Vayera וירא

My Musing
This week’s midrash focuses on two points. One is that the relationship between God and Abraham was so unique that God could stand in Abraham’s presence (so to speak). The other is that it is not above God to come down and care about the inhabitants of this world below Him.
I see these two points as effluent from the same idea- God is so secure in his Majesty that He does not need to stand on ceremony. The less secure a person is, the more they need to find security in the pomp and circumstance. Therefore it is not beneath Him to be intimately concerned about our welfare and struggles. Hence he appears to Abraham, and according to the pshat, literal meaning of the text, Abraham did not have to be in a trance to communicate with God (Moshe is still unique in that Moshe’s time with God was ‘face to face’).

מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת וירא סימן ב
(בראשית יח:א,ב) "וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְדֹוָד בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם. וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים נִצָּבִים עָלָיו וַיַּרְא וַיָּרָץ לִקְרָאתָם מִפֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אָרְצָה "

“And the Lord appeared to him by Elonei Mamre, and he was sitting by the tent opening in the heat of the day; And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood over him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth

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רבי ברכיה בשם רבי לוי פתח (תהלים יח:לו)"וַתִּתֶּן לִי מָגֵן יִשְׁעֶךָ וִימִינְךָ תִסְעָדֵנִי וְעַנְוַתְךָ תַרְבֵּנִי"
כיון שנגלה עליו היה הקדוש ברוך הוא עומד ואברהם יושב. שנאמר," וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב". אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'אל תתמה, שאף לבניך אני עושה כן כשיהיו יושבין בבתי כנסיות ובבתי מדרשות ואני נצב עליהם. שנאמר, (תהלים פב:א) "מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף אֱלֹקִים נִצָּב בַּעֲדַת אֵ-ל בְּקֶרֶב אֱלקִים יִשְׁפֹּט"

Rabbi Berachya in the name of Rabbbi Levi opened: You have given me Your shield of salvation, and Your right hand has fed me; and Your modesty has made me great. Since He revealed Himself to him, The Holy One, blessed be He, stood and Abraham sat. As it says, “And he was sitting”. Said to him, the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘do not be surprised, for even to your children I will do this, when they will be sitting in the synagogues and study halls, and I will stand over them.’ As it says, “A Psalm of Asaph. God stands in the congregation of God; in the midst of the judges He judges”

בנוהג שבעולם, כשהתלמיד חולה והרב הולך לבקרו, התלמידים מהלכין תחלה ואומרים שליחות הרב לביתו של חולה, לומר שהרב מבקש לבקרו. והקדוש ברוך הוא אינו כן. כשמל אברהם, והיה מצטער מן המילה, אמר למלאכים לילך לבקרו, עד שהמלאכים הולכין קדמן הקדוש ברוך הוא שנאמר, "וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְדֹוָד" ואחר כך "וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא".יש עניו גדול מזה?!

It is the custom of the world that when a student is sick and the master goes to visit him, the students go first and say that they are visiting as emissaries of the master. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like this. When Abraham was circumcised, and he was in pain from the circumcision, He said to the angels to visit him, until the angles went, the Holy One, blessed be He, pre-empted them as it says “And the Lord appeared to him” and afterwards it says, “And he lifted up his eyes and looked”- is there humbleness greater than this?!

אמרו רבותינו בשם ר' אליעזר בן פדת, בשבעה מקומות השוה הקדוש ברוך הוא עצמו עם הבריות הנמוכין. שנאמר, (דברים י:יז) "כִּי יְדֹוָד אֱלֹקֵיכֶם, הוּא אֱלֹקֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וַאֲדֹנֵי הָאֲדֹנִים הָאֵ-ל הַגָּדֹל הַגִּבֹּר וְהַנּוֹרָא אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשָּׂא פָנִים וְלֹא יִקַּח שֹׁחַד"
מה כתיב אחריו? (דברים י:יח) "עֹשֶׂה מִשְׁפַּט יָתוֹם וְאַלְמָנָה וְאֹהֵב גֵּר לָתֶת לוֹ לֶחֶם וְשִׂמְלָה:

The rabbis said in the name of Rabbi Elazr ben Pedat, in seven places the Holy One, blessed be He, equated himself with the lower creations. As it says, “For the Lord your God, He is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awful, who regards not persons, nor takes bribe.”
What is written after? “He makes justice for the orphan and widow, and loves the stranger, in giving him food and dress.”

