Vayeirah
Chesed Every Day/One Jew, One Man, One Day/The World Stood on the Pillar of Chesed/The Benefit of Eating With a Tzadik/Seeing When Chesed is Needed/Doing Hachnasas Orchim Wisely/Forgiving a Loan for Hachnasas Orchim/Doing Hachnasas Orchim Physically/Bitul Torah for Gemilus Chasadim/All Gates are Open/Giving to Many Poor People/One Goes Beyond Nature to Give Tzedakah Merits Supernatural Salvations/The Law of Sodom and Amorah/Don’t be the Agent to Harm Others
וַיֵּרָ א אֵלָיו ה' בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְ רֵ א וְהוּא ישֵׁב פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל כחם היום (יח, א)
And Hashem appeared to him in the plains of Mamreh and he was sitting by the door to the tent in the heat of the day. (18:1)
Chesed Every Day:
The Skulener Rebbe zy”a (Sefer Noam Eliezer) explains that the yeitzer hara gave Avrohom Avinu many excuses he could have used to exempt himself from doing chesed. It told him that he had just underwent bris milah and was too weak. It claimed that he had done chesed before and would do it again another day. It asked him: Why do you need to do chesed today? Can’t you take a day off?
Avrohom replied that every day has its own need for chesed. Each day is its own entity that must be utilized for avodas Hashem. Thus, the pasuk is saying that he was “in the heat of the day”, meaning that he heatedly screamed, “I must do chesed today!”
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In this vein, the Tzemach Tzedek zy”a stated that a day when one doesn’t do tzedakah or chesed is not counted towards the reckoning of a person’s days in this world. In other words, a day without chesed is not a day at all.
One Jew, One Man, One Day:
Sefer Iglei Chen (written by Rav Noach Gad Weintraub zt”l, page 16) quotes the Kotzker Rebbe zy”a as saying that a person must be aware of three things: There is one Jew, one man, and one day. He explains as follows:
There is one Jew: Avrohom Avinu was alone in his generation. He didn’t pay any attention to the gentiles all around him, even though they thought he was insane and called him a heretic for not believing in Nimrod and their idols. So too, any Jew who unfortunately finds himself alone, surrounded by bad people, must scream aloud that Hashem is the only true G-d, and he must not be scared to be inform them that everyone may serve only Him.
There is one man: If one sees a poor man, he must consider it as if he is the only man in the world who can help him. He must think that if he doesn’t assist this needy individual, there is no one else who can do so.
There is one day: One must consider it as if he has only one day of life. One must view every day as if it is his only day on this world, and, therefore, he must grab the opportunity to do as many mitzvos and good deeds as
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שָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְ א וְהִנֵּה שְׁ לשָׁה אֲנָשִׁ ים נִצָּבִים עָלָיו וַיַּרְ א וַיָּרָ ץ לִקְרָ אתָם וַיּוגו' (יח, ב)
He lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were approaching him and he ran towards them... (18:2) he can today, as there will be no other day to do them.
With this in mind, he explains the Mishnah (Avos 2:10): “Your friend’s honor should be as beloved to you as your own and repent one day before your death and warm yourself from the light of Chochomim.” This refers to all three of these concepts. “Your friend’s honor should be as beloved to you as your own.” When one provides sustenance for a poor man, he shouldn’t think that there are others who also could provide for him. Rather, one should care for him as if he is the only one who can do so, just like one does for himself.
“Repent one day before your death.” Consider each day as if it is your last. Think of each day as if it is your only one to acquire mitzvos and good deeds.
“And warm yourself from the light of Chochomim.” Acquire as much wisdom as you can because you consider it as if the entire world depends on you – as if you are the only Jew in the world.
The World Stood on the Pillar of Chesed:
Sefer Toldos Yaakov Yosef writes that the “three men” are symbolic of the three pillars upon which the world stands – Torah, avodah and gemilus chasadim – which are
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representative of the three Avos. Yaakov Avinu represents the pillar of Torah, as is stated (Bereishis 27:22): “The voice is the voice of Yaakov.” Yitzchok Avinu represents the pillar of avodah, and Avrohom Avinu represents the pillar of chesed. This means that before the births of Yitzchok and Yaakov, the world was standing just upon the one pillar of chesed.
