“Va’yera,” which is
translated "he appeared," actually means "and
he showed himself," and even more literally: “and he caused himself
to be seen.” “Yera” stems from the root r.a.h. (resh, alef,
hey), meaning to "see." Some
of its other derivatives are: "seen, to show, to be seen, and sight."
Certainly, "seeing" plays a major role in this
Parasha. Yes, YHVH does show Himself to Avraham – but it was up to
the latter to do the seeing. The opening statement in 18:1-2 reads
thus: “YHVH appeared to him… and he lifted up his eyes and saw… three
men!" This peculiar wording indicates that while looking, Avraham had to
see beyond what met his eye. But before we continue, let us note that last
week’s Parashat Lech Lecha also had its share of “seeing,” such as in 12:7,
where it is ‘seen’ twice (as “appreared”), similar to the way it is used in our
Parasha. Then there was the concern of the beautiful Sarai being “seen” by the
Egyptians (12:12, 14). In 13:10 Lot “lifts up his eyes” and sees the
expanse of land which appeals to him. However, Avram’s magnanimity pays off, as
in 13:14ff YHVH promised to give him all the land which his sight
captures (and that includes Lot’s territory). Chapter 15 opens up with
Avram’s vision, and then with “seeing” the stars that were symbolic of his
future progeny. Later, Hagar, who was carrying Avram’s child, “saw that she had
conceived, and her mistress became despised in her eyes” (16:4). As a result of
the conflict between the two women Hagar fled with her child. There, in the
wilderness, she was met by an angel at a spring of water (“spring” is “ayin” in
Hebrew, meaning also “eye”), “then she called the name of YHVH… You-Are-the-El-Who-Sees
–Me - El Ro’i – for she said, ‘Have I also here seen Him who sees me?’”
(16:13). Even the well that was there, was to commemorate this “seeing,” by
being named (by Hagar) the well of the Living-One-Who-Sees-Me
(Be’er La’Hai Ro’i). This, then, forms the backdrop of all the
“seeing” that will be mentioned in our Parasha of Va’yera.
The principle promulgated by Yeshua
in Matthew 25:40, namely, "inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of
these My brethren, you did it to Me," is apparent throughout chapter
18. Avraham (as he is called now) appears to be keenly aware of the
fact that by entertaining strangers, one could unknowingly (or knowingly), be
entertaining (at the very least), angels… (ref. Hebrew 13:2). The
strangers passing by, whether one of them is or is not YHVH Himself, are
greeted by their host, in word and deed, with great respect and homage not
unbefitting royalty.
The passage at hand (in chapter 18)
contains significant interplays between singular and plural,* as in verse 3
Avraham addresses the three men who had just appeared to him as
"Adonai" (“Lords”) saying: “…If now I have found favor in your [single
person] sight, pass not away from your servant." Verses 4 and 5, however,
employ the second person plural, whereas in verse 10, where the promise of the
son who is to be born to Sarah within the year is pronounced, there is a switch
to singular again (“and he said I will
return,” italics added). It is YHVH who is actually mentioned in verses 13 and
14, as the One addressing Avraham (relating to Sarah’s response), while in v.
16 the “men rise up” and get ready to leave. Starting with verse 17
the scene changes altogether. In the passage which commences here
(describing Avraham's intercession on behalf of the cities of Sdom and Amora
– Gomorrah - vs. 23-32), YHVH, and the men who until now seemed to
represent Him, are referred to as totally separate entities: “And
the men turned their faces away from there, and went toward Sodom. But Abraham
still stood before YHVH” (v. 22). The blurred distinction (in regards to YHVH)
within the three-person party leaves us baffled as to ‘who is who’ here,
and raises the question whether there is a hidden message in this unusual and
enigmatic text formulation. Later
on, when Lot and the members of his family are being led out of Sdom by the
messengers-visitors, there is a similar lack of distinction between YHVH and
His ‘agents’ (ref. 19:16-21 with another interchange between singular and
plural)*. Thus, although this Parasha is characterized by ‘seeing,’ the
reader’s vision is often quite impaired (or challenged).
