ON THE PARSHA Parshas Va'Yera by Dovid Lipman, Israel Year 2, No. 4 Introduction This parsha, which explains how our father Avraham became the prototype of perfect Fear of Hashem, has six parts: 1) Angels visit Avraham & Avraham defends S'dom [RAUW] 2) Lot survives S'dom's destruction [DYR] 3) Sarah's second abduction [WON] 4) Yitzchak Born & Yishmael Banished [FTG] 5) Covenant with Avimelech [ATTL] 6) The Ultimate Sacrifice? [TWOTS] 1. Angels visit Avraham -- 18:1 [Beg.] to 18:16 Avraham defends S'dom -- 18:17 to 18:33 [end, Chap. 18] Hashem visits Avraham as he recovers from circumcision, and, since Avraham wants to help guests, Hashem sends angels, for whom Avraham makes a feast. They predict Sarah having a boy a year later, and Sarah laughs in the tent, with a touch of disbelief. Hashem rebukes Avraham for the disbelief, and Avraham rebukes Sarah. The angels leave for S'dom, and Hashem tells Avraham that He will soon destroy S'dom and its suburbs. Avraham bargains with Hashem to save S'dom in the merit of any righteous citizens, and Hashem agrees to as few as ten citizens as being enough, but the area lacks even that. Rare and Unusual Words (18:15) "Yarei'a". Literally 'afraid', this implies that Sarah denied disbelief out of fear of Avraham (Ramban). Perhaps the word refers to Fear of Hashem, though, and since Sarah knew she possessed such Fear, she herself could not believe there could be any disbelief in miracles in her. This flaw, in both Avraham and Sarah (why else was Avraham rebuked?), in Fear of Hashem (which really means total awareness of Him) needed to be mended, and the story of the mending is this parsha. 2. Lot survives S'dom's destruction -- Chap. 19 Lot takes in the angels when they get to S'dom, but the wicked citizens hear of this kindness and threaten the worst of crimes for the guests, and even for Lot. The angels rescue Lot and blind the citizens, telling Lot to prepare for the destruction. He only manages to bring his wife and two daughters, and his wife becomes salt for the forbidden act of watching the destruction. Alone in a cave, Lot's daughters fear they are the only hope for humanity's future, and they have children from their father by getting him extremely drunk. From their sons come the nations Ammon and Moav. Do You Remember? -from the files of 'On the Parsha' 1. How could Avraham serve angels milk with meat? 2. Was Ma'achah a girl or a boy? 3. Why was Lot able to save Tzoar? 4. Where do we see that one whould pray in a set place? 5. What did it matter to Avimelech that Avraham was a prophet? 3. Sarah's second abduction -- Chap. 20 Avraham moves to G'rar, King Avimelech's land, and the king takes Sarah and is prevented from harming her. Hashem tells Avimelech in a dream to return Sarah, and he does so. Avraham explains why he couldn't admit Sarah was his wife, and he prays for the people of the castle, to heal them from a plague Hashem sent as punishment. Worthy of Note (20:11) "...for their is no Fear of Elokim in this place..." R' Noach Orlowek explains that since Elokim refers to strict judgement, the remark means: Your people don't even have the sense to fear a reaction from someone stronger than they are. If that's the case, they're capable of any crime! But the fear demanded of Avraham is "of Hashem", meaning an awareness of His greatness and uniqueness, which inspires a desire to find favor in His eyes, in order to develop an emotional relationship. 4. Yitzchak Born & Yishmael Banished -- 21:1 to 21:21 [Aliyah 6] The year ends and Sarah is rejuvenated, and she has a son, Yitzchak. She and Avraham celebrate, as the boy is circumcised and weaned. But when Sarah sees Yishmael as a danger to Yitzchak, she tells Avraham to send Hagar and Yishmael away, and Avraham does so, with orders from Hashem. After a near brush with death, Yishmael saves himself and his mother with prayer, and he marries and lives in the desert. From the Gemara (21:17) Rosh HaShanah 16b - Yishmael was judged leniently, for it's a principle that people are judged as they currently are, not taking into account future sins. 5. Covenant with Avimelech -- 21:22 to 21:34 [end, Chap. 21] Avraham, still living in Avimelech's land, is greeted by the king and hailed for his closeness to Hashem. They make a pact between their families, despite Avimelech's unwillingness to admit fault for crimes committed by his servants toward Avraham, who expresses hope that the pact will publicize his rights and protect them. A Time to Laugh (21:26) "...I don't know..." Politicians get their habit of denying knowledge of their mens' crimes from here. Three parts are included: I don't know, You should've told me earlier, and I never heard about it. From the last two, the first is obvious, so we explain 'I don't know' to mean: I was probably RESPONSIBLE for it, but I can't remember... 6. The Ultimate Sacrifice? -- Chap. 22 Hashem tests Avraham's loyalty to His command by telling him to offer Yitzchak as a korban on a distant mountaintop. Avraham, not missing a beat, carries out the instructions up to tying his son up. As he takes the knife, Hashem withdraws the order, and Avraham immediately offers up a nearby ram in Yitzchak's place. Hashem then praises Avraham for his perfected Fear of Hashem, and a messenger informs Avraham that his brother Nachor has raised a family. The World of the Supernatural The major accomplishment with which Avraham reached Fear of Hashem seems to be sending Hagar and Yishmael away, for we all know the hardest thing, especially for such an independent mind as Avraham was, is to listen to what somebody ELSE has to say. The test of the Akeida only expressed the accomplishment more in practice, which is why Avraham took the ram -- he had to express his built-up feelings of self-sacrifice in action. Now that Avraham complemented his more natural emotional side with self-sacrifice and devotion, he was the perfect father for the building of a nation. Immediately, Yitzchak's mate, Rivkah, must be brought onto the scene, for the next stage is ready...