Inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
The Summary
It is one of the most famous scenes in the Bible. Avraham sits at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day when three strangers pass by. He urges them to rest and eat. The text calls them men, but they are angels, and they bring the news that Sarah will have a child.
The chapter seems simple, yet it is complex. It has three parts:
- God appears to Avraham. - Avraham welcomes the visitors. - Avraham speaks to God about Sodom.
Are these one, two, or three scenes? Rashi sees three. First, God visits Avraham after his circumcision. Then the angels come. Then follows the dialogue about justice. Rambam, however, sees two: the visit of the angels and then the dialogue. The first verse, he says, is only a heading. A third view holds that this is one continuous scene. God appears, but before He can speak, Avraham notices the passers-by and asks God to wait while he serves them. Only after they leave does his conversation with God begin.
This makes a difference in how we translate the word Adonai in verse 3. Does it mean “God,” or does it mean “sirs”? In the story of Lot in Sodom (Bereishit 19:2), the same word clearly means “sirs.” Should Avraham’s case be read the same way?
Halachah ruled differently. It became widely held that with Lot, the word means “sirs.” With Avraham, it means “God.” This means Avraham interrupted a conversation with God, asking Him to wait while he showed hospitality to strangers. Tradition even derived a principle from this: “Greater is hospitality than receiving the Divine Presence.”
So Avraham chose to serve guests first, and God agreed to wait. How can this be? How could Avraham put human beings (as he believed them to be) before God Himself?
The passage is telling us something immensely profound.The idolaters of his time worshipped the sun, stars, and forces of nature. They worshipped power. But Avraham knew that God is not in nature but beyond it. There is only one thing in the universe on which He has set His image: the human person, every person, powerful and powerless alike. The forces of nature are impersonal, which is why worshippers of idols eventually lose their humanity. As Tehillim 115 says: “Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see… Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.”
Worshipping impersonal forces does nothing for our compassion, or our ability to be generous, or to forgive. But because the God of Avraham is personal - someone to whom we can say “You” - we must honour human dignity as sacred. To Avraham, faith meant seeing the trace of God in the face of a stranger.
This is what made him great. It is easy to sense God’s presence when He appears as God. It is far harder when He comes disguised as three unknown travellers. Avraham knew that serving God and offering hospitality to strangers were not two separate things but one.
Rabbi Shalom of Belz made a beautiful comment on this. In verse 2, the visitors are described as standing above Avraham (nitzavim alav). In verse 8, Abraham is described as standing above them (omed aleihem). At first, the visitors were higher, for they were angels and he was only human. But when he gave them food and drink and shelter, he grew as a person, as a being. His spiritual status grew. Then Avraham stood even higher than the angels.
We honour God by honouring His image, humankind
Around the Shabbat Table
Questions to Ponder
1. What does it mean to see the trace of God in another person?
2. What does balancing faith and kindness look like to you?
3. Are there other stories in Tanach where someone had to strike this balance?
A Takeaway Thought
Faith is not only about our relationships with God with also with one another. To serve God is to honour humanity. When we pause to care for others, we bring holiness into the world itself, revealing that kindness and faith are, in truth, one and the same.
Exploring the Parsha
With Sara Lamm
The Parsha in a Nutshell
Hashem appears to Avraham three days after his brit milah, when he is 99 years old. Despite being in some pain, Avraham is eager to welcome three travellers passing by in the desert heat. The visitors are actually malachim disguised as men.
One angel announces that in a year’s time, Sarah will give birth to a son, (as a 90 year-old. Sarah laughs at the news!
Avraham pleads with Hashem to spare the wicked city of Sodom. Two of the malachim continue on to Sodom, where Avraham’s nephew Lot shows them kindness and protects them from the violent townspeople. The malachim reveal that they will destroy the city but save Lot and his family. As they flee, Lot’s wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt.
Seeing the destruction from afar, Lot’s two daughters believe they are the last three people on earth. They make their father drunk and conceive sons who become the ancestors of Moav and Ammon. Avraham moves to Gerar, where King Avimelech captures Sarah. Hashem warns Avimelech in a dream to release her, and Sarah returns to Avraham. Sarah gives birth to Yitzchak, but when he grows up Hashem tests Avraham, commanding him to sacrifice his beloved son. Avraham prepares to do so. Then a Godly voice stops him just in time, and Avraham sacrifices a ram instead.