Back to chapter 18, where Avraham’s
guests stand and view Sdom from a distance, while the Elohim who
"showed Himself" to Avraham determines (v. 17) to (literally) not
"cover" His plans from His servant, and to inform him what He was
about to do (to Sdom and Amora). YHVH then declares that He Himself
aims to "come down and see if they had done according to
the outcry that had come" to Him (18:21 italics added). In this
instance, the "seeing" is a symbolic "inspection," or a
declaration of intent that will obviously be followed by action on YHVH’s
part.
Following Avraham's bargaining scene
with YHVH, we meet his nephew Lot as he is
sitting in the evening by the gate of Sdom (whereas his uncle had been sitting
at the door of his tent in the heat of day). Now it is his turn
to "see" (19:1). Lot greets the two messengers (quite
likely of the same “threesome” who had visited his uncle) by rising up and
bowing down, just as his relative had done. He too offers to have
his guests' feet washed, and is anxious to supply them with refreshments. As
it is evening time, Lot also offers them a place for the night, which
they are very reluctant to accept (or are they simply testing him?), and do so
only after much imploring on the part of their host. The meal served
by Avraham under the tree was far more peaceful than the feast at Lot's house
in the city of Sdom (notice that up until now each reference to “city” has been
connected to wickedness, Kayin built a city, ref. 4:17; Nimrod was a city
builder, ref. 10:11-12, the tower of Babel builders intended to build a city,
ref. 11:4). Before Lot’s guests are about to retire, the town's
evil men surround the house (ref. 19:4, 5). The messengers, however, quickly
and supernaturally blind the eyes of the would-be-assailants
(ref. 19:11). Next, Lot tries to talk his family into
leaving town, but his sons-in-law perceive it to be a joke
("laughing" is the word in Hebrew in verse 14). This laughter,
however, is only short lived, as in verse 25 YHVH overthrows the two cities and
in verse 28 Avraham is mentioned watching (literally “seeing” - “vayar” - of
the root r.a.h) “the smoke of the country.”
Laughter was also part of the
above-mentioned scene with Avraham and his guests. The three
visitors came in order to reaffirm, once again, the promise of a son. Sarah,
who overheard this conversation, laughed in her tent and later denied it
(18:12-15). What’s more, this is not the last time that she is seen
laughing. After giving birth, exactly within the year as YHVH had
declared, Sarah says, "Elohim has made me laugh, and everyone
who hears of it will laugh at me" (21:6 italics
added). “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the
Egyptian… mocking” (the word is again “laughing,” v. 9, italics
added). "Seeing" this “laughter” results in the banishment of
Hagar and her son Yishmael (Ishmael). The banished handmaiden
wanders in the wilderness by Beer Sheva, and when her drinking water is used up
she places her son under a shrub and exclaims: “Let me not see the
death of the boy. And she … lifted up her voice and cried"
(v.16 italics added). “And Elohim opened her eyes and
she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the bottle
with water, and gave drink to the boy” (v. 19 italics added).
Hagar's eyes are opened in the
wilderness of Beer Sheva. The episode that follows (21:22 – 32) expounds on the
meaning of that town’s name. Beer Sheva is
literally "the well of seven". The words
“adjure, charge, and oath” share the same root (sh.v.a, shin, bet/vet, ayin). “Satisfaction,
or to have had enough” (especially regarding food), is “sovah,”
being of the same root (although the letter “shin,” “sh” sound, is modified to
a “sin,” - “s” sound). The usage of the number seven is often
indicative of “fullness” and “completeness,” and as such it is also a solemn
promise, or an oath that can be guaranteed simply by repeating it seven times
(or by using multiplications of seven). The connection between these
two words ("seven" and "oath") is well illustrated here in
our story, namely in Avraham and Avimelech's settlement. Avraham
places seven (“sheva”) ewe lambs in front of Avimlelech, as a witness to
the fact that he had dug the well that was now under
dispute. Following this action "he called that place Beer
Sheva, because there the two of them took an oath (sh'vu'ah, v.
