Rav Yaakov Neiman zt”l, the Rosh Yehsiva of Petach Tikva once related to his students how he acquired an appreciation for the importance of learning Torah. When he was a child, his parents used to host yeshiva bochurim once a week for "essen teg", the system in which bochurim would eat their meals at different families every day in the community. (Most yeshivas, at that time, did not have cafeterias for the bochurim.)
Rav Neiman described the almost Yom Tov type atmosphere which would envelop the house on Sundays, the day his family hosted the bochurim. His mother would spread a white tablecloth on the table, and the whole family would wait for the bochurim to arrive with great anticipation and excitement.
As a side note, Rav Neiman commented that he believes that his mother was repaid for the great respect and kindness she showed the bochurim. When Rav Neiman went away to yeshivah, he also went to different families every day for meals. Not all the families were as kind and generous as his mother was to yeshiva bochurim, but invariably he was always treated well on Sundays!
