do you invite strangers for shabbos meals?

abound

Sat, Feb 05 2011, 9:46 am

All the time. Our shul is known that if anyone needs a meal they come and they are placed by one of the chassidim. I have had girls and guys ranging from extremely chassidish to it being their first shabbat meal ever. I usually cannot invite them again since there is no telephone number exchanging on shabbat. We do tell them to come to the shul whenver they would like to come again.

Ruchel

Sat, Feb 05 2011, 10:14 am

My father has had repeated bad stories with inviting/helping strangers.
As bad as they were, I've read worse on Imamother, stories including child molesting. cv
It's a sad scary world.

Raisin

Sat, Feb 05 2011, 10:35 am

we have numerous guests who are strangers almost every week.. Over ten years maybe we have had one or two bad experiences, ie they were meshugoyim but nothing bad happend to us. Sleepover guests we are more careful with, usually we will only have people if we know them or get references, and if there is a good reason.

the shomer shabbos people in our shul invite tourists and visitors home the whole time.

Apple pie

Sat, Feb 05 2011, 11:24 am

Raisin wrote:

Ditto. The only one bad experience I can remember is a guy that stole our pushka box and camera during the shabbat meal. shock

But we've had thousands of GREAT experiences Baruch Hashem! Tongue Out

Sherri

Sat, Feb 05 2011, 11:39 am

Lady Godiva wrote:

I grew up in an open home, with strangers at every Shabbat and holiday meal. It's not something I would want my kids exposed to.

Interesting. Can you elaborate why not?

morah

Sat, Feb 05 2011, 4:04 pm

We have had people who were strangers to us but knew friends/relatives of ours, so they weren't really strangers. Even then, we don't have so often- DH is not the most socially astute guy, so situations where he doesn't know people are very difficult. It's something we're working on.

Gibbo

Sat, Feb 05 2011, 4:12 pm

When we weere first married DH was all for the stranger guest scene, I was more reluctant. As the years have passed I have come to love this mitzvah and have met and made wonderful friends from all over the world. My job now exposes me to many strangers and it is basically an every shabbat occourance and just today for lunch we had an amazing Rav from yemen who was collecting in our Kehilla and was so inspiring.

Ema of 5

Sat, Feb 05 2011, 5:02 pm

Fox wrote:

We don't have as many guests as we used to, but we used to constantly have people we hadn't met before. Sometimes they were referred to us, and occasionally they just kind of showed up. For a while, we wondered if our number was on the restroom wall or something at O'Hare. Every time flights were canceled or delayed, we'd have tons of guests!

us too, only not in chicago- we are in far rockaway.
sometimes people will send people to us, sometimes people will show up, and sometimes my husband brings them home from shul.

eschaya

Sat, Feb 05 2011, 5:35 pm

we do. Since we live in a small oot community with only one shul, if there is a "stranger" in town, we all know, and it's easy to find out if he/she has a place to eat. Of course we will invite someone who has no place. We've b"h never had issues. Unlike one of the previous posters, I feel that it is so important for my children to learn about hachnasas orchim in its pure form; having over guests who really need the meal (don't get me wrong - we occasionally have social guests as well). My kids cry if a week goes by without guests.

Inspired

Sat, Feb 05 2011, 11:39 pm

Fox wrote:

We don't have as many guests as we used to, but we used to constantly have people we hadn't met before. Sometimes they were referred to us, and occasionally they just kind of showed up.

This is exactly us as well.
We do it because we are Jews and that is what we have been taught is correct for us to do
Avraham Avinu and his 4 door tent and stuff like that.

Mrs Bissli

Sun, Feb 06 2011, 2:03 pm

I don't but my DH does very frequently. We are one of several families on Hospitality Committee. I just make sure to have extra foods (or something that can be stretched) and ready to have a few extra place settings just in case. Though we tend not to have the same visitors for both dinner/lunch (usually find another family), also we don't take sleepover guests unless we know the person before or under extreme circumstances. Several years ago, DH picked up backpackers who happened to come to arbit on erev Pesach (they were expecting someone would find places for sedar), and another person who we met at tashlich who actually became a good friend of ours. Not really strangers, but also some new friends when a few immamothers made reference about their friends visiting England with no place for shabbat. We enjoy meeting new people, so far no real bad experience BH, except for a few awkward ones.