Musar zu Bereschit 18:35

וירא אליו ה' באלוני ממרא. Since it had been Mamre who had advised Abraham on the matter of his circumcision, he is mentioned here, and G–d appeared to Abraham on his land. Many people ask how it was possible that Abraham should have consulted with this man about such a question. None of the answers that I have seen have satisfied me. I consider it blasphemous for someone to suggest that Abraham made the performance of the commandment subject to Mamre's advice. All Abraham could have done was to consult with Mamre on how to perform this commandment, since he had also been commanded to circumcise Ishmael and all the members of his household. There was always the chance that members of Abraham's household would refuse to undergo the operation. We have proof of this from Ishmael's boast that he had not refused. Abraham therefore consulted how best to convince all parties concerned to comply with G–d's command.

Dost thou not see that humility is the highest degree of the nobles and of the prophets, distinguished by their divine rank?³Cf. Bahya, vi. 8 and 10; Briill (p. 75, note i). One of them said (Gen. xviii. 27), "I am but dust and ashes "; another said (Ps. xxii. 7), "I am a worm and no man"; and so forth. They were praised for their actions and were honored. A man of intelligence should know that lowliness and meekness cause him to realize his desire in regard to present things, as thou knowest from the account of what happened to the captains of Achaziah, because of their folly; and what happened to the third captain who gently spake to Elijah (II Kings i. 13), "I pray thee let my life and the life of these thy fifty servants be precious in thy sight." Him there befell the reverse of what had befallen the former. Verily, fame and glory will be the reward of whosoever is lowly. The recompense of meekness is honor and prosperity, and also the deserving of honor. Thus it is said (Prov. xxii. 4), "The reward of humility and the fear of God are riches, and honor, and life."

Now, when these three powers are gathered within a man, his soul is drawn by its very nature to love the Creator, blessed be He. When he loves Him, his service will be completely perfect. For from that love there will come fear, for whomsoever a man loves, he also fears. It is also possible for a man to fear someone he does not love. Therefore, I say that fear is contained within love, but love is not contained within fear. Now, we have found that the service of our father, Abraham, peace be upon him, was completely perfect, for it says concerning him (Genesis 18:19), “For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord.” This is clear proof of his great righteousness. Moreover, the Creator, blessed be He, testified concerning him after his death, when he said (ibid., 26:5), “Because Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws,”.

4. The fourth manifestation of true modesty is if the Creator, Blessed be He, deals well with a man in giving him wealth and children, and also gives him great wisdom, understanding and honor. That man should become even more modest and humble before the Creator, Blessed be He, and honor men and do good to them more than before. As in the case of Abraham when the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham is to become a great and populous nation…" (Gen. 18:17-18). Abraham responded, "And I am dust and ashes."

The seventh quality: The pious man makes known to every man his love of the Creator, blessed be He, and his ways. For thus our teachers, of blessed memory, have said that our father, Abraham, peace be upon him, from his very youth would warn the people of his generation and would make known to every man his love of God, blessed be He. Just as it is said (ibid., 18:19), “For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord.” By these words, He wishes to say that He will make known to them that they should love God with as great a love as his own. Note that it does not say, his children only, but his children and all his household. That is to say, all those who accompanied him, over whom he had authority.

And the explanation of one who reveals the Torah [inappropriately], is a man who has the temerity to say things about the Torah which are not so: And he says that some of the verses or some of the recounting of things were written for nothing. And from his arrogance and his pride, he says in his heart that since he does not grasp [how] to get to the nature of the explanation of the things, [thinking] that there is nothing hidden to it. And it is stated (Deuteronomy 32:47), “For it is not an empty thing from you.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yerushalmi Ketubot 51a), “If it is empty, it is from you” - for you do not know to explain the reason for the thing. And likewise one who leaves one of the words of the Torah and does not concede to it - this is certainly revealing the face of the Torah - for example one who says, “Of what benefit are the Torah scholars for us? If they become wise, they become wise for themselves, and do not bequeath anything to us.” And behold they have contradicted that which is written in the Torah (Genesis 18:26), “and I will raise (spare) the whole place for their sake.”

ויאמר אדני אם נא מצאתי חן בעיניך אל נא תעבור מעל עבדך . We learn from here that when one tries to do someone a favor one should describe it in such a way that the recipient feels it is he who is doing the favor by accepting same. When one creates such an atmosphere, the recipient will not decline; he will not think that the donor will boast about having done him a particular favour. This is why Abraham described himself as in those people's debt if they honoured him with their presence.

It is obvious to me that the מצוה of being hospitable to guests, (which is certainly included in the overall commandment to follow in G–d's footsteps), represents an additional virtue. The Torah has singled out this story of Abraham personally performing chores to entertain these strangers. It also alludes to the reward accruing to him, i.e. that everything he did personally for these guests, G–d later on personally did for Abraham's descendants, whereas whatever Abraham had designated to be done by someone else, G–d also performed for the Jewish people only by means of one of His agents. You should not think that all we talk about here is merely a part of a virtue. Whoever performs such an act such as Abraham's, performs the positive commandment of emulating G–d, and he will receive the reward due to someone who has performed a מצוה which has been specifically commanded. G–d performs acts of hospitality at all times, at every moment. Were He to desist from doing so for even a single moment the world would be lost. All creatures are His guests, we are all like strangers vis-a-vis G–d, and just as strangers we need a place to sleep. G–d enables us to survive. If He were to withdraw life-support for even a moment, we would all perish.

A real love for one's children must be in this path — that he thinks always to guide his children in the paths of Justice, and teach them the manner of serving God. Blessed is He, according to what is said: "The father shall make known to the children Thy truth" (Is. 38:19). And it is written: "And you shall make known (the lessons of Sinai) to your children and your children's children" (Deut. 4:9). And, as it is said concerning Abraham, "For I know him to the end that he should command his children and his household after him" (Gen. 18:19).

