Parashat Vayera
Genesis 18:1  through Genesis 22:24

Topics (click on any link)
Synopsis of the Torah portion
Spiritual insights to Parashat Vayera
Key verses
Creative Midrash for Parashat  Vayera

Synopsis                                      return to top of page
Chapter 18
As Abraham sat in the entrance of his tent, he saw three unfamiliar men standing there. One said that I will return to you when life is due and your wife Sarah will have a son. Sarah, overhearing this conversation laughed because she knew she and Abraham were both old. God asked Abraham why Sarah laughed and than reiterated, "Is anything too wondrous for the Lord"
The three men continued on their way toward Sodom. God implies that he is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Upon hearing this, Abraham unraveled the well-known bargaining pattern with God not to destroy the guilty for the sake of fifty innocent people.  God relented. Then the number dropped to forty and again God softened. When the number dropped to ten, Abraham departed and returned to his tent.

Chapter 19
Two angels arrived in Sodom in the evening, as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. Lot asked them to spend the night in his house and he prepared a feast for them. Soon thereafter, the townspeople demanded the men who came so they can be "intimate" with them. Lot responded that he has two daughters who have never known a man. Take them but don't do anything to these men. As the townspeople attempted to batter down the door, a blinding flash of light rendered them helpless. The angels told Lot that the Lord sent them to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because their sins were so great. Lot then demanded that his family leave Sodom at once for it is about to be destroyed. The whole family was reluctant to leave but the angel led them out of the city and instructed them not to look back. Lot's wife looked back and she turned into a pillar of salt. Lot then settled in the hill country with his two daughters. One day the older daughter said to the younger, let us lie with our father for there is no man to consort with us. Each one in turn made their father drink wine and they lied down with him. Each one became with child. The older ones son was named Moab, the father of the Moabites; the younger ones son was named Ben-ammi, the father of the Ammonites.

Chapter 20
While sojourning in Gerar told King Abimelech that Sarah was his sister. That night God came to the King in a frightening dream who told him he would die on account of Sarah, but the King to God that Abraham said she was his sister, not his wife. The next morning the King asked Abraham why he lied and he replied that he was afraid that they would kill him for his wife. But once again, a King showered gifts upon Abraham as proof of his innocence. God also Abimelech and his wife and his slave girls so they can bear children for the Lord who closed the womb of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah.

Chapter 21
God granted a much awaited son to Abraham and Sarah who they named Isaac. Sarah took note of Abraham son by Hagar and insisted that the slave woman and her son be cast out. God told Abraham not to be distressed over the boy for I shall make a nation of him too, for he is your seed. In the wilderness Hagar lamented over the survival of her son because of the lack of water. God came to Hagar and told her He would make a great nation of her son and suddenly caused a well to appear. Sometime later, Abraham accused Abimelech for the well of water his servants seized, upon which the King favored Abraham because he knew God was with him, in everything he did.

Chapter 22
Once more did God put Abraham to the test. This time, however, we read in this pivotal chapter in Genesis, The Akedah, the sacrifice of Isaac.

One of the functions of ancient myths is to explain the origins of man and his universe. Just as science explains the workings of physical forces, early man was no less concerned about nature and how things evolved. Vayera is rich in these kinds of narratives; we will encounter more such stories throughout the Book of Genesis.

The fate of Sodom and Gomorrah exemplifies how destruction was the pronounced penalty for a type of wickedness, as exemplified by the immoral behavior of the residents towards Lot’s guests (the angels).  In Parashat Noach, a different kind of evil was punished in its appropriate manner, which explained that God is cognizant of different forms of evil.

Key verses                                     return to top of page
This page is not a commentary on the text, but a chance for you to express your own comments and feelings in order to gain deeper insight into your own life.

Genesis 18:3
He (Abraham) said, "My lords if it please you, do not go on past your servant. Let a little water be brought; bathe your feet and recline under the tree. Let me fetch a morsel of bread that you may refresh yourselves, then go on.
Food for thought:
1. What do you think this well-known verse is talking about?
2. Who was it Abraham was talking to, men or angels?
3. How would your behavior differ in a similar situation if you thought they were men or angels?

Genesis 18:23
Abraham came forward and said (to God), "Will you sweep away the innocent along with the guilty.
Food for thought:
1. How could a man bargain with God?
2. If you discovered what you thought was unjust, could you bargain with God? Or would you bargain with a earthly authority?
3. How do you think circumstances would work out in Israel today, if we bargained with God?
4. How does trust play into all of this? How trustful would you be if you bargained with God?

Genesis 19:1
The two angels arrived in Sodom in the evening.
Food for thought:
1. What could the Torah have in mind when three men left Abraham in Canaan, but two men showed up in Sodom?
2. Were they the same men? If so what happened to the third?
3. Have angels ever visited you? What was the message they brought?

Genesis 19:3
He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
Food for thought:
1. How did this meal differ from the one Abraham prepared?
2. Was Lot's understanding of these visitors the same as Abraham's?
3. How would you treat strangers, angels or not, if they showed up at your house?

