Parashas Vayeira

Our Parsha this week is Parashas Vayeira , continuing with the life of Avraham , a true holy man of Chesed kindness . The Haftorah for this Portion is 2 Kings 4: 1 - 37 . The Haftorah deals with the prophet Elisha , also a man of kindness always ready to help others as a Prophet of HaShem , just like Avraham Avinu , known for his Chesed Kindness .
Our previous Parsha ended on the note of Circumcision and now , in this Parsha , Avraham is in his third day from the Circumcision , the most painful day afterwards and Avraham , known for his hospitality and kindness , is still sitting at the entrance of his tent of four poles , open on all sides waiting for visitors , to show them Chesed and Teach about HaShem .
Though Avraham is in immense pain , he finds it more painful , not to be able to welcome wayfarers and show Chesed , teaching of HaShem . On this particular day , HaShem , Knowing of Avraham's pain , specifically increased the heat that day , so as to help Avraham heal and also to keep wayfarers away from Avraham at that particular time , so that Avraham could be given an opportunity to rest and heal . But Avraham , as I mentioned felt more pain at not being able to show kindness to wayfarers , so HaShem Himself went to pay Avraham Bikkur Cholim , which means a visit to the sick and healing . HaShem , in His Action Taught us that it is a moral obligation to visit the ailing at their time of need .
HaShem Gave Avraham a deserved visit , for Avraham had done a holy and faithful thing , by fulfilling the Torah Obligation of Circumcision .
While HaShem Was conversing with Avraham , HaShem Sent three Malachim Angels to Avraham . At first , Avraham thought they were arab travellers ( known at the time to worship the desert sands ) and so ensured that they wash their feet , so as not to bring into Avraham's tent , any of the dust these people usually worship , for that would be Avodah Zorah Idol Worship . HaShem Felt so sorry for Avraham's distress at not being able to give wayfarers welcome , That HaShem Sent these Angels , each Angel , as usually is the way an Angel Works , was sent with a separate task . The Malach Michael Came to tell of the coming of Avraham and Sarah's son Yitzchak . The Malach Gavriel came to destroy Sodom , Amorah ( Gomorah ) Admah and Zeboiim and at that time Zoar ( which was subsequently saved so Lot and his daughters could run there ) . The Malach Rafael was there to bring healing to Avraham and help remove Lot and his two daughters from the midst of the coming destruction , thus saving Lot's life , an act of healing , thus healing was his mission .
At first Avraham , in Mamre , saw them standing over him , but then he runs to them . The reason for two different statements here , is that his Soul perceived who they were , but this hadn't reached his conscious knowing yet , so physically he ran to greet them .So his soul realized these were holy Angels , but this hadn't yet , to him , become a conscious knowing yet . Avraham hurried to prepare food , calling his wife to help prepare as well as his son Ishmael to prepare the calf . Avraham did not stop for a moment to rest ( even though he was in pain ) , continuing to serve his guests and wait standing on them till they were complete . Even though he said he would just fetch a morsel of bread , he gave them a large feast , providing for them royally . So do we get the concept from Avraham to promise little do a lot . We notice how Torah mentions how Avraham had to ' run ' to the cattle to prepare it . The reason the word ' run ' is used , is because when Avraham tried to get to the calf , it ran far from there into a cave and Avraham followed it . When he entered this cave , the Cave of Machpelah near Mam , Avraham noticed the smell of the Cave was as the smell of Gan Eiden . Avraham had run into the Cave that bordered Gan Eiden , where Adam Ve Chavah were buried . It was here , that Avraham made up his mind to purchase this holy cave for burial .
The Angel asked where Sarah is . And Avraham answered that she is in the Tent . In other words , she was a faithful wife , looking to the needs of her household , as was Avraham a faithful husband , looking also to the needs of the family , unlike so many men and women today who don't feel content with the Blessings of HaShem that HaShem Gave them children , and they would rather look outward to other things , and realize one day when it is too late , how much they missed with each moment of their precious children ( as Rabbi Bender puts it ) . When Sarah , who was listening heard she would have a son in the next year , she laughed , bringing up her age and that of her husband . The Angel , asked her and she denied laughing . When HaShem relayed the story of her laughing , HaShem Did Not Mention how she had mentioned Avraham's age , so as to keep Sholom Bayis , Family Peace between husband and wife . The Malach Michael's task of reporting the coming year's birth of Yitzchak , got up and left the other two Angels there , for Michael's task was complete . All this time , HaShem Had Stood Patiently To The Side , How Humble Is HaShem . When the two Malachim got up to go toward Sodom , HaShem Returned to Converse With Avraham . Avraham , being the hospitable man he was , escorted his guests part of the way .