This is what the Talmud Shabbat 127 has in mind when it states that the entertaining of guests is an even greater accomplishment than the welcoming of G–d's Presence since the Torah reports that Abraham asked G–d to wait a few moments: אל נא תעבור אד-ני, אם נא מצאתי חן בעינך מעל עבדך, while he would attend to the guests who had arrived suddenly (18,3).

ואקחה פת לחם … ואל הבקר רץ אברהם . Abraham said little but did a lot.

ויאכלו . Bereshit Rabbah 48,14 quotes Rabbi Tanchum saying in the name of Rabbi Meir that we can learn manners from here. When Moses went to heaven (Mount Sinai and beyond), he mentioned that he had not eaten or drunk for forty days and nights. This was because heavenly beings do not require food and drink, and Moses conducted himself according to local custom. On finding themselves in an earthly environment, the angels behaved accordingly and accepted food and drink. [Bamidbar Rabbah 10,5 explains that the reason why the angel who appeared to Manoach refused to eat whereas the angels that visited Abraham accepted food and drink is simple. The latter had appeared in the guise of humans, whereas the former had never appeared in the guise of a human being. Ed]

Likewise, you will observe that all the deeds of the Tzadikim (righteous) are always performed with haste. By Avraham it is written: "And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, make ready quickly three measures of fine meal... And he gave it to the lad and he hastened to prepare it" (Bereishis 18:6-7)

When a man comes to realize as truth the great value of the Mitzvot and the greatness of his obligation in them, his heart will certainly be awakened to the service of G-d and he will not be lax in it.

כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו . It is a very important matter for a father to admonish his children and household. A father should do so on an ongoing basis as long as he lives. He should also leave behind him written instructions for every member of his household, each one according to his particular character. Such instructions should remain sealed until after the father departs this earth.

והאיש משה עניו מאד מכל האדם . "Moses was more humble than any other human being." We can appreciate the value of the virtue of humility after we see that the only praise the Torah accords Moses, the father of all prophets, the man who maintained closer contact with G–d than anyone before him or since, is the reference to his humility. This teaches us to try and practice this virtue to the extreme. We are reminded of the Mishnah (Avot 4,4) which says: "be very very humble." When the Torah here says "more than any other human," we know of three humble people, Moses and Aaron who had said of themselves: "נחנו מה," who are we? (Exodus 16,7); then there was Abraham who said of himself: ואנכי עפר ואפר, "and I am only dust and ashes," (Genesis 18,27). Finally, there was King David, who said of himself: ואנכי תולעת, "and I am a worm." The most humble one of them all was Moses, since he did not even compare himself to anything else, but said:"We are nothing!" This is what the Torah meant when it said “מכל האדם”. The three letters in the word אדם, are the first letters respectively of אברהם, דוד, משה.

ארדה נא ואראה . G–d uses this expression both here before finalizing the decree to destroy Sodom and before deciding how to deal with the generation that built the Tower of Babel. Rashi's comment on this is most appropriate.

ויקומו משם האנשים וישקיפו על פני סדום . The Zohar on this verse is very instructive. Here is what he says: "Rabbi Eliezer said that from here we can see to what extent G–d employs His attribute of Goodness with all His creatures. How much more so does He do so with those of His creatures who walk in His paths. For even at a time when He prepares to execute judgment, He provides an opportunity for those who love Him to acquire some merit before His judgment strikes the world.

There are several difficulties in 18,2: "He raised his eyes and saw three men standing by him; he saw and ran to meet them from the entrance of the tent. He bowed down to the ground." Why does the Torah repeat that Abraham "saw?" If the men stood beside him, why did he have to run towards them? We are familiar with what the Talmud says and Rashi quoting it, but we will ignore that for the moment. According to our approach, the repetition of the word "he saw," is justified; Abraham's intellectual vision told him that these men were angels, whereas his physical vision led him to believe that they were human beings. Abraham's doubts were reinforced by the fact that he had seen angels frequently, but they had not appeared to him in the guise of human beings. The words "he raised his eyes" (heavenwards) indicate that he wondered if they were angels. The words נצבים עליו, are appropriate when one speaks of angels as we know from Daniel 7,16: "I approached one of the standing ones and asked him, etc." We also know from Zachariah 3,7 that human beings are described as מהלכים, progressing, whereas angels are described there as בין העומדים האלה, "between these stationary ones." According to Yerushalmi Berachot 1,1 המלאכים אין להם קפיצה, angels do not experience miraculous transposition from one area to another [as happened to Eliezer on his journey to Aram Naharayim for instance in Genesis 24,42, see Rashi Ed.]. Abraham afterwards saw that the appearance of these men was that of human beings. He thought that they might be Arabs, and since humans walk, move, even if they might stand still briefly, he ran towards them. When he came close to them everything that he said to them could be interpreted as appropriate both to angels and to humans. If they were angels, they would interpret what he said to them in a certain manner, whereas if they were men, they would also interpret his words as appropriate.

