B'reshith/Genesis
CHAPTER 18
1. Then YHWH appeared [yera'] to him by the oaks of Mamre. Now he was sitting at the opening of the tent around the hottest time of the day,
YHWH appeared to: or “YHWH was perceived by”, apparently in a vision. Being focused on YHWH, he had a deeper level of spiritual insight.
2. and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and there were three men standing near him! When he noticed [them], he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them. He then bowed to the ground.
If this appearance of YHWH was a vision, he now turned his attention back to this world, and thus moved readily from his place of spiritual reception to giving to others--the kind of flow that YHWH intends. Based on this incident, the Talmud says hospitality to our fellow men is even more important than remaining at prayer. Avraham understands that the only way to fully see and love YHWH is to see and love one another. By ancient Jewish tradition as seen in the Aramaic targums, this took place the third day after he had been circumcised, when his pain would have been greatest (see 34:25), and now it was hot; all of these are great personal stressors. He sounds like a prime candidate for a heart attack! Yet he was still sitting where he could see if there was anyone who needed hospitality. He ran, thus showing how eager he was to show it. (See Lev. 19:33, 34; Luk. 14:13-14) No one was forcing him, but he was strongly inclined to this trait, and it needs to be a strong trait for his descendants who are returning to the covenant that is even earlier than the one given at Sinai. Hospitality is the way to begin fleshing out the commandment to do to others as we would have them do to us. To this day, it is still the law among desert-dwellers that one offer hospitality even to one’s enemies, as this may be the only way they can remain alive. But he could not show hospitality until his whole house had been set in order; it is almost impossible to accomplish anything for the Kingdom with a divided house.
3. and he said, "My Masters, please, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass on from before your servant.
My Masters: Since this greeting seems to indicate that he recognized them, one of them may have been Melkhitzedeq (Shem) himself, whom Avraham already considered his teacher.
4. "Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
5. "And I will bring a piece of bread and refresh your heart. Then you may pass on, because this is why you have chosen to pass by your servant." So they said, "Yes, do as you have said."
6. So Avraham ran into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Hurry, prepare three se’im of fine meal; knead it and make pitas."
Hurry: Haste is indeed the watchword at Passover. In 19:3 we see Lot serving them unleavened loaves, which can be made more hastily, and this is the reason unleavened bread commanded on the first Passover--because the leavening process requires a long delay. He only promised them a snack, but prepared a feast. Three se’im make one eyfah (a dry measure equal to ten omers, each omer representing a person, Ex. 16:16, and ten of them making a full congregation, based on v. 32).
7. And Avraham ran to the herd and selected a calf, tender and appropriate, and gave it to the youth, and he hurried to prepare it.
8. Then he took the curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set them before them under the tree, and he stood by them while they ate.
9. And they said to him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he said, "There, in the tent."
10. And he said, "I will certainly return to you at the time of life, and behold, a son shall be born to Sarah your wife." And Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, and it was behind him.
This promise could not have been brought had he not first shown hospitality.
11. Now Avraham and Sarah were aged, getting along in days, and the course of women had ceased for Sarah,
12. so Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have become old, will I still have pleasure—my master [also] being old?!"
13. But YHWH said to Avraham, "Why did Sarah laugh at this, saying, 'Sure! Will I give birth—old woman that I am?'
14. "Is any thing too difficult for YHWH? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah will have a son."
15. But Sarah denied it, saying, "I didn't laugh!"—because she was afraid. And He said, "That's not true, because you did laugh."
16. And the men got up from there and looked in the direction of S'dom. And as Avraham was going with them, to see them off,
17. YHWH said, "Can I hide what I am going to do from Avraham—
18. now that he is sure to become a great and numerous nation—him into whom all the nations of the earth shall be grafted?
There seem to be two conversations going on simultaneously—one with the men and one with YHWH in his vision.
19. "Because I have come to know him, on account of the fact that he can command his sons and his household to follow him and keep the way of YHWH, to carry out righteousness and justice, in order that YHWH may bring upon Avraham that which He has spoken in regard to him."
20. So YHWH said, "The outcry of S'dom and Ghamorah has become great, and their sin weighs exceedingly heavily.
Their sin: Not just their well-known perversion which acquired the new name "Sodomy" from them. Y’hezq’el 16:49ff tells us that though they were well-fed and had an abundance of leisure, they did not help the poor and needy. In short, they did not show hospitality, in direct contrast with Avraham.
21. "I will go down now and see whether they have done everything that its outcry implies. And if not, I will know."
