Pesach: 5784 - The 'trick' that the Rabbi of Jerusalem played on guests from abroad who came to stay with him for the Seder night: Rabbi Shimon Zonnenfeld, at the conclusion of the Daily Daf shiur by Rabbi Betzalel…

00:00 Speaker 1 With joy. We open the festival of Pesach and the Pesach Seder with “Ha Lachma Anya.” To leave Egypt, to reach Mount Sinai and receive the Torah—how can we get there and leave Egypt? When we say “Ha Lachma Anya,” we say: “Let all who are hungry come and eat; let all who are in need come and celebrate Pesach.” When you care for another Jew, you can leave Egypt. We know that when the Alter Rebbe wanted a blessing for a son, because he had only daughters, he came to the Maggid of Mezritch and asked him for a blessing that he should have a son. The Maggid of Mezritch told him: “How does a young man merit his guest?” Through welcoming guests. In that connection, I want to tell an interesting story about a rabbi in Jerusalem. It was Pesach. Two tourists arrived from abroad. They came to the Holy Land in those days, more than a hundred years ago, and went to the rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld. They asked to be his guests for the Seder night. He told them, “Of course,” but they had one more condition. What was it? They wanted to pay. They didn’t want to stay for free; they wanted to pay. He told them, “No problem.” Then they said, “But we want to settle the condition before we do anything.” In other words, first they would pay—

01:37 Speaker 2 Afterward

01:38 Speaker 1 He told them, “No problem.” They paid generously, put down the money, and he took it. All settled. They were with him for the Seder night and very much enjoyed the words of Torah and the holiness. They were very, very pleased. Since they were guests from abroad, they observed the second day of Yom Tov in the Diaspora. They kept another day of the festival. On the second day, they were staying in a hotel, where they needed to daven the festival prayers. Suddenly the rabbi arrived at their hotel room. “Chag sameach!” They welcomed him into their room. He had come especially to wish them well. He sat with them and shared words of Torah, and as he did, he took out the money they had paid and placed it under the tablecloth. They asked him, “What’s this?” He said, “This is the money you paid. I don’t take money for welcoming guests. [unclear], and you agreed.” Now, because it was Yom Tov for them, they couldn’t give it back to him. They weren’t allowed to touch the money. He told them, “I wanted you to feel comfortable, to feel at home. So I said, ‘Of course, I’ll take the money,’” and they really had felt at home with him.

03:09 Speaker 3 We paid.

03:10 Speaker 1 They had paid money, but would I take money for welcoming guests when I’m fulfilling the mitzvah of welcoming guests? He wished them a happy Yom Tov and left the money with them. That is what welcoming guests is all about. May we have a happy Yom Tov, with Hashem’s help.