Dear TBZ Community:
וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְהֹוָה בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב פֶּתַח־הָאֹהֶל כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם
Adonai appeared to him (Abraham) by the terebinths of Mamre;
he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot (Genesis 18:1)
These are the first words of this week’s Torah portion, Vayera. After the journey that began in last week’s parasha (Torah portion), Lech Lecha, and some challenges along the way, Abraham has settled in a place and is literally sitting (yoshev) at the entrance of his tent. As he sits in this place, he is visited by three anashim (people, figures) who are understood to be people of God or angels. And they have a message for Abraham.
This moment is understood in our tradition as one of welcoming and of opening to guests, as well as a moment of the fulfillment of the mitzvah (commandment) of bikkur cholim (visiting the sick). The 99-year-old Abraham sits in the doorway of his tent, on what the biblical commentators tell us was day three after his brit mila (circumcision). Three “people” come to visit him as he heals, fulfilling the obligation of bikkur cholim, the Jewish value of visiting the sick. We also know that Abraham and Sarah become an example of welcoming guests (hachnasat orchim). They welcome these strangers, even before knowing who they are, before knowing the message they have to give, in the heat of the day (kechom hayom), which isn’t the most comfortable time. Despite all of this, Abraham welcomes them.
Rabbi Natan of Breslov, the main disciple of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, in his book Likutei Halachot (a commentary on the Shulchan Arukh [Code of Torah Law] inspired by the teachings of R’ Nachman of Breslov), understands God appearing to Abraham in the entrance of his tent as a moment of God’s revelation to Abraham, of course, but adds that the way to experience God’s revelation is to sit in this place called היכלי התמורת. Perhaps we can translate it as the place of confusion or the place of exchanges. It is in that place where the confusion happens, where complexity exists, where things are not easy, that the work of separating the kedusha (holiness) happens.
The place where Abraham sat in his tent was also known as Alonei Mamre (Oaks of Mamre), a spot where one lone tree has grown since… forever. R’Natan’s text plays with the many names given to this important place and the meanings the names could hold. R’ Natan suggests that the place where Abraham sits is a hard place, a place where kechom hayom is the capacity to overcome the heat of that which is bad and wrong, the capacity to overcome the yetzer (evil inclinations). I understand R’ Natan’s interpretation of this text to mean that sitting in a place of challenge is an opportunity to separate and lift up that which is holy, that which can guide us to encounter the Divine. The place of petach (the entrance) is a place of opening, but it is also a difficult place.
R’ Natan invites us to remember that in the places where we encounter challenges, fear, and uncertainty, we can find kedusha (holiness). The work of finding holiness comes from the hard work of sitting in the places where things are not always easy, facing that which we encounter and not running away. The entrance of the tent, the place of היכלי התמורת, the places of confusion, are places we do not run away from, but stay in, even when it gets hot and uncomfortable. And from that place, we continue the work of separating the holiness that exists.
That place is where we can find resilience, hope, and resist giving up.
Reading the traditional interpretations of this moment with Abraham as a moment of the fulfillments of the mitzvot of bikkur cholim and hachnasat orchim, together with the teaching of R’ Natan of Breslov, reminds me that the entrance of the tent is a place of opportunity for good, for blessing, for welcoming, and for comforting – even when that entrance, that spot where we sit, is a difficult place.
But Abraham doesn’t just sit still in that place, he also knows when to stand up and raise his voice. In this Torah portion, right after this visit, Abraham argues with God, trying to convince God not to kill all those living in Sodom and Gomorrah. We read in Genesis 18:23:
וַיִּגַּשׁ אַבְרָהָם וַיֹּאמַר הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה צַדִּיק עִם־רָשָׁע
Abraham came forward and said,
“Will You sweep away the innocent along with the guilty?
Abraham argues and negotiates with God, trying to convince God that even if there are but a few good people, God should not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham’s willingness to argue with God is one of the reasons he was a great leader – and perhaps the reason that he became our first patriarch (contrast with Noah, who did not argue for the life of the people on earth before the flood). Abraham is willing to stand up to believe that humanity is better than what seems.
The first word of this verse, וַיִּגַּשׁ – Vayigash – means to came forward, to come near, to come close. This word is used in different places in the Torah to speak about moments of reaching out, of coming closer.
In Genesis 44:18 we find the word Vayigash וַיִּגַּשׁ used when Judah comes forward, comes nearer, to Joseph. We witness Joseph’s heart opening when Judah, who does not know he is speaking to his long lost brother, the brother he had sold into slavery, begs Joseph to find compassion and allow Benjamin to return home to his father. As Judah speaks he is, in some ways, asking for forgiveness, and it is in this moment of connectedness, of coming nearer, that Joseph is able to reveal himself to his brothers with tears and with forgiveness.
Abraham, in the same way, comes closer to God, believing and arguing that even the sinners of Sodom and Gomorrah should have an opportunity to live because there is goodness to be found. Abraham arguing with God is a testament of his faith in humanity and in possibility. He approaches God for the sake of humanity. By coming close to God, he is also reaching out to those who are about to bring destruction upon themselves.
Like Abraham, there are moments that we need to sit in difficult places, in difficult realities. And like Abraham, I hope and pray we have the courage to know how to be in that place, not run away, and stay committed to the work of finding holiness and of not losing hope. At the same time, like Abraham, may we know when to argue and resist, when to stand up with moral clarity to fight for justice, and when not to give up in humanity, while finding goodness around us.
May God bring blessing and comfort to all of us and our loved ones. May we find strength, courage, and patience, and open our hearts with generosity. May all those who are ill find healing.
May the hostages soon be returned to their families and friends; may peace prevail and may the leaders of the world know to prioritize life. May those who are working for peace be granted strength and courage to continue their sacred work, and may we soon see peace and dignity for all.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Claudia