CANADA (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) True it is a Mitzvah of Chessed – but is there also a Mitzvah of Hachnasas Orchim?

Example #1:  (True Story) A passenger on a plane has terricardia and receives a beta blocker from a fellow passenger [with his doctor’s permission] aside from fulfilling the chessed – did he also fulfill hachnasas orchim?

Example #2: (True Story) A young couple  offered their business class seats to an elderly couple and sat in the couple’s coach seats.  Did they fulfill the Mitzvah?

Example #3: (True Story) The elderly man in example #2 came back and offered them chocolate.  Did he fulfill the Mitzvah? What if they said, “No thank you”?  [Which they did].

Example  #4 (True Story but out of order) Two different young married couples offered to wheel two elderly men in the airport wheelchair to their flight – losing their priority boarding time. Did they fulfill hachnasas orchim?

The Belzer Rebbe zt”l held that one does fulfill Hachnasas Orchim, as did the Steipler (Mishnas Yoseph Vol. 8 #39). Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l is quited as ruling that Hachnasas Orchim cannot be fulfilled in a car because it is neither a place for sleeping or eating.  (Birchas Orayach p. 41). It would seem that on a plane it would be a place for hachnasas orchim.

What activities would constitute hachnasas orchim?  Rabbi Dvorkes in his Alibah d’Hilchasa infers from the words of the Chofetz Chaim in his Ahavas Chessed that doing whatever one can to make him comfortable would fulfill the Mirzvah.

What about a stewardess who is serving others? Does she fulfill the Mitzvah? It would seem it depends on the airline.  If they charge for the food or drink – they do not fulfill the Mitzvah. If there is no charge – then the Mitzvah is fulfilled. (See Maharsham (Daas Torah Siman 333).

Many Poskim hold that since Hachnasas Orchim can be fulfilled in a car – it is a Mitzvah to pass areas where people gather in order to offer them rides.

The above stories are true because this author saw it transpire in the seats directly in front of him.

And now to the four examples:  Case #1 yes, he took out the medicine from his reshus. Case #2, yes, Case #3 yes, Case #4 is just chessed and ahavas yisroel – but not the specific sub-category of Hachnasas Orchim.  

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