Inspection at the Border

Originally published on Gimme Some Torah by Rabbi Eli Garfinkel on October 27, 2026.

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Bereshit/Genesis 18:4

יֻקַּח־נָא מְעַט־מַיִם וְרַחֲצוּ רַגְלֵיכֶם וְהִשָּׁעֲנוּ תַּחַת הָעֵץ׃

Let a little water be brought; bathe your feet and recline under the tree.

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Abraham is known for his radical hospitality. According to Rashi, he was healing from his circumcision and nonetheless insisted on staying in his tent with all four sides open on a scorching hot day to welcome passing guests. Abraham became upset when no visitors came, so God sent the three messengers (angels). The initial verses of Parashat Vayera certainly make Abraham sound like the consummate host.

Rashi’s commentary, however, reveals a midrash that describes Abraham as simultaneously hospitable and cautious:

AND WASH YOUR FEET — He (Abraham) thought they were (pre-Islamic) Arabians who worship the dust of their feet, and he was particular not to have the object of idolatrous worship brought into his house (B. Bava Metzia 86b). Lot, however, who was not particular about this, mentioned “lodging” (i.e. entering the house) before “washing” the feet, as it is said (Gen. 19:2) “[And he said to the angels] tarry here all night and wash your feet.”

We face a similar dilemma at every port of entry on a daily basis. Generally speaking, America is a very hospitable nation. Our government admits almost 3 million legal immigrants and about 70 million foreign tourists annually.

And yet, it goes without saying that we need to know who is bringing what into the country. Every CBP agent is trained to look for illegal drugs, weapons, undeclared currency, insects, foreign produce, and even archeological relics. If you’ve never watched To Catch a Smuggler on NatGeo, you should!

Abraham was more concerned with the religion of his guests than their luggage More specifically, he worried how their idolatrous faith would physically harm his home. The problem was not the beliefs in their heads but rather the dust on their feet, and that, says the midrash, is why Abraham invited them to wash them. It may also be the reason he told them to relax beneath a tree rather than enter his dwelling.

Should we care what religion prospective immigrants and tourists profess? I don’t think so. Part of what makes America great is that we are allowed to believe in any religion or no religion as we please. Just as Abraham was not concerned with his guests’ private thoughts, we should not be, either.

And just as Abraham wanted his potentially idolatrous guests to rinse the moral pollution from their feet, we have an obligation to make sure that our immigrants and guests do not have associations with criminals, terrorists, revolutionaries, child abusers, etc.

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