וָאֵרָא אֶל־אַבְרָהָם אֶל־יִצְחָק וְאֶֶֽל־יַעֲקֹב...
And I revealed Myself to Avraham, to Yitzchok, and to Yaakov...(Shemos 6:3)
This verse has a commentary of Rashi which is one of the most puzzling ones in the entire Torah. After quoting the word וָאֵרָא - And I revealed Myself, Rashi comments: “To the Avos.” But the verse itself says “to Avraham, to Yitzchok, and to Yaakov” and everyone knows that these are our Avos! Why did Rashi need to make that comment?
Rashi is emphasizing that the revelations were granted to Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov during their lifetimes exclusively because they were the Avos - the forefathers of the future Klal Yisroel who transmit their spiritual attainments as an inheritance to all of their children. Thus, HaShem revealed Himself to the Avos for the purpose of making the awareness of HaShem a fundamental element in the make up of their descendants for all time.*
*[Based on “In the Garden Of The Torah” v.1 p.84]