ואומר, (ישעיהו נז:טו) "כִּי כֹה אָמַר רָם וְנִשָּׂא שֹׁכֵן עַד וְקָדוֹשׁ שְׁמוֹ מָרוֹם וְקָדוֹשׁ אֶשְׁכּוֹן וְאֶת דַּכָּא וּשְׁפַל רוּחַ לְהַחֲיוֹת רוּחַ שְׁפָלִים וּלְהַחֲיוֹת לֵב נִדְכָּאִים:

And it says, “Because thus says the High and Lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

ואומר, (ישעיהו סו:א-ב) " כֹּה אָמַר יְדֹוָד הַשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי וְהָאָרֶץ הֲדֹם רַגְלָי אֵי זֶה בַיִת אֲשֶׁר תִּבְנוּ לִי וְאֵי זֶה מָקוֹם מְנוּחָתִי וְאֶת כָּל אֵלֶּה יָדִי עָשָׂתָה וַיִּהְיוּ כָל אֵלֶּה נְאֻם יְדֹוָד" וכתיב, "וְאֶל זֶה אַבִּיט אֶל עָנִי וּנְכֵה רוּחַ וְחָרֵד עַל דְּבָרִי"

And it says, “Thus says the Lord: The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; where is the house that you may build for Me? And where is the place that may be My resting-place? For all these things hath My hand made, and so all these things came to be, says the Lord” and it is written, “but on this man will I look, even on him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at My word.”

ואומר, (תהלים י: טז-יז) "יְדֹוָד מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד אָבְדוּ גוֹיִם מֵאַרְצו" מה כתיב אחריו? "תַּאֲוַת עֲנָוִים שָׁמַעְתָּ יְדֹוָד תָּכִין לִבָּם תַּקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ"

And it says, The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations are perished out of His land.” What is written following? “You have heard the desire of the humble, Lord: You will direct their heart, You will cause Your ear to listen”

ואומר, (תהלים סח:ה- ו) "שִׁירוּ לֵאלֹקִים זַמְּרוּ שְׁמוֹ, סֹלּוּ לָרֹכֵב בָּעֲרָבוֹת בְּי-ָהּ שְׁמוֹ וְעִלְזוּ לְפָנָיו" מה כתיב אחריו? "אֲבִי יְתוֹמִים וְדַיַּן אַלְמָנוֹת אֱלֹקִים בִּמְעוֹן קָדְשׁוֹ"

And it says, “Sing unto God, sing praises to His name; extol Him that rides upon the skies, whose name is the Lord; and exult before Him” What is written following? “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation”

ואומר, (תהלים קמו:ז- ט) "עֹשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּט לָעֲשׁוּקִים נֹתֵן לֶחֶם לָרְעֵבִים יְדֹוָד מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים.יְדֹוָד פֹּקֵחַ עִוְרִים, יְדֹוָד זֹקֵף כְּפוּפִים, יְדֹוָד אֹהֵב צַדִּיקִים" ואומר, "יְדֹוָד שֹׁמֵר אֶת גֵּרִים יָתוֹם וְאַלְמָנָה יְעוֹדֵד וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים יְעַוֵּת"

And it says, “Who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives bread to the hungry. The Lord releases the prisoners; The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises up them that are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous; and it says, “The Lord preserves the strangers; He upholds the fatherless and the widow; but the way of the wicked He makes crooked.”

