Our next guest blogger is Rabbi Evan Moffic. He is the rabbi at Congregation Solel in Highland Park and the husband of Rabbi Ari Moffic. He writes extensively. His most recent book is “What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Jewishness of Jesus,” which First Presbyterian Church in Elgin is currently studying. They would welcome more participants.

He recently wrote for Beliefnet on the Happiness of Hospitality. I reprint it here with permission:

The greatest teachers of the Bible did not tell stories. They did not simply proclaim laws.

They lived what they taught. They also invited others into it.

Think of people from whom you learned. Did they just say things? Or did they live them? The most important things are not always taught. They are caught. One of those values is hospitality.

Hospitality as a Way of Life

In Hebrew, the language of the Bible, hospitality is known as Hachnasat Orchim. The phrase means “welcoming guests.” This translation does not, however, do justice to the force of the Hebrew words themselves.

Welcoming guests is not just a nice thing to do. It is not simply a display of good manners. It is not even something we do because we want to be good role models for our children or our community.

Hospitality is a way of life. And it is that brings happiness and joy.

How to Make Your Home Welcoming

In the middle ages Jewish practice was to build a door on all four sides of one’s house so that a guest would have no hassle coming in.

image: http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/truthsyoucanuse/files/2016/09/house-150×150.jpg

This custom suggests that our concern in maintaining our home should be not be the decor inside. It is not the landscaping or architecture of the home. Our concern is that we not make it too difficult for people to visit.

Front-Porch People

That custom seems out of place today.  Today, as cultural anthropologists have pointed out, we tend to spend our time in the backyard rather than front porch.

The backyard is more private, and is frequently fenced in. It does not lend itself to the casual conversation and openness of the front porch.

The Bible, however, tells us be a“front-porch people.” Rather than not turn our home into a fortress, we can turn it into an oasis, a place of conversation and kindness.

Ultimately, hospitality creates community. It builds empathy. It opens up our lives and creates the enduring that lead to happiness and satisfaction.

How Do You Practice Hospitality in Your Life? 
Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/truthsyoucanuse/2016/09/surest-path-happiness.html#j5PKl76hUSVLvJEB.99