07/11/2025
Parashat Vayeira: Unity Through Pain
Shabbat Shalom, dear friends.
Parashat Vayeira opens with a curious and profound moment. Abraham, freshly circumcised at age 99, sits at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. God appears to him—wordlessly. Just then, Abraham spots three travelers and, astonishingly, asks God to wait while he limps out to greet them. It seems almost disrespectful. After all, as Rashi notes, these men may have been idol worshippers. Yet the Talmud teaches: “Hospitality is so great that it surpasses greeting the Divine Presence” (Shabbat 127a).
This moment is more than a test of kindness. It’s a test of transformation. Will Abraham retreat into his pain, or will he use that pain to connect with others who are also vulnerable?
Reb Shlomo Carlebach, whose yartzeit falls during this parsha, taught that there are two kinds of righteous people: those so close to God they avoid others, and those so close they must share that joy. A covenant with another person is private. But a covenant with God demands that we care about the well-being of others.
Abraham’s first act after entering this covenant is to help others. It’s one thing to mark commitment in flesh; it’s far harder to turn pain into healing. We often fear that giving means losing. But the opposite is true. Giving connects us, strengthens us. That’s one of the great secrets of unity.
And I always find it wondrously delightful that these three supposed idol worshippers were actually angels of Hashem, sent to heal Abraham, announce Sarah’s upcoming childbirth, and reveal the impending doom of S***m. Each message offered Abraham a chance to act: to be healed, to celebrate life, and to seek out humanity’s well-being.
This episode reminds us that the effects of the covenant are not momentary, they are perpetual. They call us to transform our struggles into compassion, our pain into empathy, and our isolation into connection. When we give to others, we don’t lose, we grow. And through that growth, we build unity.
I was circumcised against my will at eight days old, but I’ve never regretted my parents’ decision. I believe it is the wellspring from which I draw strength and commitment to build a better world.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Ariel Shalem & Maim Haim Team
