Although Avraham’s primary character trait was chesed, loving-kindness, the Torah makes no mention of this primal aspect of his personality. Instead, the Torah describes the path he traveled to achieve a more balanced perspective that combined chesed with din, strict justice. He had to learn that loving-kindness must be tempered by a respect for autonomy, in order to preserve each person’s individuality.
In this week’s Parsha, he continues this journey, which is reflected in the Parsha name Vayeira, which is derived from the root Reyia – to see, or sight -- but is also synonymous with yirah, fear, as in the concept of yirat shamayim, fearing God. The significance of this connotation becomes apparent with the last episode in the parsha, Akeidat Yitzhak, when God pronounces Avraham as a God-fearing person – ki ata yadati ki yirey elokim ata, now I know that you fear God.
In this special recognition by God, we see that Parshat Vayeira is about the lesson we can derive from Avraham’s journey and the metamorphosis he underwent in order to pass all ten of the tests meted out by God.
But it is fair to wonder, how did he manage to transform himself so dramatically? How did he start off as someone whose greatest strength was chesed, only to become a person who was equally adept at embracing din? The answer is, in one word, humility. As Shlomo Hamelech says in Mishlei, Ekev Anava Yirat Hashem, the heel of humility is fear of God, which means that to attain proper fear of God, you must possess humility.
Humility is the quality we see consistently in Avraham. For example, as we explained in Parshat Lech Lecha (“Take the Lead”) God expressed admiration for Abraham’s trailblazing attitude and gave him a special status through the mitzvah of brit milah. Despite this distinction, Rashi tells us this week that Avraham had the humility to ask the leaders of the province of Elonei Mamre their opinion about whether he should carry out the command of circumcision or not.
We see this theme throughout the story of Avraham, which recounts how he adopted an entirely new set of principles to guide him through life, which itself is an amazing display of humility.
Another example in this week’s Parsha is found in the episode when the angels approached Avraham’s tent. As Rashi famously teaches, it was a hot day, and he was recovering from his circumcision. The Talmud in Mesechet Shabbat 127a says that he interrupted his meeting with God, who was visiting during his recovery, to greet these random strangers. He had no idea they were angels, and as Rashi explains, he assumed they were idol worshippers who worship dust. Nonetheless, he invited them in. The Torah says he offered a pat lechem, a morsel of bread but then served them a feast. As the Midrash Tanchuma explains, his actions exemplified the message of emor meat vaaseh harbeh, we should say little and do much. And even though it was apparent that the three angels varied in status, he intentionally served each the same exact meal, to show respect by treating them equally. The entire episode illustrates how Avraham expressed humility even as God was giving him honor.
The Talmud in Mesechet Shabbat concludes from this story that extending hospitality is even more significant than receiving God’s presence. But there is another, deeper meaning. It’s important to understand that hachnasat orchim, inviting in guests, does not simply mean hospitality in the most concrete sense; that translation is incorrect. If you translate the words literally it means bringing in paths. Avraham’s hospitality entailed much more than physically welcoming his guests. What matters is that he was able to treat each person as an individual and respectfully welcome their diverse perspectives. As we remarked earlier, he had learned to value God’s trait of din, strict justice, and therefore learned to value individuality.
It requires tremendous humility to maintain shalom bayit, peace in the home when you welcome people with diverse ideas, and that is why hachnasat orchim is typically understood as being about inviting people into your home. But more than that, it’s about welcoming their different perspectives.
I believe this kind of humility is what enabled Avraham to make such a rapid transformation. Hachnasat orchim entails more than just giving someone food and shelter. It is only by welcoming others into our lives and learning from the perspective of every individual that we, like Abraham, can become complete individuals ourselves.
אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, Who is wise? He who learns from everyone (Avot, 4:1).
Shabbat Shalom.