As Parshat Vayeira clearly demonstrates, one of Avraham’s most beautiful qualities was his kindness to others. This is demonstrated when his three guests came to visit: Almost everything was done with excitement, enthusiasm, and in excess, solely for the benefit of his guests. The only exception was that when Avraham offered the men water, he specified getting them “a little” water. Why did Avraham suddenly seem to get stingy?
The Lekach Tov explains that this act shows Avraham’s sensitivity to others even MORE because water was the only item that Avraham didn’t have time to fetch himself. Avraham’s thinking was that if he was going to trouble his servants to get the water, he had no right to ask them to bring more water then is actually needed. That’s why Avraham only offered a small quantity of water. Avraham’s lesson is simple: Being kind to others only takes a little effort, so why be stingy about it?