Accordingly, the pasuk is saying that Avrohom saw the “three men” – i.e., the three pillars of the world – and they were “nitzavim alav”, which can be translated to mean that they were resting upon him, as the entire world at that time was supported by his pillar of gemilus chasadim. Therefore, “he ran towards them”, in order to fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim and fortify the pillar of chesed.
The Benefit of Eating With a Tzadik:
It is related (Sefer Bais Mordechai, page 103) that the Tzemach Tzadik of Vizhnitz zy”a would frequently travel to the city of Kolomaya, where he would visit the Rov, Rav Hillel of Kolomaya zy”a, who would reciprocate by visiting the Tzemach Tzadik in Vizhnitz. On one of Rav Hillel’s visits to Vizhnitz, he found the Rebbe sitting with his chasidim at a seudah arranged in honor of Rosh Chodesh. The Rebbe immediately said to him, “Kolomayer Rov, vash zich. (Wash your hands to join us for the seudah).”
Rav Hillel replied, “Thank you but I already ate lunch.”
He sat down next to the Rebbe and observed how the chasidim
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pushed forward to hear his divrei Torah and grab “shirayim”. Rav Hillel, who was known as a “mocheach”, said to the Rebbe, “I see that the chasidim love your words of Torah and strongly desire to hear everything you say. Therefore, it would be fitting for you to fulfill the Torah’s obligation of ‘hocheach tocheach es amisecha’ (Vayikroh 19:17) by giving them mussar, as they surely will accept your rebuke.”
The Tzemach Tzadik replied, “Odom Harishon was Hashem’s handiwork. He was so holy that the angels would serve him. The force of evil was jealous of him. It did what it did and thereby damaged the world. Noach the Tzadik then arose with intent to rectify the world. But the force of evil was jealous of him as well and it brought him down, as the verse states (Bereishis 9:20):‘Vayichal Noach’, which Rashi explains to mean that he made himself ‘chulin’ (mundane).
“Avrohom then arose and forged a new path that the Satan didn’t understand. He brought Arab guests into his home and gave them food and drink. The Satan is ‘heimish’ with food and drink. He thinks they are part of his realm, so he didn’t oppose Avrohom. However, the Satan eventually realized that baalei teshuva were being made in Avrohom’s home. So what did he do? He got other people to also invite guests – Onor, Eshkol and Mamrei, as well as Lot. In their homes, guests could eat without making a bracha and without hearing Avrohom’s words of mussar. This created a need to find new ways to get
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people to serve Hashem, without the Satan mixing in. Therefore, tzadikim found other ways – besides for using food and drink – to influence people. They came out with new methods to do this, and once the Satan realized how they were bettering people and came up with ways to deter them, they switched to other methods.
“This went on until the Bais Hamikdosh was erected. It was then established that people who sinned would bring a korban, and the Kohen who accepted the korban would look at them with Ruach Hakodesh and he would be able to discern if they had done proper teshuva or not. If he sensed that they hadn’t done full teshuva, he would signal to the Leviim, who would begin to sing moving songs that aroused the individual to repent. Only afterwards would he bring the Korban Chatas. The Kohanim would then eat from the korban, and the one who brought it would receive his atonement. He would leave the Bais Hamikdosh clean and free of sin. (This concept is explained in Sefer Me’ohr Vashemesh, Parshas Korach, in the name of Sefer Bris Menucha.) However, the force of evil became jealous of this as well, and it caused the Bais Hamikdosh to be destroyed.
“Later, the Baal Shem Tov zy”a arose and started a new derech. He instituted a system where the Rebbe sits with chasidim as they eat and drink. The Rebbe does not afflict or rebuke them. Rather, the Tzadik eats in kedusha and taharah until the tish becomes akin to a Mizbeach. This eating is considered like the bringing of
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korbanos, and the chasidim walk away at the end clean and free of sin.”
When the Rebbe finished speaking, Rav Hillel stood up and declared, “Oib azoi, gei mich oich vashin. (If this is so, I will go and wash my hands to join the seudah).”
Seeing When Chesed is Needed:
It is said that Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin zt”l, the Rov of Yerushalaim, consecrated his entire life to Hashem, to the extent that he never stopped thinking in learning and connecting to Him for a moment. During meals in his home, many guests would eat at his table. He himself, however, would not wash for bread. Instead, he would just eat a few morsels while sitting at the head of table, fully immersed in thoughts of Torah.
