Let us learn a posuk with Rashi

The first verse deserves to be revisited: "Hashem appeared to Avraham… in the heat of the day." The next verse (2) continues: "He saw them and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and bowed toward the ground. (3) And he said (Avraham): My Lords, if it please you."

The obvious question is, what was the content connected to the appearance of Hashem to Avraham? What was the message, or the purpose of the encounter?

Rashi explains that the beginning of our parsha is connected to the end of the last parsha, and follows the matter of circumcision. "Hashem appeared to visit the sick……; as it was the third day since Avraham's circumcision, Hashem came and inquired about his welfare."

In other words, Rashi changes a difficult verse, which has no purpose or particular content, into a more standard one. Hashem appeared to Avraham with a message; Hashem visits the sick.

His interpretation creates a new problem: why did Hashem have the need to visit the sick? The command to circumcise came from heaven and there is no reason to doubt that they would be cured. Perhaps (as Rashi says from time to time), Hashem was teaching Avraham how to act: when a person is sick, he deserves to be visited.

Rashi continues to point out that Avraham was sitting at the entrance of the tent in order to try and fulfill the mitzva of welcoming visitors; if Avraham was so careful about that mitzva, he was probably already equally careful about the mitzva of visiting the sick. Avraham knew what Hashem wanted of him in the area of hesed, and probably visited the sick regularly.

According to Rashi, then, the first verse is a self contained story. Hashem visited Avraham in order to do a mitzva. The next verse begins the story of the three angels who visited him. In verse 13, Hashem re-enters the story and "takes over from the three angels: "And Hashem said: Shall I conceal from Avraham what I do?......."

Avraham is visited first by Hashem, then by the three angels, and finally Hashem re-appears in the story.

For some reason the Rashbam finds this analysis unacceptable and explains that the first verse is referring to the visit of the three angels. Sometimes the name of Hashem is used to describe the angels and this is one of those cases (cf Rashbam).

This exegesis enables us to read the story of Vayyera as follows: first Avraham was visited by the angels, who did what they did and said what they said, and then Avraham was graced with a higher vision from heaven, the vision of Hashem.

It is important to remember that the verb "vayyera," when referring to the appearance of Hashem to Avraham, is always followed by a particular directive -- except for our verse.

For example, in verse 2:7 it says: "Hashem appeared ('vayyera') to Avram and said..." The same is true for verses 17:1, 26:2 and 26:24. Our verse is the only exception.

When Avram was directed by Hashem to go to the land of Canaan, the only geographic note he received was "to the land that I will show you." It is not clear why the directive is so secretive. Avram and his family were on the way to Canaan and Hashem directed him to continue on his trip. Why not mention the name of the land?

The Mei Shiloach suggests the following. Avraham was directed to go to the land in which he would experience the presence of Hashem. Every time that Gd appears to him, the promise to go to the land of "connection," of experiencing what Avram already knew in a theoretical way was made possible.

When the appearance of Hashem to Avraham is followed by a message, then the event is somewhat less lofty. It has a specific purpose and does not precisely fill the promise that Hashem will take him to the land of "encounter." After the circumcision, when Avraham was a full partner in the covenant then "Hashem appeared to him…." There was no further content necessary. The experiential pinnacle had been experience.

Gut Shabbos