The Chozeh Serves His Guests

The Chozeh of Lublin kept an open house and served his guests himself, whoever they were. One day a poor man came, and the Rebbe served him a meal. When the guest had finished, the Rebbe cleared the table and carried the empty plate and utensils into the kitchen. The poor man was astonished. "Rabbeinu, I understand that the Rebbe busies himself with hachnasas orchim to fulfill the mitzvah. But why does the Rebbe clear the table himself? Does the Rebbe not have gabbaim in the house?"

The Rebbe answered, "Removing the shovel and the pan from the Kodesh Kodashim on Yom Kippur was also an honorable avodah for the Kohen Gadol."

On another occasion a guest arrived in the middle of the night. The Chozeh tended to him himself, serving him a meal and preparing his bed. The guest was unrefined, and his strong smell showed that he had not bathed for some time. The next morning the household staff wanted to send him on his way because of the odor. The Rebbe said to them, "Do not wake him. Let him sleep until he wakes by himself. Hashem gave me the opportunity of hachnasas orchim, and you want to ruin it and snatch it from me?"