He lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing over him; he saw, and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and he bowed to the ground.
English: “And behold, three men.” Who were these three men? Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael: Michael came to announce to Sarah, Raphael to heal Avraham, and Gabriel went to overturn Sedom.
On the daf / in context: Bava Metzia 86b identifies the three visitors as the angels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, each assigned a distinct mission; one angel does not perform two missions.
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The three figures are identified by their later actions and by the principle that one angel is not given two tasks.
What Is Learned
The three men were the angels Michael (to announce Yitzchak’s birth), Raphael (to heal Avraham), and Gabriel (to destroy Sedom); each had a single mission.