The Angels hoped Avraham could stop the destruction and so they went toward their mission .
HaShem Told Avraham of how the outcry had come to Him .
This specific outcry , was from a young female P'lotis , Lot's daughter who was married to a prominent Sodomite , who had dared to give an elderly poor man in Sodom , alms ( something totally forbidden in Sodom ) . They had caught her , tortured her , and strung her up with no clothes , hanging her in the square , daubed with honey so that the bees would sting her to death . Her outcry reached HaShem . This young woman was one of Lot's four daughters , called Plottis . Sodom was a vile place . They had been given wealthy lands , filled with rich minerals and therefore did not take kindly to incomers . Laws like not helping the poor and the compulsory law that a visitor was to be robbed , was just a part of their evil ways .
Once , Avraham's beloved helper Eliezer had to go through Sodom on his way elsewhere . As soon as he entered the city , he was come upon by others , who tried to rob him and they assaulted him . The matter came to the Sodomite court , and the as usual corrupt Sodomite judges , judged the case that Eliezer must pay the man who hit him , for he was to pay for his blood being let . Eliezer , a very wise man , responded by hitting the judge . When the judge asked the meaning of this action , Eliezer responded , that if this is the Law in Sodom that a person victim who gets hit must pay the perpetrator , Eliezer told the Judge that now the judge can just pay the person who had hit Eliezer , to finalize the whole case . Sodom also had a way that a visitor was to be taken into an inn where they would be measured against a certain size bed . If they were too big for the bed , they were beaten and had their feet cut off and robbed . If they were too small , they were mercilessly robbed and thrown out of the city without even their clothes . Sodom was very sexually immoral , with no law on sexual perversions and immorality , which is totally against HaShem's Laws on this matter . A guest , was not allowed to partake in a gathering festive meal with other Sodomites . Eliezer had sat down to eat a meal and one by one the guests being too afraid to admit they had invited him , left one by one , leaving him at the table by himself . He enjoyed the food they had run away from at the table . Eliezer , after this visit never wanted to ever go back to this evil city again . So HaShem Discussed With Avraham , His Plan to destroy them .
Avraham started to plead for the lives of the people , having compassion on everyone , even though they were diametrically opposed to his moral and holy way of life .
He knew that his nephew Lot was there and he knew Lot had married a Sodomite woman called ( Iddit ) Eeris , Lot's second wife , for his first wife had passed away . Avraham also knew that Lot had four daughters and and two of them had married Sodomites and the other two were set for marriage and so , Avraham hoped that would at least make up the ten Righteous people that might save the cities . Avraham knew it needed a minimum of ten , for he reasoned that with the Mabul Flood , there was only Noach and his wife and their three sons and their wives , which made up only eight , which was obviously not enough to save the World , so Avraham hoped now that there were at least ten . Avraham hoped that there was at least ten in each city and so could save the five cities ( which were all on the same mountain area ) with a hope of finding 50 righteous . HaShem Descended on the City and sadly responded to Avraham that there are not . Avraham asked again , that maybe there are only nine in each city and that perhaps HaShem Could Make up that last number , thus hoping to save the five cities with 45 . HaShem Responded that there were not even 45 . Avraham pleaded again that what if there might at least be ten Righteous in only four of the cities , would HaShem Please not destroy for the 40 . HaShem Said He Would Not for the sake of the 40 , but there were not even 40 . Avraham hoped to at least save three of the cities , with ten in each , and HaShem Said He Would not destroy on account of the 30 . But not even 30 were found there . Avraham pleaded that if there were at least 20 , ten in two of the cities , that might at least save 2 of the cities . But HaShem Responded that there were not even 20 . Avraham tried again one last attempt , that at least could there be 10 , counting on his family Lot , but HaShem Now Informed him of the occurrences of Lot , that there were no longer even 10 and what they had done to Lot's daughter P'lotis , and Avraham saw he could not stop the destruction , for not even 10 righteous people could be found there and so , Avraham had to stop pleading .
