Vayeira

In this Sidra, we read of G-d’s appearance to Abraham after his circumcision. But why was his circumcision so great an act as to merit such a reward? This is the question that the Rebbe answers, and explains in depth the special relationship between the J...

Parshas Vayeira begins by telling us that G-d appeared to Avraham while “sitting at the entrance of his tent, in the heat of the day.” Why was he sitting there? To look for guests. Avraham dedicated himself to deeds of kindness, feeding hungry wayfarers i...

Adapted fromLikkutei Sic hos, Vol. X, p. 49ff;Sichos Shabbos Parshas Vayeira 5749, 5750, 5751, 5752 A Child’s Tears When Rabbi Sholem Dov Ber, the fifth of the Lubavitcher Rebbeim, was a young child, he was taken to his grandfather the Tzemach Tzedek for ...

The Mitzvah of Honoring guests: Why the Rambam attributes the establishment of this Mitzvah to Abraham. Also, the connection of Abraham's tamarisk tree to promoting Jewish Education.

Throughout the 1950s, the Jewish world was still smarting from the wounds of the Holocaust. In those trying years, the Rebbe cultivated a forward-looking orientation, focusing on Jewish youth and how to groom them to take leadership roles in promoting Jew...

What is better: establishing a bond with G‑d based on your knowledge, understanding, and will, or accepting such a bond with simple faith, without considering one’s own will or thought?

Martyrdom has, unfortunately, been a feature of the Jews’ Divine service over the course of history. However, on the surface, this phenomenon is not unique to our people. Many others have sacrificed their lives for their faiths, ideals, and values. Is the...

The fourth section of the Book of Genesis continues the chronicle of Abraham. The name of this section (Vayeira, “He appeared”) is its first word, describing G-d’s revelation to Abraham after his circumcision. This revelation is followed by the visit of t...

The Torah portion of Vayeira opens with the words: “G-d revealed Himself to Avraham.”Bereishis 18:1. The GemaraBava Metzia 86b. comments that this took place on the third day following Avraham’s circumcision; on that day, G-d visited him to inquire after ...

The Torah portion Vayeira, the Hebrew word for revelation, begins by stating that “G-d revealed Himself to him [Avraham] in the Plains of Mamrei….”Bereishis 18:1. The Zohar notesI 88b; see also ibid., 98a. that, prior to Avraham’s circumcision, he could o...