Avos 1:5 יְהִי בֵיתְךָ פָתוּחַ לִרְוָחָה

(5) Yose ben Yochanan (a man) of Jerusalem used to say: Let thy house be wide open, and let the poor be members of thy household. Engage not in too much conversation with women. They said this with regard to one’s own wife, how much more [does the rule apply] with regard to another man’s wife. From here the Sages said: as long as a man engages in too much conversation with women, he causes evil to himself, he neglects the study of the Torah, and in the end he will inherit gehinnom.

"May your home be open wide": Like the home of Avraham, our father, may peace be upon him, which was open to the world’s four directions, so that guests would not need to go around to find the entrance.

We learned in the mishna: One may move baskets of produce due to the guests and in order to prevent the suspension of Torah study in the study hall. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Hospitality toward guests is as great as rising early to go to the study hall, as the mishna equates them and teaches: Due to the guests and due to suspension of Torah study in the study hall. And Rav Dimi from Neharde’a says: Hospitality toward guests is greater than rising early to the study hall, as it teaches: Due to the guests, and only afterward: And due to suspension of Torah study in the study hall. Rav Yehuda said that Rav said on a related note: Hospitality toward guests is greater than receiving the Divine Presence, as when Abraham invited his guests it is written: “And he said: Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please pass not from Your servant” (Genesis 18:3). Abraham requested that God, the Divine Presence, wait for him while he tended to his guests appropriately. Rabbi Elazar said: Come and see that the attribute of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is not like that of flesh and blood. The attribute of flesh and blood people is such that a less significant person is unable to say to a more significant person: Wait until I come to you, while with regard to the Holy One, Blessed be He, it is written: “And he said: Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please pass not from Your servant.” Abraham requested that God wait for him due to his guests.

(Another interpretation of) Do not talk too much with married women: How so? When a person comes to the study hall and they do not treat him with respect, or he has a fight with his friend, he should not go and tell his wife: I fought about this and that with my friend, and he said this and that to me, and then I said this and that to him. For in doing so, he disgraces himself (and disgraces his wife) and disgraces his friend. And his wife, who had treated him with respect, will now begin to ridicule him. And when his friend hears, he will say: Oy! Those things were between him and me, and he went and told them to his wife. So it is that this man has disgraced himself, and his wife, and his friend.

Having discussed wise speech and the wisdom of Jewish women, the Gemara cites the following story: Rabbi Yosei HaGelili was walking along the way, and met Berurya. He said to her: On which path shall we walk in order to get to Lod? She said to him: Foolish Galilean, didn’t the Sages say: Do not talk much with women? You should have said your question more succinctly: Which way to Lod?

It is a positive commandment of Rabbinic origin to visit the sick, comfort mourners, to prepare for a funeral, prepare a bride, accompany guests, attend to all the needs of a burial, carry a corpse on one's shoulders, walk before the bier, mourn, dig a grave, and bury the dead, and also to bring joy to a bride and groom and help them in all their needs. These are deeds of kindness that one carries out with his person that have no limit.Although all these mitzvot are of Rabbinic origin, they are included in the Scriptural commandment Leviticus 19:18: "Love your neighbor as yourself." That charge implies that whatever you would like other people to do for you, you should do for your comrade in the Torah and mitzvot.

Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quick, three seahs of choice flour! Knead and make cakes!”

“The Lord said to Abram: Go you, from your land, and from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). “The Lord said to Abram: Go you, from your land…” – Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “Listen, daughter, see, and incline your ear. Forget your people and your father’s house” (Psalms 45:11). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This is analogous to one who was passing from place to place, and saw a building with a [candle] burning in it. He said: ‘Is it possible that this building has no one in charge of it?’ The owner of the building looked out at him and said: ‘I am the owner of the building.’ So, because Abraham our patriarch was saying: ‘Is it possible that this world is without someone in charge?’ The Holy One blessed be He looked at him and said to him: ‘I am the owner of the world.’ “The king will desire your beauty, as he is your master” (Psalms 45:12) – to show your beauty in the world. “And bow to him” (Psalms 45:12) – that is, “the Lord said to Abram.”

And Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “After the Lord your God shall you walk, and Him shall you fear, and His commandments shall you keep, and unto His voice shall you hearken, and Him shall you serve, and unto Him shall you cleave” (Deuteronomy 13:5)? But is it actually possible for a person to follow the Divine Presence? But hasn’t it already been stated: “For the Lord your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24), and one cannot approach fire. He explains: Rather, the meaning is that one should follow the attributes of the Holy One, Blessed be He. He provides several examples. Just as He clothes the naked, as it is written: “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21), so too, should you clothe the naked. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, visits the sick, as it is written with regard to God’s appearing to Abraham following his circumcision: “And the Lord appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre” (Genesis 18:1), so too, should you visit the sick. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, consoles mourners, as it is written: “And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son” (Genesis 25:11), so too, should you console mourners. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, buried the dead, as it is written: “And he was buried in the valley in the land of Moab” (Deuteronomy 34:6), so too, should you bury the dead.

Rav Ashi said: Even according to the one who says that if a rabbi forgoes the honor due him, his honor is forgone, if a Nasi forgoes the honor due him, his honor is not forgone. The Gemara raises an objection: There was an incident involving Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Tzadok, who were reclining at the wedding of Rabban Gamliel’s son. And Rabban Gamliel, who was Nasi of the Sanhedrin at the time, was standing over them and serving them drinks. He gave the cup to Rabbi Eliezer and he would not accept it; he gave it to Rabbi Yehoshua and he accepted it. Rabbi Eliezer said to him: What is this, Yehoshua? We sit and the esteemed Rabban Gamliel stands over us and serves us drinks? Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: We found one greater than him who served his guests, as our forefather Abraham was greater than him and he served his guests. Abraham was the greatest man of his generation and it is written about him: “And he stood over them under the tree, and they ate” (Genesis 18:8). And lest you say: His guests appeared to him as ministering angels, and that is why he honored them, in fact they appeared to him only as Arabs. And if so, should not the esteemed Rabban Gamliel stand over us and serve us drinks? Rabbi Tzadok said to them: For how long will you ignore the honor due to the Omnipresent, and deal with the honor of people? You could cite a proof from God Himself. After all, the Holy One, Blessed be He, makes the winds blow, and raises the clouds, and brings the rain, and causes the earth to sprout, and sets a table before each and every creature. And should not the esteemed Rabban Gamliel stand over us and serve us drinks? This discussion indicates that even a Nasi may forgo the honor due him.

(276) Come and see, when a person sits in this compartment (the sukkah) - the covering of faith - the Divine Presence spreads its wings over it from above and Avraham and the five other righteous people make their abode with him. Rabbi Abba said, "Avraham, the five righteous men and King David make their abode with him." This is [the meaning of] that which is written (Leviticus 23:42), "In huts shall you dwell seven days." It is written, "seven days"; and not, "for seven days." This is in the same way that it is written (Exodus 31:17), "as six days did the Lord make the Heavens, etc." And a person should rejoice with a bright countenance with these guests that dwell with him each and every day.

