A Caring host - Vayeira 5786
There is an interesting Talmudic style question on one of the most famous stories in the Torah. First the story: Three angels in the form of people came to visit Avraham. They came to heal him after his circumcision at age 99, to tell Sarah the great news that she was going to have a child at age 90, and to destroy the city of Sodom. Avraham thought they were men, and in the fulfillment of his great kindness, he ran to them to invite them into his tent. This was especially striking since at that moment Hashem had appeared to Avraham, and, according to many interpretations of the story, Avraham asked Hashem to wait while he welcomed the guests. He gave them water to wash their feet, asked Sarah to bake bread, and prepared three tongues with mustard (a five star delicacy) for them to eat. This is actually quite shocking. When we say Shema we cover our eyes to block the world out. When we say the Amidahstanding with our feet together, we don’t look up from the...