Vayeira 18:1 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 18:1

The Complete Passuk

וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה בְּאֵלֹנֵ֖י מַמְרֵ֑א וְה֛וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב פֶּֽתַח־הָאֹ֖הֶל כְּחֹ֥ם הַיּֽוֹם׃

Hashem appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sotah 14a.

TT lemma: וירא אליו ה'.

Sefaria — Sotah 14a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו ה׳. מִכָּאן שֶׁמִּמִּדַּת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְבַקֵּר חוֹלִים.

English: “And Hashem appeared to him.” From here we learn that it is the way of the Holy One, blessed be He, to visit the sick.

On the daf / in context: Sotah 14a derives from this verse that Hashem Himself came to visit Avraham after the circumcision, teaching that one must cleave to Hashem’s attributes by visiting the sick.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The appearance of Hashem after the milah is read as a visit to the convalescent.

What Is Learned

Visiting the sick is an imitation of Hashem’s own conduct: just as He appeared to Avraham while he recovered from circumcision, so we are obligated to visit the ill.