“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
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
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”, the “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 mountain
of YHVH
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 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” (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. P or f sounds depend on the placement of the consonant within
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 noticed,
the definite article “the” – “ha” – isn’t used within the sentence in exactly the
same way as it is in English.
