About 20,000 guests arrived in Hebron and Kiryat Arba for Shabbos Chayei Sarah annually, which is truly an impressive number when one realizes this represents about three times the population of those areas combined. This is even more impressive when one realizes the level of hachnasas orchim, since residents put up the guests and feed them in their homes, providing food and lodging for so many people whom they do not know personally, opening their homes to permit yidden to spend shabbos in the holy city.

While an exact figure on the turnout this past shabbos is not available it was a full house and the inclement weather did not keep mispallalim from taking part in this special annual event.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)