The Angels Gavriel and Rafael arrived at Sodom in the evening and met Lot at the Gate of the City , who had become a Judge in Sodom ( this is why when they converged on his family's door , the towns people mentioned how he had become a Judge over them ) . Lot had taken on Avraham's good action of showing hospitality and invited the guests to his home . The Angels at first turned him down , so that Lot would have to urge them to come with him ,thus giving Lot the opportunity to earn some Kavod . When they quietly came to Lot's home and sat down for a meal , Lot's Wife Eeris , complained that they were not supposed to have guests as a law in Sodom and that she wanted no part of it .She insisted that the house be divided so that her half doesn't have to be a part of this action . She , being a Sodomite , walked out of the house and went around announcing to the neighbors that they had guests and would the neighbors lend them some salt for the meal . Her intention was to alert the neighbors . Once they were alerted , it wasn't long before the townspeople converged on Lot's door . Lot pleaded with them to not hurt his guests who had come under his roof and even sadly offered his own two daughters to the towns people as long as his guests remain safe . This offer brought about the action that ended up taking place between him and his two daughters . The townspeople refused and so the Angels struck the people with blindness , as a sign that they didn't respect HaShem and want to see only evil and thus don't deserve to see . The Angel tried to hurry Lot out so that the Cities could be destroyed , but Lot tarried all night , wanting not to leave his belongings , until the Angels had to take them by hand and left them outside the city . His sons in law did not want to leave and so only Lot and his wife Eeris and their two unmarried as yet daughters left Sodom . They were warned not to look back at the conflagration and HaShem's Shechinah , but Eeris , wanting to see , turned back , and was turned into a Pillar of Salt . This Pillar can still be seen today . Lot asked for Zoar to be saved so that they could at least run there . Their request was granted .
HaShem overturned the cities and the entire plain and caused Sulfur and Fire to rain down upon Sodom and Amorah Gomorrah from HaShem out of Heaven . Avraham noticed the heat and smoke that morning.
Lot and his two daughter hid in a cave and thinking that there was no man left to marry ,his daughters plied Lot with wine and conceived by their father , the first night the elder one , whose idea this was , and so , unabashed , called her son Moav , directly within the name hinting ' from the father , ' and so did this nation of Moav become corrupt and sexually immoral and the from the younger one the following night , came the nation of Ammom - ' son of my people ' not being blatant that it was from the father , and so , are us Jews not to provoke war with this nation .
Due to the fact that Avraham's nephew had fathered children through his daughters , Avraham , being a moral man , moved away , to distance himself morally from this action , that even in those days was not acceptable and thus settled in Gerar , where he and Abimelech had contact . Again , Sarah was not to mention her relationship with Avraham and she was taken by Abimelech . She told Abimelech who she was to Avraham and HaShem had stopped up all the openings of the people . HaShem told Abimelech in a dream to return Sarah to her husband . Avimelech had cast a negative thought on Avraham and Sarah's offspring that their son turn blind , and so , as one of the reasons , was Yitzchak turned blind in his old age .
When the year had passed , Yitzchak was born , looking as his Father looked , so to dispel any notions of the child not being Avraham's . Looking at the two of them , no one could doubt that Avraham and Yitzchak were Father and son as he grew up . At eight days , Yitzchak was circumcised . If we look at the name " Yitzchak , " it has a Yud with the vakue of 10 to show that Yitzchak would keep the Ten Commandments . It has a Tzaddik letter of the value 90 , for Sarah was 90 years old when she bore him . It has a Ches with the value of 8 , for Yitzchak was circumcised at 8 days old and it has a Kuf , with the value 100 , for Avraham was 100 when Yitzchak was born .