(10) “He said: My Lord, please, if I have found favor in Your eyes, please do not depart from upon your servant” (Genesis 18:3). “He said: My lords [adonai],23The midrash interprets the term adonai not as a reference to God, but rather to the three angels, adonai being in the plural. That raises the question: Why is the rest of the verse in the singular? The midrash responds that he directed his request to their senior member. please, if I have found favor in your eyes” – Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great taught: He said this to the senior one of them, that is Mikhael. “Please, let a little water be taken, and wash your feet, and recline beneath the tree” (Genesis 18:4). “Please, let a little water be taken” – Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Simai: The Holy One blessed be He said to Abraham: ‘You said: “Please, let a little water be taken.” By your life, I will repay your descendants in the wilderness, in inhabited land,24After they have entered the Land of Israel. and in the future.’ That is what is written: “Then Israel sang this song: Rise, well; call out to it” (Numbers 21:17). That was in the wilderness. In the land of Canaan, from where is it derived? “A land of streams of water, of springs and depths, emerging in the valley and on the mountain” (Deuteronomy 8:7). In the future, from where is it derived? The verse states: “On that day, spring water will emerge from Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:8). [God said:] ‘You said: “And wash your feet.” By your life, I will repay your descendants in the wilderness, in inhabited land, and in the future.’ In the wilderness, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “I bathed you in water” (Ezekiel 16:9). In inhabited land, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “Wash, purify yourselves” (Isaiah 1:16). In the future, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “When the Lord will have washed the filth of the daughters of Zion” (Isaiah 4:4). [God said:] ‘You said: “And recline beneath the tree.” By your life, I will repay your descendants in the wilderness, etc.,’ as it is stated: “He spread a cloud like a curtain” (Psalms 105:39). That was in the wilderness. In the Land of Israel, from where is it derived? “You shall dwell in booths seven days” (Leviticus 23:42). In the future, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “It will be a shelter for shade by day” (Isaiah 4:6). [God said:] ‘You said: “And I will take a piece of bread” (Genesis 18:5). By your life, I will repay your descendants,’ etc. “The Lord said to Moses: Behold, I am raining food for you from the heavens” (Exodus 16:4). That was in the wilderness. In the Land, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “A land of wheat and barley” (Deuteronomy 8:8). In the future, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “There will be an abundance of grain in the Land” (Psalms 72:16). So, it is written: “Abraham ran to the herd [and took a young bull, tender and good]” (Genesis 18:7). [God said:] ‘By your life, I will repay your descendants,’ etc.: “A wind went from the Lord, and brought over quails from the sea” (Numbers 11:31). That was in the wilderness. In the Land, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “The children of Reuben…had much livestock” (Numbers 32:1). In the future, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “It will be on that day, each man will maintain [a heifer and two sheep]” (Isaiah 7:21). So, it is written: “He was standing over them” (Genesis 18:8). [God said:] ‘By your life, I will repay your descendants,’ etc. “The Lord was going before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to guide them on the way” (Exodus 13:21). That was in the wilderness. In the Land, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “God stands in the assembly of the Almighty” (Psalms 82:1). In the future, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “The one who breaches goes before them…[and the Lord is at their head]” (Micah 2:13).

Because you said: Let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and recline yourselves under the tree (Gen. 18:4), I will give the precept of the paschal lamb to thy descendants, as it is said: They shall fetch to them every man a lamb (Exod. 12:3). Because you said to them Let now (na), I will give your descendants the ordinance of the Passover: You shall not eat of it raw (na) (ibid., v. 20). Because you did say A little, I will drive their enemies away little by little, as it is said: By little and little I will drive them out from before you (ibid. 23:30). Inasmuch as you said water, I will give them a well in the desert, as is said: Spring up, O well (Num. 21:7). Since you said wash your feet, I will wash away all the impurity of your descendants, as it is said: When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughter of Zion (Isa. 4:4). Because you did say: Recline yourselves under a tree, I will give them the precept of the sukkah, as it is written: Go forth unto the mount and fetch olive branches (Neh. 8:15). In return for your saying: I will fetch a morsel of bread, I will cause to rain bread from heaven (Exod. 16:4). And inasmuch as you offered curd and milk, I will give you curd of kine and milk of sheep (Deut. 32:14).

Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak: There is a verbal analogy between the festivals of Passover and Sukkot. It is stated here, with regard to Sukkot: “On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the festival of Sukkot for seven days unto the Lord” (Leviticus 23:34). And it is stated: “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the festival of matzot unto the Lord” (Leviticus 23:6) with regard to the festival of Passover. Just as there, with regard to Passover, on the first night there is an obligation to eat matza and from that point onward it is optional, as from that point onward the only obligation is to refrain from eating leaven, so too here, with regard to Sukkot, on the first night there is an obligation to eat in the sukka and from that point onward it is optional.