Divrei Menachem

Divrei Menachem - Parashat Vayeira

The parsha begins by telling us that in the heat of the day (as Avraham was recovering from his Brit Mila), Hashem appeared (Vayeira) to Avraham. It was as if Hashem was paying him a sick call or, perhaps, paying tribute to our forefather for his exceedingly high level of self-sacrifice.
Then Avraham lifted his eyes and saw (Vayar) and, “behold three men were standing over him.  And he saw [again] and ran toward them… and said, ‘My Lord [Hashem]... please do not pass away from your servant’” (after Tanchuma Yashan).
These various phases of observation teach us something about relationships between Man and Man and Man and G-d. For the passive use of the term that describes G-d’s appearance to Avraham suggests that Hashem was, as it were, already hovering over Avraham. But it takes a Tzadik to recognize this.
Perhaps only when this Presence manifested itself was Avraham then able to perceive the “visitors”. And, our rabbis tell us, it was not just Avraham’s natural desire to help others that stimulated him to rush towards his unexpected guests. For he “saw” that the overriding Divine imperative demanded that the best way to serve Hashem at that moment was, indeed, to do what he always did best: to host the guests and inspire them to follow his holy teachings.

Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff

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