A vort from the Rebbe on this week's parshah, Parshas Vayeira. Concerning Parshas Vayeira, the Gemara in Maseches Shabbos learns out that גדולה הכנסת אורחים מקבלת פני השכינה, that to receive guests is greater than receiving the Shechinah, because it says in the pasuk that Hashem came to speak to Avraham, came to visit him, וירא אליו השם, and then the pasuk says וירא והנה שלשה אנשים, he saw there were three people coming, and the pasuk says that he turned around to Hashem and he said, ויאמר, he said, השם, אם נא מצאתי חן בעיניך אל נא תעבור מעל עבדך. If I find grace in your eyes, please don't leave, because you should please wait, I have to attend to the guest. So he told Hashem, it's according to one pshat in the pasuk, but that's the way the Gemara says, that he told Hashem, please wait, I have to go attend to the guests and I'll come back to you. So here we see that to receive guests is greater than receiving the Shechinah, because he told the Shechinah, he told Hashem, please wait, I have to go receive the guests. That means that's more important. That's the way the Gemara learns it out. But in Rambam, he says a little different. The Rambam says that hachnasas orchim is greater than receiving the Shechinah, שנאמר, because it says וירא והנה שלשה אנשים. Says he saw there were three people. Doesn't learn out from the fact that he said Hashem, please wait, I'd rather attend to the guest and I'll get back to you, just learns it out from the pasuk where it says that he saw the three people. And the Rebbe asks, according to the Gemara we see that hachnasas orchim is greater than קבלת פני השכינה, because he told the Shechinah to wait, and he went to the orchim. And according to the Rambam, all it says is, the Rambam learns it out from the pasuk where it says he saw three people. So how does that prove that hachnasas orchim is greater than receiving the Shechinah? Doesn't say he didn't leave Hashem and run to the Shechinah, to the guest? So how does the Rambam learn from these words that הכנסת אורחים is greater than קבלת פני השכינה?

And the Rebbe explains it like this: When Avraham Avinu, when Hashem came to see Avraham, Avraham Avinu must have been there with the greatest bitul to Hashem. Much more even than the din is by Shemoneh Esreh. It says when you daven and you come to Shemoneh Esreh, you have to stand כעבדא קמי מריה, you have to stand like a servant in front of his master with a תכלית הביטול. And it says you can't look around, you can't notice anything, you can't, you shouldn't be aware of anything else but davenen to Hashem. So when you're standing in front of Hashem by Shemoneh Esreh, you can't notice anything, you can't see anything else because you shouldn't be aware of anything. You could imagine Avraham Avinu standing in front of the Shechinah, which was much more obviously than when we stand Shemoneh Esreh. Certainly, how could he be aware of anything else? The mere fact that he was aware, וירא והנה שלשה אנשים, he was aware that there are three people there and they're potential guests, and this was in middle when he was speaking to Hashem, that shows that guests is more important than קבלת פני השכינה, because when he was קבלת פני השכינה, he nevertheless paid attention and was aware that there are three guests coming. So that's what the Rambam means when he learns it out just from the mere fact that he saw there are three people, is a raayah that הכנסת אורחים is greater than קבלת פני השכינה.

But the Rebbe asks, true, so now we understand what the Rambam meant, but why would nevertheless the Rambam not bring the pasuk of the Gemara? It's still a better raayah from the pasuk of the, the way the Gemara brings it, that he said to Hashem, please wait, I have to attend to the orchim. So this is even a stronger raayah that הכנסת אורחים is greater than קבלת פני השכינה. Why does the Rambam bring it just from the fact that he was aware that guests are there, which is also a raayah, but the other raayah would be better? So the Rebbe explains that the Rambam, by doing this, wants to teach us what is the concept of הכנסת אורחים. People think the concept of הכנסת אורחים is mainly that you feed a person, you feed a guest. And the Rebbe brings a re'ayah that the real meaning of הכנסת אורחים is the attention that you give to the guest. Giving him food if he doesn't have is also a mitzvah of tzedakah, other things. The mitzvah of הכנסת אורחים is just the paying attention to the guest. And that we see more from the way the Rambam says it. When he said to Hashem, wait and I'm going to attend to the guest, going to attend to them and and give him food, etc., etc. But by bringing that re'ayah, that fact that he was aware of them, that shows what הכנסת אורחים is. הכנסת אורחים is being aware of the guest and paying attention to the guest. And that we see that, which is הכנסת אורחים, is greater than קבלת פני השכינה. And that's what the Rambam means. He says that Avraham Avinu was speaking to Hashem and he paid attention to guests. So it's a re'ayah that הכנסת אורחים is greater than קבלת פני השכינה, but it's also a re'ayah that the concept of הכנסת אורחים is the fact that he sees them and he's aware of them and he gives them the proper attention. Attention.