One day, during a meal, he suddenly got up and walked to the far end of the table. He sat down next to an old man who had no teeth and found it hard to eat. He cut up the man’s food, removed the tougher portions, and fed him the softer parts with a smile on his face.
After the guests left, his close student, Rav Dov Ber Grossberg zt”l, asked permission to ask a question. After being granted permission, he said, “The Rov is always completely immersed in his thoughts. How did he notice that the old man was having trouble eating?”
Rav Yehoshua Leib replied, “You are asking a good question, but it would have been more
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appropriate for you to ask it during the week of Parshas Vayeirah.”
He continued to explain that we read in Parshas Vayeirah that Hashem revealed Himself to Avrohom Avinu. He received a Heavenly prophecy and was on a level of dveikus with Hashem that we cannot come close to comprehending. Still and all, despite the fact that he was on such a lofty spiritual plane, he noticed three travelers approaching, and he ran to greet them.
Rav Yehoshua Leib said, “Why didn’t you ever ask your question on Avrohom Avinu? Why didn’t you ask how Avrohom noticed the guests while he was in the middle of a nevuah? In any case, the answer to both questions is the same: When there is a need to do chesed, one can always see it!”
Doing Hachnasas Orchim Wisely:
In order not to embarrass a guest, it is sometimes necessary to do the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim in a clever manner.
Sefer Adir B’Melucha relates that the home of the Buhusher Rebbe zy”a was open to all. Every hungry person was welcome to eat there. One day, a man who appeared wealthy came to the door with a strange request. He said, “I am a rich man and I get a lot of mail. My neighbors’ kids play near my mailbox, and they sometimes even climb into it. I am worried that some of my mail might get lost. Therefore, would it be alright for my mail to be delivered from now on to the
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Rebbe’s home?”
Of course, the Rebbe agreed to do this favor for the man. From then on, this man would come to the Rebbe’s house every afternoon to ask if any mail had come for him. However, after days passed and not a single letter came for the man, the Rebbitzen asked the Rebbe what he thought the story was. The Rebbe said, “It seems to me that the man is hungry. He wants food but he is embarrassed to ask.”
The Rebbitzen said, “If I offer him a meal, he will be even more embarrassed!”
The Rebbe laughed and said, “When he comes tomorrow, tell him that the postman hasn’t come yet. While he waits, give him some food to eat.”
The Rebbitzen did as the Rebbe suggested and, from that day on, she did this every day. The man would arrive and the Rebbitzen would tell him to wait a few minutes for the mailman. In the meantime, she would serve him a meal. After he ate and rested a bit, he would go on his way.
Forgiving a Loan for Hachnasas Orchim:
When Rav Avrohom Antebi zt”l served as Rov of the city of Aleppo, Syria, there lived in his town a very wealthy merchant who gave a lot of tzedakah to the poor. In addition to giving charity, he provided loans to people in need of money.
One day, this merchant was approached by a poor man who asked for a loan. The rich man immediately gave him the
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amount he requested and they agreed that the money would be paid back in three months. The poor man signed the IOU and thanked the lender for his help. Three months passed but the poor man did not return to repay the debt. Since he had a large family and many expenses, he was unable to come up with the money, and he couldn’t find anyone to lend him enough to repay his debt to the rich man.
The rich man summoned the poor man to appear before the town’s beis din. The Dayanim heard his claims, and the poor man had nothing to say in his defense. All he could say was that he had no money.
The Dayanim ruled that the borrower had to either repay his debt or ask the lender for an extension. The poor man walked out in a state of despair. He had no idea how he would come up with the money, and the rich man did not agree to extend the repayment period. As he walked, he bumped into the Rov, Rav Avrohom Antebi, and told him the entire story. The Rov told him to return to him the next day, and he encouraged him not to despair and to keep up hope.
The next morning, the Rov davened Vasikin, as he always did. He then went to visit the wealthy man in his home. When he knocked on the door, the maid went to see who was there so early in the morning. She was surprised to see the Rov of the city standing by the door and she hurried to inform her boss who was waiting to speak with him. He was also shocked by the visit and he ran to greet the Rov. He invited him in, sat him down by the table, and offered him the
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best food he had in his home. However, the Rov just sat there silently. He didn’t taste any of the food, and he remained quiet. The balhabos said to him, “The Rov’s visit to my house today is worth a thousand gold coins to me, and seeing his face is considered to me like seeing the face of the angel of Hashem!”