Parsha Activity
The Perfect Guest
One person is chosen as the “guest,” and the rest are the “hosts.” Each host takes turns acting out a way to make the guest feel welcome, such as offering food, pulling out a chair, giving a compliment, starting a friendly conversation, etc. The twist: the “guest” must react differently each time: shy, grumpy, silly, tired, excited, etc. The hosts have to adjust how they respond to make the guest feel comfortable. After everyone has had a turn as a host and a guest, discuss: Which was difficult? Which gestures made people feel most welcome?
A Story for the Ages
Room at the Table
It was a cold, dark night in a small Eastern European shtetl. The Baal Shem Tov sat at his crowded table, surrounded by students, friends, and family. Every chair was taken for it was Erev Shabbat, and the room was filled with warmth, light, and the scent from a pot of chicken soup, not large, but with just enough to go around.
Then came a knock at the door. A weary traveller stood outside, his beard unkempt, his clothes tattered, and the scent of the road heavy upon him. “May I come in? Could I have something to eat?” he asked softly.
The Baal Shem Tov glanced at the full table, then at the small pot on the stove, and finally lifted his eyes toward Heaven. “If Hashem has made room for him in this world,” he said, “then surely I can make room for him at my table.”
Many years earlier, Rabbi Eliezer and his wife hosted 20-30 guests every Shabbat. They were not blessed with children, and they spent all their money on Hachnasat Orchim (the mitzva to welcome guests). But one Shabbat a stranger appeared on their doorstep, and was invited in. Unlike the other guests, this man lacked good manners and clean clothes. Bothered by the way he ate and drank, the other guests complained to Eliezer, over and over again. After an hour of this, he stepped out into the hallway and gave into his tears. But he couldn't leave the stranger to face unkindness alone, so before long, he returned to the table. Then he treated the stranger with even more respect than before. He ignored the protests of the other guests, and invited him to stay until Sunday morning.
When the stranger was ready to leave, Eliezer walked with him to the main road. Then the stranger turned to him and revealed, “I am Eliyahu HaNavi, and your kind hospitality has merited you a son.” That son grew up to be... the Baal Shem Tov!
Cards & Conversation
Our Cards & Conversation packs include one card for every parsha. On one side, you’ll find an interesting question from the Torah to think about and discuss. Flip it over, and you’ll discover an idea from Rabbi Sacks that shines a new light on the parsha.
“Then [Avraham] said, “Please, may the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more...”
(Bereishit 18:32)
QUESTION:
Why is Avraham praying for the evil people of Sodom?
Rabbi Sacks on Bereishit 18:9 (in the Koren Sacks Humash) offers an answer:
“ “Teach children to love, and they will have hope. Teach them to hate, and they will have only anger and desire for revenge. Thinking about the past leads to war. Thinking about the future helps us to make peace.”
And on Bereishit 18:18, he further elaborates:
“God chose Avraham and his descendants to be agents of justice... That is what God wants of Avraham: to be the defence attorney for the people of Sodom; to argue their case; to be the voice of the other side. And that is precisely what Avraham does.”
Find out more about our packs of discussion cards by visiting the webpage:
“…[Avraham] ran from the entrance of his tent to greet [the three strangers] and bowed to the ground.” (Bereishit 18:2)
Avraham’s greatness was not only in his faith in Hashem but in his kindness toward others. The mitzva of Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests, teaches us that holiness begins with hospitality. Rabbi Sacks explains that Avraham recognised the image of God in every person. When he paused his conversation with Hashem to serve three strangers, he showed that caring for people is one of the highest forms of serving God.
Practically Speaking
Who will you welcome?
We do not need a tent in the desert to practise Hachnasat Orchim. This mitzva calls us to see every encounter as a chance to reflect the presence of Hashem in the world. Welcoming others is about opening our homes. Beyond that, it is about opening our hearts, creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and safe. When we greet others with warmth, include someone who feels left out, or take time to listen, we turn ordinary moments into meaningful ones. Avraham showed that true spirituality is not lived in isolation but rather in the way that we treat others and bring them in closer.
Try it Out
Young students
Think of a promise you’ve made to a friend, a sibling, or Hashem. How can you show today that you’re keeping your word?
