Parshas Vayera - How Avraham taught his guests about Hashem

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah (בראשית יח ב)

וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים נִצָּבִים עָלָיו וַיַּרְא וַיָּרָץ לִקְרָאתָם מִפֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אָרְצָה

And he lifted his eyes and he saw and behold there were three men standing close to him, and he ran to meet them from the entrance of the tent and he bowed down to the ground.

The Medrash Rabbah (מדרש רבה, מ"ח, ט') comments on this passuk

אמר ר' לוי, שלשת האנשים שנראו לאברהם אבינו אחד נדמה לו בדמות סרקי, ואחד בדמות נווטי ואחד בדמות ערבי

Rabbi Levi said, “One of the men appeared as a thief (this seems to be the translation of the Chasam Sofer, the Matnos Kehunah however brings the Aruch who translates סרקי as a baker, unless the Chasam Sofer agrees with the Aruch’s translation and refers to the סרקי as a ganav because the gemara in Kiddushin (82a) says that most storekeepers are ganavim), one of the men appeared as a sailor and one of the men appeared to Avraham as an Arab.”

Based on this medrash, the Chasam Sofer explains as follows:

• The Arabs used to serve Avodah Zara, as Rashi says (בראשית י"ח ד')

"ורחצו רגליכם" - כסבור שהם ערביים שמשתחוים לאבק רגליהם והקפיד שלא להכניס ע"א לביתו (ב"מ פ"ו)

Therefore Avraham would have to teach the Arab not to have emunah in avodah zarah but rather to have emunah in Hashem.

• A thief is on a higher madregah, as he has emunah in Hashem, as the gemara says

"גנבא אפום מחתרתא רחמנא קרי" (ברכות ס"ג)

A thief calls out to Hashem before he breaks into a house.

However a thief does not have bitachon that Hashem will provide him with a parnassah, because if he did, he would not steal. Therefore Avraham would have to teach the thief to have bitachon.

• Sailors, however, place their trust solely in Hashem as the gemara at the end of Kiddushin (קידושין פ"ב א') says - הספנין רובן חסידים – most sailors are tzaddikim, because they daven to Hashem to save them during a storm. Therefore Avraham would only have to teach the sailor the mitzvos of the Torah.

Subsequently we can understand Avraham’s conversation with the malachim as follows:

וַיֹּאמַר אֲדֹנָי אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אַל נָא תַעֲבֹר מֵעַל עַבְדֶּךָ.

First Avaraham asked the most senior of the group (the sailor), not to leave while Avraham explained the principles of emunah and bitachon to the Arab and to the thief.

יֻקַּח נָא מְעַט מַיִם וְרַחֲצוּ רַגְלֵיכֶם

Avraham told the Arab that through that aspect of the Torah which is compared to living water, he would be able to come to emunah in Hashem, who is the living G-d, and thus remove the dust of avodah zarah from his legs.

וְהִשָּׁעֲנוּ תַּחַת הָעֵץ

Avraham told the Arab and the thief that through that aspect of the Torah which is compared to a life-giving tree, they would be able to come to have bitachon that Hashem would provide them with their livelihood, and so rest “under the tree”.

We also find that the Torah is compared to bread in Mishlei (9:5) - לכו לחמו בלחמי. Rabbeinu Bachya (Vayelech) explains this comparison refers to the wisdom of the Torah.

שלמה המלך ע״ה המשיל התורה בפסוק זה ללחם ויין לפי שהלחם ויין עיקר המזון אשר לגוף כן התורה והחכמה עיקר מזון הנפש

Therefore Avraham explained that through that aspect of the Torah which is compared to bread, they would be able to understand the wisdom of Hashem, and he told his guests.

וְאֶקְחָה פַת לֶחֶם וְסַעֲדוּ לִבְּכֶם