Hebraic Studies - Parashat Vayera
Please Note: Firefox and
some other search engines are not suitable
Use Google Chrome for this page to load perfectly!
Please
do NOT
visit this site on Shabbat or on a
-
Y-H-V-H, which we usually pronounce as “Adonai” or “HaShem”.
*“This is My Name forever,
and this is My memorial to all generations.”
Shemot - Exodus 3:15.
Although some minor alterations have been made relating to names and attributes having been corrected.
Please Note: Verse numbers may at times vary in non-Jewish Bibles.
Bereshit - Genesis chapter 18 verse 1 to chapter 22 verse 24.
With Rabbi Reuven
Ben-Avraham.
“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Avraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee” Bereshit - Genesis 17:4-5 (“Jewish Publication Society” (JPS) of the Torah).
We should understand that the Hebrew
letter 
“He” - “h”
was added to Avram’s name by the Almighty later in his life. Thus it was
not added until chapter 17; verse 5, where the “” was added and
then Avram then became “Avraham,” which means the “father of many.”
“And Avraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Avraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him” Bereshit - Genesis 17:24-27 (JPS).
Parashat Vayera:
At the very beginning of
the Torah portion Vayera, Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, appears to Avraham by the
terebinths of Mamre, very close on the heels of Avram having
been given the Name of Avraham, with the addition of the “He” as well as having
been circumcised,
aged ninety nine.
And then the Torah tells
us that Avraham looks up and sees three men standing nearby. Immediately he leaps into
action and apparently whatever discomfort he may be still suffering seems to be
minimal, or is mitigated by his strong impulse toward hospitality and rushes to
greet them, bowing low and urging them to come, and washed their feet, rest,
and dine with him.
Later in the portion (at the beginning of chapter
19) the men are referred to
as “Malachim”
- 
–
“Angels”. But when they first appear to Avraham they have appeared
like ordinary men. Avraham’s fervent hospitality is his usual modus operandi. He’s not
offering these men the royal treatment because he perceives them to be
messengers of the Holy One. He just genuinely wants to make these men feel very
welcome!
A practical person might
argue that he is obliged to offer any strangers in the desert life-giving water
and nourishment, in order that they will offer him the same sustenance when he
may be in need. But I tend to think there was more to Avraham’s openness
than that. For one thing, Avraham goes beyond a kind of formal greeting; he
instructs his wife to bake bread right away, and a serving-boy to kill a fatted
calf. (Which,
incidentally, he serves alongside curds and milk).
The point is, he treats these men like great returned who have returned
from afar. Granted, we learned the previous portion that he came back from his
sojourn in
Think about it in a
modern sense, how would you react, but I suppose the world is very different
now, and a dangerous place at that! What really strikes me about Avraham is his
stance, and the personal and ethical principles the stance implies. If I
glanced up from my desk right now and saw three strange men standing in my
yard, some part of me might well be somewhat fearful. I might feel tempted to be protective and
would certainly not open my door open wide, until I could ascertain who the
strangers might be. This is not because I am paranoid, or because I live in an
unsafe place but I still might feel an instinct to be guarded with strangers,
especially strangers who appear out of nowhere.
Not so with Avraham, he
rises from his tent and rushes out to offer a Shalom Aleichem. He draws the men
inside to rest, to wash away the dust of the road, and to dine on the finest
food his wife and servant can muster. He matches words of welcome with actions
that embody that welcome into being. He wants all who pass his dwelling to find
sustenance there. This is radical hospitality at its finest.
The Chuppah beneath which we Jews marry is typically open on all four sides, and one teaching holds that in this it evokes Avraham’s tent. A Chuppah offers spiritual shelter, and represents the home a couple will build together, but it's not a permanent structure, nor a structure that can be entirely insular. The sense of home it represents and creates is a portable one, and one that’s open to the presence of Elohim in all directions. When we marry beneath a Chuppah we affirm our intention to be like Avraham, opening our doors and our larders to the messengers of Elohim who appear in our lives.
What Avraham knew, and what we struggle to
remember and affirm, is that the people we encounter are indeed messengers of
the Holy Blessed One. The message we all bear is that we are created 
–
“B’tselem Elohim” - “in
Elohim’s Image”, no matter our differences, we are all reflections
of the living Elohim, blessed be He!
When we choose to open our doors and our
hearts to the people we meet, we embody the wise welcome that was characterized
by our ancestor Avraham in his desert dwelling. As we orient ourselves in
relationship amongst ourselves, but also to others in the world, may we
experience Avraham’s ability to make the stranger very welcome? It is a
blessing if we can offer friendship and good will to the people we encounter
and in doing so knowing Elohim is with you, be assured that we will discover
that you will have that special feeling that you may well be - “B’tselem Elohim” - living “in His
Image”!
- Prayer
of Dovid:
“Teach me, , Thy way, that I may
walk in Thy truth; make one my heart to fear Thy Name. I will thank Thee,
O Lord my Elohim, with my whole heart; and I will glorify Thy name for
evermore. For great is Thy mercy toward me” Tehillim - Psalms 86:11-13 (JPS).
Yeshayahu 
“, Thou art my Elohim, I will exalt Thee,
I will praise Thy name, for Thou hast done wonderful things; even counsels of
old, in faithfulness and truth” Yeshayahu
- Isaiah 25:1 (JPS).
Always remember our motto seen on the logo at
the top of this page: “The
More Torah, the More Life”, for Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, is the
one who gave us our Life!”
Return to our MAIN PAGE or go to our Main Index