When the time came for Yitzchak to be weaned , a feast was held and Sarah was given by HaShem , the ability to nurse all the little children that had come with their mothers , with milk , showing and proving the Miracle of the birth of Yitzchak , By Hashem , at their elderly age . Our Rabbis say that many who were nursed by Sarah , ended up even in other later lives becoming Gairim Converts to Judaism . Also Og was there thinking that he could squash little Yitzchak between his fingers . Said HaShem , " Evil Og , the time will come when a descendant of this very Yitzchak , who will be Moshe Rabbeinu , will strike you Og down . "
Sarah noticed how Yishmael was shooting arrows at Yitzchak and how Yishmael had a yen for idols and so she told Avraham to chase him and his mother out . HaShem Corroborated Sarah's words and so , Avraham the next morning sent her and her son away , with one skin of water and bread , telling her that as long as their minds are not on idols , the water would replenish itself . She went off and strayed in Beer Sheva . When the skin of water was empty , she , Hagar ,cast the boy off at a distance beneath the tree and prayed to HaShem . HaShem Answered that he would become a large nation . The verse says , that HaShem heeded the cry of the youth in his ' present state . ' This has a meaning . The Angels questioned HaShem , why save a boy whose nation would become violent and HaShem Responded that , what he hasn't done yet should not be judged yet and that he should only be judged in his ' present state . ' HaShem Opened her eyes and she saw the well that was there all the time .
A disagreement took place between Avraham and Avimelech disputing the ownership of a well that was Avraham's . To prove it was Avraham's , Avraham took seven of his ewes and asked Avimelech to also take seven ewes to the well and see for whose ewes the water will rise . It rose for Avraham's ewes thus corroborating it was Avraham's well . Avraham gave these seven ewes to Avimelech as a testimony oath of remembrance that it was Avraham's well . Thus was the place called Be'er Sheva , the Well of the Seven or The Well of the Oath . Avraham and Avimelech made an agreement that they wouldn't go at each other for a certain number of generations and this was against HaShem's Desire . This agreement was still in existence when the Jews came out of Egypt in Moshe's time and this is why HaShem Had To Lead us away , for there were still children's children's relatives of Avimelech still living in Moshe's time and so does Torah say there , The Time is still close . "
It was because of this agreement that Avraham made with Avimelech , say our Sages , that caused the tenth and final test to come upon Avraham - The Akeidah . Also , Yitzchak and Yishmael once got into a discussion and Yitzchak assured Yishmael , that should he , Yitzchak ever be called upon to give his life for HaShem , he would do it wilingly . HaShem called Avaraham and as Avraham being always the obedient of HaShem , said " Hineini " - " Here I am , " ready as it were to do HaShem's Bidding . HaShem Told Avraham to take his son , " and Avraham responded " Which one for I have two . " HaShem Said " Your Only one , " and Avraham said " Which only one , for they are both the only one of their Mother . " HaShem Said , " Whom you love , " and Avraham responded , " I love them both , does a Father love one son above another . They are both very beloved to me . " And so HaShem Said , " Yitzchak , " and this is why in Torah , it is written as it is , for this was part of the conversation between HaShem and Avraham . HaShem Tells Avraham to go to the land of Moriah to bring his son Yitzchak up as an offering on one of the mountains HaShem Would Show him . We note here the Hebrew words again "Lech Lecha , " which always denotes a step toward higher holiness and Going . Thus for both Avraham and Yitzchak , this was a step up in the levels of Holiness . We dont always see in our own lives when things are hard that it is a step up for us for our benefit . HaShem Sees the whole picture . So obediently Avraham saddles his own donkey and took the two men Yishmael and Eliezer and Yitzchak his son and the wood , specifically worm free as Commanded for an altar offering and headed toward Moriah . The word Moriah refers to Myrrh , for which this area was famous for . The word Moriah also meant ' Teaching , ' for on this special place and Mountain , the very Mountain on which the Temples would be built and the very place of Adam's first Korban . During their travels Satan tried to stop them in various ways and even scare the boy but both were on their way to fulfill HaShem's Wish with holy resolve . When they arrived at the place of which HaShem Spoke , only Avraham and Yitzchak saw the Essence of the Shechinah , unlike Eliezer and Yishmael , so Avraham had them wait there with the chamor . How intersting that Avraham says in his soul subconsciously that " We will return to you , " for his soul knew what his body was at this moment not to realize that HaShem Would Not Go Through With It . Avraham built the altar and was ready to sacrifice his son , when an Angel appeared to halt Avraham . Avraham would not stop till HaShem Himself Stopped it and so Did HaShem Then Assure that there would be not more tests for Avraham . Avraham asked HaShem why He Had Asked Avraham to sacrifice his son and HaShem Showed him that HaShem Had Never Actually Used the word ' Sacrifice , ' But Had Said only to " Bring him up there as an offering , " for the sacrifice of the soul is the giving of all love and action of obedience to HaShem . HaShem Then Showed Avraham a ram caught in the thicket , organized at the beginning of Creation and so was it offered in place of his beloved son .