Genesis 19:29
Thus it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain and annihilated the cities where Lot dwelt, God was mindful of Abraham and removed Lot from the midst of the upheaval.
Food for thought:
1. Why did God spare Lot? Was he blameless like Abraham?
2. Did God spare Lot because of His affection toward Abraham?
3. Or was Lot's survival important for other reasons? What could they have been?

Genesis 20:12
And besides she is in truth my sister, my father's daughter and not through my mother's; and she became my wife.
Food for thought:
1. Was Abraham lying to Abimelech as he previously did to Pharaoh in Egypt?
2. Was this an incestuous marriage?
3. Since laws of incest were not yet commanded, does that render Abraham and Sarah immune?
4. How does that apply to today? If there isn't a law if effect, can someone transgress it because it's morally wrong?

Genesis 20:17
Abraham then prayed to God; and God healed Abilmelech and his wife and his slave girls, so that they bore children; for the Lord had closed fast every womb of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, the wife of Abraham.
Food for thought:
1. Is it within the power of God to close wombs? Do you believe that fertility is in the hands of God?
2. Do you think God has such conscious control over our lives as to close wombs and than heal them?

Genesis 21:12
God said to Abraham, "do not be distressed over the boy (Ishmael) or your slave; whatever Sarah tells you, do as she says, for it is through Isaac that your offspring shall be continued for you.
Food for thought:
1. Why is God telling Abraham to do what his wife says? Does she know something Abraham doesn't?
2. Do women know something that men don't?
3. Is this verse reminiscent of other biblical stories you have heard?

Genesis 21:12
Abimelech said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything that you do"
Food for thought:
1. As descendants of Abraham, do you think that statement applies to us today?
2. Is God with us in everything we do? Can you trust that God is with us?
3. Can we actually believe that God is there for us in all our undertakings?

Genesis 22:1-2
Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test. He said to him, "Take your son, your favored one Isaac, whom you love, and go to the Land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering.
Food for thought:
1. How could God ask Abraham to perform such an unthinkable deed, especially since God promised Abraham a son who would become a great nation?
2. Do you think that God needed more tests to prove Abraham's faith and loyalty?
3. How could God have wanted to test him if he indeed know the outcome?
4. Who do you identify with in this story, Abraham or Isaac? If you were either one of them could you carry out the tasks
prescribed   to you?

Genesis 22:12
And he said, "Do not raise your hand against the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your favored one from me.
Food for thought:
1. How would you describe the terror and agony Abraham must have felt to go through with this supreme sacrifice?
2. What do you think Abraham thought as a result of the angel's declaration? What could he have felt?
3. Do you think this verse defines God's final last test for Abraham? If so, what does it mean for
Abraham that God knows that he fears Him

Additional questions to ponder:
1. What is it about the story, a verse, a word that seems to resonate with some aspect of your life?
2. Is there something about the story that rings a bell?
3. Can you recall experiences in your life when you have experienced something similar to this story?
4. How would you describe the characters in the story? Who do you know who's like them?
5. Can you personally identify with any one of the characters in the story? Which one?
6. Can you find a similarity between yourself and all the characters in the story?
 

Reflections:
The Rabbis of old would meditate on such questions, sometimes for weeks at a time, to help find deeper meaning in the
verses. You may wish to contemplate just one or a few of these questions at a time, rather than tackling them
all. In what ways were any of your responses to the questions personally meaningful?

Suggestion:
Some of the questions here are of a personal nature which in some cases could be emotionally upsetting. If so, try
relaxing your body as much as possible and takes long slow breaths of air. That usually helps to relieve anxiety.

We would like to know if you find this method of Torah study particularly helpful to you. Click here to let us know

Creative Midrash for Parashat Vayera                                      return to top of page

Genesis 21:2
Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken.
Genesis 21:3
Abraham gave his new born son, whom Sarah had borne him, the name of Isaac.
Genesis 22:1 Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test.
Genesis 22:2 And He said, "Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering.

The Rabbis of old would create parables, stories and narrative connections around such selected verses. What do you see between the lines, the sentences and the letters. The following questions can provide a launch pad upon which to create your own meanings of the Torah.

In Genesis 21:1, the Torah explicitly states "some time afterwards", implying that there was a time period between the time of Isaac's birth to the time God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, his most precious possession for which he waited a lifetime. What do you think could have happened during that time. Why do you think God decided to test Abraham? Some midrashim suggest that Isaac was already in his thirties when the sacrifice was to take place. Why would God have waited so long before putting Abraham to this test? Was this test really for Abraham or was it for Isaac? Have you ever been put through a nerve wracking test? How did you handle it? Would you handle it differently now?

Spend some time thinking about these questions. After you mentally process them for a day or two, it could be helpful to record your conclusions in a journal. In time this process can teach you to change many of your unproductive thoughts and beliefs for new ones that work more effectively.