Parashat HaShavua - VaYera
What could possibly be more important than a direct encounter with God? “Rabbi Yehuda says in the name of Rav: welcoming guests is more important than welcoming the shechina (God’s presence), as it is written, ‘He said: My Lord, if I found favor in your eyes, please do not bypass your servant / אמר רב יהודה אמר רב: גדולה הכנסת אורחין מהקבלת פני שכינה. דכתיב ׳וַיֹּאמַר אֲדֹנָי אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אַל נָא תַעֲבֹר מֵעַל עַבְדֶּךָ.'" (Bavli Shabbat 127a) This teaching is based on the opening to this week’s parsha of VaYera. As Avraham sits recovering from his brit milah, “he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing near him, and he saw and ran to greet them from the entrance of the tent, and bowed down to the ground. And he said, ‘Adonai, if only I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass on from beside your servant’ / וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּה֙ שְׁלשָׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים נִצָּבִ֖ים עָלָ֑יו וַיַּ֗רְא וַיָּ֤רָץ לִקְרָאתָם֙ מִפֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֔הֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ אָֽרְצָה. וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֲדֹנָ֗י אִם־נָ֨א מָצָ֤אתִי חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ אַל־נָ֥א תַֽעֲבֹ֖ר מֵעַ֥ל עַבְדֶּֽךָ.” (Gen 18:3)
At the peshat level, the straightforward contextual meaning of the word “Adonai” is that Avraham is referring deferentially to his three visitors as “my lords.” The teaching of Rav, however, looks back at the first verse of the parsha, which opens with “the Lord appeared to him in Elonei Mamre / וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה בְּאֵֽלֹנֵ֖י מַמְרֵ֑א” (Gen. 18:1), and from there understands that Avraham was already in a direct encounter with God before his three guests appeared. When Avraham saw them, he essentially said to God: ‘hold that thought and please wait for me here, while I go take care of my three visitors.’ Incredible!
Avraham, our paragon of faith, pushes the pause button with God to take care of others. These past three weeks, so many acts of hesed have been done to support others on levels both micro and macro, emotionally and physically, in person and from a distance. This, it seems, has been part of our healing, as it was for Avraham. And maybe, alongside all we have done for others, we have hit the pause button with God, perhaps out of confusion, not understanding how God could have allowed this to happen, perhaps needing some distance from God. In asking God to wait for us in order to take care of others, we are in excellent company.
Of course, the context of Avraham’s actions – his pause with God – is so different. It is important to remember, though, that Avraham’s faith was not so simple. Rather, the Torah describes a faith that evolves, as Nahum Sarna points out. Early on, Avram expresses doubt first about having a child: “Lord God, what will You give me, since I am going childless / וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַבְרָ֗ם אֲדֹנָ֤י יֱהֹוִה֙ מַה־תִּתֶּן־לִ֔י וְאָֽנֹכִ֖י הוֹלֵ֣ךְ עֲרִירִ֑י.” (Gen. 15:2) He then voices doubts about having a land: “He said, ‘Lord God, how will I know that I will inherit it?’ / וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה בַּמָּ֥ה אֵדַ֖ע כִּ֥י אִֽירָשֶֽׁנָּה.” The actions of Avraham in binding Yitzchak seem to show tremendous faith, but God sees fear as the main motivating factor there. (Gen. 22:12) It isn’t until towards the end of Avraham’s life that he shows the complete faith we normally associate with him, when he sends Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchak. He says: “The Lord, God of the heavens – Who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth, Who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your seed will I give this land’ – He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there / יְהֹוָ֣ה | אֱלֹהֵ֣י הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם אֲשֶׁ֨ר לְקָחַ֜נִי מִבֵּ֣ית אָבִי֘ וּמֵאֶ֣רֶץ מֽוֹלַדְתִּי֒ וַֽאֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּר־לִ֜י וַֽאֲשֶׁ֤ר נִשְׁבַּע־לִי֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לְזַ֨רְעֲךָ֔ אֶתֵּ֖ן אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֑את ה֗וּא יִשְׁלַ֤ח מַלְאָכוֹ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ וְלָֽקַחְתָּ֥ אִשָּׁ֛ה לִבְנִ֖י מִשָּֽׁם.” (Gen. 24:7) (Sarna, Understanding Genesis, pp. 163-64)
One final note, regarding the emotions of Sarah in the beginning of this week’s parsha. When Sarah finds out that at her age she will still have a child, “Sarah laughed inside / וַתִּצְחַ֥ק שָׂרָ֖ה בְּקִרְבָּ֣הּ.” (Gen. 18:12) God does not seem to appreciate this reaction, and brings it to Avraham’s attention: “the Lord said to Avraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh…is anything precluded from the Lord?’ / לָ֣מָּה זֶּה֩ צָֽחֲקָ֨ה שָׂרָ֜ה…הֲיִפָּלֵ֥א מֵֽיהֹוָ֖ה דָּבָ֑ר.’” (Gen. 18:13-14) Yet, when she is called on her reaction, “Sarah denied it, saying, ‘I did not laugh,’ because she was afraid / וַתְּכַחֵ֨שׁ שָׂרָ֧ה לֵאמֹ֛ר לֹ֥א צָחַ֖קְתִּי כִּ֣י יָרֵ֑אָה.” (Gen. 18:15) Hanan Porat suggests that maybe she wasn’t trying to deceive God; maybe she wasn’t attuned to her internal reaction. Her internal laughter, he says, was not only hidden from all others except God, it was also hidden from her, suppressed by her fear. (Porat, Me’at min ha’or, Bereishit, pp. 118-19)
And so here we are, emulating Avraham with our acts of hesed, which are important enough that we would even be justified in prioritizing them over a direct encounter with God. For us, of course, our relationship with God is not separate from our relationships with others; our faith and acts of hesed are not mutually exclusive but complementary, both embedded in and intertwined with one another. And, through it all, we work so hard to keep many of our emotions hidden for the sake of functioning day to day. May God support us while our laughter (perhaps) remains hidden, and while so many of our emotions are known to God when we ourselves do not understand them or dare not even try to know them; and may we continue to have opportunities to do good for others and ourselves, with support from one another and God to guide our actions.
Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Jack Nahmod
Middle School Judaic Studies Head
Rabbinic Advisor