In order to explain somewhat the quality of peace, I shall adduce some of the apothegms of Chazal on this subject. This is from Ma'aloth Hamiddoth: "Know, my sons, that peace is among the highest qualities, it being one of the names of the Holy One Blessed be He, as it is written (Judges 6:24): And he called it [(the altar) 'the L-rd-Shalom.'" Wherever peace is found, fear of Heaven is found. Where there is no peace, there is no fear of Heaven. Great is peace before the Blessed One, our sages of blessed memory saying in the aggadah (Yevamoth 65b, Bava Metzia 87a): "Great is peace, even Scripture prevaricating to maintain peace between Abraham and Sarah. For whereas she said (Bereshith 18:12): 'And my lord [Abraham] is old,' G-d transmitted this to Abraham as (Ibid. 13): 'And I [Sarah] am old.'" Similarly (Ibid. 40:16-17): "and they had it reported to Joseph: 'Your father commanded before he died: "So shall you say to Joseph: 'Forgive, I pray you, the offense of your brothers and their sin, for they accorded you evil.'" Now nowhere do we find Jacob commanding any such thing at all, for he entertained no apprehension whatever of Joseph's conduct. My sons, come and see how great is the power of peace, for the Holy One Blessed be He said that even foes should be approached with peace as it is written (Devarim 20:10): "When you draw close to a city to wage war against it, call out to it for peace." Great is peace, for it consummates the priestly benediction, as it is written (Numbers 6:26): "And He shall repose peace upon you." Great is peace, for it is the consummation of prayer, as it is written (Psalms 29:11): "The L-rd will give His people strength; the L-rd will bless His people with peace." And what is more, in the day of Israel's consolation, the first report shall be of peace, as it is written (Isaiah 52:7): "How comely upon the mountains are the feet of the herald, announcing peace!" My sons, come and see how great is the power of peace, for the Holy One Blessed be He said that even foes should be approached with peace, as it is written (Devarim 20:10): "When you draw near to a city to wage war against it, call out to it for peace." It was stated of R. Yochanan b. Zakkai that no one ever preceded him in greeting, not even a gentile in the marketplace. And our sages of blessed memory have stated (Avoth 4:15): "Extend greeting to all men." What is meant by greeting "all men"? Even if you see that he is ill disposed towards you, extend greeting to him; for if you do so, you will cause him to love you. What is more, even if he will not condescend to make peace with you, the Holy One Blessed be He will deliver him into your hand and humble him beneath you, as it is written (Devarim 20:1): "And if it [the city] does not make peace with you, but wages war against you, then you shall besiege it, and the L-rd your G-d will deliver it into your hand…" And so we find with David, may peace be upon him, that he pursued peace with Saul, as it is written (Psalms 120:7): "I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war." Not only was Saul not appeased, but he pursued David to do him injury, and the Holy One Blessed be He delivered him into David's hand in the cave and in the encampment. And even so, it never entered David's heart to do him wrong. For one must love peace and pursue peace, as it is written (Ibid. 34:15): "Seek peace and pursue it." Seek it with your friend and pursue it with your enemy. Seek it in your place and pursue it in other places. Seek it with your body and pursue it with your money. [Sometimes one must be liberal with his money to seize upon the "stronghold of peace."] Seek it for yourself and pursue it for others. Seek it today and pursue it tomorrow. And do not despair, saying: "I will never achieve peace," but pursue it until you do achieve it. And what is the pursuit of peace? Thus have our sages of blessed memory said (Sanhedrin 110a): "This is speaking peace at a time of dispute and sacrificing one's honor for the general good, as was done by Moses, as it is written (Numbers 16:25): 'And Moses arose and he went to Dathan and Aviram…,'" and suspending one's affairs to make peace between a man and his wife, a man and his neighbor, and a teacher and his student — even to the extent of arranging a meal for two to make peace between them.

והיה עקב תשמעון . In the previous paragraph (7,7) the Torah explained that G–d's love for the Jewish people is not based on our superior numbers, seeing that we are "small," numerically speaking. The Talmud Chulin 89a states in the name of Rabbi Eliezer that the meaning of this verse is that G–d likes the Jewish people because even when they are riding high (economically) they still humble themselves, i.e. they behave as if they were מעט מכל העמים, the least significant of all nations. Abraham, for instance, described himself as: אנכי עפר ואפר, "I am but dust and ashes" (Genesis 18,27). Moses and Aaron (Exodus 16,7) said of themselves: ונחנו מה, "What do we amount to?" David described himself as: ואנכי תולעת ולא איש "I am only a worm, not a man" (Psalms 22,7). On the other hand, the "great" men among the Gentile nations did not react in this fashion to the greatness I (G–d) have bestowed upon them. I have given greatness to Nimrod; he responded by building a Tower in order to assert himself against Me. I gave greatness to Pharaoh; he responded by claiming "Who is the Lord that I should listen to Him?" (Exodus 5,2). I made Sancheriv a mighty ruler and he reacted by saying: "Who among the gods of all these lands has saved them from me that you should imagine that the Lord will save you from me?" (Kings II 18,35). Similar expressions of arrogance are recorded as having been used by Chirom the king of Tzor, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and others. Rava or Rabbi Yochanan are reported to have said that the continued existence of the universe would not have been permitted had it not been for Moses and Aaron and people of their caliber, all of whom said of themselves: "what do we amount to?" It is interesting that G–d is described in Job 26,7 as תולה ארץ על בלימה, "suspending earth over merely מה" (hardly something), a reference to Moses and Aaron who had described themselves as נחנו מה. Rabbi lla'i, also on folio 89 Chulin, suggests the meaning of the verse in Job to be that the earth will be allowed to survive for the sake of people who בולם את עצמם, "put the brakes on their ego" at times of strife. Rabbi Abahu, on the other hand, says that he who considers himself as if he did not exist is the "salt of the earth." He uses Deut. 3,27: ומתחת זרועות עולם, in the sense of "he who is trampled by the world is the real 'arms' supporting the universe." Rabbi Yitzchak derives this same message from Psalms 58,2: האמנם אלם צדק תדברון מישרים תשפטו בני אדם. He understands this verse to mean that maintaining a silent (אלם) profile and speaking out only in matters of צדק, i.e. Torah, is what keeps the world going.