Advancing students
What does keeping a promise mean to you? How does it feel when the promise is broken?
Think about one relationship that truly matters, whether it’s with a friend, a family member, or with God. Take a few moments to reflect on what keeps that bond strong: honesty, trust, patience, or care. As you go through your day, notice small ways to nurture that connection.
Learning in Layers
Guiding you through Torah step by step, with insights from the Koren Sacks Humash with translation and commentary by Rabbi Sacks. Each step takes us a little deeper and invites ‘Torah as Conversation,’ just as Rabbi Sacks taught.
“For I have chosen him so that he may direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just...”
Hashem chose Avraham to do what was right and just. How did he know Avraham had the potential to do this? Why do you think doing what is “right and just” were the two traits that were important to God at that time?
Not only is Avraham a kind and moral person, he is already known to be the type of person who can hand on good values to his children - and all this before he is even a parent! As Rabbi Sacks elaborates...
“The only place in the Bible to explain why Avraham is chosen is this verse. He is chosen because he will hand his way of life on to future generations. The words of this explanation imply three things about what it is to be an heir of Avraham. On the most basic level, it means that we are the guardians of our children’s future. We must ensure that they have a world to inherit. Today that means political, economic, and environmental sustainability.
“Second, education – directing our children and our household after us – is a sacred task. Teach children to love, and they will have hope. Teach them to hate, and they will have only anger and the desire for revenge.Thinking about the past leads to war. Thinking about the future helps us to make peace.
“Third, what is the end goal of this education? How are we to keep the way of the Lord? By doing what is right and just. That is the test. If religious people do what is right and just, they are keeping the way. If they do not, then somehow they have lost their way.”
Add your own questions and apply what you’ve learned to other examples in the Torah, and in your own life!
What does it mean to “hand a way of life” to future generations?
How can “doing what is right and just” shape a person’s legacy?
In your own family, how are important values or traditions passed down?
Even Higher than Angels
Family Edition
Vayera
Inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
The Summary
It is one of the most famous scenes in the Bible. Avraham sits at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day when three strangers pass by. He urges them to rest and eat. The text calls them men, but they are angels, and they bring the news that Sarah will have a child.
The chapter seems simple, yet it is complex. It has three parts:
- God appears to Avraham.
- Avraham welcomes the visitors.
- Avraham speaks to God about Sodom.
Are these one, two, or three scenes? Rashi sees three. First, God visits Avraham after his circumcision. Then the angels come. Then follows the dialogue about justice. Rambam, however, sees two: the visit of the angels and then the dialogue. The first verse, he says, is only a heading. A third view holds that this is one continuous scene. God appears, but before He can speak, Avraham notices the passers-by and asks God to wait while he serves them. Only after they leave does his conversation with God begin.
This makes a difference in how we translate the word Adonai in verse 3. Does it mean “God,” or does it mean “sirs”? In the story of Lot in Sodom (Bereishit 19:2), the same word clearly means “sirs.” Should Avraham’s case be read the same way?
Halachah ruled differently. It became widely held that with Lot, the word means “sirs.” With Avraham, it means “God.” This means Avraham interrupted a conversation with God, asking Him to wait while he showed hospitality to strangers. Tradition even derived a principle from this: “Greater is hospitality than receiving the Divine Presence.”
So Avraham chose to serve guests first, and God agreed to wait. How can this be? How could Avraham put human beings (as he believed them to be) before God Himself?
The passage is telling us something immensely profound. The idolaters of his time worshipped the sun, stars, and forces of nature. They worshipped power. But Avraham knew that God is not in nature but beyond it. There is only one thing in the universe on which He has set His image: the human person, every person, powerful and powerless alike. The forces of nature are impersonal, which is why worshippers of idols eventually lose their humanity. As Tehillim 115 says: “Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see… Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.”
Worshipping impersonal forces does nothing for our compassion, or our ability to be generous, or to forgive. But because the God of Avraham is personal - someone to whom we can say “You” - we must honour human dignity as sacred. To Avraham, faith meant seeing the trace of God in the face of a stranger.
This is what made him great. It is easy to sense God’s presence when He appears as God. It is far harder when He comes disguised as three unknown travellers. Avraham knew that serving God and offering hospitality to strangers were not two separate things but one.