Yitzchak then went to study in the Yeshivah of Shem and Eiver and was at this time 37 years old . Avraham called the Name of the Place " HaShem Yireh , " for on this site , HaShem in the Future will be seen . May it come soon in our days . Avraham returned to Eliezer and Yishmael and they went to Be'er Sheva for Yishmael stayed there . Avraham was told that also in his family , Milcah had also born children to Nahor , a miraculous birth for they too were well on in years . So is the genealogy down to Rivka , daughter of Betuel here mentioned , for she would become the wife of Yitzchak . So ends the Parsha .
This Parsha is called " Vayeira , " - " Appeared , " for HaShem Appeared to these Holy people . What granted them such a Beautiful Gift to have HaShem Appear to them . The answer is in the word " Vayeira " itself , for within the word " Vayeira , " is the word " Yir'eh , " which means " Fear . " This refers to having a Fear of HaShem . We are to be as our ancestors who definitely feared HaShem . With Avraham , Everything That HaShem Would Ask Avraham , Avraham would do . Avraham had such an Awe and Fear with Love for HaShem , that Avraham would do whatever HaShem Asked , knowing full well that Avraham would listen , for Avraham knew that HaShem Created all things and thus , Avraham would obey without question . That is total Faith and Emunah . Avraham always did what HaShem Requested , for Avraham's fear of Awe of HaShem was without question . That is " Holy Fear . " Avraham knew without a doubt that HaShem Created Creation and so , Knows all and need not be questioned .If we could do the same and put our own wants aside and selflessly follow HaShem in Awe and Fear of Him , never doing what we are not to do , HaShem May Appear to us too . HaShem Desires our closeness and it is us who keeps Him Away from us , by our selfish ways . The World is not about us as the most important be all and end all of all . No . The World is about HaShem , for HaShem Creates Selflessly . We keep complaining how things are not as we want and blame HaShem for not coming down and talking to us personally . But if we had to ask ourselves honestly , ' Are any of us worthy to behold HaShem Appearing to us ? '. No we are not . So let us start making ourselves worthy , by Fearing HaShem to such an extent , that we won't even dare to go against HaShem and His Wishes . Our wishes are inconsequential . We are too small to even dare put our own wishes as the most important . Our wishes are temporary in the scheme of things . HaShem's Wishes are Eternal and Selfless , for our benefit .
The word " Vayeira , " has a Gematriah of 217 and 2+1+7 = 10 where 1+0 = 1 . So when did HaShem " Vayeira " - " Appear " to us Jews ? At the giving of the Ten Commandments ( thus the Gematriah of the word " Vayeira " coming to 10 ) . The keeping of the Ten Commandments and all of HaShem's Commandments , will bring out our Fear for HaShem's Awesomeness and so will that Fear of Awe in obedience to HaShem , bring about an Appearance by HaShem at the End Of Days . This " Vayeira , " - " Appearance , " will be of Great Light , where the word ' Ohr ' - ' Light ' Appears in the word " Vayeira . " This Light of HaShem Will Bring us all back to HaShem's Oneness , ( where 217=10 and 1+0 = 1 ) . Thus when HaShem Shows us His " Vayeira " - " Appearance , " His Appearance " Will Come With A Great Light , That Will Bring us back to HaShem's Oneness ( 1 ) . May we all strive to become what HaShem Wants us to become and May HaShem , " Vayeira " _ "Appear " to us , when we open up our heart and soul , in Total Obedience and Awe , to His Love .
I wish HaShem With Deepest Love , a Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh with Love and to all of Creation , a Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh with love .