Vayeira

Is That Someone Knocking On My Door?

 

My oldest son and his family:

Jason holding his oldest son, Logan

and Jason's wife Jamie holding their youngest son, Carter

This has been a great weekend, for one it is my birthday and also my oldest son came home for a visit. He is married, lives four hours away and I don't get to see him very often. He and my youngest son were both in the house for a few hours this weekend and it felt so good!!!! How appropriate that this weeks Parashat is titled Vayera meaning "and appeared"! You see, this visitation by my son was only planned on Tuesday and I began preparations on Thursday when I received a definite plan for his arrival.

Our reading is Genesis 18:1 - 22:24. This reading contains the section where Abraham is sitting outside his tent recovering from his circumcision and three visitors appear. The reading tells us that upon seeing the three men, Abraham immediately goes to meet them and welcomes them by bowing down to them. Something about their appearance gave him the indication he was in the presence of someone very special. This visitation was special alright and Abraham didn't really have a clue how special this day would become.

The reading of the first few verses of chapter 18 have always seemed a little confusing to me until I understood it from the Jewish tradition. It seems the Jews teach that the Lord God (Adonai) came to visit Abraham and while God was ministering to him, the three men appeared. When Abraham looked up and saw the men he immediately recognized that there were men with needs to be met and interrupted the Lord God by saying, "My Lord, if I find favor in Your eyes, please pass not away from Your servant." vs 3. In other words, "Lord God, if I find favor in Your eyes, would you please wait right here until I have taken care of these strangers and met their needs? I will return to our business as soon as I have taken care of them."

Many people might think, "how bold of Abraham to tell God to wait a minute," but read on down just a little to verse 17. "And the Lord God said, 'Shall I conceal from Abraham what I do, now that Abraham is surely to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by him? For I have loved him, because he commands his children and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord God, doing charity and justice, in order that the Lord God might then bring upon Abraham that which is spoken of him.'" Wow! How awesome that God, Himself would speak so highly of a mere man! Oh that I could be so worthy, myself. Did you catch where I am going with this? What was credited to Abraham? He commands his children and his household that they keep the way of the Lord and one way they did that was by.....doing charity - hospitality!

Abraham was a man way ahead of his time. It seems that he knew how to connect with God WITHOUT the written instructions. Those written words would not be handed down for about 400+ years and yet the words written in Genesis 18 sound very familiar, do they not? Let's check it out and see. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 6:4 and following. This is the first part of the Shema that is recited by an Orthodox Jew on a daily basis.
"Hear, O Israel: the Lord God is our God, the Lord God is the One and Only. You shall love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your resources. And these matters that I command you today shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them thoroughly to your children and you shall speak of them while you sit in your home, while you walk on the way, when you retire and when you arise."
You see, these words were first recorded as being given by the Lord God long after Abraham's life had ended, yet he seemed to already have knowledge of them. It is as if Abraham had been given a glimpse into the future.

In Deuteronomy 8:11-12,14,17 we also find this warning:
"Take care lest you forget the Lord God, your God, by not observing His commandments, His ordinances, and His decrees, which I command you today, lest you eat and be satisfied, and you build good houses and settle....and your heart will become haughty and you will forget the Lord your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery.......And you may say in your heart, 'My strength and the might of my hand made me all this wealth!'"
In plain English; don't forget that you were once slaves yourselves and that everything you have and will have came, not from your own capabilities, but from the Lord God and His lovingkindness and grace. Pass it on every chance you get.

Now, what about those three men? Who were they and where did they come from? These are the things we know: after they ate they asked about Sarah by name, a prophecy is made, two of them are called angels in Genesis 19:1. But weren't there three men that came to Abraham's door? If so, why did only two go onto Sodom? According to the Talmud, Bava Metzia 86b, the three angels that appeared to Abraham were Michael (Who is like God), Gabriel (Might of God) and Raphael (Healing of God). Michael came to announce the news of the impending pregnancy and birth of Isaac, Gabriel came to carry out the wrath and destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and Raphael came to heal Abraham from his circumcision. After the meeting with Abraham, Raphael's duties were finished and there was no need for him to go any further.

Whoever they were, one thing we know....they were not human like us. The main point is this: never neglect to meet the need of another when it is within your abilities to do so. Make sure that when you do meet the need that you go above and beyond what it takes to meet it.
We are told in Hebrews 13:2
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it."