The holy sefarim say that when a tzaddik excels in a mitzvah during his lifetime, he continues to perform this mitzvah after his petirah. For example, Avraham Avinu excelled in his hachnasas orchim, and until today, when a Yid performs hachnasas orchim, Avraham comes to help him perform the mitzvah. The story of Avraham Avinu's hachnasas orchim and the three malachim is written in the past tense: "He took... He went... He hurried... etc." The exception is the words (18:8), ויאכלו העץ תחת עליהם עומד והוא, "[Avraham] stands above them..." These words are written in the present tense. This implies that until today, when Yidden do hachnasas orchim, Avraham stands there. He is present, for he wants to partake in the mitzvah.
Reb Chaim of Brisk zt'l was extremely ill as a child, and the doctors lost hope. Rebbe Moshe Kobriner was visiting Brisk at the time and stayed at the home of Reb Chaim's grandfather. The grandfather asked the Rebbe, "What will be with my Chaimke?"
Chazan recited that begin with the words, יהי שבשמים אבינו מלפני רצון. But the final one begins with המקום ...ובשביה בצרה הנתונים ישראל בית כל אחינו ...עלים ירחם without the preface of רצון יהי. The Rebbes of Belz zt'l explain that when Yidden daven for one another, the gates of Hashem's compassion, open. We don't have to request that it should be Hashem's will because simply by davening for our fellow man, it certainly becomes Hashem's will to bestow kindness upon us.
In Eretz Yisrael, we began saying טל ותן ומטר on the seventh of Cheshvon. This was needed in the days of the Beis HaMikdash when people came to be לרגל עולה. We wanted to make sure that everyone returned home before we daven for rain.
The question is that now, due to our many sins, we don't have a Beis HaMikdash. So why don’t we begin davening for rain earlier?
Perhaps the answer is that we want to remember the reason behind the old halachah, that we were concerned for the very last Yid, that he should travel peacefully, without getting caught in a rainstorm, and without needing to travel through muddy roads. This attribute of chesed for every single Yid is something that we don't want ever to forget.
Hashem said to Kayin (4:7) תיטב אם הלוא שאת. The Tiferes Shlomo (Vayeira זעקת ה"ד) explains, "If you do kindness to others, Hashem will forgive all your aveiros."
The Midrash (Shochar Tov 65) says, "Whoever does chesed, his tefillos are answered."
Maharam Papirsh (Or Yashar) writes, "Whoever has compassion on others, heaven will have compassion on him, and they won't be too particular with his tefillah [to check whether his tefillos are adequate]. His tefillah will be answered with a happy countenance, and at a time of judgment, he will have many malachim advocating on his behalf."
It states (Tehillim 116) קולי את 'ה ישמע כי אהבתי תחנוני. Zera Shimshon (Kedoshim 5) explains these words with the Arizal's lesson, that one should say before the tefillah that he accepts upon himself the mitzvah of ואהבת כמוך לרעך. The Zera Shimshon explains, ישמע כי קולי את 'ה, when I want that Hashem should accept my tefillos, אהבתי, I increase my love for every man.
In this week's parashah, Hashem expresses his love for Avraham because of his attribute of Chesed. Hashem said (18:19) דרך ושמרו אחריו ביתו ואת בניו את יצוה אשר למען ידעתיו כי ומשפט צדקה לעשות 'ה, "For I have loved him, because he commands his children and his household after him that the keep the way of Hashem, doing charity and justice..."
This week's parashah also emphasizes Avraham's chesed, such as Avraham's perfection in hachnasas orchim. Let us go in Avraham Avinu's ways, which will bring us much needed chesed from Above.
