The Chida, Hachnasat Orchim, and the Art of Building Community

תורה, הכנסת אורחים וקהילה — Torah, hospitality, and community.

What makes a Bet Midrash a home?

It is easy to think first of the books, the prayers, the rabbi, or the place where we gather. These things matter. But a community also grows through quieter acts: setting another place at the table, welcoming someone who has arrived for the first time, making sure there is food after prayer, or taking a moment to learn another person’s name

In Jewish tradition, this kind of welcome has a name: hachnasat orchim — הכנסת אורחים, the welcoming of guests

At Bet Midrash HaChidah, this mitzvah offers a meaningful way to think about our community and the legacy of the great Sephardic sage whose name we carry

The Chida: Torah That Traveled

Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai, known as the Chida, was born in Jerusalem in 1724. He became one of the most prolific Sephardic scholars of his generation, writing on halacha, biblical interpretation, Jewish history, and many other subjects

But the Chida’s life was not confined to the study hall. He traveled extensively through Jewish communities in Europe and the Mediterranean, serving as an emissary for the Jewish communities of the Land of Israel. Along the way, he met scholars, visited libraries, examined manuscripts, and documented the books and authors of earlier generations

His work Shem HaGedolim preserves the names and contributions of countless Jewish scholars. His travel diary, Ma’agal Tov, gives us a glimpse of the people and places he encountered

The Chida’s example reminds us that Torah lives in relationships as well as in books. Learning can bring people together across geography, generations, and different circumstances. A community can preserve its heritage not only by studying what earlier generations taught, but also by creating places where people can continue to learn together

Hachnasat Orchim: Welcoming the Person in Front of Us

The Torah gives us a powerful picture of hospitality in the story of Avraham Avinu. In Genesis 18, Avraham sees travelers approaching and hurries to welcome them. He offers them rest, water, and a meal, personally attending to their needs

The rabbis drew a remarkable lesson from this episode. The Talmud teaches:

“גדולה הכנסת אורחין מהקבלת פני שכינה”

Gedolah hachnasat orchim mehakbalat pnei Shechinah.

“Welcoming guests is greater even than receiving the Divine Presence.” — Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 127a

This is a striking way of understanding holiness. Avraham’s encounter with the Divine does not make the travelers less important. Instead, his response to the people in front of him becomes part of the story’s spiritual meaning

Pirkei Avot offers another concise teaching:

“יהי ביתך פתוח לרווחה”

Yehi veitekha patuach lirvachah

“Let your home be wide open.” — Pirkei Avot 1:5

An open home is not simply a building with an unlocked door. It is a place where people can find welcome, where someone arriving alone can become part of a gathering, and where food and learning create opportunities for connection

We do not need to be wealthy or have a large building to begin practicing this. Sometimes hospitality is a full Shabbat meal. Sometimes it is a cup of coffee, a seat at the table, directions for a visitor, or a warm invitation to come back

The Moroccan Sephardic Table

In Moroccan Jewish life, the table has long been an important setting for family, friendship, prayer, and communal celebration. Shabbat meals, holiday gatherings, shared dishes, songs, and words of Torah can bring generations together and make a visitor feel part of something larger than themselves

Traditions differ from family to family and community to community, but the connection between hospitality and Jewish life is deeply familiar: we gather, we bless, we eat, we sing, and we make space for others

A meal is never only about the food. It can carry memory — the recipes of parents and grandparents, the melodies of an earlier home, the customs that traveled with families from Morocco to Israel and across the wider Jewish world

This is one way a Moroccan Sephardic community can honor its heritage: not by keeping it behind glass, but by bringing it to the table and inviting others to learn, taste, listen, and take part

From a Minyan to a Community

A minyan brings people together for prayer. A Bet Midrash brings people together to learn. A Shabbat table gives people time to sit with one another beyond the formal structure of a service

Each has its own purpose, and together they can help a community become a home

For someone new to a neighborhood, a synagogue can be much more than a place to pray. It can be a first connection, a familiar face, a place to ask a question, or an invitation to spend Shabbat with others. For someone who has lived nearby for years, it can be an opportunity to help another person feel at home

Building this kind of community takes many hands. Some people teach Torah. Some organize meals, prepare food, set up the room, help with the minyan, welcome visitors, or quietly take care of practical needs. These contributions may look different, but they all help make gathering possible

The Chida’s life reminds us of the importance of carrying Torah from one community to another. Hachnasat orchim gives that movement a personal dimension: we welcome not only ideas and traditions, but also the people who arrive ready to share in them

Keeping the Door Open

A growing community does not need to have everything figured out. It needs people who are willing to show up, learn, contribute, and make room for one another

At Bet Midrash HaChidah, we hope to continue building a place where Torah study and prayer are accompanied by warmth, where Shabbat brings people together, and where newcomers can find a genuine welcome

We can honor the Chida by learning his works and remembering his contribution to Sephardic scholarship. We can also carry his name into our daily lives by helping Torah remain alive in a community of people

The invitation is simple: come learn, join the minyan, share a meal, lend a hand, or help us grow

May our homes and our Bet Midrash be wide open, and may the Torah we study together lead us toward greater generosity, understanding, and connection.

Sources for further study

• Pirkei Avot 1:5 — “Let your home be wide open.”
• Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 127a — the importance of welcoming guests.
• Genesis 18:1–8 — Avraham and the three visitors.
• Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai, Shem HaGedolim and Ma’agal Tov.