D’var Torah, Shabbat Vayera, Shabbat Orechim
Ellen Elow-Mintz
If we were staging the play “Abraham: The Story”, there would be great drama and major scene changes.  As Lech lecha ended, the covenant was established between God and Avraham and the Jewish people going forward. By the time we complete this week’s reading of Vayera, Sodom and Gemorrah have been destroyed, Itzhak has been born to a shocked Sarah, Hagar and Ishmael have been exiled, and, were this not enough, Avraham and Itzhak face the test of the Akedah. 
In order to make all these huge set changes, the director of this play likely would have the action in the first 15 p’sukim of Vayera take place in front of the curtain.  Often this device is used to buy time for bigger things to come. Since every word of the Torah is there for a reason, today’s focus is on this section.
Before Sinai and the handing down of the commandments, we have two fundamental mitzvot that help define g’milut hasidim, acts of lovingkindness, and God’s day in day out expectations of the Jewish people.  God appears as Avraham is recovering from his circumcision, modelling for us the importance of bikkur holim, visiting the sick. In the midst of this visit, Avraham notices the approach of three men and redirects his attention from God to welcome and attend to these visitors. Rather than taking Avraham to task for looking away from God, the rabbis teach that hospitality to others, hachnasat orchim, is greater than welcoming the Divine Presence. In welcoming strangers we are doing God’s will and if we were to focus solely on God we could be ignoring those in need.
In the context of a synagogue community, hachnasat orchim should mean more than recognizing and welcoming those who are visiting from the outside.  This September, Gary Rosenblatt, the editor and publisher of New York’s “The Jewish Week” wrote a column entitled, “Getting to Know You: Coping with ’Shul Shame’.” There are a few copies in the back but most of you can easily find the article on the web. Mr. Rosenblatt details the uncomfortable situation of not acknowledging someone you see regularly on Shabbat because you have forgotten (or never learned) his or her name.  Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, he suggests that the high holidays are great because of the availability of a seating list or presents the alternative of providing name tags for all on Shabbat of Parshat Shmot.  
Most of us typically sit in the same “Shabbat neighborhood” each week.  Please take a moment and look around your neighborhood and identify one or two people whose names you may have forgotten.  During kiddush, make a point to go up and ask his or her name and provide yours. For those of you who I have not yet met or may have forgotten my name, I am Ellen Elow-Mintz.  
Dr. Erica Brown, Director of Adult Education at the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning, has proposed a different way that local synagogues and community members might work to ameliorate this situation.  She encourages us, and every congregation in our community, to consider this Shabbat, and Parshat Vayera annually, as Shabbat Orechim.  Members are asked to extend hospitality at some point on this Shabbat to others in the congregation they have never hosted.  
When Avraham welcomes the visitors it is not what would be considered the perfect time for guests.  He is recovering, none of the food is prepared, and it is likely the tent hasn’t been set up for company.  Regardless, there is no expectation of reciprocity, in kind or otherwise, when Avraham provides his best for the unknown guests.
One measure of a synagogue’s health is the vibrancy of Shabbat life.   Most Shabbatot the rows here are comfortably occupied with congregants of all ages.  The back of the sanctuary at times overflows with young children and their parents.  As kiddush winds down, small groups often head out to share a Shabbat meal or the trip home. The return of Shabbat football brings some back in the afternoon before mincha, seudah shlishit and ma’ariv.  
Shabbat is a respite in our busy lives, a day to reconnect with family and friends, to reflect, to recharge and to relax. When we speak of Shabbat we use a number of English verbs, among them honor, keep, celebrate and observe.  Each of these can connote the reverence and joy we bring to this weekly holyday. The word “observe” can have another meaning for some in the context of Shabbat – being outsiders, observers, to the warmth and community others around them are sharing.  It is for all these segments of our community that Shabbat Orechim is intended.
Many of us have created our own “shul families” with whom we often celebrate Shabbat and holidays.  These very important relationships often begin serendipitously – as co-workers, neighbors, carpoolers or classmates – and are nourished by careful planning and attention. Under the best of circumstances newcomers are brought into these circles and woven into the fabric of communal life.
Just as geography and life stage may bring us together, these same elements may make participation in informal communal life more difficult. Cramped quarters, advanced age or infirmity may make it difficult for someone to offer an invitation or reciprocate.  “Riders” may wish to share a meal with “walkers” but hesitate to initiate an invitation.  The arrival of a new baby, empty nest syndrome, an ailing family member or finding oneself “suddenly single” may make issuing or accepting an invitation difficult. For those of us who are able, it is easy to put off issuing an invitation to an acquaintance until circumstances are perfect.  That rarely happens.  
Using the concept of Shabbat Orechim to guide us, we can strengthen our community by reaching out to those outside our familiar circle.  The sense of community created around the Shabbat table anchors us and comforts us in good times and bad. Consider making a commitment to yourself and to the Ohr Kodesh community to invite someone new to celebrate Shabbat with you once a year, or once a month, or whenever the mood strikes you. Being mindful and taking advantage of opportunities to bring people together is what Shabbat Orechim is all about. While we joke that no Jewish activity can occur without food, it is true that Jewish continuity can be found around the Shabbat table – in the company, the song, the learning and, yes, the food.   
Let’s take our cue from Avraham and open our homes, and share the best of what we have with others.  In doing so we will enrich our lives and continue to make Ohr Kodesh a kehillat kodesh, a holy community.