But the Rov asked, “Why do you exaggerate so much? I am well-aware of the exaggerations merchants make about their merchandise and in everything else they say.”
The rich man justified himself and said, “Chas v’shalom! It is the truth that I feel immense honor from being granted this unexpected visit from the Rov!”
The Rov said to him, “If you are truly and sincerely saying this, is my visit worth three hundred groschen to you?”
The man replied, “This visit is worth more than a thousand gold pieces!”
The Rov then said, “If so, I would ask you to give me the IOU of that poor man who owes you money.”
The merchant immediately brought the poor man’s contract and the Rov told him, “You know the plight of the poor borrower. I ask you to forgive him and waive the debt.’
The balhabos willingly agreed to forgive the debt, and the Rov tore up the IOU. Afterward, he sat down to eat and drink. The Rov then left and gave the poor man the torn contract.
Doing Hachnasas Orchim Physically:
It is related that when a caravan of people moving from Chutz La’aretz to Eretz Yisroel would arrive in Yerushalaim, Rav Yosef Zundel Salant zt”l, the Rov of the city, would personally go out to greet the newcomers. After warmly greeting them, he would ask if they had any relatives in town and where they were planning on staying.
Upon being told the names of the relatives and where they lived, he would quickly take their bundles and suitcases from them and carry them on his shoulder to the addresses. And if he heard that they had no relatives, he would take the bundles to the bais knesses in the courtyard of the Churvah of Rav Yehuda Hachasid, where they would stay until they found an apartment.
When a group of new arrivals were informed that the famed Gaon of Yerushalaim had carried their belongings for them, they went to ask him mechilah. However, he laughed and said, “On the contrary, you brought me much joy by enabling me to physically perform the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim.”
Bitul Torah for Gemilus Chasadim:
Rav Yitzchok Zev of Brisk zt”l related that his father, Rav Chaim of Brisk zt”l, once heard the Dayanim of his beis din complaining to Rav Eliyahu Chaim Meisel zt”l, the Rov of Lodzh, saying that they were spending a lot of time being involved with chesed and tzedakah, and this was causing bitul Torah. Rav Chaim became upset and said, “If a Rov isn’t
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willing to close his Gemara to go out and help others, then even when his Gemara is open, it is considered closed. And if a Rov is willing to close his Gemara to help others, then even when his Gemara is closed, it is considered open.”
All Gates are Open:
The following story is related in Sefer Emunah Shleimah:
There once was a Yid who was unable to cover all his household expenses and was forced to go around collecting money in shuls. He would wake up at 5am to begin his rounds of collecting in various batei knesses. His neighbor owned a comfortable car, and he would give him rides from shul to shul, claiming that he was going that way anyway.
At first, he thought that it was just a coincidence that his neighbor had to go to the same places as him, but then he realized that even when he woke up late, his neighbor would wait for him and give him a ride. He then realized that he was going out of his way to help him.
He asked him why he was being so nice. At first, he did not want to answer him, but when he begged him to tell him the reason for this, he related as follows:
“There was a homeless man who lived in my house for a while. He would eat and sleep in my home. One day, he revealed to me that he had been diagnosed with cancer. I built him a private apartment attached to my house and provided him with all he needed to be as comfortable as possible in his condition. Sadly, the disease progressed and he
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continued to deteriorate.
“A few months before his death, he said to me: You know that my days are numbered. I want to give you a gift for everything you’ve done for me in the last nine years.’
“I told him, ‘Boruch Hashem, I have everything in need. I don’t need anything.’ But the man insisted and said, ‘Still, I want you to ask me to give you something!’
“I said to him, ‘I ask you to promise me that after you leave this world, you will come to me in a dream and tell me what happened in the Upper World.’
“Of course, I didn’t really mean it, but the sick man told me three times that he swore to come and tell me. 30 days after his death, he came to me in a dream and said, ‘Know that because of the suffering I went through during my life, I was entitled to enter Gan Eden immediately, but since I promised, I had to go through severe suffering to come to you. I want to tell you that people who seem simple in this false world are of a very high rank in the next world and are highly regarded in Shomayim. On the other hand, people who seem important in the false world are very small in the next world.”
“’Secondly, in Shomayim, every mitzvah is examined as to how a person did it, with what intention, whether he did it with joy or not, etc., but there is one mitzvah that is not examined in Shomayim to see whether it was done with pride, honor, or proper desire. This is the mitzvah of doing chesed. When a person does chesed and helps
