Maghen Abraham - Thoughts From Mayer Sasson

"And he planted a tree אשל in Be'er Sheva…" (21,33)

 Hospitality

 A villager once came to the Magid Rabbi Yisrael of Kozhnitz and told him of his troubles.

"Holy Rabbi" –he cried with teary eyes – "I tried to fulfill the mitzvah of hospitality properly and every guest who happened to come to my home always found a table full of food and drinks. And now a great tragedy has befallen me: A fire broke out in my home and destroyed all my money and property that I accumulated with my family over years."

 The Magid looked at the villager for a while and after he finished speaking he told him: The Early Rabbis learn from the verse on Avraham Avinu - "And he planted a tree אשל in Be'er Sheva" from the initials of the word   אשל that it stands for אכילה, שתייה, לינה – food, drink and sleeping accommodations, or אכילה, שתייה, לוויה – food drink and escort. Avraham Avinu supplied not only food and drink to his guests but also proper sleeping accommodations and he equipped them with all the best when they left his home. You, on the other hand, only fulfilled the mitzvah of food and drinks with the guests who came to your home and did not ascertain that they have proper sleeping accommodations or escort upon going on their way. Therefore the letter ל' was missing from the word   "אשל" and there remained the two letters of "אש" – fire.

 SHABBAT SHALOM!!