For instance, he said: "my lords, if I have found favor in your eyes do not pass by your servant." Our sages already are divided in their opinions as to the meaning of the word א-ד-ניי here. Some say that Abraham addressed the שכינה, whereas others say that he addressed the leader of the three strangers. If the former, the word is sacred, if the latter, it is ordinary. Both opinions present difficulties. According to the view that the word is used as an appellation for G–d's Presence, the word should have been written before "he ran towards them." If, however, the words were addressed to the leader of the three men, and the word is ordinary, the vowel under the letter נ should have been a Chirik, and not a Kametz. There is no point in assuming that our sages disagreed as to the vowel that should appear under the letter נ.

ויגש אברהם . The Midrash Ne'elam of the Zohar on this verse (Sullam edition page 60) quotes Rabbi as saying that it is a מצוה for a person to pray that sinners become penitent so that they will not wind up in purgatory. We know this because it says in Psalms 35,13: ואני בחלותם לבושי שק, "Yet when they were sick, my dress was sackcloth." [David prayed when sinners suffered afflictions. Ed.] Rabbi also says that it is forbidden to pray that the sinners should be wiped out, for if G–d had wiped out Terach while he was still an idol-worshiper, our patriarch Abraham would never have seen the light of day, there would have been no Jewish people, neither would there have been a David. Torah would not have been given to mankind, and all the righteous and pious people would never have existed.

Now we understand that even if the appellation was meant to be ordinary, addressed to humans, the vowel kametz was still in order, since, though Abraham addressed only the leader of the three men directly, the others were included in Abraham's invitation. Proof of this is the plural ending that Abraham used when saying ורחצו רגליכם, "and wash (pl) your feet" (18,4). To the leader Abraham said: "Do not go away, neither you nor your companions; you are all considered by me as my lords. But you, the leader are my special lord, seeing that you are also your companions' lord." In this manner the use of the vowel kametz is justified even though the word is not used in the sacred sense.

When Abraham told the three angels (men) at the time he invited them to come and rest under the tree, he already wanted to examine them as to their ritual purity. He did not say "rest under a tree," but "rest under THE tree." When Adam sinned, he sinned with the tree of knowledge. That tree brought death into the world. G–d Himself is on record as evicting Adam from the garden of Eden so that he should not be able to eat from the tree of life and thus live forever (Genesis 3,22).

If we follow the view that Abraham addressed the שכינה when he said אל נא תעבור מעל עבדך, we must presuppose that he considered the three "men" to be angels. He addressed them by the name of their Master, i.e. the name of G–d. Being angels, holy beings, G–d's name hovered above them, as Nachmanides explains: We find frequently that the messenger is referred to by the name of his sender. Rashi already pointed this out when he comments on the angel saying שוב אשוב אליך, "I will surely return to you" (18,14). The angel did not refer to himself specifically, but referred to G–d whose messenger he was. G–d appeared here to Abraham in the guise of the מרכבה consisting of the angels מיכאל, גבריאל , and רפאל. G–d's Presence "rode" above those angels. It also rested on Abraham, seeing the Torah had said that He appeared to him. When the angels arrived Abraham realized that they were the מרכבה, the carriers of G–d's Presence. He therefore begged the שכינה not to depart from him until he had a chance to run towards the angels. When that occurred, we hear Abraham say one set of words from which we get two messages. The "hidden" message is that the שכינה should not depart now.

Great is charity — it is this quality for which the Holy One, Blessed be He, will be praised when he brings salvation to Israel, as it is said, "I that speak in victory, mighty to save" (Is. 63:1). Great is charity — it brings honor and life to those who practice it, as it is said "He that followeth after righteousness and mercy, findeth life, prosperity and honour" (Prov. 21:21). Great is charity — with this quality, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will redeem Israel, as it is said, "Zion shall be redeemed with justice and they that return of her with righteousness" (Is. 1:27). Great is charity — with this quality Abraham, our father, was praised, as it is said, "And he trusted in God and He reckoned it to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6), and it is said further, "For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice" (Gen. 18:19). Great is charity — with this quality, David, King of Israel, was praised, as it is said, "And David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people" (II Sam. 8:15). Great is charity — with this quality King Solomon was praised, as it is said. "Blessed be the Lord thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made He thee king, to do justice and righteousness" (I Kings 10:9). Great is charity — it reaches up to the very Throne of Glory, as it is said, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne" (Ps. 89:15). Great is charity — through it Israel was praised, as it is said, "And it shall be righteousness unto us" (Deut. 6:25). Great is charity — with it, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will in future be praised on the Day of Judgment, as it is said, "But the Lord of hosts is exalted through justice, and God the Holy One, is sanctified through righteousness" (Is. 5:16). Great is charity — it accompanies those who practice it at the hour of their departure from the world, as it is said, "And thy righteousness shall go before thee, the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward" (Is. 58:8). Great is kindness — with it the world was built, as it is said, "The world on mercy is built" (Ps. 89:3). Wherefore a man should cleave to the quality of generosity which brings about all these good things (Mekhilta on Ex. 15:13).

I have already discussed why Abraham thought that if these guests had been human that they must have been sun-worshipers worshiping the dust of their feet. In order to remove that dust, he asked that they wash their feet by saying: יוקח נא מעט מים ורחצו רגליכם. We need to understand why he inserted the word מעט, a little, when he referred to the water they would wash their feet with. There is a deep significance in this.

On 18,4 והשענו תחת העץ, Onkelos says "rest under the tree." This was appropriate in the event that these three visitors were humans. The branches of the tree would provide protection against the heat of the day.

The expression used by the Torah for Joseph, i.e. בן זקונים, also contains an allusion to Adam and Eve, who were the "oldest" people in the world -the first human beings. The Torah wanted to hint that Joseph was a branch of that first pair of human beings in terms of their purity. Just as Adam and Eve had not been the products of the טפה סרוחה, the "evil smelling drop of semen" described by Akavyah in Avot 3,1, so similarly Joseph's origin was pure. The next pair of human beings to whom the Torah applies the term “זקנים,” were Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18,11, for they took the place of Adam and Eve. We have discussed all this at length in our commentary on חיי שרה. The process of refinement, the road to regaining the innocence and purity lost by Adam, continued through Jacob called Israel because he had successfully contended with heavenly forces. In our classic literature this Israel is referred to as ישראל סבא, grandfather Jacob, whereas Joseph is simply referred to as the son, בן.

