There is something profoundly moving about walking into a shul and feeling, instantly, that you belong. Not because you were invited or accommodated, but because you belong.
This vision of community is not just an ideal. It is the very definition of the original vision for our people. Rav Soloveitchik, in his reflections on Avraham Avinu, teaches us that the greatness of our forefather was not only in his faith or courage, but in the way he welcomed others. The Rav draws a powerful distinction: tzedakah is an act of giving, but hachnasas orchim is an act of belonging. Tzedakah assumes imbalance—one person has, and another lacks. Hachnasas orchim removes the imbalance. Around Avraham’s table, there were no hierarchies. Everyone sat as equals, sharing dignity, humanity, and the holiness of presence.
It is no wonder that Avraham is remembered above all for this mitzvah. His tent was open on all four sides not because he had resources to spare, but because he had love to share. He modeled a community where every soul has a place, where worth is not measured by circumstance, but by the infinite dignity of being created b’tzelem Elokim.
And this is our calling today.
Too often, when we think about integrating single men and women into our communal fabric, we frame the conversation in the language of support programs, assistance, or aid. Of course, these are critical elements of communal support. But if we stop there, we remain in the realm of tzedakah—a dynamic of giver and receiver. The true aspiration is something far greater: to build shuls and communities that reflect Avraham’s tent, where no individual feels like a guest within the landscape of traditional family structures. Rather – everyone experiences communal life with an equal measure of appreciation, for what they represent, and what they can contribute.
Our goal, as children of Avraham, must be not only to help, but to honor. Not only to provide, but to empower. Not only to include, but to embrace. For it is precisely in creating spaces where everyone sits at the same table—with dignity, with opportunity, and with the chance to shape communal life—that we fulfill Avraham’s legacy and define our destiny as a people.
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Rabbi Yaakov Glasser is the Managing Director of Communal Engagement at the Orthodox Union, where he plays a pivotal role in strengthening Jewish communities. He is also the Rabbi of the Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton and formerly the Dean of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future.