Rabbi Shalom of Belz made a beautiful comment on this. In verse 2, the visitors are described as standing above Avraham (nitzavim alav). In verse 8, Abraham is described as standing above them (omed aleihem). At first, the visitors were higher, for they were angels and he was only human. But when he gave them food and drink and shelter, he grew as a person, as a being. His spiritual status grew. Then Avraham stood even higher than the angels.
We honour God by honouring His image, humankind
Around the Shabbat Table
Questions to Ponder
1. What does it mean to see the trace of God in another person?
2. What does balancing faith and kindness look like to you?
3. Are there other stories in Tanach where someone had to strike this balance?
A Takeaway Thought
Faith is not only about our relationships with God with also with one another. To serve God is to honour humanity. When we pause to care for others, we bring holiness into the world itself, revealing that kindness and faith are, in truth, one and the same.
Exploring the Parsha
With Sara Lamm
The Parsha in a Nutshell
Hashem appears to Avraham three days after his brit milah, when he is 99 years old. Despite being in some pain, Avraham is eager to welcome three travellers passing by in the desert heat. The visitors are actually malachim disguised as men.
One angel announces that in a year’s time, Sarah will give birth to a son, (as a 90 year-old. Sarah laughs at the news!
Avraham pleads with Hashem to spare the wicked city of Sodom. Two of the malachim continue on to Sodom, where Avraham’s nephew Lot shows them kindness and protects them from the violent townspeople. The malachim reveal that they will destroy the city but save Lot and his family. As they flee, Lot’s wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt.
Seeing the destruction from afar, Lot’s two daughters believe they are the last three people on earth. They make their father drunk and conceive sons who become the ancestors of Moav and Ammon. Avraham moves to Gerar, where King Avimelech captures Sarah. Hashem warns Avimelech in a dream to release her, and Sarah returns to Avraham. Sarah gives birth to Yitzchak, but when he grows up Hashem tests Avraham, commanding him to sacrifice his beloved son. Avraham prepares to do so. Then a Godly voice stops him just in time, and Avraham sacrifices a ram instead.
Parsha Activity
The Perfect Guest
One person is chosen as the “guest,” and the rest are the “hosts.” Each host takes turns acting out a way to make the guest feel welcome, such as offering food, pulling out a chair, giving a compliment, starting a friendly conversation, etc. The twist: the “guest” must react differently each time: shy, grumpy, silly, tired, excited, etc. The hosts have to adjust how they respond to make the guest feel comfortable. After everyone has had a turn as a host and a guest, discuss: Which was difficult? Which gestures made people feel most welcome?
A Story for the Ages
Room at the Table
It was a cold, dark night in a small Eastern European shtetl. The Baal Shem Tov sat at his crowded table, surrounded by students, friends, and family. Every chair was taken for it was Erev Shabbat, and the room was filled with warmth, light, and the scent from a pot of chicken soup, not large, but with just enough to go around.
Then came a knock at the door. A weary traveller stood outside, his beard unkempt, his clothes tattered, and the scent of the road heavy upon him. “May I come in? Could I have something to eat?” he asked softly.
The Baal Shem Tov glanced at the full table, then at the small pot on the stove, and finally lifted his eyes toward Heaven. “If Hashem has made room for him in this world,” he said, “then surely I can make room for him at my table.”
Many years earlier, Rabbi Eliezer and his wife hosted 20-30 guests every Shabbat. They were not blessed with children, and they spent all their money on Hachnasat Orchim (the mitzva to welcome guests). But one Shabbat a stranger appeared on their doorstep, and was invited in. Unlike the other guests, this man lacked good manners and clean clothes. Bothered by the way he ate and drank, the other guests complained to Eliezer, over and over again. After an hour of this, he stepped out into the hallway and gave into his tears. But he couldn't leave the stranger to face unkindness alone, so before long, he returned to the table. Then he treated the stranger with even more respect than before. He ignored the protests of the other guests, and invited him to stay until Sunday morning.
When the stranger was ready to leave, Eliezer walked with him to the main road. Then the stranger turned to him and revealed, “I am Eliyahu HaNavi, and your kind hospitality has merited you a son.” That son grew up to be... the Baal Shem Tov!
Cards & Conversation
Our Cards & Conversation packs include one card for every parsha. On one side, you’ll find an interesting question from the Torah to think about and discuss. Flip it over, and you’ll discover an idea from Rabbi Sacks that shines a new light on the parsha.
