days." Rashi uses Bereishit Rabba to explain that he stayed in this foreign land longer than he lived in Chevron, his hometown. After establishing his inn, Avraham stayed put. He remained dedicated to his cause of spreading G-d's name for twenty-six long years, a lesson we can all appreciate. Sometimes we must venture out of our comfort zone in order to achieve our true calling.

Reaching out to others and taking them in as our guests is universal. A story is told about the Chofetz Chaim, known for his efforts to strengthen Torah observance, which highlights his trait of hospitality.

A rabbi who had never seen the Chofetz Chaim before came to Radin to meet with him. Arriving toward evening, he met a Jew in the street and asked where he could find an inn. "I will take you there," said the Jew, whereupon he took the rabbi to his own home and proceeded to wait on the rabbi as an innkeeper waits upon his paying guests.

The next morning in shul, the rabbi asked someone to point out the Chofetz Chaim. A shudder passed through the rabbi when the man pointed out to him turned out to be none other than the "innkeeper." The rabbi hurried over to the Chofetz Chaim and begged his forgiveness for allowing the great rav to serve him. The Chofetz Chaim replied simply, "Am I exempt from the mitzvah of hospitality?"