I remember the moment I learned about the importance of the mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests into one’s home. I was sitting in my Chumash Bet (Level 2) class at Pardes, in one of the ground-floor classrooms, listening to Rabbi Meir Scheweiger swell with pride as we discussed Parshat Vaieyera and Avram and Sarah’s devotion to receiving guests with alacrity, focus and humility.

It reminded me of my home growing up, surrounded with people from all over the world that my mother invited in through her work with a nonprofit called International House. Dinner time felt like an international affair, sometimes with translators, five-course meals and lively discussions about culture, religion, politics and art. Until I learned about this mitzvah, I never connected this chapter of my childhood to my Jewish identity. Looking back, I see how deeply hospitality — especially welcoming the stranger — was etched into my mother’s Jewish upbringing. 

Chani Kay/Jewish Life Photo Bank

Illustrative.

For the last decade, alongside my husband who I met in that very same Chumash class, we’ve devoted our life to this mitzvah and inspired a movement of pluralistic rabbis to do the same. We’ve literally hosted thousands of people in our Brooklyn home. Through this powerful commitment to bringing people together, I’ve come to appreciate the transformative power of hospitality on both the guest and the host. 

Being a guest can be uncomfortable. It’s not your space, you’re not sure what to expect, and what if you can’t eat the food, or you say something taboo, or you spill your drink? In small and large ways, being a guest can be anxiety producing. Being a host can be as well. What if no one comes? What if the conversation doesn’t flow? What if someone crazy shows up? When will I find the time to cook and clean and prep? In a post COVID-19 era, many of us still struggle to find the inertia to go out at all. 

All of these anxieties stop us from hosting and from allowing ourselves to be a guest, to try something new, to surprise ourselves and find ourselves in a place of radical wonder (to borrow from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel). In today’s world of rapid change, high rates of mental health decline, political polarization and civil unrest, it can be natural to turn inward and assume a self-protective stance. But I believe we must find ways to counter these anxieties and sense of disconnection from the world around us. Hachnasat Orchim is a profoundly simple and powerful antidote to this pervasive sense of fear and disconnection. 

This is why in my new role as chief innovation officer of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies we’re launching Pardes Pioneers, in which we’re handing the reins to our army of 7,000-plus alumni and inviting them to engage in the ancient Jewish art of gathering – to open up their homes and create space for connection and learning from our ancient wisdom. 

We’re giving them the tools to make this work feel less overwhelming and more accessible (e.g. an online sign-up platform to organize their gatherings, collect RSVPs and communicate with guests and coaching with Pardes staff and faculty), and we’re partnering with our friends at IYUUN to ensure they have curated resources to be successful (e.g. curated source sheets and facilitator’s guides). 

In a post-Oct. 7 world, when many Jews are looking around for a way to connect, we’re so well-positioned to be warm, welcoming and open-minded ambassadors of Jewish life. We can’t just rely on federations, JCCs and synagogues. We must reclaim our homes as critical meeting places for people to combat loneliness and a sense of helplessness. With a little food and a little Torah, and a whole lot of questions, we can create hope and connection. I know we can. I’ve seen it and lived it. Won’t you join us?

Faith Leener is the chief innovation officer of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.