Avraham and Rav Ovadia Yosef zt"l The Lesson of Caring

At the Shabbat Assembly I talked to the students about caring for all people.  In the Parasha we learn of the life of Avraham Avinu. He welcomed all types of people into his tent. As his name change signifies, he was the אב המון גיום, "the father of many people".  

I shared a story with the students about how Rav Ovadia Yosef, who passed away on Oct 7, 2013, showed great caring for people.  The story was about a college friend's first experiences with Rav Ovadia. My friend was 15 years old and living in Los Angeles, CA. Rav Ovadia was visiting from Israel and was speaking at different shuls during his stay in L.A.  On Sunday night my friend and his father went to hear Rav Ovadia's lecture. My friend loved it! He was in awe of this great Torah Scholar and person. The special robe and head dress added to his allure. The next night the lecture was at a different shul and he wanted to attend. His father was not able to take him since he had a meeting. His Mom told him that she would take him. They drove to the lecture and when they arrived they saw that it was men only. They looked around to see if they knew anyone entering the lecture hall, but they did not. Nobody else was arriving so they were about to turn around and go home. Just then a car pulled up and Rav Ovadia got out. He walked up to the entrance and greeted them. He shook my friend's hand and went inside.  A few moments later he returned and asked them why they were standing outside. My friend's Mom explained that her son wanted to hear the lecture but they did not realize it was men only, and she was wearing pants and she did not feel comfortable coming inside. Rav Ovadia motioned to them to follow him inside. Once inside he asked the first row of men to clear out the bench for this mother and son. He started the shiur by saying "Praised are the parents who bring their children to Torah." 

This story about Rav Ovadia clearly illustrates Avraham Avinu's example of accepting people and making them feel comfortable. In my humble opinion, this great jesture by a great man teaches all of us an extremely important lesson.