Parashas Vayera

Our Parashah this Shabbos is Parashas Vayera where HaShem appears to Avraham in the heat of the day.
This was the third day since Avraham's circumcision and the most painful day so HaShem had specifically kept guests away from Avraham so that Avraham could be given time to heal.But Avraham being the master of chesed kindness felt so bad that he couldn't invite guests in that he put his pain aside and sat at the entrance to his tent.HaShem had specifically made the day very hot so that people wouldn't travel and thus save Avraham the trouble of waiting on guests and also,HaShem made it very hot so that it would help Avraham heal his wounds.When HaShem saw Avraham's despair at not being able to show Chesed,HaShem decided Himself to go and visit Avraham with the three angels - Michael (who was to bring news of the birth of Yitzchak),Gavriel (who was to destroy Sodom and Amorah Admah and Zeboiim and Tzoar(which was saved on Lot's account) ) and Rafael,who was to take out Lot's family).We learn from this that it is proper to visit the sick.
At first Avraham is not aware that the three men are angels,thinking they were arab travelers and thus asks them to wash their feet as desert travelers worship the dust they walk on.He then invites them in and with the usual hospitality of Avraham,tells them he would do little for them but lavishes them with a feast fit for a king.After Michael tells of the coming of Yitzchak ,they all get up to leave and the two other angels (Gavriel and Rafael) set off toward Sodom.
First HaShem Appears to Avraham and waits on the side after the angels come.After the angels leave,HaShem then again addresses Avraham and gives Avraham a chance to plead for the cities that have done such evil.
Sodom was a very evil place,a place where charity was not allowed ,at the pain of death.It was a law in Sodom that all who came there had to be robbed.Anyone found giving charity there would be killed.The Midrash tells of what happened to Avraham's servant Eliezer when he traveled through Sodom.As he arrived in the city he was beaten and robbed and he brought his case before the Sodomite judge who told Eliezer that he must pay the man who robbed and beat him as the man had done him a favor by letting his blood.Eliezer was beyond wise and so,Eliezer hit the judge and when the judge asked why,Eliezer said that the judge now owes him for letting himself be hit by Eliezer and he (the judge) can now give the money to the first man ,who had hit Eliezer.Then Eliezer was offered a room for the night but refused,knowing the laws of Sodom that anyone who was longer then the bed they slept on,would be cut down to size and anyone who was shorter that the bed they slept on,would be stretched.Eleizer then visited a feast but no one offered him a meal for they would have been killed so Eliezer sat down and told the person next to him that he would tell others that that person had offered him a meal.the person got scared and left.One by one,Eliezer did the same with the next one and the next one till Eliezer had an empty table full of food to consume.This was the type of place that was Sodom.
What was the final straw for HaShem in deciding to destroy these cities?Lot's elder daughter P'lotis who was married to a Sodomite,saw a beggar on the street and ,knowing the law that anyone who gives food to a beggar faces death,put this Law aside and constantly brought the beggar food.The Sodomites noticed that the beggar wasn't dying and when they spied on him they saw that she was feeding him.The Sodomites stripped her ,tied her up in the square and put honey all over her body so that the bees would come and sting her to death.Her screams of agony reached On High and HaShem said ,"Enough."
First Avraham pleads for 50 righteous people,hoping that at least in the 5 cities,there would at least be ten righteous people but there were not.Avraham continued to pray for the cities ,each time reducing the number but unfortunately there were not even 10 righteous people and so Avraham had to stop pleading.
When the 2 angels reached Sodom,they met Lot who secretly invited them in.When Lot's wife E'eris,a Sodomite by birth saw that Lot had invited strangers into the house,she shouted at her husband that he must not take them in.When she saw he wouldn't listen,she said she would divide the house between herself and her husband so she could say that she never had the guests in her half and she then proceeded to alert all the neighbors by asking them for salt.It wasn't long before the city converged on their house asking for Lot to give over his guests for immoral practices.Lot refused and offered his daughters instead,which led to the tragic events afterwards when Lot and his 2 daughters ran to a cave and his daughters plied their father with wine,baring from him the 2 nations of Moav and Ammon as they thought the whole World was destroyed.
Lot had delayed in leaving and had to be rushed out by the angels who had blinded the Sodomites.While Lot was fleeing with his wife and 2 daughters,his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt (as punishment for having alerted the city over an issue of salt).
When Avraham awoke in the morning,he awoke to the billowing of smoke in the distance as the 4 cities had been destroyed by HaShem through his angel Gavriel while Lot had been saved by HaShem by the angel Rafael.Such is HAShem's judgement of those who do evil.
The name of the Parsha is 'Vayera' and means 'Appeared.'HaShem Appeared to Avraham in the heat of the day at midday when the Sun is at its height.The word 'Vayera,' has within it the Hebrew word 'Ro'eh,' which means 'See.'Here is a hint that HaShem is always there but is only seen when HaShem wills it and when we are worthy enough to 'See' HaShem's Shechinah.We are not on a level to See HaShem.It was only Moshe that saw the clearest view of the back of HaShem,of any human being but if we keep holiness and follow HaShem wholeheartedly,HaShem can Bless us with His Closeness.No human being can see HaShem but we can be given a touch of HaShem's Sweetness if He Wills it.If we keep to His Commandments and do all that HaShem asks us to do and follow HaShem as Avraham did,with faith and love,HaShem can appear to us too in as way HaShem can choose that we are able to stand.The very fact that the word 'Vayera,' was used shows that HaShem is there all the time but can Appear so that we can see Something of His love when we are worthy.We need to learn to turn toward HaShem and His Will and put our own wishes aside and so, show that we want to 'appear' to HaShem's Will and so HaShem can reciprocate by giving us more of Himself.HaShem is all around us,in the sweetness of the fragrance of the flowers that He made to beautify His World.HaShem is in the sweet air that comes in and helps us live.HaShem is right there with us all the time even when we think things are tough. HaShem is there to hold our hand and surround us with His love.
In this Parsha,HaShem Appears to Avraham and His Spiritual Essence is throughout the Parsha,even in the punishment of the evil 4 cities that were destroyed,HaShem Appears in various ways.If we fulfill His Will and be what He wants us to be,His Appearance will be sweet and pleasant.The choice is ours.HaShem first Appeared in this Creation,When HaShem Created this Creation.Before that,it was Only HaShem.When HaShem Appears to anyone,it is a spiritual reminder of HaShem's love for us when HaShem first gave of His Chesed in Creating Creation.We can see this in the word 'Vayera," for in Gematriah the word comes to 6+10+200+1=217 and 2+1+7=10 which is the number of pronouncements that HaShem made in Creating Creation.HaShem's Appearance is with love.Even when HaShem punishes,HaShem punishes out of Chesed and Love and as it was in the Beginning when HaShem Created this World and so 'Appeared' to His Creation as HaShem,The Creator,HaShem also till this day,does everything as an Appearance of Love and Chesed.
We need to learn that this World is there for us to shower Chesed on ,by keeping HaShem's Creation Holy,keeping HaShem's Commandments and Torah and doing good to all that HaShem Created so that HaShem can again 'Vayera' - 'Appear' to us in Love.
With deep love to HaShem,I wish HaShem with love a beautiful Shabbos Kodesh with love and to all,a beautiful Shabbos Kodesh with love.