Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Dining like in Avraham's Tent

B"H

Last Shabbat I spent two Shabbat meals in Mea Shearim. I am purposely not mentioning from which chassidic group the Mea Shearim family is, as they don't want to appear on the Internet. However, usually male and female sit in two separate rooms. Not all the time but as soon as the family has guests in the house.

Our host told us that she wants everybody eating in her house saying "Bircat HaMazon - The Grace after the Meal" after they finish eating. "Without benching, no one is leaving my house", so our host. Just as Avraham Avinu asked his guests in his tent to thank G - d after a meal, I want my guests thanking G - d as well".


Then she told us that once a girl came for Shabbat and refused to bench after the meal. Instead she said that she wants to thank the host, as she had cooked all the food. The host said that G - d provided the food and then the two started an argument. Eventually the host said: "Listen, if you don't want to bench, you have to pay me for the meal after Shabbat !" She didn't let the girl leave and was prepared to give her a bed in her house until Mozzaei Shabbat. In the end, the girl said Bircat HaMazon" and thus was able to leave.

A few months later, guess what happened.
The girl came back to this particular family and announced that she was now studying at the women's seminary Neve Yerushalaim.

I am not sure if this is such a good story but I know one thing:
I will always bench in that house in order not to find myself kidnapped in Mea Shearim !

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