Hi,
"Paupers
should be members of your household. Not literally the members of your
household; rather, this means that paupers should speak of what they eat and
drink in your home, as paupers would speak of what they ate and drank in Iyov's
home. When they encountered each other, one would say to another, 'From where
did you come?' 'From Iyov's home. Where are you going?' 'To Iyov's home.' And
when Iyov experienced the great suffering, he said before Gd: 'Master of the
Universe! Did I not feed the hungry and give drinks to the thirsty?' As in Iyov
31:16, 'Did I eat my bread alone, without an orphan eating therefrom?' 'And did
I not clothe the unclothed?' As in Iyov 31:20, 'Did he not warm himself with
the shearing from my sheep?'
"Nonetheless, Gd replied to Iyov: Iyov!
You did not reach even half of Avraham's measure. You sit and wait in your home
and guests enter to you. You feed wheat bread to one who normally eats wheat
bread. You feed meat to one who normally eats meat. You give wine to one who
normally drinks wine. Avraham did not do this; rather, he went out into the
world and circulated, and when he found guests he brought them into his home.
He gave wheat bread to those who did not normally eat wheat bread, he gave meat
to those who did not normally eat meat. He gave wine to those who did not
normally drink wine. Not only that, but he built great halls near the roads,
and placed there food and drink. Anyone who entered ate and drank and blessed
Gd. Therefore, I gave him nachat ruach. And anything the mouth requested was
found in Avraham's house, as it is written, 'And he planted an eshel in Beer
Sheva.'"
(Midrash, Avot d'Rabbi Natan 7:1)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
