Food & Lodging in the Desert!
Avraham and Sarah had a favorite Mitzvah that they loved to do more than anything else in the world – Hachnasos Orchim – inviting guests into their tent, serving delicious food, and teaching them all about HaShem, the true Creator of the world. But it was no easy task in a world that was full of idol worship, so Avraham and Sarah had to think of original ideas to spread the word.
In the desert, they built a huge tent that had four entrances constantly open, so that whichever direction travelers came, they were welcomed with friendship, quality food and drink, along with fascinating teachings about HaShem.
Let’s “listen in” on a typical conversation at Avraham and Sarah’s “Food & Lodging”:
After eating a scrumptious meal, the guests asked, “How much does it cost?”
“NOTHING. It’s on the house. Just repeat after me… we bless the Almighty, Master of the Universe, the One who created everything in this world – HaShem.”
“No way! We only bless our holy idols,” they replied.
“Okay, if that’s how you feel…,” Avraham would answer. “The steak is 24 gold pieces; wine – 12 gold pieces a cup, making it a total of 48 gold pieces. Oh, I forgot, the delicious tongue with our homemade mustard spread. That’s on sale today for only 20 gold pieces, so the grand total is… 56 gold pieces!”
“WHAT? Outrageous! So much money for a meal?! We can’t afford this!” the guests protested.
“Well, where would you find such delicious cuts of meat in the desert? And the finest of wine? Of course, the prices are higher here than it would be in the city!”
Naturally, the guests would suddenly have a quick change of mind. They indeed blessed HaShem, got a free meal and learned even more about “HaShem” from their wonderful hosts, Avraham and Sarah!
What’s Bothering Avraham?
3 days after Avraham’s Bris Milah (circumcision), he was resting in his tent. He wasn’t happy. He was tired and he didn’t feel well, but that’s not the reason he was feeling down.
What was wrong?
Well, it was an incredibly hot, scorching desert day – but that didn’t bother him either. So what was the problem?
The problem was that the roads were all empty. The whole place was really deserted! Not a single traveler for as far as the eye could see! How could he perform his favorite Mitzvah of hosting guests – if there were NO people coming by?!
Of course, HaShem had made the weather so unbearably hot for that very reason: to give Avraham a break from guests, so that he could rest and be healed after his bris. But when HaShem saw how sad Avraham was, He did something to cheer him up.
You Are Cordially Invited
Just then, Avraham looked up and saw 3 men walking down the road. He was so excited. “GUESTS!!” he shouted, as he ran speedily to greet the travelers.
Who were these strangers?
They were, in fact, Malachim (angels) dressed as Arab travelers. Their names were Rafael, Gavriel and Michoel, and they were sent by HaShem so Avraham could enjoy welcoming guests. Each of these angels had a specific mission. For example, Rafael, – whose name means “Healer of G-d” – came to heal Avraham.
“Please wash your feet!” Avraham pleaded. “I will serve you delicious food. Please come in!”
“Well, if you say so,” answered the travelers. “How can we refuse an invitation like that?”
Avraham and Sarah’s Restaurant
The 3 guests washed up and sat down in the shade. Avraham sent his helpers to bring cool, refreshing water for the guests. Meanwhile, Avraham brought out milk and cheese as appetizers, and sent his son Yishmael to prepare 3 cows for their meal.
Sarah quickly baked bread from the best flour, and Avraham served it to the guests. The 3 mysterious visitors had a scrumptious feast, and Avraham and Sarah were so very happy.
Good News
After the meal, the angel Michoel asked Avraham, “Where is Sarah?”
“In her tent,” replied Avraham.
“Well, please give her a message. It’s BIG NEWS … VERY BIG NEWS! Tell Sarah that exactly one year from now, she will have a son!”
“A BABY?! At my Age?!”
Sarah had been listening from inside her tent, and when she heard this news, she laughed to herself. “Me? A baby? I’m too old to have a baby, and so is Avraham!”
HaShem was upset that Sarah laughed, and He told Avraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for HaShem?! I promise you… next year, on Pesach (Passover), Sarah will have a son.”
Sodom – A Good for Nothing City
With the good news delivered, Michoel’s mission was accomplished. He flew back up to HaShem, leaving Gavriel and Rafael to continue on their journey. Off they went to the city of Sodom – the city with the most cruel, evil and wicked people on the face of the earth.
HaShem let Avraham in on a secret: He was planning to completely destroy Sodom, because all of the people of the city were just plain bad. Not only that, but even the judges themselves were corrupt and they made horrible laws.
Here are some of the terrible Sodom laws:
DO NOT give food or money to the poor.
DO NOT invite any stranger into your home.
ALL strangers passing Sodom MUST be robbed of all their belongings.
ALL strangers must sleep in the “Sodom torture bed”. (It’s is a bit too gory to describe.)
Were the people of Sodom happy with these awful laws? They sure were!
