By Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz

And the men got up from there, and they looked down upon the face of Sodom, and Avraham walked with them to send them off.

Bereishis 18:16 A fascinating kuntrus entitled Omer HaShikcha, gathers “forgotten” halachos, those found in the Gemara and discussed by the rishonim but for some reason not codified in the Shulchan Aruch. These include the prohibition against speaking lashon hara, the obligation to have a mechitzah in a shul, and numerous others. One example is the obligation of levayah, for a host to escort his guest out of his home. The Gemara discusses this mitzvah, and the Rambam records it (Hilchos Avel 14:2) and even explains that we learn this practice from no less than Avraham Avinu himself. The Rambam adds that escorting one’s guests on their way is the greatest aspect of the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim, and yet it is not found in the Shulchan Aruch.

The Source

The Gemara (Sotah 46b) derives this mitzvah from the parsha of eglah arufah. After the dead body of a stranger is found in the vicinity of a town, the ziknei ha’ir oversee the ritual of the eglah arufah and proclaim that “our hands did not spill this blood.” The Gemara explains that beyond actually committing the murder, they are declaring that they are in no way complicit or even indirectly responsible for the murder. This includes the fact that “they did not see this man leaving and refrain from providing him with an escort.” Thus, we see the responsibility that a host has to escort his guest, since one who deliberately does not escort his guest is deemed complicit in any ill that befalls him.

Rabbi Meir rules that we are kofeh (we force) the host to escort his guest, just as we would for any positive mitzvah that one refuses to observe. He emphasizes that the reward for this mitzvah is boundless, as illustrated by the city of Luz, a C’na’ani built the city, and because they observed this mitzvah by merely pointing the way for a departing guest, they were rewarded in four ways: the city of Luz produced techeiles; it was neither captured nor relocated by Sancherev; it was not destroyed by Nevuchadnetzar; and the Malach HaMavess had no jurisdiction there —someone wishing to die had to first leave the city. Rabbi Meir concludes that if a C’na’ani city received such a reward for performing this mitzvah in a minor way, kal vachomer if Jews observe the mitzvah properly, they will be rewarded beyond their imagination.

The Reasons for the Mitzvah

The above cited Gemara implies that the obligation of levayah falls upon the beis din and not the individual hosts, since the source for the halacha is learned from the beis din’s declaration. However, the Rambam, cited above, derives the mitzvah from Avraham Avinu, a different source, which implies that the obligation falls upon the individual host to escort his guests. Rav Asher Weiss (Minchas Asher Al HaTorah Bereishis 32) suggests that there are two aspects and two reasons for this mitzvah. The beis din, on behalf of the community, must escort the guest or ensure he is escorted in a manner that will ensure his safety. Additionally, emulating Avraham Avinu, the host has a personal obligation to escort his guest as an expression of respect and appreciation. We can prove that interpersonal respect and care is one aspect of the mitzvah from the Gemara that teaches that one receives great reward for escorting his guest even four amos, but the full shiur mitzvah is much greater. A rebbi should escort his talmid all the way until the outskirts of the city. An individual should escort a friend beyond the city limits until the end of the techum Shabbos, another 2,000 amos. A talmid should escort his rebbi a full parsah (8,000 amos), and for a rebbi muvhak he should go up to three parsahs. Clearly, these differences are rooted in the different levels of respect that the host must show to his guest. If the only reason for the mitzvah of levayah was safety, these differences would not make sense.

At the same time, the declaration associated with the eglah arufah, which states that the city did not neglect to escort the person, highlights another purpose of the mitzvah: ensuring the safety of the traveling guest. How exactly does an escort ensure safety? The Maharsha (Sotah 46b s.v. UMah) explains that escorting guests prevents them from getting lost and potentially getting harmed on unfamiliar roads. The host should therefore accompany him for a certain distance to ensure he is headed in the right direction. On the other hand, the Kli Yakar offers an explanation based on the psychology of who may pose a threat to the guest. Typically, criminals target individuals with limited social connections, since they are often alone and there are few repercussions for harming them. Thus, if a host escorts his guest, the bandits will see that this person has friends and people who care about his wellbeing, which will deter them from approaching and lead them to seek out an easier target.

Does This Mitzvah Still Apply?

As we previously noted, both the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch make no mention of this obligation. The Rema, though, in his Darchei Moshe (C.M. 426:1), does reference the obligation, while stating that nowadays, a talmid is not obligated to escort his rebbi a full parsah, since we assume that the rebbi is mochel on (i.e. is willing to forego) his kavod, and he can either walk him to the city limits, or even just four amos. The Sema (427:11) cites the Rambam’s description of the mitzvah to escort guests and cites the Darchei Moshe’s comment as the practical halacha which still obligates us to escort our guests.

However, many other poskim present arguments to advance the thesis that the mitzvah no longer technically applies. Be’er Sheva (Sotah 46b) suggests that nowadays (i.e., in his time) the roads are so dangerous that escorting one’s guest is dangerous for the host, and thus the host is exempt since he is not obligated to sacrifice his own safety to protect his guest. On the other hand, the Aruch HaShulchan (C.M. 426:2) writes just the opposite, that since nowadays (in his time) the roads are not dangerous, and people often travel in a carriage, there is little reason to escort a guest more than the minimum amount. Similarly, the Chafetz Chaim (Ahavas Chesed 3:1) writes that since nowadays the streets are clearly marked, the obligation to escort a guest is not as significant, and a shorter distance is sufficient.

Similarly, the Emek Beracha records that the Chazon Ish told him that the main reason for a levayah is to make sure that the guest will not have to travel on the roads alone. However, nowadays, the streets are generally very well populated and thus the mitzvah doesn’t serve the same function as it once did. Obviously, in a situation in which the guest requires an actual escort to help him find his way or keep him safe, the full obligation certainly applies. Nevertheless, Rav Asher Weiss concludes that even if often none of the reasons apply, one should still escort his guest at least four amos, as a partial fulfillment of the mitzvah and as a segulah that the guest should safely reach his destination.