כיון שמל אברהם נגלה עליו הקדוש ברוך הוא בכבודו לבקרו שנאמר, "וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְדֹוָד"

Since Abraham circumcised himself, The Holy One, blessed be He, revealed himself to him in His honor, to visit him as it says, “And the Lord appeared to him”

רבי יצחק נפחא פתח (שמות כ:כ) "מִזְבַּח אֲדָמָה תַּעֲשֶׂה לִּי וְזָבַחְתָּ עָלָיו אֶת עֹלֹתֶיךָ וְאֶת שְׁלָמֶיךָ אֶת צֹאנְךָ וְאֶת בְּקָרֶךָ {ואומר} בְּכָל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אַזְכִּיר אֶת שְׁמִי אָבוֹא אֵלֶיךָ וּבֵרַכְתִּיךָ"

Rabbi Yitzchak Napha opened: “An altar of earth you should make to Me, and shall sacrifice thereon thy burnt-offerings, and thy peace-offerings, thy sheep, and your oxen; {and it says}in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come to you and bless you.

אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'ומה מי שהיה זובח עולה או שלמים אני נגלה עליו לברכו, אברהם שזבח את עצמו לפני על אחת כמה וכמה?! לכך נאמר "וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְדֹוָד".
אמר רבי אחא, בא וראה שנתן הקדוש ברוך הוא כח באברהם. שביום שמל את עצמו מל ישמעאל ואת כל אנשי ביתו והיה הדם מנטף. וכמה היו ילידי ביתו? שי"ח (318) מקנת כספו על אחת כמה וכמה! שנאמר, (בראשית יז:כג) "וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָהָם אֶת יִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ וְאֵת כָּל יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ וְאֵת כָּל מִקְנַת כַּסְפּוֹ כָּל זָכָר בְּאַנְשֵׁי בֵּית אַבְרָהָם וַיָּמָל אֶת בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתָם {וכתיב} בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אִתּוֹ אֱלקִים"

Said the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘And what, he who offered the consumed sacrifice or the peace offering I will reveal myself to bless him, Abraham, who sacrificed himself before me how much more so?! Therefore it says, “And the Lord appeared to him”.
Said Rabi Aha, come and see that the Holy One blessed be He, gave Abraham strength. On the day that he circumcised himself, he also circumcised Ishmael, and all the members of his household and the blood was dripping. And how many were those born to his household? 318. Those acquired by him how much more so. As it says, “And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.”

עד שהעמיד אברהם מן הערלות גבעה ונהר של דם יוצא מביתו. ואמר להן הקדוש ברוך הוא למלאכי השרת, 'בואו ונבקר את החולה', אמרו לו רבונו של עולם, מה אנוש ותדעהו בן אדם ותחשבהו? אתה הולך למקום הטנופת למקום של דם ושל שקץ וסריות!'
אמר להם, חייכם! ערב עלי אותו דם של ערלות ממור ולבונה.
וכן שלמה אומר (שיר השירים ד:ו) "עַד שֶׁיָּפוּחַ הַיּוֹם וְנָסוּ הַצְּלָלִים אֵלֶךְ לִי אֶל הַר הַמּוֹר וְאֶל גִּבְעַת הַלְּבוֹנָה:

So many that Abraham was able to pile a mound of the foreskins and the blood flowed like a rivulet from his house. And the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the ministering angels, ‘come, let us visit the sick’. They said to Him, Master of the Universe, what is man that you should know him, and the son of man that you should hold him in high esteem? You are going to the place of filth, to a place of blood and defilement?!’
He said to them, On your lives!, the blood of the foreskins is sweeter to me than the myrrh and the frankincense of the sacrifices.
And thus Solomon said, “Until the day breathe, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.”

זה אברהם שנקרא מור שנאמר, (תהלים מה:ט) "מֹר וַאֲהָלוֹת קְצִיעוֹת כָּל בִּגְדֹתֶיךָ מִן הֵיכְלֵי שֵׁן מִנִּי שִׂמְּחוּךָ:

That refers to Abraham, who is referred to as myrrh, as it says, “Myrrh, and aloes, and cassia are all thy garments; out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad.”