When רבי לוי-יצחק מברדיטשוב arrived late at night in a city, he went to the home of a wealthy man and asked if he could have a place to sleep. The גביר, not recognizing him, turned him away and suggested that he seek lodging elsewhere. The following day, word got around that רבי לוי-יצחק מברדיטשוב was in town and everyone came to see him. Amongst them was the גביר, who was stunned to see that this was the man whom he turned away the night before. Nevertheless, he greeted the רבי and invited him to eat at his home. רבי לוי-יצחק thanked him and said: “Do you know the difference between the הכנסת אורחים of אברהם אבינו and that of לוט? Our forefather אברהם hosted the מלאכים even when they appeared as men; לוט hosted them only after he knew that they were מלאכים. Your הכנסת אורחים is like that of לוט.”
05/07/2020