Few values hold as much weight in Jewish lore as hospitality. To fully understand hospitality is to have a more complete and nuanced picture of Jewish thought and morality. To know why this is, we can look toward the first text of the Jewish timeline, the Tanakh. In Genesis 18, Abraham is depicted as an archetype of hospitality. As it’s written, Abraham spots three men passing by his tent, and decides to take them in temporarily. Referring to them as his “lords,” he offers them water to bathe their feet, morsels of bread, and a spot under a nearby tree. Arguably, much of the significance in this story comes from Abraham. Abraham being a patriarch of Judaism, the importance of his actions are amplified, as well as serve as a model of a virtuous Jew. This is not to say that his specific actions in the story must be replicated, but simply serve as an exemplary instance of hospitality. With that being said, we can take away a couple of characteristics of the hospitality in the story. First is humility. When approaching the three strangers, Abraham refers to them as his lords. Despite Abraham’s paragon role in his religion, he remains humble and welcoming. Second is satisfying humans needs. Without knowing whether the travelers are hungry or overheated, Abraham offers them food, shade, and water to cool themselves. And although less obvious, this also shows that the satisfaction of human needs varies per case, and doesn’t only refer to food, shelter, and water. For example, if someone were walking the streets with an exposed wound, to be hospitable, you would provide them with bandages and a disinfectant, not necessarily shade as Abraham did with the desert travellers. Overall, the Tanakh serves as a great starting point to understanding Jewish hospitality, but is only the first text of many.
The next primary text in the Jewish timeline is the Talmud, which is a compilation of early commentary on the Tanakh. In Bava Metzia 86b, it is written, “Despite the intense heat, Abraham wanted to invite guests. He sent Eliezer his slave to go outside to see if there were any passersby.” This small piece of commentary provides a new perspective into the text, revealing a possible third part of ideal hospitality: Intrinsic motivation. Since this commentary suggests that Abraham was initially in the tent, it means he didn’t act upon what he saw, but instead acted on his internal desire to be hospitable. It may be argued that this motivation has more to do with the character of Abraham than the value of hospitality, but I would counter that without intrinsic motivation, Abraham would have been less charitable and humble, ultimately diminishing the quality of his hospitality.
The next major piece on the Jewish timeline of texts to consider is not a single text, but instead a mass of Jewish commentaries written in the Middle Ages. One of the seminal commentators of this era is the Ramban, whose 13th century explanations of the Talmud and Tanakh stand today as a shining example of Medieval Jewish thought. In his commentary of Genesis 18:5, the Ramban points near the end of the verse, which reads, “seeing that you have come your servant’s way.” He views this verse as absolute verification that Abraham’s tent was in the path of the travellers, and because of this, it is only fitting that Abraham take the travellers in. Though this commentary alone does not provide a concrete attribute of hospitality, it both suggests one, and the previously made assertion that all points of context are significant makes a convincing argument for its truth. Considering these assumptions, the Ramban's view contributes another level of nuance through the concept of fate.