Vayera
Shalom everyone. Before getting to the parsha, I wanted to apologize to all of you for having only half a parsha this week. Due to problems that are completely of my own making and my fault entirely, I was only able to do two videos this week. I take my charge of providing fresh content every week very seriously and I feel terrible to have fallen short. But in the meantime, I thought I would provide a little extra content right now–teachings I have not posted in a while and are not on the home page. I know this is no substitute for the final two videos that I am responsible for and again I am very sorry about that. I regret also not being able to record Member Q&A and for those who asked me, I will get your questions answered in the coming weeks and am sorry for any inconvenience. Also please note there are no bonus video links in the audio version! Having said all of this, let’s talk about the parsha…
Vayera means “and appeared,” referencing Abba YHWH, appearing to Abraham with two other messengers. The trio brings news that Abraham and Sarah will have a son. Sarah, not believing Abba YHWH, laughs at hearing the pronouncement and then denies she laughed. This is one reason they call their son Yitzchak, “laughter.” Notable here also is that Abraham serves Abba YHWH and His two messengers milk and meat!
After this, we get the dark message of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction. Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family must leave immediately to avoid the coming disaster. Also, there is a remarkable “bargaining” session between Abraham and Abba YHWH, as they debate how many righteous souls will spare the entire city. An incident similar to the one where Pharaoh took Sarah happens again with another ruler, with comparable results. The portion ends with the most shocking story of them all, as Abraham is told to kill his son by Abba YHWH Himself!
