Rabbi Roodyn

Last week we were introduced to Avraham Avinu, but it is in this week’s that sedra we really get to know him.

Avraham is a dynamic individual, who moves from place to place sharing his unshakeable emunah with Hashem. He has actively set himself aside from all of humanity, as shown by his decision to perform bris milah. He is known as Avraham HaIvri, literally Avraham from the other side. The whole world is on one side of the metaphorical river and he stands alone, firm in the courage of his convictions.

This provides us with the setting for the opening scene of parshas vayeira.  Avraham is being visited by Hashem and spots three men coming towards him. These men are the antithesis of everything that he stands for, they worship the dust of their feet, which the Maharal explains is the ultimate in materialism. Dust is the lowest category of creation and the foot is the lowest, most physical part of the body. He comes down from his exalted level to take care of their needs.  Rav Noach Weinberg ztl used to say that we see from here that Avraham is teaching us that being like Hashem is greater than speaking to Him.

Avraham’s expresses his relationship with G-d by being a G-dly person. This is the message of his bris milah, that holiness comes from setting boundaries on our interaction with the physical world. He takes care of these three travellers because he wants to elevate them, to set their heights higher than the dust of their feet. Dust is plentiful, it is available in abundance, but it is worthless. By showing them that man is capable of going against his instincts, of putting someone else and their needs first, of setting healthy limits on indulgence he is being a full partner in his relationship with Hashem.

It is from this sense of closeness and shared mission that Avraham is then able to argue with Hashem and beg him to spare the cities of Sedom. Again we see Avraham showing care and compassion for people who are the antithesis of all that he stands for. Sodom represents selfishness, hospitality is illegal and visitors are to be used and abused. Avraham the paragon of selfless chessed takes up their case and begs Hashem for justice and mercy.

Avraham’s chessed drives him to think big, to care about the world. He takes responsibility for those who are different to them, never giving up or losing hope about the potential that lies within each and every human being.