They further said (Chulin 89a): "'It was not because you were greater than any people that the L-rd desired in you and chose you' (Devarim 7:7) - the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, 'My sons, I desire you because even when I bestow greatness upon you, you humble yourselves before Me. I bestowed greatness upon Avraham, yet he said to Me, 'I am but dust and ashes' (Gen.18:27); Upon Moses and Aharon, yet they said: 'And we are nothing' (Ex.16:7); upon David, yet he said: 'I am but a worm and no man' (Tehilim 22:7)"

The verse continues saying that "Abraham stood over them under the tree while they ate." We must understand this as being similar to Exodus 24,11: ויחזו את האלוקים ויאכלו וישתו, "They had a vision of G–d and ate and drank." Abraham stood by them in order to introduce them to monotheism and an appreciation of the kindness and love of G–d for His creatures. While all this transpired, Abraham still had not resolved his doubts as to the true identity of his guests.

To what is this similar? To a pig-herder who rose to become the king. As long as he remembers his early days, it will be impossible for him to become arrogant. Likewise, when one considers that at the end of all his greatness, he will return to the earth to be food for maggots, all the more so will his pride be submitted and his roaring arrogance quieted. For what is his good and his greatness if his end is shame and dishonor?

And when he contemplates further and pictures in his mind the moment he enters before the great Beit Din of the heavenly host, when he finds himself before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, who is absolutely pure and holy, in the midst of the assembly of holy ones, mighty servants, strong in power, obeying His word, without any blemish whatsoever, and he stands before them, base, lowly, and petty in and of himself, defiled and polluted due to his deeds. Will he then raise his head? Will he have what to answer? And when they ask him: "where has your mouth gone? Where is the pride and honor which you assumed in your world?"

The second method of explaining these verses is based on Abraham's speculating that these visitors were angels. Thus the meal must be understood as an offering to G–d by Abraham. When Abraham "ran to the cattle," this means he went to prepare a bull for the sacrifice. This is what Vayikra Rabbah 27,9 means when it comments on the paragraph שור או כשב או עז, Leviticus 22,27 that the entire legislation of animal as well as meal offerings and the ability to atone for our sins by means of these animal offerings is due to the patriarchs. In the case of Abraham this is because אל הבקר רץ אברהם, "Abraham ran to the cattle" to select a suitable offering for G–d. The previous verse describing Abraham rushing into the tent to give instructions to Sarah what and how she was to bake, is a reference to the קרבן מנחה, the meal offering. Instead of mentioning a libation of wine, something that usually accompanies such offerings, Abraham took milk and butter. The reason he did so is that milk is conceptually connected to the attribute of Love, חסד, whereas wine is a symbol of the attribute of justice. At this point in Abraham's life the entire emphasis is on the acts of חסד he performs.

The second method of explaining these verses is based on Abraham's speculating that these visitors were angels. Thus the meal must be understood as an offering to G–d by Abraham. When Abraham "ran to the cattle," this means he went to prepare a bull for the sacrifice. This is what Vayikra Rabbah 27,9 means when it comments on the paragraph שור או כשב או עז, Leviticus 22,27 that the entire legislation of animal as well as meal offerings and the ability to atone for our sins by means of these animal offerings is due to the patriarchs. In the case of Abraham this is because אל הבקר רץ אברהם, "Abraham ran to the cattle" to select a suitable offering for G–d. The previous verse describing Abraham rushing into the tent to give instructions to Sarah what and how she was to bake, is a reference to the קרבן מנחה, the meal offering. Instead of mentioning a libation of wine, something that usually accompanies such offerings, Abraham took milk and butter. The reason he did so is that milk is conceptually connected to the attribute of Love, חסד, whereas wine is a symbol of the attribute of justice. At this point in Abraham's life the entire emphasis is on the acts of חסד he performs.

Let us return to my earlier statement that ההולך בלא בנים מת הוא בעולם הזה ולא יחיה בעולם הבא, "anyone who is childless is considered dead in this word and will not live in the World to Come." There is a way to overcome this handicap posthumously by means of the levirate marriage. The first thing one has to bear in mind is that every husband deposits part of his רוח, spirit, during marital relations with his wife. This is so because he has only acquired the seventh part of his צורה or דמות by union with her. The spirit he has deposited within her remains within his wife even after he has died, especially during the first twelve months after his death. All this has been explained by the Zohar on פרשת משפטים where the subject is discussed. This residual spirit of her deceased husband is at war with the second husband whose spirit is also deposited within her by their union in marriage. During the struggle between these two spirits either one may emerge victorious on different occasions.

To come back to יקח נא מעט מים ורחצו רגליכם; Kabbalists know that the angels מטטרון and סנדלפון are known as מנעל and סנדל, shoe and sandal with which the "feet" of the emanation מלכות are covered, and concerning which we read in Proverbs 5,5: רגליה יורדות מות, "Her feet descend towards death" (the reference is to an immoral woman). These shoes and sandals are a hyperbole for the קליפות around which the wicked people walk. The "tree" mentioned by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in the Zohar without further identification, is the tree of knowledge. All that is below the emanation מלכות, is somehow associated with that emanation. The angels themselves adhere to the essence of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in its designation as "good." The fact that that tree is also associated with "evil," is something peripheral, i.e. when wicked people try to use that tree they fail to penetrate to its essence due to their קליפות, which preclude their getting to the essence which is” good." [The last few lines are my substitution of the author who quotes on the subject from Pardes Rimonim Shaar Heychal Hatemurot chapter 7. Ed.] When Abraham invited the angels to rest under the tree, he referred to the essence of the tree of knowledge and when he said וסעדו לבכם, "refresh your heart," instead of לבבכם, "refresh your hearts," he indicated that he was aware that they were angels and therefore had only one heart, seeing angels have no evil urge.

