Lesson 3: Your House Open to the Poor

Rabbi Adler begins his commentary on Pirkei Avot 1:5.  Yosi Ben Yochanan tells us to make our homes comfortable for visitors and wide open to the poor.

Bob's Application:  The Rabbi's reinforces his points here in Part 2 of his Speaking with Women series coming up in two weeks.  In that reinforcement, he provides a wonderful suggestion about allowing a person in need to do work around your house, even if their work might be less excellent than someone else you might hire. I once read a touching story about Bill Graham Crusades doing the same thing, with respect to several of the vendors they hired to assist them behind the scenes. I find it touching that Rabbi Adler suggests the same thing – and I'm sure that in 25 years as a pulpit Rabbi, he had ample opportunity to put that principle into action.