18:1 “וירא אליו ד' באלוני ממרא, והוא יושב פתח האוהל כחם היום” “Hashem appeared to him (Avrohom Avinu) in the plains of Mamre, while he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day.” We know that Hakodosh Boruch Hu appeared to Avrohom Avinu, but why doesn’t the Torah say it explicitly, “אברהםוירא ד' אל ”?
18:4 “יקח נא מעט מים ורחצו רגליכם והשענו תחת העץ” – “Let a little water be brought; bathe your feet and recline under the tree.” Why did Avrohom only give the guests, “מעט מים” – a little water? Water comes from the spring and is free for all people – why be cheap with the water and only give them, “a little?” If one is very thirsty and does not drink something before he eats, he will not eat properly – he will end up eating much less. One who is thirsty should first drink a little, and then he will be able to eat to his heart’s content. Shlomo Hamelech tells us in Mishlei that the way you will know if someone is stingy is if he first offers you food and then drink. He is doing this so that you will not eat a lot of his food. At the same time, if one is thirsty and drinks a lot, he will become full, and will then not eat much. The way to do it properly is to first drink a little, and then one will eat properly. Additionally, if one is very tired from physical exertion, such as travelling, then he will not eat properly until his body has rested. The way to get one’s body to “relax”, is by washing the feet, and then rest a little bit. Avrohom sought to do the best that he could for his guests. He knew it was a very hot day, and thus knew that his guests must have been very thirsty. He thus had only a little water brought to them, in order to quench their thirst, but not to fill them up. Then he brought more water for them to wash their feet, so that they could become relaxed, and thus, once they would be relaxed, they would be able to eat to their hearts’ content. (עוד יוסף חי)
Chazal tell us in Meseches Avos that the world stands on תורה, עבודה, וגמילת חסדים. What does גמילת חסדים mean? It is from a lashon of גומל, to wean – meaning that the more one weans another from himself – the more one does not make the person beholden to him – the greater the chessed. If one performs a chessed for another, but makes the person feel terribly indebted – that is not much of a chessed. Avrohom Avinu awas a very important person in the world – but when it came to his performing the mitzvah of hachnosas orchim, he made it as if he was not important. He made it as if he is just some person who happens to have food and is giving his guests food. No big deal – there is no need for the guests to feel beholden. The Torah does not mention Avrohom’s name to teach us that when he did this mitzvah, he made himself nameless – he was unimportant. May we be zoche to perform all the mitzvos of the Torah in the optimal manner.
- RABBI YAKOV YOSEF SCHECHTER
