24 Oct PARSHAS LECH LECHA: THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE AWAY FROM HOME…

There’s No Place
Like Away From
Home to Learn
How to be a Good
Host
The very first Rashi
in our parsha [Bereishis 12:1] interprets

the words “Go for yourself” (Lech-
Lecha) to mean “for your own benefit

and welfare”. The Imrei Shammai cites
an incident involving Reb Nachum of
Chernobyl (1730-1787) which elucidates
this Rashi.
Reb Nachum was once imprisoned. It
did not take much in the Ukraine for a
Jew — a Rabbi especially — to wind up
in jail. An old Jew came to visit Reb
Nachum and told him that he could
explain a particular reason why Reb
Nachum was sitting in jail.
Reb Nachum used to devote much effort
to the mitzvah of redeeming Jews from
captivity (pidyon shevuyim). At a time
when Jews were arbitrarily and

capriciously thrown into jail, he felt
obligated to do whatever he could to
work for their release. The old Jew told
him that G-d put Reb Nachum himself in
jail so that he would be able to appreciate
what a great mitzvah he was doing when
working for the release of Jewish
prisoners. Now that he was sitting in jail,
he would be better at empathizing with
the prisoners who he helped. The next
time he would go out to raise money for
pidyon shevuyim, it would be a different
experience. He would have more
appreciation for the wonderful mitzvah
that he was doing.
Here too, Avraham was destined to be
the prototype of kindness toward his
fellow man. He was destined to be the
prototype of welcoming in wayfarers.
G-d wanted to show him what a great
mitzvah it is to be a host to guests who
need a place to stay. The best way to
learn how to be a host is to first be a
traveler.
Anyone who needs to go away for a

Shabbos experiences what it is like to be
away from his family, away from his
own bed, and away from his surroundings.
Especially when a person is a wandering
traveler for an extended period of time
— he really learns to appreciate the great
kindness provided by those who warmly
extend hospitality. This experience is the
best training course for becoming a better
host.
Therefore, Avraham was directed “Lech
Lecha”. Be a traveler. It will be for your
own benefit and welfare because
knowing what it means to be a traveler
will help you so much more when you
want to become a host.
I know someone who is an excellent
teacher. He had been an excellent student
all his life and had always found learning
easy. He was always stimulated by his
classes and enjoyed learning. When he
went to college, Physical Education was
a required course. Physical Education for
this person was like calculus for people
who aren’t good in mathematics. It was a

disaster. He got a C in the course — the
lowest grade of his entire college career.
But he confided to me that this experience
taught him how to be a better teacher.
Had he coasted through his entire
educational career without experiencing
difficulty and frustration in a class, he
would not have known the meaning of a
student struggling and having difficulties
with his studies. P.E. gave him the
experience of being behind his classmates
and feeling frustrated that it was so much
easier for them and that they were so
much better than he. That made him into
a better teacher.
G-d was doing the same thing for
Avraham. Go out — for your own
benefit. You will see how hard it is to be
a traveler and you will be a much better
host as a result.