31)". In Matthew 18:21, we see Peter proclaiming that the act
of forgiving up to seven times is sufficient. Yeshua, of course,
goes beyond that but He too stays within the ‘realm of seven’ saying, "up
to seventy times seven” (v. 22). Truly, “…The words of YHVH are pure
words; as silver… refined seventy times" (Ps. 12:6). The figure
‘seventy’ tells us that His words promise to guarantee full
satisfaction. "…On the day when YHVH binds up the fracture of
His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted… the light of the sun will be
seven times brighter, like the light of seven days" (Is.
30:26). Again, the guarantee of fullness in the form of
"sevens" renders it like an oath. The sunrise and sunset
dictate the formation of any given day, just as the sun and the moon control
the length of the months and seasons of the Biblical year. The
seven-day week, however, seems to be quite arbitrary - but is
it? Elohim chose to create the world in six days and then to add one
more at the end, which He set apart for rest, remembrance, and declaration. The
sanctification of the seventh day, the commemoration of the number
"seven" (in naming the “week” “shavu’a”), the fullness and
completeness of what Elohim has accomplished, and its guaranteed fulfillment
are all innately expressed in the Hebrew language by the root sh/s.v.a:
"In Your presence there is fullness ("sova") of joy; I will be
satisfied (“es'be'ah”) with Your likeness when I awake" (Ps. 16:11 &
17:15). To seal off the episode of Avraham’s test, YHVH declares: "By
Myself I have sworn – nish’ba’ti - ’ says YHVH, because you
have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one, blessing I
will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your seed…” (22:16-17
italics added)
This blessing is the culmination of
Avraham’s test, known as the "binding of Yitzchak (Isaac)," or
“Akedat Yitzchak.” After a three-day journey, set off by the words
“lech le’cha”, with Yitzchak and two of his servants “…Avraham lifted up his
eyes and saw the place from afar…” (22:4 italics added). Responding
to his son's question, as to the whereabouts of the lamb for the sacrifice,
Avraham says, "Elohim will see for Himself the lamb for
the burnt offering, my son" (v. 8 literal translation, italics
added). YHVH does indeed "see" (translated as “provide”)
a substitute for Yitzchak in the form of a ram… "And Abraham
lifted up his eyes, and behold, a ram was caught in the thicket by his
horns. And Abraham called the name of the place ‘YHVH Yir'eh -
will see’ - as it is said to this day - 'it shall be seen on
the mountainof YHVH'" (v.13-14 emphasis added).
In the opening verses of our Parasha
we saw Avraham “seeing” YHVH by using his 'inner eyes' and discernment, even
when looking upon three men. YHVH is also seen as the One who
reveals His "secret to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7) prior to
judging Sdom and Amora, though not before doing His own "seeing" of
the state of affairs there (ref. 18:21). Further, His messengers' aura of light
impairs the vision of the spiritually blind. Avimelech sees YHVH in
a dream which prevents him from sinning with Sarah (ref. 20:3,
4). What the latter “sees” (ref. 21:9) causes her to send Hagar and
Yishmael away, but their needs are “seen to” by YHVH in the wilderness (ref.
21:014-19). Finally, YHVH is the One who “sees” (present tense) for
Himself the sacrificial Lamb provided by Him for all time (ref. 22:8, 14). And
so, as it is in the beginning so it is at the end of the Parasha - YHVH reveals
Himself. More on Avraham’s, this time long range vision, is found in
the words of Yeshua who declared to the Pharisees: “Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad" (John
8:56). Quite likely this is connected to Avraham’s statement regarding the
future “lamb for the sacrifice.”