“Then [Avraham] said, “Please, may the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more...”
(Bereishit 18:32)
QUESTION:
Why is Avraham praying for the evil people of Sodom?
Rabbi Sacks on Bereishit 18:9 (in the Koren Sacks Humash) offers an answer:
“
“Teach children to love, and they will have hope. Teach them to hate, and they will have only anger and desire for revenge. Thinking about the past leads to war. Thinking about the future helps us to make peace.”
And on Bereishit 18:18, he further elaborates:
“God chose Avraham and his descendants to be agents of justice... That is what God wants of Avraham: to be the defence attorney for the people of Sodom; to argue their case; to be the voice of the other side. And that is precisely what Avraham does.”
Find out more about our packs of discussion cards by visiting the webpage:
Parsha in Practice
Mitzva of the Week
“…[Avraham] ran from the entrance of his tent to greet [the three strangers] and bowed to the ground.” (Bereishit 18:2)
Avraham’s greatness was not only in his faith in Hashem but in his kindness toward others. The mitzva of Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests, teaches us that holiness begins with hospitality. Rabbi Sacks explains that Avraham recognised the image of God in every person. When he paused his conversation with Hashem to serve three strangers, he showed that caring for people is one of the highest forms of serving God.
Practically Speaking
Who will you welcome?
We do not need a tent in the desert to practise Hachnasat Orchim. This mitzva calls us to see every encounter as a chance to reflect the presence of Hashem in the world. Welcoming others is about opening our homes. Beyond that, it is about opening our hearts, creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and safe. When we greet others with warmth, include someone who feels left out, or take time to listen, we turn ordinary moments into meaningful ones. Avraham showed that true spirituality is not lived in isolation but rather in the way that we treat others and bring them in closer.
Try it Out
Young students
Think of a promise you’ve made to a friend, a sibling, or Hashem. How can you show today that you’re keeping your word?
Advancing students
What does keeping a promise mean to you? How does it feel when the promise is broken?
Think about one relationship that truly matters, whether it’s with a friend, a family member, or with God. Take a few moments to reflect on what keeps that bond strong: honesty, trust, patience, or care. As you go through your day, notice small ways to nurture that connection.
Learning in Layers
Guiding you through Torah step by step, with insights from the Koren Sacks Humash with translation and commentary by Rabbi Sacks. Each step takes us a little deeper and invites ‘Torah as Conversation,’ just as Rabbi Sacks taught.
Find out more about the Koren Sacks Humash
Why did Hashem choose Avraham?
“כִּי יְדַעְתִּיו, לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֶת-בָּנָיו וְאֶת-בֵּיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו, וְשָׁמְרוּ דֶּרֶךְ ה', לַעֲשׂוֹת צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט...”
“For I have chosen him so that he may direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just...”
Hashem chose Avraham to do what was right and just. How did he know Avraham had the potential to do this? Why do you think doing what is “right and just” were the two traits that were important to God at that time?
Not only is Avraham a kind and moral person, he is already known to be the type of person who can hand on good values to his children - and all this before he is even a parent! As Rabbi Sacks elaborates...
“The only place in the Bible to explain why Avraham is chosen is this verse. He is chosen because he will hand his way of life on to future generations. The words of this explanation imply three things about what it is to be an heir of Avraham. On the most basic level, it means that we are the guardians of our children’s future. We must ensure that they have a world to inherit. Today that means political, economic, and environmental sustainability.
“Second, education – directing our children and our household after us – is a sacred task. Teach children to love, and they will have hope. Teach them to hate, and they will have only anger and the desire for revenge.Thinking about the past leads to war. Thinking about the future helps us to make peace.
“Third, what is the end goal of this education? How are we to keep the way of the Lord? By doing what is right and just. That is the test. If religious people do what is right and just, they are keeping the way. If they do not, then somehow they have lost their way.”
Add your own questions and apply what you’ve learned to other examples in the Torah, and in your own life!
Our Children Walk on Ahead
< PreviousHopes and Fears
Next >Subscribe to our mailing list to receive the weekly Parsha commentary
More on Vayera
Walking Together
The Binding of Isaac: A New Interpretation
To Bless the Space Between Us
Negative Capability
God and Strangers