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The second verse of Torah portion of Vayeira reads, “And he [Avraham] raised his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed to the ground.” The Torah goes on to say how the “men” dined with Avraham and foretold the birth of his son Yitzchak. From there, two of them proceeded to Sodom and Ammorah which they destroyed while saving Avraham’s nephew Lot and his family.
Prophets, Angels, or a Vision?
There are various opinions as to who these beings were.
- Prophets
According to the Bechor Shor, Ralbag, and one opinion in the Ibn Ezra, these men were prophets who came to inform Sarah of the upcoming birth of a son and then went to Sodom and Ammorah to bring down Divine punishment upon them while at the same time saving Lot. - A Vision
In his Guide for the Perplexed, Rambam writes that this entire event was a prophetic vision which didn’t occur in the physical realm. - Angels
Most of the commentaries disagree with those positions and explain that the three men were really angels who “dressed up” in human bodies, pretended to eat, and then, using their angelic power, foretold the birth of Yitzchak and went on to destroy the above-mentioned cities. The Seforno explains that this is why Avraham bowed when greeting them – because they appeared as awesome beings.
Which Angels?
The Talmud says that the three angels who appeared in this story were Michoel, who came to inform Sarah about the birth of Yitzchak and to save Lot, Refael who came to heal Avraham, and Gavriel who came to destroy Sodom. Some say that it was Refael who saved Lot.
Water, Fire and Healing
The Ben Yehoyadah explains that since Michoel is the angel of water, it’s appropriate that he be the one to foretell a pregnancy which is associated with water. Gavriel is the angel of fire which is why he was sent to destroy Sodom, through fire and brimstone, while the name Refael indicates healing which is why he was sent to heal Avraham.
Kindness, Punishment, and a Blend of the Two
The Maharal explains that Michoel represents pure kindness and was therefore chosen to foretell the birth of Yitzchak – an absolute miracle stemming from G-d’s great kindness. He also went to save Lot (according to the Talmud) which was also an act of extreme kindness as Lot wasn’t worthy of being saved.
Gavriel represents punishment, which is why he destroyed the city of Sodom. While Refael represents a blend of kindness and severity, which is why he healed Avraham – a positive yet natural, event.
Why Did Refael Save Lot
The commentaries discuss why Refael doubled up on his mission and went to save Lot (according to Rashi and the Midrash, see above) instead of having another angel take on that mission.
I have seen two explanations for this:
- Part of the Healing
Refael’s mission was to heal Avraham. If a sick person gets bad news, it can cause him to regress. As such, the salvation of Lot was part of the healing of Avraham, so that he not become upset over the death of his nephew Lot. - In Order to Save Moshiach
The main reason that Lot was saved from Sodom was because he was destined to be the ancestor of Ruth, King David, and all King David’s descendants through his son Moab. Although the Torah prohibits men from the nation of Moab to marry Jewish women, the Torah allows Moabite women to marry Jewish men. Thus Ruth was allowed to marry Boaz and give birth to Oved, David’s grandfather. This interpretation (that female Moabites were permitted but not male) was based on the fact that the Moabites were ostracized for not providing bread and water for the Jewish people on their way out of Egypt. Since women are naturally modest and expected to stay in the tents (as we see from the verse, “They asked, ‘Where is Sarah your wife?’ And he said, “In the tent),” the Moabite women weren’t to blame for not supplying the Jewish people with sustenance. As such, the angel who would save Lot first went to Avraham’s tent and saw that Sarah remained in her tent. He understood from this that the female Moabites would be allowed to marry into the Jewish people and that Lot should be saved since his descendants will be legitimate and outstanding Jews.
Three Men Walk into a Tent-- a Baker, a Sailor, and an Arab...
The Midrash says that the three angels appeared like a baker, a sailor, and an Arab. It has been suggested that the baker was the one who foretold about the birth of Yitzchak (Michoel) since the Jewish people of all generations are sustained in the merit of the Akeidah (binding) of Yitzchak (as a baker sustains people with his bread). The sailor was the one who healed Avraham (Refael) as the Talmud says that the leaders of the nations of the world named Avraham the “captain of the ship.” The Arab was the destroyer of Sodom (Gabriel).
How Did They Stand?
According to the Talmud, when they appeared to Avraham, Michoel stood in the center since he was the most important angel, Gavriel on his right as he was second in importance, and Refael on Michoel’s left.
The Angel Michoel
Here is some more information about the angel Michoel:
- Michoel is one of only two angels mentioned in Tanach (in the Book of Daniel), where he is called the “Your Heavenly prince” “The great prince who stands [to defend] the Jewish people.” The other angel that’s mentioned is Gavriel.
- The Ramban explains that the Jewish people do not have an Archangel as do the nations of the world since G-d Himself protects us. Rather, the angel Michoel is our defense attorney against any celestial prosecutorial charges.
- As the defending angel of the Jewish people, it was Michoel who foretold the birth of our Patriarch Yitzchak and, according to the Talmud, saved Lot, the progenitor of King David and Moshiach, from the destruction of Sodom.
- The name Michoel means “Who is like G-d” (מי כ-אל)? This name is appropriate since, as a result of the birth of Yitzchak (which Michoel foretold), the greatness of G-d became known in the world.
- The Talmud says that the angel Michoel flies to this world with one “flap of his wings.”
- According to one opinion in the Midrash, Michoel saved Avraham from the fiery furnace. The Talmud says, however, that G-d saved him.
- According to the Midrash, it was the angel Michoel who pushed Haman onto Esther during her second party which led Achashverosh to believe that he was assaulting her. This was one of the factors that led to Haman’s execution.
- The Midrash says that while Haman was presenting his arguments to Achashverosh as to why he should be allowed to destroy the Jewish people, the angel Michoel was defending them in front of the Almighty, on high. G-d then proclaimed, “I swear by your life, I have not forsaken them, and I will never forsake them.”
May we merit to see G-d’s Great Salvation speedily in our days!
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMevorach!
Copyright 2024 by Rabbi Aryeh Citron