Every physical deed makes waves in the heavenlies as well, and there was so much spiritual wickedness emanating from this city that it called for YHWH's direct attention. These cities were populated by those who were spared in the process of Avram’s rescuing Lot, yet they turned back to their wickedness. Was the blood of the oppressed crying out? Or did Shem, who had to care for those these cities would not take care of, complaining to YHWH about them? He had seen firsthand how helpful some destruction can be for the rest of the world.
22. So the men faced about from there and started walking toward S'dom, yet Avraham was still standing before YHWH.
23. And Avraham came forward and said, "Will you really sweep away the innocent along with the guilty?
His first thought is of his “brother”. This is the first time a man is recorded as interceding in prayer on another's behalf. Avraham caught the hint of uncertainty in YHWH's pronouncement (v. 21) and took the occasion. (Hoffman)
24. "What if there are 50 righteous people in the city? Would You still sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the 50 righteous people within it?
25. "It would be foreign to Your nature to do such a thing as this—to put the righteous to death along with the wicked, so that it will be the same for the righteous as for the wicked! Far be it from You! Shall the Judge of the whole earth not do justice?"
26. So YHWH said, "If I find in S'dom 50 righteous people in the midst of the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account."
27. And Avraham responded by saying, "Here I am now, undertaking to speak to my Masters, though I am but dust and ashes!
28. "Yet what if five be lacking from the 50 righteous? Will you destroy the whole city on account of these missing five?" And He said, "If I find 45 there, I will not destroy it."
29. And he still continued to speak to Him, and said, "What if 40 be found there?" And He said, "I will not do it on account of the 40."
30. And he said, "Please do not let the Master be upset if I speak on: Might it be that there will be found 30 there...?" And He said, "I will not do it if I find 30."
31. And he said, "Look at me now—still undertaking to speak to Adonai! What if 20 will be found there?" And He said, I will not destroy it on account of the 20."
32. And he said, "Do not let my Master be upset if I speak only this once more: Maybe if...ten...will be found there...?" So He said, "On account of ten, I will not destroy it."
Why did Avraham not just ask YHWH to spare Lot, his relative, since that is what he was really after? His motive was probably the same as YHWH’s—to make sure it wasn’t really worth sparing. Ten was the bare minimum, for it represents ten omers or one whole congregation. He will not spare for anything less than a righteous congregation. If we are not about one another, it does not count if we are individually righteous. From this came the custom of ten being a quorum, or "minyan", for a public prayer. It takes a community, and this is our test of what is worth salvaging out of the things of the world, the things of the Church, our our own priorities: Will it benefit the gathering of Israel? Anything that exists merely to support power structures that YHWH has not established—ideas like the Trinity, going to Heaven or Hell, or a god-man—can be discarded and nothing will be lost. Other aspects He may spare, but we need to be sure it is He who is sparing them, and not we. His heart is more for the people than for the individual. If it will not accomplish anything, why defend it? Do not be afraid to walk away from it as Avraham did:
33. And when He had finished speaking to Avraham, YHWH left, and Avraham returned to his place.
They both agreed that they could not go lower than ten. YHWH had promised not to destroy the whole earth again, but localized judgments are sometimes necessary. He does not wish for anyone to perish, but people make that choice for themselves. Lot was not enough. If Lot had really been in S’dom to make students rather than just for the sake of wealth, there would have been more than ten righteous there. But some things are not worth saving. In America today, one would think everything is disposable; even houses are noty made to last long. But some things are more important—loyalties, commitments, and relationships. But still we must inquire which ones are worth keeping. YHWH did not destroy these cities merely on the basis of hearsay, but went to investigate. We cannot just write anything—even some aspects of Christianity—off with a broad brush, for there are some precious things it has preserved. But we must test each thing to see what is real. When we must wield a sword against it, remember it is chains that hold people in bondage that we are destroying, whether cultural taboos or sacred-cow doctrines. If it proves not worth saving, it only stands in the way of what does matter. If YHWH had not destroyed these cities, many of Avraham’s descendants would undoubtedly have been led astray by their influence.
CHAPTER 19
…
23. The sun had risen on the land when Lot came into Tsoar.
24. Then YHWH rained on S'dom and Ghamorah brimstone—fiery brimstone of YHWH, moreover—from out of Heaven.
25. And He overturned those cities, and all of the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the produce of the ground.
26. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Rather than looking ahead to where she was going, she was more concerned about what she had lost. She may have just wanted one last look at all she had known. Her children may have been born there; maybe she had too. But placing too much importance on the things we are used to can be another form of idolatry; it was time to rise above the natural and seek the best instead of the merely acceptable. We do not know if she was righteous, but those attached to the righteous have the standards imposed on them as well. There is a time to look down, to see how far YHWH has brought us and be encouraged, but never a time to look back with a longing for what is not worth saving, for we have to stop to look back, and then we make no progress, and it is only one step from going back. This is useless, because what we once had will never be there again, and it is not really like the ideal we remember.
…
CHAPTER 22 - The Akkeydah (Binding)
[c. Year 2087 from creation; 1913 B.C.E.]
1. Now what took place after these things [was that] Elohim tested Avraham, and said to him, "Avraham!" And he replied, "Here I am!"
These things: literally, “these words”. Which words? The last recorded words are that he proclaimed the Name of YHWH as the eternal Elohim, or the Elohim of everything. (21:33) He is not called YHWH, because He is acting in the role of judge. Even Avraham cannot escape being tested, and Avraham quickly passes the first part of it, responding in such a way that shows he is ready to be judged. It is scary to hear YHWH’s voice audibly, yet it brings a unique joy as well. But He also calls to us through the Torah, and what better place is there from which to be judged? He now tested whether he actually believed what he had said. Did he see that eternity as touching his own life? Have the insights he has received really shaped who he is? Did He really believe YHWH controls everything? He had learned many things about YHWH--that He is both just and merciful, that He provides, but that there will be trouble if we do things our own way instead of His. He has received many blessings from YHWH, and that is when the test usually comes. But he is given a test that we pray we will never have to face:
2. And He said, "Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, and go into the land of Moryah, and bring him up there as an ascending [offering] on one of the mountains which I will indicate to you."
Your only one: a term for one specially-beloved, but literally “the son of unity”, for he was the result of Avraham’s unity with Sarah after he had ceased to describe her as merely a sister. Out of fear he only claimed her as sister, not as wife. Admitting to only the less intimate relationship with Sarah affected an entire community. Though he was royalty as well, she belonged in a different context. She is supposed to be viewed as Avraham’s companion in the context of YHWH’s covenant with him, in which she plays a pivotal part, since the seed of promise is to come through her.(17:21) He could not fulfill the covenant if she remained in another context. Since he does not put her in her rightful place, another, who does not know this, sees the obvious benefit in having this connection with her. YHWH wanted her returned from the household of the “king’s son” to that of the prophet. As such, what is she a picture of? The prophet’s companion is always the Torah. The Torah must be in the context of the covenant with Avraham, which includes circumcision and the Land, not just the blessings or the continuance, or death will result. Those who have wrongfully claimed authority over it (whether Christianity or Rabbinic Judaism) must release it back to its original context. YHWH asks only for the fruit of this union, not the other, and this has not changed. Because some of his descendants claimed only a loose connection to the Torah, saying it was fine to have as a sister but too demanding as a wife, the righteous Gentiles have tried to use it to make it serve their goals, but YHWH will not let it uphold their approach to righteousness. He does not accept the fruit of Christianity or human morality, but the fruit of unity with Torah. Ascending: The word "offering" does not appear in the text, and the word “burnt” is not here, though it is often translated thus, although what is burnt will “go up” in smoke. YHWH intended the ascent to take another form than burning (for He would later say that such an act is an abomination to Him), yet he knew that to obey would still mean giving up his son. For a man known for his compassion, this was a very difficult thing to do. But he trusted YHWH and did what was unnatural:
3. So Avraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey. And he took two of his young men with him, and his son Yitzhaq. He split wood for the offering, then arose and went to the place which YHWH had indicated to him.
4. And on the third day, Avraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance.
5. And Avraham told his young men, "You stay here with the donkey, while I and the young man go yonder, so that we may worship, and then we will come back to you."
6. So Avraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it upon his son Yitzhaq, and he took the fire and the knife in his own hand, and they both walked together.
7. Then Yitzhaq spoke to his father Avraham and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am." And he said, "Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for an ascending [offering]?"
8. And Avraham said, "Elohim will see to the lamb for the ascending [offering] Himself." And the two of them walked on together.
Avraham knew that Yitzhaq was a gift from YHWH. He was his. If YHWH asks us to give back something He has given us, it is because He will give it back again in better condition—like a father asking his child to give back the computer he gave her, so it can be upgraded with better features. So he did not hesitate, and neither should we. We usually give back to Him the blessings He has given us by passing them on to others. We will thus receive them back even better than before. Just trust Him.
Commentary on
Parashat VaYera
Presenting to YHWH what is Acceptable