Nowadays, when we all recite the appropriate benedictions, our Torah study can be classified as לשמה. In the final analysis, of course, only G–d knows if our Torah study is truly motivated by the proper thoughts; the matter is left to our hearts, it can never be demonstrated. The Torah frequently writes: ויראת מאלוקיך, "you shall fear the Lord;" such instructions refer to matters which cannot be proved except to G–d, for no man can look into our hearts. Neither do the ministering angels know what goes on in our hearts. They are only able to see what G–d has revealed to them. We know this from the Zohar's comment on Genesis 18,9 (Sullam edition Vayera 33) where the angels asked Abraham about Sarah's whereabouts. [Sarah's laughter which she did not articulate was something that G–d had revealed to these angels specifically then. Ed.] Tosafot in Shabbat 12 question how it is possible that the angels do not understand Aramaic seeing they can even see what goes on in our hearts. I have dealt with this apparent contradiction elsewhere; the overwhelming consensus among all our sages is that (normally) the ministering angels do not know what goes on in our hearts. Hence we have one version in which the explanation of Jeremiah 9,11 was sought from the prophets, the sages, and the ministering angels. They could not provide an answer since they did not know our thoughts and and therefore were unable to know if we study Torah לשמה or for ulterior motives. The Talmud therefore says that the meaning had to be explained by G–d Himself, since only He knows what goes on in our hearts. It follows that the passage in Nedarim mentioning that "the earth was lost" refers to the land of Israel.

Joshua and Caleb countered that whatever deity had protected the people of Canaan thus far had already departed from them, i.e. סר צלם מעליהם (14,9), and they had no longer any merits which would act as protection for them. The measure of guilt of the Emorite was by now such that it no longer could be a hindrance to Israel. The expression סר צלם, may be interpreted according to the Zohar on Genesis 18,4: "and recline under the tree." The significance of that tree was that Abraham could tell by it who was truly loyal to G–d, and who cleaved to idol worship. The tree would extend its branches towards those who believed in G–d and would envelop them in its shade. The same branches would withdraw when a person worshiping idols sat under it. Abraham would notice this and begin to engage such a person in a religious dialogue, pointing out the futility of worshiping idols. He would not move from there until he had converted the person in question. Similarly the tree would welcome those who were ritually pure, while rejecting those who were not. There was a well underneath that tree. The waters in the well would rise towards a person in need of purification. As soon as Abraham noticed, he would purify them by ritually pure water. What Moses had commanded the spies about investigating "a tree" (13,20), referred to the tradition mentioned in the Zohar. He wanted to find out how that tree would react when the spies were under it, if it would offer its shade, i.e. a sign that the spies were sincere, if it did not, it would signal the sinful motives of these people.

The angels responded to Abraham, saying כן, תעשה כאשר דברת, "all right, proceed in the manner that you have said." The emphasis here is on the word תעשה, a reference to Abraham"s good deeds. They encouraged Abraham to continue in his ways of dispensing חסד and thereby opening celestial sources of blessing by means of his own soul. They realised that they would be blessed themselves through Abraham's deeds.

To get back to the point that, from the angels' point of view, the meal was considered a sacrifice to G–d. The essence of a sacrifice is that the person offering it signifies that he offers his own person to G–d. Abraham offered his own person when he circumcised himself, something from which he was still sick on this third day after the operation. During this meal which was a sacrifice, he was informed when Isaac would be born. This is a hint that Isaac represents circumcision at its best, seeing he was the first one to be circumcised on the eighth day. Circumcision on that day is considered an עולה תמימה, a total offering of perfect dimensions. Abraham was inspired with sufficient Holy Spirit to realise that there would be forces such as Ishmael and Satan which would accuse Isaac which we have quoted in connection with the introduction to the עקדה. This is why Abraham sanctified his son Ishmael by instructing him to participate in this offering by helping to prepare it (Bereshit Rabbah 48,13). He is the lad referred to in 18,7 ויתן אל הנער, "he gave it to the lad." He wanted to prevent Ishmael becoming rooted in the קליפות, so that his words would remain ineffective.

Therefore one should not neglect submitting to lashes at least once a month. This is what our forefather Avraham was alluding to when he said to Hashem, “Perhaps there will be found there forty [righteous men]” (Bereishis 18:29). As the Zohar (1:104b) clarifies the meaning: “Perhaps there will be found there individuals who submit themselves to the forty lashes,” to which Hashem responded, “I will not destroy, etc.”

Ishmael's accusation is alluded to here when the Torah says in 18,10: ושרה שומעת פתח האוהל והוא אחריו, "and Sarah heard at the entrance of the tent and he was behind it." Targum Yonatan understands the word והוא, "and he," as referring to the נער. i.e. Ishmael. Bereshit Rabbah also understands the reference as being to Ishmael. At any rate Abraham's efforts to raise Ishmael as a G–d-worshiping son were successful inasmuch as he prevented him from sinking too deeply into the domain of the קליפות. The dialogue between Isaac and Ishmael that we have reported shows that the latter was proud of his circumcision; the dialogue also triggered Isaac's offer to be a sacrifice, and G–d giving Abraham a chance to demonstrate that his reverence for G–d exceeded his love for his own flesh and blood. Hagar, Sarah's maid servant, humbled herself and adopted at least part of Sarah's lifestyle. This is why she is called קטורה later on, meaning that her deeds were as dear to G–d as the incense-offering called קטורת. Another reason cited in Bereshit Rabbah is that even though she had been expelled she refrained from cohabiting with anyone after she had left Abraham's household. The word קטורה then is equivalent to קשר, the aramaic equivalent for קטר, knot. The Midrash uses this hyperbole to describe Hagar's chastity. When Isaac lay bound on the altar, these various deeds of Abraham and Hagar were seen to be foreshadowing future events. Abraham bound and tied Isaac on Mount Moriah as a sacrifice.