Earlier we noticed that Avraham was
sitting at the tent door “in the heat of the day” (18:1) denoting daylight,
while Lot was sitting at the gate of the city of Sdom “in the evening”
(19:1), denoting darkness (cf. John 3:19, 8:12, 12:35, 46; Romans 13:12; 1
Thessalonians 5:5,7). But in the Parasha as a whole, it is the expression
“early in the morning” that keeps reoccurring. In three out of four times it
relates to Avraham (19:27; 21:14; 22:3), and one time to Avimelech (20:8). “And
he rose early” is rendered each time, “va’yashkem” of the
root sh.ch.m (shin, kaf/chaf, mem) which is also applied to the word “shoulder.”
This is illustrated very graphically in 21:14: “And Abraham rose up
early - “va-yashkem” - in the morning, and took bread and a
bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder -”shichma”
- (italics added). The connection of those two terms is thought to
be imbedded in the very reason for rising early, which is to put one’s
shoulders to work. However, the two examples (out of the three) of Avraham’s
early rising and setting to do as he is told (“Whatever Sarah has said to you,
listen to her voice,” – 21:12; and “… so Abraham… took… Isaac his son… then
they came to a place that Elohim had told him, 22:3, 9), have a common theme.
In each of those Avraham is told to give up his son, his firstborn. But whereas
in the first instance, which appears to be a rehearsal for the second, he
contests the word (21:11), when the second episode comes round he obeys
implicitly (see 22:12b). Interestingly, Avraham, whose original call was “lech
lecha” (12:1), words with which he complied without as much as blinking an
eyelid, was once again addressed by these very words when he was told by
YVHVH to go to Mount Moriah and there offer up his son (ref. 22:2)
In 19:37 and 38 we learn of the
origin of the Moabites and the Amonites. The fact that they are the product of
an incestuous relationship is expressed by the name of the older of the
two: “Mo’av” stems from “m’av,” meaning “from a father,”
as the boy had been begotten by his mother’s father (his own grandfather). The
second boy’s mother names him “Ben Ami” (Ammon), meaning “son of my people,”
which is also a reference to the close family tie. Lot’s daughters’
conduct is not surprising, as earlier on, when the men of Sdom demanded that he
hand over his guests to them, their father attempted to offer these two
daughters in place of the visitors (ref. 19:4-8). If Ham, and especially his
son, Kna’an, were cursed for revealing the father’s nakedness (Gen. 9:24, 25),
the same, and more, would be applicable to Lot’s descendents, Moav and
Amon.
*In all these cases this is much
more pronounced in the Hebrew original than in the translations, one reason
being that in English there is no distinction between you singular and plural,
which there is in Hebrew.
Hebrew Tools for Everyday Use
We will “look” at and “see” the
usage of “seeing”, roeh/ro’ah (m.f.), as well as at Avraham’s position by the
opening – petach - of his tent – ohel - versus Lot’s at the city – eer - gate –
sha’ar. As we noted above, “rural dwelling” and its implication is sharply
contrasted with “urbanism”. (Also, remember last week’s “country
living”?).
Here we go:
- What
do you see?
- (masculine)
Ma ata ro’eh?
- (feminine)
Ma at ro’ah?
- I
am seeing Avraham at (the) entrance to the tent
- (masculine)
Ani ro’eh et Avraham be’fetach ha’ohel.
- (feminine)
Ani ro’ah et Avraham be’fetach ha’ohel
- I
am seeing Lot at (the) gate of the city.
- (masculine)
Ani ro’eh et Lot b’sha’ar ha’eer.
- (feminine)
Ani ro’ah et Lot b’sha’ar ha’eer
Vocabulary: ro’eh/ro’ah – he/she
sees
Petach
– opening (b’fetach – at opening).
(The p and f sounds are designated
by the same consonant,
while the vowels change depending on
the placement of the
consonant in the word, thus in this
case the “p” sound becomes an “f”)
Ohel – tent (ha’ohel – the tent)
Sha’ar
– gate (b’sha’ar – at gate)
eer
– city, town (ha’eer – the city, the town)
Note: as you may have noted, the
definite article “the” – “ha” – isn’t used within the sentence in exactly the
same way as it is in English.
