In the heat of the day, Avraham sees three men and runs to meet them.
The story
God appeared to Avraham at Elonei Mamre. Avraham was sitting at the opening of the tent in the heat of the day. He lifted his eyes, and suddenly he saw three men standing near him.
וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב פֶּתַח־הָאֹהֶל כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם
Bereshit 18:1
The moment he saw them, Avraham ran from the opening of the tent to meet them and bowed to the ground. He asked them to stop before going on their way and offered a little water to wash their feet, a rest under the tree and a piece of bread. They answered, “Do as you have said.”
Avraham hurried into the tent and told Sarah to quickly knead three measures of fine flour and make cakes. He ran to the herd, took a tender, choice calf and gave it to the young man, who hurried to prepare it. He set butter, milk and the calf before them and stood by them under the tree. They ate.
The guests asked, “Where is Sarah your wife?” Avraham answered, “There, in the tent.” Then a speaker the Torah does not identify said, “I will return to you when the time comes, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Sarah heard this at the opening of the tent. Avraham and Sarah were old, and Sarah was past childbearing.
Sarah laughed within herself, saying she was worn out and her husband was old. God asked Avraham why Sarah had laughed, and said, “Is anything too wondrous for God?” Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. And he said, “No, you did laugh.”
He lifted his eyes and looked, and there were three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the opening of the tent to meet them, and bowed down to the ground.
Words from the verse
נִצָּבִיםstanding
עָלָיוby him, near him
וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּand he bowed low
What it teaches: Hospitality
Welcoming a guest gladly, quickly and with an open heart.
The Torah teaches that welcoming guests begins with the eyes and the feet: Avraham saw men in the heat of the day and ran to meet them. He offered a piece of bread and set butter, milk and a tender, choice calf before them. And while his guests ate, he stood by them.
A question to sit with
Who has passed your door lately and might have been glad to see someone get up to meet them?
Questions about the story
What did Avraham offer the guests when he asked them to stop?
A tender calf and cakes
A night’s rest in the tent
Water, rest and bread
Answer
c. Water, rest and bread
Avraham offered a little water to wash their feet, a rest under the tree and a piece of bread before they went on their way.
What did Avraham do while the guests ate?
Sat down to eat with them
Stood beside the guests
Went back into the tent to Sarah
Answer
b. Stood beside the guests
The Torah tells that Avraham set the food before them and stood by them under the tree, and they ate.
The lesson
A good host offers a piece of bread and serves a feast.
For this week
This week, when someone comes to you, at home or at work, try getting up to meet them and offering a drink before they ask.
From the sources
The Talmud, in tractate Shabbat, quotes Rav: “Welcoming guests is greater than receiving the Divine Presence.” The sages understood that Avraham turned to God Himself and asked Him to wait. Rabbi Elazar explains: among people, a lesser person cannot tell a greater one, “Wait until I come to you.”
The verses are from Miqra according to the Masorah (Wikisource, CC BY-SA 4.0), via Sefaria, without the cantillation marks. On this site the four-letter Name is written ה׳.