There is another aspect to this, one which does not necessitate the second letter ב at all. I therefore propose the following solution: When Abraham had one son who was a קליפה, i.e. Ishmael, this happened to him because of “בכל,” because he was surrounded by קליפות from both sides. His having a son such as Ishmael is therefore described as being in the nature of a בת, a lesser level of intimacy (with G–d in this case) than that of אחות, or אם. When the angel stressed והנה בן לשרה אשתך, "your wife Sarah will have a son," in 18,10, he alluded to this superiority of Sarah over Abraham as regards the offspring and its purity. This is why before she expels Hagar and Ishmael, Sarah stresses לא יירש בן האמה הזאת עם בני, "the son of this maid-servant will not inherit with my son" (21,10). Sarah refers to the קליפה aspect of Ishmael. The Rabbi who claimed that Abraham was blessed by not having a בת, daughter, refers to a period when Abraham had attained a still higher spiritual level, a period when he qualified for the description of אב, (the level of Adam at the time of his creation, seeing his soul was rooted in the emanation חכמה which is known as אבא.)

This may be the reason why when Abraham is reported as "sitting" in 18,1 the word Yoshev sitting is spelled defective without the letter ו. [maybe the letter ו symbolizes upright posture. Ed.] This indicates that he tried to rise. At that point G–d told him that he would be a symbol for his descendants, for G–d Himself would rise as a member of a collegiate of judges. How does the subject of "judges" enter the picture here? The meaning is that at that point G–d revealed to Abraham that the attribute of Justice was extended over Sodom. The reason Abraham was informed of this, now that he was circumcised, is that justice is something that can only be administered by people who have been circumcised, as we know from Exodus 21,1: ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם, "These are the judgments you are to place before them. "The words "before them" are to exclude Gentiles who have not been circumcised, as we learn from Gittin 88. Being uncircumcised is not only a matter of the foreskin, but the same concept also applies to one's thinking processes. This is why we have ערלי לב, people whose hearts have remained "uncircumcised" (Ezekiel 44,7). All the Gentiles fall into that category; they therefore cannot be entrusted to administer the laws of the Torah. The Torah calls the judges א-להים, the same letters as in מילה, (allowing for the addition of the letter א for G–d), and that is also the name of G–d which represents the מרכבה. This is the meaning of Genesis 17,22: ויעל א-להים מעל אברהם, "G–d "rose" from Abraham." Judges have to be סמוכים, i.e. close to G–d, a condition that cannot be attained until after circumcision. [Nowadays סמוכים means ordained. Ed.] The letter א that the word מילה falls short of being equal to the word א-להים alludes to the fact that man, even when at his spiritually highest plateau, still remains one little bit below the spiritual level of G–d, as we know from Psalms 8,6: ותחסרהו מעט מא-להים, "You have made him a little less than divine. The same is true of the 50 levels of intelligence and insight. The most any man, (Moses), was granted was 49 levels of such knowledge and insight. Our sages in Rosh Hashanah 21b have derived this from reading the word מעט in Psalms 8,6 as מט, i.e. 49.

The Mishnah quoted from Avot 4,4 concludes by reminding us that all we have to look forward to in the grave is רימה, i.e. worms. The editor of that Mishnah implies that this is so only when the person in question has not adopted the lifestyle suggested by the author of the Mishnah, and has instead adopted a high profile, i.e. רמה קרנו. In other words: Employing the wrong vowel in this world results in the wrong vowel becoming your destiny after death.

In order to appreciate the dimension of holiness Isaac represented, it is fitting that we first see what the Zohar says on the subject of the עקדה. When Abraham was about to slaughter Isaac, the latter's soul flew away to be replaced later by a holy spirit from the Celestial Regions. It follows then that Isaac's life after the עקדה, was the life of a human being who had not originated from a drop of semen. We must view Isaac as someone re-born in consequence of that experience: a totally new creature. G–d had applied the strictest yardstick to him by letting him die, and subsequently by infusing him with a new soul. He had also sanctified his body; from that time on Isaac's body resembled that of אדם הראשון, also not the product of a drop of semen. Now we understand also why the ram which Abraham sacrificed in lieu of Isaac was not the product of natural procreation, i.e. through semen, but was created during the period of dusk on the sixth day of Creation as reported in Avot 5,6. When Genesis 22,13 describes this ram as והנה איל אחר נאחז וכו' "and here a ram after was caught, etc.," this means that this ram was created after all the other mammals had already been created and had procreated. The word אחר therefore is to be understood in the same sense as the same word when Abraham said to the angels אחר תעבורו. Isaac teaches us about G–d's very first objective when He set out to create this universe which would develop to become as perfect as He envisaged it.

In order to appreciate the dimension of holiness Isaac represented, it is fitting that we first see what the Zohar says on the subject of the עקדה. When Abraham was about to slaughter Isaac, the latter's soul flew away to be replaced later by a holy spirit from the Celestial Regions. It follows then that Isaac's life after the עקדה, was the life of a human being who had not originated from a drop of semen. We must view Isaac as someone re-born in consequence of that experience: a totally new creature. G–d had applied the strictest yardstick to him by letting him die, and subsequently by infusing him with a new soul. He had also sanctified his body; from that time on Isaac's body resembled that of אדם הראשון, also not the product of a drop of semen. Now we understand also why the ram which Abraham sacrificed in lieu of Isaac was not the product of natural procreation, i.e. through semen, but was created during the period of dusk on the sixth day of Creation as reported in Avot 5,6. When Genesis 22,13 describes this ram as והנה איל אחר נאחז וכו' "and here a ram after was caught, etc.," this means that this ram was created after all the other mammals had already been created and had procreated. The word אחר therefore is to be understood in the same sense as the same word when Abraham said to the angels אחר תעבורו. Isaac teaches us about G–d's very first objective when He set out to create this universe which would develop to become as perfect as He envisaged it.

