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Why does the Torah (תורה) emphasize Avrohom's hachnasas orchim when the guests were angels who didn't need food? The shiur distinguishes two types of chesed (חסד): v'ahavta l'rei'acha kamocha (filling needs) and v'halachta bidrachav (giving kavod). True hachnasas orchim isn't about feeding hunger—it's about giving a person being through kavod, mirroring Hashem (ה׳)'s act of creation. This explains why it's greater than kabbalas pnei ha-Shechinah: emulating Hashem's chesed brings us closer to Him than physical proximity.
The shiur opens with a fundamental question: Chazal teach that hachnasas orchim is greater than kabbalas pnei ha-Shechinah, as Avrohom left Hashem (ה׳)'s presence to greet his guests. But how can anything be greater than receiving the Divine Presence? Moreover, why does the Torah (תורה) emphasize Avrohom's elaborate preparations—three tongues, massive amounts of food—when the guests were angels who didn't need physical sustenance? And if we're celebrating chesed (חסד), why not focus on Noach's year-long care for the animals in the ark, a far more sustained act of kindness? Rabbi Zweig develops a fundamental chakira in the nature of chesed by analyzing two distinct mitzvos. The Rambam (רמב"ם) in Hilchos Avel brings both v'ahavta l'rei'acha kamocha and v'halachta bidrachav as sources for bikur cholim, nichum aveilim, and gemilus chasadim. Why do we need two separate mitzvos for the same actions? The answer reveals two entirely different dimensions of chesed. V'ahavta l'rei'acha kamocha requires us to care for another person's needs—to fill what is lacking. This is chesed as response to deficiency. When someone is hungry, you feed them; when they need a loan, you lend.
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Vayeira 18:1-8
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