In order to appreciate the dimension of holiness Isaac represented, it is fitting that we first see what the Zohar says on the subject of the עקדה. When Abraham was about to slaughter Isaac, the latter's soul flew away to be replaced later by a holy spirit from the Celestial Regions. It follows then that Isaac's life after the עקדה, was the life of a human being who had not originated from a drop of semen. We must view Isaac as someone re-born in consequence of that experience: a totally new creature. G–d had applied the strictest yardstick to him by letting him die, and subsequently by infusing him with a new soul. He had also sanctified his body; from that time on Isaac's body resembled that of אדם הראשון, also not the product of a drop of semen. Now we understand also why the ram which Abraham sacrificed in lieu of Isaac was not the product of natural procreation, i.e. through semen, but was created during the period of dusk on the sixth day of Creation as reported in Avot 5,6. When Genesis 22,13 describes this ram as והנה איל אחר נאחז וכו' "and here a ram after was caught, etc.," this means that this ram was created after all the other mammals had already been created and had procreated. The word אחר therefore is to be understood in the same sense as the same word when Abraham said to the angels אחר תעבורו. Isaac teaches us about G–d's very first objective when He set out to create this universe which would develop to become as perfect as He envisaged it.

The line 18,7) ,ואל הבקר רץ אברהם) may be understood as parallel to the heavenly meat that the angels are reported as having fried for אדם הראשון, as reported in Sanhedrin 59. Abraham prepared the bread but did not serve it, since the time for manna which would be ground for the righteous in the heavenly region called שחקים was not yet ripe. Since Adam, however, had already been the recipient of meat from the heavenly regions before he sinned, Abraham saw no reason not to offer meat to these guests from heaven. The bread he prepared assumed a sacred character, seeing Abraham had been feeding the poor at all times, and the reason his descendants were found worthy to feed on heavenly bread was because of their ancestor Abraham's mercy. Unfortunately, the Israelites sinned when they made derogatory comments about the manna, describing it as לחם הקלקל, "bread that is lacking in substance" (Numbers 21,5). This heavenly bread will only appear again in the future that we have spoken of. The reason that

This message is also alluded to in the wording of Genesis 1,3 where G–d gave the directive יהי אור, and the Torah reports: ויהי אור. The letters in G–d's name י-ה-ו-ה, are really only י-ה-ו, seeing that the letter ה appears twice. If Adam had not sinned, the name would have been י-ה-ו-ה. Unfortunately, the spiritual level necessary for that name never existed, not even when we merited the building of the Holy Temple, at which time the Ineffable Name of G–d was of the י-ה-ו-ה variety. This is what Solomon refers to in Kohelet 11,3 that במקום שיפול העץ שם י-ה-ו, the word שם has to be vocalised Shem, i.e. the Name will consist of the letters Yud-Heh-Vav. Genesis 1,3 hints at G–d's original plan which provided for יהי instead of יהו. When the Torah reports ויהי אור, i.e featuring the three letters of the present "full" name of G–d, this is a hint that part of the "great light" was already withheld; G–d anticipated Adam's נפילה, "fall." אדם הראשון caused that "fall"' by eating from the tree of knowledge. The meaning of Kohelet is now clear. "The place the tree fell is the cause that the letters in the name of G–d remain י-ה-ו. The world as it is cannot rise above that level of G–d's name. When G–d says of Abraham in Genesis 18, 18 that ואברהם היו יהיה לגוי גדול, we have the implied promise that in the future, as a result of someone like Abraham, that configuration described as “היו,” will eventually be changed to the configuration “יהיה.” If Abraham is previously described as standing under the "tree,” this is a hint that he "stands guard,” insures that the original design for the world will materialise: that the fall from grace due to having eaten from the tree will be reversed.

I have explained earlier how Abraham is the source of the fulfilment of G–d's Name becoming י-ה-י-ה instead of י-ה-ו-ה, and how this is alluded to in the name Abraham called Mount Moriah, i.e. השם יראה.

Come and see what is stated in the continuation of the Zohar above: The Holy One Blessed is He fashioned a special throne of glory for Yaakov to sit upon as the righteous man enters the next world. Then, when the soul beholds all this honor it blesses and praises the Holy One Blessed is He and prostrates itself before Him, giving praise and acknowledgement for the great distinction and honor it has received. Then it prays for the body as well, asking that it, too, be allowed to rest securely without suffering the afflictions of the grave. And it recites Tehillim 103, “My soul, bless Hashem, and all that is in me [bless] His holy Name, etc.” When the other Patriarchs, Avraham and Yitzchak, hear of this, they also go to greet the righteous soul. Concerning this was it stated, “And Avraham lifted up his eyes” (Bereishis 18:2). This actually refers to the soul of the righteous man, for the Zohar terms the soul of a righteous man with the name Avraham. “And Avraham saw” — this refers to the man’s soul. “And behold three men were standing over him” — this refers to the souls of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, along with the glory of the Shechinah. Then immediately it is said that “and Avraham ran” — referring again to the man’s soul — “to greet them from the opening of the tent, and he bowed to the ground” — that is, towards the Shechinah. Afterwards the soul prays, “Hashem, do not depart from Your servant!” That is, it requests that the Shechinah accompany it until the gates of Gan Eden to protect and guard it from all its accusers. See the Zohar there at length.